Ohio bill would ease re-entry struggles for formerly incarcerated people
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — April is recognized nationally as Second Chance Month, and on Wednesday, lawmakers of both parties participated in an event hosted by the Ohio Justice & Policy Center highlighting legislation they said could help formerly incarcerated people start new lives after prison.
State Reps. Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus) and Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland) were joined by state Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester), who took the opportunity to announce her new bill allowing the state to automatically seal the records of certain low-level offenders.
“A lot of times what we’re seeing is, because the burden is on the individual to have to seal those records themselves and sometimes they don’t know how to navigate,” Reynolds said. “In the age of technology, things are easier, there’s a bot for everything, there’s an AI for everything. We should be able to do that in 2026.”
Reynolds said that bill, which she calls the “Grow Act,” would only seal the records for nonviolent offenses that are already qualified for expungement.
Brewer celebrated the unanimous House passage of House Bill 363, which he sponsored along with Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery). H.B. 363 would require community-based correction facilities and halfway houses to help inmates obtain necessary state identification.
“It can prevent them from taking the next step in their life to finding employment, opening bank accounts, voting and basic stability needed for reintegration,” Brewer said. “Without it, you’re invisible to the system that’s supposed to be helping you rebuild your life.”
Assisting people who have paid their debt to society has enjoyed broad bipartisan support in the state legislature, with Democrats and Republicans co-sponsoring numerous bills addressing the issue. Humphrey cited the unanimous passage of her bill, also co-sponsored with Click, to cut how long it can take for a formerly incarcerated person to obtain a certificate for qualified employment.
She described that bill and others dealing with re-entry as a matter of workforce development.
“Employers really need that extra help, and when people are barred or have these barriers from being able to apply, it hurts the workforce,” Humphrey said. “I really look at these bills, one, as a second chance and a hand up, and not necessarily a hand out, but it really impacts economic opportunity throughout the state and it helps the employers.”
The lawmakers also framed the issue as one of public safety, with Humphrey predicting that these bills could lead to a drop in crime and recidivism rates.
“How do I live my life if I don’t have a place to live? How can I take care of my family if I don’t have employment?” Humphrey said. “Nine times out of ten, when people don’t have those things, they lean on their survival skills and what does leaning on survival skills look like? It looks like, ‘OK, well I’m going to go commit a crime.’”