The Buckeye Institute was named the winner of Atlas Network’s inaugural North America Liberty Award “for its work advancing meaningful criminal justice reform in Ohio.”

In announcing Buckeye as the winner of the inaugural award, Atlas said, “Buckeye’s efforts have blazed a trail to reverse Ohio’s growth trend in incarceration by shrinking the state’s prison population to below 50,000, dramatically slashing the recidivism rate from 40 to 27 percent, reducing prison admissions by nearly 10 percent, expanding opportunities for thousands of people leaving prison, and redirecting $40 million to Ohio communities for the treatment of addiction and mental health issues. As a result, Ohio’s prison admissions rate has now hit a 27-year low.”

Buckeye was honored for its unprecedented accomplishments in reforming Ohio’s criminal justice system law-by-law over the past five years, including:

  • the nation’s first and most comprehensive mens rea reform;
  • civil asset forfeiture reform;
  • reforms to allow non-violent, non-sexual, non-trafficking felony offenders sentenced to less than one year to be rehabilitated through treatment programs, probation, jail, and other local programs;
  • probation reform;
  • reforms to allow individuals with criminal records the opportunity to obtain an occupational license in their chosen career field; and
  • Buckeye’s role in reviewing and rewriting Ohio’s entire criminal code, which now serves as the template for numerous pieces of reform legislation that have been introduced in the Ohio legislature, including legislation that expands eligibility and opportunity for record sealing to give non-violent offenders a chance at a fresh start.

Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, said of winning the award, “To be recognized for this success helps us shine a light even further into the dark crevices of injustice. Buckeye’s work is proof that powerful left-right coalitions led by state think tanks with true legal expertise combined with an unrelenting focus on sound public policy including greater protections for the rights of the accused, cost-effectively rehabilitating offenders, and reducing the astronomical cost of the criminal justice system can make an astounding difference.”

Robert Alt, The Buckeye Institute president and CEO, speaks on the panel of finalists for the 2018 Templeton Freedom Award at Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner in New York City, Nov. 8 2018.