The Drug Enforcement and Policy Center aims to bridge the gap between academic research and policy realities by collaborating with academics, government leaders and other stakeholders to engage with and examine issues of interest and concern at the intersection of criminal justice and drug policy and enforcement.
The DEPC is always looking for opportunities to connect with community partners and other law schools to develop programming and community engagement efforts in line with the center’s mission.
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Ohio Governor’s Expedited Pardon Project
The Ohio Governor’s Expedited Pardon Project aims to expedite the process by which people apply for a pardon under Ohio’s laws. The project seeks to reduce challenges surrounding pardon applications in Ohio for people meeting certain criteria who can show that they have been rehabilitated and have contributed positively to their communities.
Governor DeWine launched the Ohio Governor's Expedited Pardon Project in 2019 in partnership with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) and project team members the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and the Reentry Clinic at University of Akron School of Law.
The project was expanded in November 2021 via a grant administered by ODRC. Additional service providers joined the project in order to reach more potential pardon candidates and to help guide candidates through the pardon process. The expanded project partners include:
- Cleveland State University College of Law
- University of Dayton School of Law
- Ohio Justice & Policy Center in partnership with University of Cincinnati College of Law
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Opportunity Port
Opportunity Port is an online portal that connects those with criminal records in Franklin County, Ohio and Tuscarawas County, Ohio with the legal help they need to complete and file a record sealing application. Record sealing enables those with criminal records to access vital resources, but the application process can be complex and time consuming. Persons seeking record sealing through Opportunity Port first complete a 5-minute survey on the site about their criminal record history. Eligible applicants then work with a legal partner to complete and file a record sealing application. Next, the court confirms the applicant’s eligibility, and the applicant attends a court hearing in front of a judge.
The project originated from an initiative spearheaded by Columbus City Council under the leadership of Councilmember Rob Dorans. Its goal was to create a service that simplified and streamlined the process of completing and filing record sealing applications. The project was awarded $500,000 by The Ohio State University Alliance for the American Dream, a collaboration with Schmidt Futures, and brought to the Moritz College of Law to be managed by the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center (DEPC) in July 2021.
Encouraged by the work of J.J. Prescott and Sonja B. Starr, Opportunity Port’s goal is to make the record sealing process more accessible and increase the uptake of applications in Franklin and Tuscarawas counties. To measure the impact Opportunity Port has on its participants, DEPC has partnered with Dr. Stephanie Moulton of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs to measure changes in earnings, employment, and other economic indicators.
In the summer of 2023, Opportunity Port was awarded $75,000 by the Ohio Supreme Court’s Civil Justice Program to scale the project. With these funds, Opportunity Port will make its remote record sealing assistance tool available in additional Ohio counties.
Contact us
- Hannah Miller, project manager for Opportunity Port
- miller.5311@osu.edu
Read more about the Project:
Other Research and Service Partnerships
Ohio Sentencing Data Platform
The Drug Enforcement and Policy Center has partnered with the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission to offer expertise on criminal sentencing and to assist with data analysis and report generation regarding the Ohio Sentencing Data Platform (OSDP). DEPC is represented on the Project Team and Governance Board by center director Professor Douglas A. Berman. The OSDP is designed to help judges implement the Uniform Sentencing Entry and Method of Conviction entries and empower courts and other stakeholders with accessible and reliable information about state sentencing practices. This package is the first step to begin standardized, aggregate felony sentencing data collection in Ohio.
RTI International
The Drug Enforcement and Policy Center supports a project led by RTI International, in partnership with the Clean Slate Initiative, focused on classifying and evaluating the efficacy of various expungement schemes throughout the U.S. DEPC law students supported this effort during the summer and fall of 2021. Students compiled all relevant statutory law relating to expungement from select U.S. states to allow for classification of various government-initiated expungement efforts. In addition, DEPC faculty and staff have been serving as consultants to the RTI research team as they frame and pursue research inquiries.
Algorithmic Risk Assessment Project
Led by the Ohio State Program on Data and Governance, the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center is part of a team of faculty and staff beginning to study how Ohio courts use risk assessment technologies to inform bail and sentencing decisions. The team has begun to collect data on how Ohio judges use risk assessment tools and will then recommend best practices for how those tools should be used in Ohio courts. The Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission and the Ohio State Bar Foundation have each awarded funding for this project.