NO JAIL TAX!
VOTE NO ON ISSUE 27 in HAMILTON COUNTY, OHIO!

FACT SHEET:

[This fact sheet was prepared by No Jail Tax PAC.]

FACT — Jails generally house people awaiting trial or serving short periods of time for lesser crimes.  When people are convicted of violent crimes they are sent to prison.  Jails do NOT prevent crime; they are only used after crimes have been committed.

FACT — Offenders in custody in 2004 were more likely to be afflicted with drug problems, unemployed, and less educated than in 1999.  They were only slightly more likely to be charged with violent offenses, and it is not clear if they were in fact more dangerous.  (See: Vera institute of Justice report, p. 2.)

FACT — On the whole, the population incarcerated in 2004 appears to be poorer, less healthy, and more in need of treatment than in 1999.  (See: Vera institute of Justice Report, p. 4.)  We need prevention and treatment programs, not more jail beds.

FACT — In 2004, 81% of the jail beds were used between booking and court review.  (See: Vera institute of Justice Report, p. 15.)  Night court and other expedited court hearings can solve this problem.

FACT — The Hamilton County Jail does not now reduce crime.  70% of those who leave the jail return.  (See: Hamilton County Ohio Correctional master plan, Executive Summary, p. 5.)  Clearly the jail does not successfully reduce crime.

FACT — Other than murder, all other violent crime has decreased in Cincinnati.  (See: Bureau of Justice Statistics.)

FACT — If the proposed jail is built, Hamilton County will have the 30th largest jail in the country! (See: Bureau of Justice Statistics.)

FACT — Other metro counties in Ohio have fewer jail beds per person and a lower crime rate.  We need to follow their lead.  See these sources of Bureau of Justice Statistics:

Large Local Agency crime trends
Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2004

FACT — The Hamilton County Jail will be financed by a 15-year sales tax that will increase costs to us on nearly everything we buy from toothpaste and toilet paper to clothes and shoes.  A sales tax is regressive tax, one that falls more heavily on working people and the poor, while at the same time this measure will offer tax relief to property owners.

FACT — The jail will not benefit the public or help to rehabilitate people with criminal records or drug problems, but it will enrich bankers, developers, and construction contractors.  The County’s experience with the stadium tells us there will be cost overruns that we will be expected to pay.  The capital cost of the new jail and expanded juvenile justice facility will be over $239 million, with over $585 million in operating costs over the 15-year life of the tax.  (See: Hamilton County Criminal Justice Review and Comprehensive Safety Plan.)