Report examines ways to reduce Ohio's incarceration rate

As 2025 comes to a close, a new report looked at criminal justice reforms the U.S. could pursue in 2026, including in Ohio.

The Prison Policy Initiative released its annual "Winnable Criminal Justice Reforms" analysis with recommendations on how cities and states can reduce incarceration. The report included examples of programs to dispatch mental health professionals rather than police officers for nonemergency calls.

Wanda Bertram, communications strategist for the Prison Policy Initiative, said a range of police and community-based responses can be used.

"It's an excellent solution for cities that are in states where the Legislature may not be getting a lot done or might not have that much of interest in criminal justice reform," Bertram asserted.

The report has other suggestions, including decriminalizing drugs in order to take a more health-centered approach to substance use. Marijuana is legal in Ohio for medical and recreational purposes.

The report also advised states to reduce the number of people going to jails and prisons for low-level offenses and suggested states stop charging and sentencing youths as adults. Bertram acknowledged many states have made progress in these areas.

"These are offenses that we think police departments should be issuing citations for, certainly, holding someone accountable," Bertram explained. "But there is no reason to jail someone, to throw their life into disarray, to put their health at risk for things that are so, so minor."

Bertram added criminal justice reforms face strong headwinds as "tough on crime" policies are becoming popular narratives for lawmakers again.

"There's been tremendous progress made in a lot of places around getting people help," Bertram observed. "People who are struggling with substance use, with mental illness, people who have disabilities, people who are homeless."