Should Cuyahoga County run a pilot to show a criminal sentencing database can work?
In January last year, two Cleveland jurists -- Ohio Supreme Court Justice Michael P. Donnelly and Ray Headen, then a judge on the 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals -- used a cleveland.com op-ed to urge creation of a centralized criminal database and repository to track all criminal sentences in Ohio.  In so doing, they joined their voices to a then-year-old recommendation for such a database from the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission (OCSC)  The idea caught fire. Our editorial board supported it. So did Ohio Chief Justice Maureen OConnor, a former Summit County prosecutor, who vowed a year ago that it would be the top priority of her remaining time in office. Sara Andrews, director of the OCSC, explained the powerful reasons for such a database in a Plain Dealer/cleveland.com letter to the editor: Information from a centralized criminal-sentencing database can be used to inform judicial decision-making, leverage resources, develop and implement new law enforcement interventions and policing strategies and refine extant criminal justice policies, she wrote. Its going -- but not without pushback from some quarters, including from some state judges who have to face the voters every six years and dont want their sentencing discretion abridged -- or, likely, their sentencing history publicized. Our Editorial Board Roundtable offers its rulings. Thomas Suddes, editorial writer:  Yes, Cuyahoga County should advance this proposal by running a pilot. In framing public policy, knowledge is power. Ted Diadiun, columnist:  This is an excellent idea, and its acceptance and installation are overdue. It will help voters determine which judges fall into line with their expectations, and expose both those who are habitually lenient and those who are too harsh. There is no good reason not to do this. Eric Foster, columnist:  Creating this database is the right thing to do. Period. Its nonsensical to argue that a database would undercut the values that uphold judicial authority. Tracking information is not a mandate. It doesnt limit judicial discretion. However, it does increase transparency, which increases accountability, which  hopefully  increases equity in criminal sentencing. Judges should want that  Lisa Garvin, editorial board member:  As someone who has covered criminal and federal courts along with some colorful Texas judges, Im all for the idea of a sentencing database. It will show how race and socioeconomic position factor into the severity of punishments given  something that many judges may not want publicized. But its a crucial step toward sentencing equity. Mary Cay Doherty, editorial board member:  If justice is blind, theres nothing to fear from a transparent statewide criminal database system. That doesnt mean creating such a system will be easy, as Floridas experience with criminal justice data has shown. But a Cuyahoga Country trial run pilot program could illuminate a way forward that collects much-needed data, ensures sentencing fairness, and preserves judicial discretion. Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion:  The Cuyahoga County judiciary should mount a pilot to test approaches and advance this idea, so needed for criminal justice fairness and accountability in Ohio. And if it flies in Cuyahoga County, where its 33 general division judges do sometimes think about their next election, it can work statewide. * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial board roundtable to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.