Sunday, February 18, 2007

Letter from Todd Portune to City Council:  Change your Marijuana Law!

Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati

Dear Mayor and Members of Council:

As we wrestle with the ongoing issue of Hamilton County’s Corrections and rehabilitation problems I respectfully ask that you revisit legislation previously adopted that criminalizes possession of marijuana resulting in mandatory sentences and instead either repeal the legislation, or rewrite it in a way that results in less incarceration and more treatment.  As we have examined the issue of jail overcrowding I have been approached by numerous members of the county judiciary who have complained that the legislation was unnecessary; inappropriate and a major contributor to current overcrowding.

When I lobbied individual Members against adoption of the ordinance the response given by supporters of the ordinance was that the intent was to get addicted users the treatment they needed.  Instead, according to many of our judges, it has worked to clog our system and jail even more. There are so many studies that indicate that America’s War on Drugs is a failure that I don’t need to repeat them here.  Substance abuse is primarily a medical and a treatment issue because at its core it involves addictions and addictive behavior.  It becomes a disease that is physically debilitating and destructive in many ways.  People need help.  Our focus with users should be on that and not on punitive measures.

You have tough jobs and we are all working hard to make our community a better place.  As we move forward, however, and examine changes in practice that will work long term to ease overcrowding and provide a system that better matches individuals with appropriate responses, and as we encourage our judiciary to consider more and more alternatives, and to make those alternatives available in greater quantity, I respectfully ask the city to revisit this, and [perhaps other legislation], that may be having the unintended, or inappropriate effect, of placing non-violent individuals in jail as opposed to in places that are better suited to changing their behaviors in a positive way.  We need to look at probation and the whole issue of violating people on probation and provide options other than incarceration.  We have too many people in jail who have not committed a crime but who have violated terms of probation that were probably impossible to meet in the first place.

And so on.

Part of my job in managing this issue involves advancing the various elements that make up the entirety of the issue and appropriate response.  Part of that involves working to determine what we may need to build, or consolidate, in addressing our facility needs.  It involves identifying what programs or services we need to offer.  And it involves speaking out on those issues where experience teaches us different approaches are in order.  This is one such area.

To change behaviors and change lives for the better, and to create a system that contains appropriate options and choices along the way that will make a difference, will require all of us to be willing to explore alternatives.  Experience tells us that there is not “one size fits all” approach to crime and behavior.  It is a complex series of events and approaches.  In the field of substance abuse and addictive behaviors this is especially so.

This is the time for our community and our generation to stand up and do the right thing across the board.  It is going to involve elements of new build.  But it must also involve a sea change in attitude and approach if we will be able to make the attitudinal changes in our approach to the many faces and issues of criminal behavior that will ultimately make a difference in Hamilton County and change the trends.  Only by doing the latter will this be the last time we need to consider upsizing our correctional facilities.

Thank you for your consideration of this item.  I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Todd Portune
President, Hamilton County Commission

Socializer!

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funnelcake says:
18 Feb 2007  at  08:00 pm | #

My favorite part:
“And so on.”

If anything that is the most meaningful clincher that will really move is ideas forward.

And so on.