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Ohio Victims’ Rights Amendment Gets A Step Closer To Ballot

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A proposed amendment to Ohio’s constitution that would give crime victims and their families the same rights as the accused is a step closer to appearing on the ballot.

The Ohio Ballot Board has certified the proposal as a single ballot issue. Now petitioners must collect over 305,000 valid signatures around Ohio to get the measure on the November ballot.

The proposal would require that crime victims be notified of all court proceedings and be heard at each step along the way. It also would give victims input on plea deals and declare that full and timely restitution is a right.

The amendment, dubbed Marsy’s Law for Ohio, is named for a California woman killed in 1983 by her ex-boyfriend after he was released from jail without her being notified.