The Ohio Reckoning Project

I've out my name in the hat for BSW student representative for Ohio NASW chapter

Sarah Jordan

Voting is now open for the 2026 NASW Ohio Board of Directors election, and we encourage all NASW Ohio members to participate. Members may vote for the MSW Student Representative and BSW Student Representative positions, and members in Region 2 and Region 6 may also vote for their respective regional representative. Region 2 includes Erie, Huron, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit counties in northern Ohio. Region 6 includes Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland, Lawrence, Pike, Scioto, and Warren counties in southwest Ohio. Voting is an important part of shaping the leadership and future direction of NASW Ohio. To cast your ballot, members must log into the NASW Ohio website and complete the online voting process by June 12, 2026. Vote here: https://www.naswoh.org/page/board2026

Ohio could fix this. It just hasn’t.

There are solutions:

✔ Development-based review
✔ Clear release guidelines
✔ Consistent standards

Other places are already doing this.

The question isn’t “can we fix it?”

It’s “why haven’t we?”

I don’t just talk about this—I help families navigate it.

If you have a loved one preparing for parole and you don’t know where to start, I offer structured support with:

Parole packet preparation
Document organization
Strategic guidance

I’m not an attorney, and I don’t make promises.

But I do help you present the strongest, most complete picture possible.

If you’ve been feeling stuck or overwhelmed, reach out.

Most families don’t realize how much presentation matters in parole.

The board doesn’t just look at behavior.
They look at how the story is told.

That’s where people get overlooked.

That’s what I help fix.

If you’re preparing for parole, don’t walk in unprepared.

The system says “accountability.”
But it doesn’t recognize growth.

You can’t claim rehabilitation matters
and then ignore it when it happens.

That’s not justice.
That’s control.

Let me explain why people stay locked up longer than they should.

Break it down simple:

Discretionary parole = no clear rules
Decisions vary by board
No requirement to consider brain development
Risk decreases with age—but decisions don’t reflect that

So it’s not just about what someone did.
It’s about whether the system decides to recognize who they’ve become.

Imagine doing everything right… and still being told “no.”

Program completions.
Clean conduct.
Years of growth.

And then the parole board says no—

Not because you’re a risk…

But because there are no clear standards.

This is what families are dealing with every day.

This is why parole packets matter.

If you’re trying to help someone come home, I see you.
And I know how to fight this system.

Ohio is spending millions to keep people locked up who aren’t a threat anymore.

Here’s what nobody wants to say out loud:

It costs MORE to keep aging prisoners locked up than to release them.

Medical care. Staffing. Housing.

And it all comes out of taxpayer dollars.

So we’re paying for:

❌ Longer incarceration
❌ Inconsistent decisions
❌ No real public safety benefit

That’s not just unjust.
That’s inefficient.

If we’re going to talk about “accountability,” let’s talk about the system too.

Ohio’s parole system isn’t broken.
It’s doing exactly what it was built to do—and that’s the problem.

I just finished a policy analysis on Ohio’s discretionary parole system, and here’s the reality:

People who committed crimes at 18–25 are still developing. Science proves that.

But the system treats them like fully formed adults forever.

Even worse?

There are no consistent standards for release.

So two people with the same crime, same behavior, same growth…

Can get completely different outcomes.

That’s not justice. That’s a lottery.

This is exactly why I do what I do with TRP.
Because people deserve a real shot at being seen for who they are now.