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

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

See also: Fact Sheet and Handout, for more Reasons to Vote NO on Issue 27 (The Jail Tax), prepared by No Jail Tax PAC.

Q — Isn't the 2007 plan better than the 2006 jail expansion plan, offering money for treatment?

A — While it is true that some funds have been set aside for treatment, these funds represent a very small portion of the huge amount of monies to be raised by this tax.  And of that small portion, much will be spent on programs in-jail rather than community based.  Treatment centers like Reading Road and Turning Point will be closed, if this plan succeeds, and those treatment beds will be moved into the new jail, in high-security jail beds.  Jail stays average only 17.2 days, and treatment from within jail is not effective.  Vote for the Mental Health levy, and encourage more funding for community-based programs.

Q — Isn't the old jail -- Queensgate -- falling down and unsafe?

A — No Jail Tax PAC does not oppose the renovation or even replacement of Queensgate; we are opposed to a net increase of jail beds.  But, we are not aware of any objective study that has found that Queensgate is unsafe.  The Sheriff will not allow independent media to see the facility, and even the Enquirer was not allowed to take pictures (July 15, 2007 Enquirer).  If Queensgate were truly unsafe, then why not let the public see it?  Furthermore, did Queensgate pass while the newer downtown jail failed the most recent inspection?  See the following news reports published in the Cincinnati Beacon — Ohio DRC Review of Queensgate — What Does Queensgate have to hide? — Are We Getting the Real Story on the Jail Surge?

Q — Aren't lots of prisoners, even those committing violent crimes, being let out early because of jail overcrowding?

A — No.  Sheriff Simon Leis stated on September 10 that only 16 prisoners, all female, had been released early in 2007, and that no male inmates had been released early since the county started sending them to Butler County.  (And Butler County costs roughly the same per jail bed as jail beds in Hamilton County.)  In their press conference on September 27, Sheriff Leis and Commissioner Portune called "process only" releases early releases.  That is not correct, as these individuals haven’t yet been convicted, let alone sentenced, therefore there is no "early."  (For more information, see Is This The Truth?)  In a document called Just the Facts released on October 2nd, this claim was amended by the jail proponents to stating that because there is no money left to pay for Butler County beyond December of 2007 (a fact in contention between the Commissioners), "early releases for men will start up again if the plan does not pass."

Q — OK, so you don't like this plan.  Where's your plan?

A — We propose that we stop jailing people who do not need to be there, the mentally ill, the addicted, the homeless. (See: Criminalization of the Homeless, a study by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless.)  Instead we should fund the kind of community-based treatment that has been shown to work.  Vote for the Mental Health Levy (Issue 28) and against the Jail Tax (Issue 27).  Jail doesn't work!

We'd also like to point out that there is only one plan on the ballot, and it is not a good one.  No Jail Tax PAC is a citizens group; we have no staff, no attorneys.  We are not going to write virtual legislation claiming to be an alternate plan, but we will work with the Hamilton County Commissioners to explore real alternatives to continued jail expansion, and encourage other interested citizens to do the same.  Indeed, work is already underway to reform the mental health courts and a Criminal Justice Commission is now reviewing barriers to expedited trials.  The proponents say this work cannot continue without passing the plan; we say that these reforms do not require a sales tax increase and that there won't be the same pressure for these reforms if the plan does pass.

A — Jails do not prevent crimes and do not protect the victims of crime.  A person is jailed only after a crime has been committed.  The construction of a new jail then will not make us safer.

Q — Do we need a larger Hamilton County jail?

A — Hamilton County has four jail facilities with more than enough beds now.  The problem is that the jail is full of people who do not need to be there.  In 1999 people awaiting court review after booking occupied 37% of jail beds.  In 2004 this number jumped to 81%.  (See: Vera institute of Justice Report, p. 15, paragraph 3.)  Night court and other expedited release mechanisms can reduce this number without expanding the jail.  Additionally, the jail is full of the mentally ill and the addicted.  These people belong in treatment centers, not the jail.

Q — But isn’t there more crime today?

A — No.  While there has been a recent spike in the number of murders in Hamilton County, however other violent crimes (rape, armed robbery, etc.) have decreased.  According to the Vera Institute report, commissioned by the County Board of Commissioners, there is no significant increase in violent crime overall.  Bureau of Justice statistics for Cincinnati confirm this.  Moreover, Hamilton County’s population is falling; do the commissioners expect crime to increase?

Q — But don’t we have to put criminals in jail?

A — Jails are intended to hold people awaiting trial and those who have been convicted of lesser crimes who must serve short sentences.  At the Hamilton County Jail the average stay is just 17.2 days.  People convicted of serious crimes are sent to prison, others are released from jail after weeks or at most months of incarceration.  The jail does not work to stop crime: 70% of those leaving jail return.  (See: Hamilton County Ohio Correctional master plan, Executive Summary, p. 5.)  Jailing these people does not work and it is too expensive; many in jail would be better dealt with through drug treatment or mental health clinics.

Q — Don’t jails prevent crime?

A — Jails come after crimes are committed not before.  If we want to prevent crime we must address its causes.  Crime increases when there is unemployment, poverty, high student dropout rates, family problems, and drug addiction.  To prevent crime, we should spend county tax money on creating jobs, ending poverty, keeping kids in schools, counseling troubled families and individuals, and providing drug addiction programs.

Q — Should we have to pay for this jail with more sales taxes?

A — If this measure passes, for the next 15 years we will pay higher sales taxes on almost everything we buy: toothpaste, toilet paper, shoes, and clothes.  This tax is unfair.  Sales taxes take a larger percentage of the income of working people and the poor.  They penalize those least able to pay.

Q — Who will profit from new jail construction?

A — Banks, developers and construction corporations will profit from this unnecessary jail, but we will all lose.

Q — Can we trust the County Board’s plan?

A — Look at what happened with the stadium.  It was also paid for by a sales tax .  The banks made money on the loans.  The construction companies had lots of cost overruns raising the final price tag and their profits.  We tax payers lost.

Q — What can be done?

A — You can vote "NO." to repeal the Jail Tax.  Additionally:

• Tell your friends to stop this new tax for an unneeded jail.
• Email us at nojailtax@yahoo.com to volunteer.
• Ask your church, civic organization, or union to endorse No on the Jail Tax.
• Contribute money to No Jail Tax PAC.  To find out how, click here.

Q — How can I learn more about this issue?

A — Email us to find out about local meetings, press conferences, and events.  Voting no is not enough.  We need to stop letting politicians criminalize poverty, race and mental illness.  Stop penalizing hopelessness and despair.  Insist that politicians spend your tax money more effectively by funding what works.  Jails don’t work.