A recently-assaulted OCSEA member spoke her truth at a hearing last week held by the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee for House Bill 338, also known as Andy’s Law. The law would increase penalties for the murder or assault on a Correction Officer and would require longer sentences for illegal conveyance of drugs and communication devices into prisons, as well as other changes.
The legislation, which is sponsored by Rep. Mark Johnson of Chillicothe and Rep. Phil Plummer of Dayton, is named after Andrew Lansing, the Correction Officer who was murdered by an inmate at the Ross Correctional Institution (RCI) on Christmas Day in 2024.
Proponents of the bill, including OCSEA member and 18-year prison employee Kim King, were on hand to talk about their support for the bill. King, a Correction Officer from Portsmouth, detailed how she was beaten while on the job earlier this year. Because of chronic understaffing, she was volunteering at the Indian River youth prison when she was severely assaulted and hospitalized. You can watch her testimony HERE, starting around the 1 hour and 30 minute mark (1:30:41).
"I strongly feel if the incarcerated individuals knew they would be facing an additional 5-7 years for the choices they made in assaulting staff, I feel strongly that a lot of them would change their mind on doing it," Officer King testified.
"I also feel if they want to be that person that wants to better themself to get home and back to the community, and also be able to get their level dropped to get to a lower security institution to gain more privileges, then Andy's Law would be successful in the individuals making the better choices in which all staff working in corrections would be a lot safer and less assaulted, and would definitely make a huge difference in the DYS facilities," she said.