Here's what you should know about the Hamilton County sheriff's r...

Kevin Grasha | Cincinnati Enquirer

A statewide ballot proposal intended to reduce the state's prison population would cause unintended harm if passed, Hamilton County's prosecutor, coroner and sheriff said Monday.

At a news conference, Prosecutor Joe Deters, a Republican, stood alongside two Democrats, Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco and Sheriff Jim Neil. It highlighted that there is bipartisan opposition to Issue 1, at least in Hamilton County.

The proposed constitutional amendment would lessen the penalties for buying, possessing or using certain drugs.

But Deters said it is a poorly written amendment that would be "extremely detrimental to law enforcement."

He noted that the initiative would require a 25 percent sentence reduction for most crimes, if an offender participates in "rehabilitative" or "educational" programming.

But he said the amendment doesn't define what that programming would be.

Deters also said that his office already pursues alternatives to incarceration. And in Common Pleas Court, there is a "drug court" program designed to help offenders through treatment instead of jail time. That program would be in jeopardy if Issue 1 passes, he said.

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Both major party candidates for Ohio governor have staked out opposing positions on Issue 1. Republican Mike DeWine opposes it. His Democratic opponent Richard Cordray supports it. Cordray says the criminal justice system should focus on long prison sentences for drug dealers. Low-level drug offenders, Cordray says, should get treatment.

Deters said it's "a myth" that low-level drug offenders end up in prison.

"To go to prison in Ohio, you have to do something very bad," he said, "or continue to do something over and over and over again."

Sammarco said that Issue 1, as written, is too broad and does not accomplish what it says it wants to.