This is The Marshall Project - Cleveland’s newsletter, a monthly digest of criminal justice news from around Ohio gathered by our staff of local journalists. Want this delivered to your inbox? Sign up for future newsletters.
Ohio’s chief immigration enforcer goes on the record
Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, roughly 4,700 people have spent their final days in the U.S. in the Butler County jail. There’s arguably no place in Ohio that’s accomplishing more for Trump’s mass deportation campaign than Butler County.
Along with contracting with the federal government for the use of the jail, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE, empowering his deputies to enforce civil immigration law. That enforcement piggybacks on routine traffic stops and disturbance calls. Immigration arrests in Hamilton, the seat of conservative Butler County, have more than quadrupled through July compared to the same time last year.
“It’s playing out well,” Jones told The Marshall Project - Cleveland last month.
We spoke with the mustachioed, cowboy-hat-wearing sheriff to understand how well-oiled immigration enforcement machines like his are driving national arrest, detention and deportation figures to new heights. Here are a few takeaways from that conversation, edited and condensed for brevity.
How much is Butler County getting paid?
Jones projected $20 million in federal revenue this year for jailing and transporting immigrants — about $7 million to $8 million more than was expected. The windfall would cover about a third of his operating budget.
How do police encounters turn into immigration arrests?
Jones said that ICE has trained 44 of his deputies to identify undocumented people while performing their normal law enforcement duties. He wants six more deputies trained. Area police departments without 287(g) agreements call his deputies when they can’t confirm someone’s U.S. citizenship. His deputies ask questions and call ICE agents, who approve immigration arrests and detentions. Jones said his deputies have put more than 250 people into ICE custody over the past 18 months.
What does Jones think about the broader immigration system?
Jones said neither Republicans nor Democrats have fixed what he called a “messed up” legal immigration system. He argued that legal entry and green card processes are too slow and complicated. The country may need to increase legal immigration, including seasonal workers, he said. He called for bipartisan compromise.
How does the sheriff feel about his critics flooding county commissioner meetings and staging regular protests outside the jail?
“I’ve been elected six times, and I’m the biggest vote-getter in this county,” Jones said. “So, does it affect me? No.”
– Doug Livingston
Four survivors, four stories of healing now on YouTube
What happens after young people leave residential treatment? For four women we followed during our investigation into residential treatment, getting out was only the beginning.
In four short videos, Paitin Pahoundis, Jaycee Seele, Isabella Ramirez and Samantha Primeau reflect on what they experienced inside residential treatment facilities, and what it has taken to build lives on the outside. Each woman’s story is different, but they are deeply connected by the friendships they formed while inside, and the support they continue to give one another today.
Now, their stories are available to watch on The Marshall Project’s YouTube channel.
– Brittany Hailer
Free screenings of Inside Story in October
The Marshall Project – Cleveland is hosting free public screenings of “Inside Story” Season 3 at Cleveland Public Library branches throughout October.
These screenings create a space for community members to gather, watch “Inside Story” and discuss important criminal justice issues. The conversations provide an opportunity for participants to speak up, share their experiences, listen to others and better understand the issues affecting different communities in Cleveland.
Martin Luther King Jr. Branch Monday, Oct. 26 at 12 p.m.
Glenville Branch Monday, Oct. 19 at 12 p.m.
Fulton Branch Thursday, Oct. 22 at 12:30 p.m.
West Park Branch Thursday, Oct. 22 at 10:30 a.m.
Everyone is welcome, and no registration is required. Come watch, join the conversation and make sure your voice is heard.
Organization ends cash bail assistance in Cleveland, Cincinnati
The Bail Project is ending cash assistance for criminal defendants in Ohio, citing a decline in philanthropic support.
The national organization arrived in Cleveland in 2019 and Cincinnati in 2020, advocating that public safety, not wealth, should determine who stays in jail while awaiting trial. Since then, nearly 3,000 Ohio defendants have received assistance, with 95% of those clients returning for their court dates, the organization told The Marshall Project - Cleveland.
In emails to staff and community partners this month, Bail Project leaders announced that the two Ohio locations, along with branches in Orlando, Florida, and St. Louis County, Missouri, will continue to support existing clients, but stop taking new cases.
“The Bail Project is entering a more focused phase of its work, concentrating our free bail assistance in fewer communities while continuing to advocate for pretrial reform and policy change across the country,” the organization said in a statement to The Marshall Project - Cleveland.
Cash bail assistance will continue in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Pensacola, Phoenix and the Flathead Reservation in Montana. Previous locations, including in the city of St. Louis, have closed after local judges curtailed the use of cash bail.
A 2023 Marshall Project - Cleveland analysis found that cash bail disproportionately impacted low-income Black defendants and was losing favor with many Cuyahoga County judges.
– Doug Livingston
Around the 216
- A special prosecutor in Cleveland wants to bar a city activist from attending public Community Police Commission meetings. Signal Cleveland
- Several members of the Cleveland Community Police Commission will leave their roles over frustrations with city leadership. Signal Cleveland
- The state of Tennessee made headlines last week after the botched execution of Christa Pike. Ohio has its own history of problematic executions. WKSU/Ideastream Public Media
- Ohio officials confirmed that thousands of refugees who are in the U.S. legally lost Medicaid coverage on Oct. 1. The total could reach as high as 18,000. Signal Ohio