Action Alert: We Need Your Help to End Mandatory Bindover in Ohio
Every day, Ohio youth fall through the cracks in our juvenile justice system. Bindover is the process by which a juvenile court judge transfers a youth’s case to an adult court to be tried and sentenced as an adult. Here in Ohio, the practice of mandatory bindover still occurs today — where the court must transfer a child to adult court if certain criteria are met.
For kids as young as 14, this means if they are charged with certain crimes, they are automatically bound over and tried as an adult in adult court (and in the adult detention system).
Ohio has one of the highest racial disparities in mandatory bindover in the US.
- In 2020, over 80% of Ohio youth bound over to adult court were Black.
- In Cuyahoga County, over 90% of kids boundover are Black.
Ohio – we can do better.
We can end mandatory bindover permanently in Ohio by amending HB 500 into SB 288 and HB 699.
Eliminating mandatory bindover will move Ohio to a discretionary bindover system, where kids charged with certain crimes must be properly evaluated by a juvenile court judge before a decision is made to bind them over into adult court. This evaluation looks at the youth as a whole — factoring in social history, education, past trauma, family history, and mental health.
Discretionary bindover allows our youth to be seen — for who they are, for who they’ve been, and for who they have the potential to grow to be.
WE NEED YOUR HELP TODAY!!!
Currently, SB 288/HB 699 do not include HB 500. Can you call Senator Manning's office today to speak up for our youth?
Here are the details:
Phone Call Script
My name is _______ and I am calling to express my support for eliminating mandatory bindover of youth in Ohio and to urge you to amend HB 500 into SB 288 and HB 699. It is essential that Ohio enacts legislation that protects youths’ safety and well-being, while also holding them accountable in ways that advance public safety. Children are not adults, and but mandatory bindover requires treating them like adults. Amending HB 500 into SB 288 and HB 699 will give Ohio’s youth an opportunity to access rehabilitation in the juvenile justice system and move Ohio towards a fairer justice system.
Send Calls and Emails to:
- SB 288 Sponsor/Senate Judiciary: Nathan Manning, Chair, (614) 644-7613 [email protected]
- HB 699 Sponsor: Tavia Galonski, (614) 644-6037 [email protected]
- HB 699 Sponsor: Bill Seitz, (614) 466-8258 [email protected]
- HB 500/HB 699 House Criminal Justice Committee: Jeff LaRe, Chair, (614) 466-8100 [email protected]
Ohio youth need us. Speak up and spread the word.