As DeWine bashes Cordray over Issue 1, GOP gov hopeful allowed furloughs for murderers in '90s

Jessie Balmert | Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption What is Ohio Issue 1? Ohio Issue 1 would reduce penalties for some drug users. Supporters say it would reduce prison population. Opponents say it would make Ohio less safe.

COLUMBUS - Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine has slammed his Democratic rival Rich Cordray's support of Ohio Issue 1, saying the ballot initiative would release dangerous criminals from prison.

DeWine's campaign even launched an ominous television ad, saying Cordray can't be trusted on criminal justice.

"Drug dealer: released. Human trafficker: released. Child pornographer: released. If Richard Cordray gets his way, criminals like these could be released early because these inmates could see a 25-percent reduction of their prison sentence, putting thousands of dangerous offenders back on our streets.”

But in the early 1990s, it was a Democrat attacking DeWine for letting criminals loose.

During a 1992 debate, then-U.S. Sen. John Glenn said DeWine allowed convicted murderers out on weekend furloughs. “Let’s talk about judgment where crime is involved," Glenn said.

In 1991, then-Lt. Gov. DeWine oversaw the state's prison system, which granted two- or three-day furloughs to prisoners to visit relatives at home.

That year, eight prisoners who were given three days of unsupervised leave from prison were serving life sentences for murder, the Columbus Dispatch reported in 1992.

For example, Franklin County's Gregory Forbes, who was convicted of strangling his girlfriend to death, had been granted 20 furloughs since the 1977 homicide. Hamilton County's Juanita Martin had received 15 furloughs over six years despite killing her husband for his Social Security checks.

Cordray, then a state representative, voted for proposed legislation to give prosecutors, judges and victims a heads up that a prisoner might receive a furlough and prohibit them under certain circumstances.

DeWine didn't launch the furlough program, which started in the mid-1970s, but he did oversee those who ran it for more than a year.

It wasn't unique to Ohio either. Nationwide, more than 53,000 inmates in federal and state prisons received more than 200,000 furloughs in 1987, the New York Times reported.

DeWine discontinued furloughs in spring 1992. He told the Associated Press at the time that "this program is virtually unblemished." However, it had become a "negative management tool" and too expensive.

The program was already in place when DeWine took office, and he ended it as soon as he learned it was a problem, DeWine spokesman Josh Eck said.

"This is very consistent with the way he views Issue 1," Eck said.

Issue 1 is a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot. DeWine opposes it. Cordray supports it. The proposal would allow most prisoners to reduce their sentences by up to 25 percent for completing rehabilitative, work or educational programs. Current law allows prisoners to reduce their time by up to 8 percent.

But there are other problems with Issue 1, Eck said. The ballot initiative would reduce penalties and eliminate prison time for certain drug possession offenses. Someone with nearly 20 grams of fentanyl – enough for 10,000 fatal overdoses – would face a misdemeanor and no jail time for a first offense. Issue 1 proponents say someone with that much fentanyl would face trafficking charges.

"These are large amounts of deadly drugs," Eck said. While the proposal would be problematic anytime, "certainly not while fighting a deadly opioid crisis in the state."

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