HPIO scorecard explores Ohio efforts to address addiction in the criminal justice system

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released the third in a series of inventories and scorecards analyzing Ohio's policy response to the addiction crisis and outlining areas where the state could be more effective.

The new report, "Ohio Addiction Policy Inventory and Scorecard: Law Enforcement and the Criminal Justice System," provides policymakers and other stakeholders with the information needed to take stock of Ohio's policy response to addiction within the law enforcement and criminal justice sectors.

Key findings include:

• Progress toward evidence-informed policies. Ohio is beginning to move in the right direction by embracing evidence-informed policies, such as Crisis Intervention Teams and specialized dockets, that address addiction in law enforcement and criminal justice settings.
• Systemic issues in the criminal justice system. National “tough on crime” policies have resulted in high rates of incarceration for addiction-related offenses. In addition, historically discriminatory criminal justice practices have disproportionately impacted communities of color. More can be done to reduce the number of people with substance use disorder in the criminal justice system, decrease spending on incarceration and improve outcomes for Ohioans struggling with addiction.
• Gaps in data and information. Policymakers do not have the information they need to comprehensively address addiction and inequities in the criminal justice system because of significant gaps in data collection, analysis and evaluation.

In 2018, HPIO released scorecard reports on prevention, treatment and recovery and overdose reversal and other forms of harm reduction. Future reports will address children's services and data and evaluation.

In recent years HPIO has created several tools for policymakers to address the addiction crisis. Addiction-related data was also included in HPIO's Health Value Dashboard.