A bipartisan group including one of the nation's leading anti-tax crusaders and the American Civil Liberties Union has launched a new effort to reduce Ohio's inmate population.
The U.S. Justice Action Network is promoting efforts to find alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent crimes, keep people from returning to prison and help inmates find jobs once they're out.
The group held a Thursday news conference followed by testimony before a committee rewriting Ohio's criminal laws.
The effort has the backing of Senate President Keith Faber, a Celina Republican who has called for options to prison, especially for drug offenses.
Other supporters include Alison Holcomb of the ACLU's Campaign for Smart Justice; Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform; and Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith Lanzinger.