SUSTAINABLE
JUSTICE
Lucas County’s Path to Reform
Ohio Justice Alliance for Community
Corrections Conference
October 13, 2016
History and Context
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Sheriff John Tharp takes office and asks Commissioners to consider replacing the Lucas
County Jail (January 2013)
Lucas County release RFQ to Study the Feasibility of Building a New Jail (April 9, 2013)
Lucas County releases results of New Jail Feasibility Study (October 14, 2014)
City of Toledo begins charging all offenders under the Ohio Revised Code (October 15,
2014)
Lucas County takes legal action against the City of Toledo for Breach of Contract (Early
2015)
Lucas County withdraws its legal action (September 2015)
City of Toledo takes legal action against Lucas County asserting unjust enrichment and
breach of contract and seeking declaratory judgement for responsibility of “State”
prisoner costs (December 7, 2015)
City of Toledo receives declaratory judgment in its favor (June 27, 2016)
Spark
 How big of a Jail do we need?
 Who is in the Jail?
 Why?
FIRST STEP
Risk Based Pretrial Assessment
Impact – First Years Results
 Missed court appearances dropped (41% to 29%)
 Pretrial defendants arrested while out on pretrial
release was cut in half (20% to 10%)
 Percentage of pretrial defendants arrested on new
violent crimes while out on release decreased (5%
to 3%)
 Emergency Releases have decreased (38% to 4%)
 Pretrial Success Rates have improved (54% to 67%)
SPRING BOARD TO
GREATER REFORM
Enter MacArthur
Planning Process
 Awarded $150,000 Safety and Justice
Challenge Planning Grant
 System Map
 Deep Data Dive
 Two Main Goals:
 Reduce locally incarcerated population
 Reduce the disparate impact of local incarceration
STRATEGIES
Strategy #1 – Pre-Arrest Deflection
 Continuing Professional Training for Law
Enforcement
 Expansion of Crisis Intervention Training
 Behavioral Health Deflection
 Law Enforcement Deflection Program
Strategy #4 – Diversion of
Underserved Populations
 Municipal Misdemeanor Diversion
Expansion
 County Felony Diversion
Strategy #2 – Managing Based on
Risk
 Pretrial
 Sentenced
Crisis – June 27, 2016
Opportunity
Strategy #3 – Population Review
Team
 Expedited Case Resolution
 High Pretrial Risk
 Low-Level Charge
 Second Look
 Recommended for Release
 Held by Judiciary
Strategy #5 – Coordinated
Probation Practices
 Standardization of Best Practices Across
Probation Authorities
 Coordinate Supervision
LESSONS LEARNED
Coordinate a Crises!!!
Lessons Learned
 Start Somewhere
 Build Relationships
 Key Branches
 Executive
 Use the Power of the Purse
 Judiciary
 Too Often Written Off
 Turn Crisis into Opportunity
THANK YOU