Posted on 09/30/19 by Piet van Lier in Justice Reform
Jade and Tiffany are two Ohio women serving time in prison for drug possession and struggling with addiction. Their stories show why Ohio’s punitive approach to drug possession and addiction is not working. Ohio spends more than $1.8 billion a year to keep as many as 50,000 people in prison. For many, like Jade and Tiffany, drug possession may be their only crime. Yet Ohio has the nation’s second-highest overdose rate with a total of 5,111 Ohioans dying of drug overdoses in 2017. It’s clear that focusing on punishment, rather than treatment, spends too much of our budget on a system... read more
Posted on 09/13/19 by Ben Stein in Revenue & Budget
If you’re superstitious, today’s date—Friday the 13th—might have you worried. But at Policy Matters, we know tough times aren’t the result of bad luck, but bad policy. Families struggle to afford childcare, communities lack the... read more
Posted on 09/11/19 by Hannah Halbert in Work & Wages
Yesterday the Census Bureau released the Current Population Survey (CPS) 2018 national income and poverty estimates, along with data from the Supplemental Poverty Measure, and limited state-level health insurance data from the American Community Survey... read more
Posted on 09/06/19 by Intern Writer in Justice Reform
By Jack McGowan For the estimated one in three Americans with a criminal record, it can be tough to find jobs that offer fair wages and a career pathway. For many, one mark on their criminal... read more
Posted on 08/26/19 by Ben Stein in Work & Wages
Ohio’s workers face big problems, from factory closures to wage theft. But those problems seem a little smaller when we face them together. That’s why Policy Matters joined with our friends at SEIU District 1199... read more
Posted on 08/20/19 by Intern Writer in Education & Training
By Katie Burns One in eight Americans are food insecure, meaning they do not have reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food. Nearly one in seven Ohioans is food insecure. This could be a result of... read more
Posted on 08/07/19 by Intern Writer in Health & Health Equity
By Emma Schubert Medicaid is important to millions of Americans. It gives over 3 million people across Ohio access to life-saving health care. But, it can do even more. The Ohio Department of Medicaid’s asked for ideas... read more
Posted on 08/05/19 by Intern Writer in Justice Reform
Innocent people who can't make bail end up serving time, accepting plea deals By Sydney Diewald In the United States, everyone is supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. But before they even stand trial, many... read more
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