AJ Hawk, Former Ohio State and NFL Star, Urges Ohio Lawmakers to Support Crucial Criminal Justice Reform Bill

Ohio Native Backs Bipartisan Senate Bill 3
 
“When our friends, family, and neighbors are struggling, Ohioans offer a hand up, and that’s what Senate Bill 3 would do for people who are struggling with addiction.”

 
(Columbus) A.J Hawk, a life-long Ohioan and Ohio State Buckeye star, has voiced his support for Ohio Senate Bill 3. The bill will promote drug treatment, safely reduce incarceration for those struggling with addiction, and save taxpayer money. This landmark legislation has already passed the Ohio Senate with an overwhelming bipartisan vote, and is poised to move out of committee and to the floor of the full Ohio State House for a final vote next week.

Senate Bill 3 reduces penalties for certain low-level, non-violent offenses, particularly drug possession offenses. Under the legislation, which is sponsored by Senator John Eklund (R-18) and Sean O’Brien (D-32), most possession crimes would be reclassified as misdemeanors rather than felonies.

The bill also decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana and limits the use of prison for technical violations of community supervision. Long-time criminal justice reform champion and House Majority Floor Leader Bill Seitz (R-30) is shepherding the legislation through the House, which must get the groundbreaking legislation to the Governor’s desk this month before the legislature adjourns for the year.

“I’ve seen first-hand how the opioid crisis has ravaged our state and seen addiction tear communities and families apart,” said Hawk. “We have learned the hard way that throwing sick people behind bars doesn’t create healthy citizens, but leads to deeper addiction and more crime. It’s time for a change, and we know what we need to do.”

Historically, populations impacted by the existing law have been disproportionately low-income and African-American. Senate Bill 3 offers a second chance to first-time drug offenders, helping to address racial disparities in the state’s criminal justice system. It also aims to safely reduce incarceration in Ohio by 2,500 people, saving taxpayers $75 million each year.

Letter below.

To Members of the Ohio State House,

As a life-long Ohioan, and a member of the Columbus community, I urge your support for Senate Bill 3, bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation set for a proponent committee hearing this week.

I’ve seen first-hand how the opioid crisis has ravaged our state, and seen addiction tear communities and families apart. I know people who have lost their battles with addiction, and I know I’m not alone in that—as an Ohioan, it’s nearly impossible to have been untouched by this crisis in some way, shape, or form.
 
When our friends, family, and neighbors are struggling, Ohioans offer a hand up, and that’s what Senate Bill 3 would do for people who are struggling with addiction.

I support SB 3 because it offers a second chance to first-time offenders, many of whom dealing with addiction, who are caught with small amounts of drugs. Instead of sending them to prison, SB 3 gives them the chance to enter treatment and turn their lives around. It lets people who have made a mistake heal and recover, and become productive members of our communities, instead of burdening them with the life-long stigma of a felony conviction.

Here in Ohio, we have tried to punish our way out of the opioid crisis, and we have failed. We have seen too many overdose deaths for too many years, and created generations of trauma for children whose parents have become addicted, been incarcerated, or have died. We have learned the hard way that throwing sick people behind bars doesn’t create healthy citizens, but leads to deeper addiction and more crime. It’s time for a change, and we know what we need to do.

Other states have enacted smart criminal justice reforms, just like SB 3, and seen positive results: reducing incarceration, addressing racial disparities, and improving public safety at the same time. That’s what SB 3 will do, and that’s why I urge you to pass this legislation.

I applaud the sponsors of this legislation on both sides of the aisle, as well as those leaders working to shepherd this legislation across the finish line, and urge members of this committee to vote to advance Senate Bill 3 for full consideration by the House.

We’ve made real strides on bipartisan criminal justice reforms the last few years, and we can build on our state’s legacy by passing Senate Bill 3.
 
Respectfully,

AJ Hawk

Ohio State University, Class of 2006
Green Bay Packers (2006-2014)
Cincinnati Bengals (2015)
Atlanta Falcons (2016)