In the name of justice, "Andy's Law" was introduced last week on June 5 by State Representatives Mark Johnson and Phil Plummer. The bill was written to honor Correction Officer Andrew "Andy" Lansing who died after being brutally assaulted by an inmate on Christmas morning 2024 at the Ross Correctional Institution. The legislation is "designed to protect those serving in Ohio prisons by 'restoring order, accountability and deterrence through a series of sweeping reforms'" according to a press release reported by the Chillicothe Gazette.
Ohio House Bill 338, which has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee, includes provisions such as a mandatory sentence of life without parole if an inmate murders a Dept. of Rehabilitation and Corrections (DRC) or a Dept. of Youth Services (DYS) employee, which includes several thousand OCSEA members. This also includes a mandatory, seven-year sentence for felonious assault against an employee.
The law also requires the DRC to "hire a consultant to assist with the staffing crisis in Ohio prisons." OCSEA will monitor this process very carefully and will encourage DRC to make sure impacted union members be involved in the staffing crisis reform every step of the way.
Currently the union is pushing for state legislators to put their promises about safety to action by fully funding the state budget for DRC safety equipment, including the statewide deployment of tasers. A taser pilot project pushed by the union after CO Lansing's murder has proven to save lives! But, unfortunately, that funding is at risk!
The statewide deployment of tasers is dependent on how much money DRC receives in the next state budget. Governor DeWine requested money to buy more tasers and hire additional sergeants to help ease staffing shortages. But the funding was cut in a version of the budget passed by the Ohio House.
Write your State Legislator RIGHT NOW! Urge them to fully fund DRC’s request for safety equipment in the state budget and tell them to fast track Andy's Law to support prison employees across Ohio.