Page 11 - MarchApril26 Report

Nelson Mandela famously said, “A nation
should not be judged by how it treats its
highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” If that
is true, then the extent to which America provides
access to justice for those marked by our govern-
ment for punishment or confinement matters a great
deal. Mandela’s challenge to us in dealing with these
“lowest ones” points to the truth that access to fair
treatment is not just a matter of individual human
rights, but of collective and civic justice.
Nowhere is that aspiration more strained than
when considering America’s growing jail and prison
population. Ohio alone incarcerates 71,000 people
today, one of the highest incarceration rates globally,
per capita. The recent rise in immigration enforce-
ment activity in Ohio suggest a continued rise in the
number of people behind bars.
Nearly everyone incarcerated in Ohio (95% of
those in state prison) eventually returns home to
our counties, cities, and neighborhoods. With one in
three people in Ohio possessing a criminal record of
some kind, we can be sure that those returning are
among us, our neighbors, friends, and family.
If access to justice means anything, it must mean
that every person who calls our community home,
regardless of where they are housed or how much
power the government holds over them, has a fair
opportunity to assert their legal rights. Yet for people
who are or have been behind bars, our legal system
erects some of the highest barriers to accountability
found anywhere in American life. Lowering these
barriers requires both providing legal counsel to those
who need it and making it easier to bring claims vindi-
cating rights.
For nearly 30 years, the Ohio Justice & Policy
Center (OJPC) has confronted these realities head-
on. Founded on a commitment to prison and jail
reform, OJPC today is a civil rights law firm focused
on building a redemptive, fair, and smart criminal
justice system at every stage, through a mix of legal
advocacy, policy reform, and community engagement.
We expand access to justice for the most vulnerable
people. Our work stems from the belief that we are
stronger when all our neighbors have the ability to
safeguard their human rights in our courts.
By Gabe Davis
march/april 2026 cba report | 11