The Ohio Reckoning Project

07/30/2026

The deadline to nominate an NASW member, social work student, or agency for the 2026 Ohio Social Work Awards is August 30th! Don’t miss this opportunity to recognize excellence and uplift our Ohio social work community. Social workers deserve to be celebrated! View the criteria and submit your nomination at naswoh.org/awardnominations. Anyone can submit!

07/15/2026

Ohio criminal law update:

The Supreme Court of Ohio has ruled that prosecutors may seek permission to appeal when a trial judge sets aside a jury’s guilty verdict and enters a judgment of acquittal.

That may sound technical, but it matters.

This decision does not mean the State gets an automatic appeal. It also does not mean every acquittal can be retried. But it does mean a prosecutor may now ask the appellate court for permission to challenge a judge’s post-verdict acquittal.

Why does TRP care?

Because criminal justice is not just what happens at sentencing. It is also what happens in the rules, the appeals, the definitions, and the quiet procedural decisions that shape who has power in the courtroom.

This ruling is not a parole case. It does not directly help people already serving old-law or indeterminate sentences. But it is part of the larger legal landscape families need to understand: finality, appeal rights, double jeopardy, and the balance between the accused and the State are still being fought over in Ohio courts.

Advocacy requires attention.

Not panic.
Not misinformation.
Attention.

The system moves in details, and details can change lives.

TODAY, the Supreme Court ruled that a prosecutor can appeal a judge's decision to overturn a jury's guilty verdict.
Read about the decision ⚖️ https://bit.ly/4wHwCRJ

05/11/2026

I've out my name in the hat for BSW student representative for Ohio NASW chapter

Sarah Jordan

Voting is now open for the 2026 NASW Ohio Board of Directors election, and we encourage all NASW Ohio members to participate. Members may vote for the MSW Student Representative and BSW Student Representative positions, and members in Region 2 and Region 6 may also vote for their respective regional representative. Region 2 includes Erie, Huron, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit counties in northern Ohio. Region 6 includes Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland, Lawrence, Pike, Scioto, and Warren counties in southwest Ohio. Voting is an important part of shaping the leadership and future direction of NASW Ohio. To cast your ballot, members must log into the NASW Ohio website and complete the online voting process by June 12, 2026. Vote here: https://www.naswoh.org/page/board2026

04/17/2026

Ohio could fix this. It just hasn’t.

There are solutions:

✔ Development-based review
✔ Clear release guidelines
✔ Consistent standards

Other places are already doing this.

The question isn’t “can we fix it?”

It’s “why haven’t we?”

04/16/2026

I don’t just talk about this—I help families navigate it.

If you have a loved one preparing for parole and you don’t know where to start, I offer structured support with:

Parole packet preparation
Document organization
Strategic guidance

I’m not an attorney, and I don’t make promises.

But I do help you present the strongest, most complete picture possible.

If you’ve been feeling stuck or overwhelmed, reach out.

04/16/2026

Most families don’t realize how much presentation matters in parole.

The board doesn’t just look at behavior.
They look at how the story is told.

That’s where people get overlooked.

That’s what I help fix.

If you’re preparing for parole, don’t walk in unprepared.

04/15/2026

The system says “accountability.”
But it doesn’t recognize growth.

You can’t claim rehabilitation matters
and then ignore it when it happens.

That’s not justice.
That’s control.

04/14/2026

Let me explain why people stay locked up longer than they should.

Break it down simple:

Discretionary parole = no clear rules
Decisions vary by board
No requirement to consider brain development
Risk decreases with age—but decisions don’t reflect that

So it’s not just about what someone did.
It’s about whether the system decides to recognize who they’ve become.

04/13/2026

Imagine doing everything right… and still being told “no.”

Program completions.
Clean conduct.
Years of growth.

And then the parole board says no—

Not because you’re a risk…

But because there are no clear standards.

This is what families are dealing with every day.

This is why parole packets matter.

If you’re trying to help someone come home, I see you.
And I know how to fight this system.

04/12/2026

Ohio is spending millions to keep people locked up who aren’t a threat anymore.

Here’s what nobody wants to say out loud:

It costs MORE to keep aging prisoners locked up than to release them.

Medical care. Staffing. Housing.

And it all comes out of taxpayer dollars.

So we’re paying for:

❌ Longer incarceration
❌ Inconsistent decisions
❌ No real public safety benefit

That’s not just unjust.
That’s inefficient.

If we’re going to talk about “accountability,” let’s talk about the system too.