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Jonathan Morgan (Leading with Conviction™ 2022) writes: “Last Christmas, Officer Andrew Lansing was brutally murdered by an [incarcerated person] at the Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe, Ohio. It was a tragedy that shook the state and renewed urgent conversations about corrections officer safety. In response, the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 338 (‘Andy’s Law’), which strengthens punishments for people convicted of assaulting prison staff. But buried deep inside that bill is a provision that threatens long-term public safety and puts corrections officers in greater danger: It would force the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to end higher-education programs in high-security prisons and it bans personally used tablets, wiping out digital education and rehabilitative programming where it is often most needed.
Ending these programs removes hope, opportunity, and any meaningful incentive for personal growth …
“This is not about being tough on crime. It is about dismantling one of the most evidence-backed tools we have for reducing recidivism and promoting public safety. Studies by the RAND Corp. and the Vera Institute of Justice show a 43% to 66% reduction in recidivism among people who accessed higher education while incarcerated. Because fewer people return to prison, every dollar spent on prison education returns up to five dollars in taxpayer savings. These programs save money, reduce reincarceration, and make communities safer.
“Ending these programs removes hope, opportunity, and any meaningful incentive for personal growth from people who will one day return to our neighborhoods. Without education, we risk worsening the very cycles of incarceration that lawmakers claim they want to break. If public safety is truly the goal, rehabilitation must be treated as essential policy, not disposable programming.
“Yes, corrections staff must be protected. Reforms such as improved staffing levels, stronger anti-contraband measures, and better training deserve serious attention and investment. But Andy’s Law goes far beyond targeted safety improvements. Its sweeping ban on education and digital access throws out programs that are proven to work in favor of symbolic punishment that undermines public safety goals. If we want to truly protect corrections officers, we must preserve the very educational programs educational programs that research shows result in as much as 80% fewer major misconduct violations.”
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