A new report by the non-profit Annie E. Casey foundation shows 271-thousand Ohio children have at least one incarcerated parent, the fourth-highest number in the nation. The report shows African-American kids are seven times more likely and Latino children are three times more like to have an incarcerated parent than caucasians. Renuka Mayadev is with the foundation's partner, the Children's Defense Fund of Ohio. She says Ohio's prison population has risen 12 percent in the past decade while violent crime has reached a 30 year low. She says state lawmakers are working on necessary sentencing reform.
Foundation spokesperson Scot Spenser says the justice system should also take into account the impact on families when sentencing offenders.
The report recommends increased education and job training for inmates, and incentives to reduce the barriers people with criminal records face in getting affordable housing.
