(A) There is hereby created the ex-offender reentry coalition consisting of the following twenty-one members or their designees:
(1) The director of rehabilitation and correction;
(2) The director of aging;
(3) The director of mental health and addiction services;
(4) The director of development;
(5) The director of education and workforce;
(6) The director of health;
(7) The director of job and family services;
(8) The director of developmental disabilities;
(9) The director of public safety;
(10) The director of youth services;
(11) The chancellor of higher education;
(12) A representative or member of the governor's staff;
(13) The executive director of the opportunities for Ohioans with disabilities agency;
(14) The director of the department of commerce;
(15) The executive director of a health care licensing board created under Title XLVII of the Revised Code, as appointed by the chairperson of the coalition;
(16) The director of veterans services;
(17) An ex-offender appointed by the director of rehabilitation and correction;
(18) Two members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, one of whom shall be the chairperson of the standing committee in the house of representatives that primarily addresses criminal justice matters and the other of whom shall be a member of the minority party in the house of representatives;
(19) Two members of the senate appointed by the president of the senate, one of whom shall be the chairperson of the standing committee in the senate that primarily addresses criminal justice matters and the other of whom shall be a member of the minority party in the senate.
(B) The members of the coalition shall serve without compensation. The director of rehabilitation and correction or the director's designee shall be the chairperson of the coalition.
(C) In consultation with persons interested and involved in the reentry of ex-offenders into the community, the members of the coalition shall meet periodically for the purpose of formulating, discussing, and developing policies and practices that facilitate the expansion and improvement of reentry services provided by state and local agencies in the collaborative efforts of those agencies to reintegrate offenders into society while simultaneously maintaining public safety and reducing recidivism in this state. Not later than one year after April 7, 2009, and on or before the same date of each year thereafter, the coalition shall submit to the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate a report, including recommendations for legislative action, the activities of the coalition, and the barriers affecting the successful reentry of ex-offenders into the community. The report shall analyze the effects of those barriers on ex-offenders and on their children and other family members in various areas, including but not limited to, the following:
(1) Admission to public and other housing;
(2) Child support obligations and procedures;
(3) Parental incarceration and family reunification;
(4) Social security benefits, veterans' benefits, food stamps, and other forms of public assistance;
(5) Employment;
(6) Education programs and financial assistance;
(7) Substance abuse and sex offender treatment programs and financial assistance and mental health services and financial assistance;
(8) Civic and political participation;
(9) Other collateral consequences under the Revised Code or the Ohio administrative code law that may result from a criminal conviction.
(D)(1) The report shall also include the following information:
(a) Identification of state appropriations for reentry programs;
(b) Identification of other funding sources for reentry programs that are not funded by the state.
(2) The coalition shall gather information about reentry programs in a repository maintained and made available by the coalition. Where available, the information shall include the following:
(a) The amount of funding received;
(b) The number of program participants;
(c) The composition of the program, including program goals, methods for measuring success, and program success rate;
(d) The type of post-program tracking that is utilized;
(e) Information about employment rates and recidivism rates of ex-offenders.
Last updated September 19, 2023 at 11:33 AM