Franklin and Summit County Prosecutors Featured in Latest Yes on State Issue 1 Ad

COLUMBUS - The Yes on State Issue 1 campaign took to the airwaves this week with its third major television advertisement asking voters to support the Ohio crime victims bill of rights known as Marsy’s Law.

The most current spot called "Balance" features Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien and Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh urging support for the constitutional amendment. The two prosecutors believe State Issue 1 will ensure all crime victims are treated with fairness, dignity and respect in Ohio.

"Justice for all. That’s the way things should be," Prosecutor O’Brien says in the ad. "But Ohio’s judicial system is not balanced if you’re a crime victim. That’s why we need Issue 1, Marsy’s Law."

"Marsy’s Law gives crime victims equal rights, like the right to be notified of court proceedings and be heard during every step of the judicial process," Prosecutor Bevan Walsh says in the ad. "Issue 1, Marsy’s Law, restores the balance so there’s justice for all."

The 30-second ad is part of a significant broadcast and cable television buy airing today throughout the state.

If voters approve the proposal this fall, State Issue 1 would grant a series of constitutional protections to crime victims and their immediate families for the first time in Ohio’s history.

Under the amendment, crime victims would have the right to notification of all proceedings as well as be guaranteed the right to be heard at every step of the process. Victims would also have the right to have input on all plea deals for offenders as well as the right to restitution resulting from the financial impact of the crime. A crime victim who feels their rights are being violated could go before a judge to ask that their rights be protected.

State Issue 1 is supported by a broad bipartisan coalition of more than 315 elected officials and law enforcement leaders across Ohio, including Governor John Kasich and Attorney General Mike DeWine.

The effort to place State Issue 1 in the state constitution comes after similar ballot issues were approved in California, Illinois, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. The Marsy’s Law movement began in 1983, when a young woman named Marsy Nicholas was stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend. Only a week after her murder, Marsy’s mother and brother, Henry T. Nicholas, walked into a grocery store where they saw the accused murderer. The family, who had just come from a visit to Marsy’s grave, had no idea the accused murderer had been released on bail.

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