Policy groups on the right and left say Ohio lawmakers are undermining attempts to reduce the state's prison population by continuing to introduce tough-on-crime bills that have the opposite effect.
A report by the American Civil Liberties Union backed by several organizations says lawmakers introduced 54 bills in the first six months of the current session that would send more people to jail or prison.
The "Statehouse-to-Prison Pipeline" report released Wednesday says lawmakers are pushing the bills even as a committee works on multiple changes to the state criminal code that could reduce the number of people who are incarcerated.
The ACLU of Ohio and the conservative Buckeye Institute are among groups calling for a moratorium on crime bills until the committee finishes its work.