On WLWT Judge Nadine Allen was interviewed to discuss the idea of throwing out some pointless laws in an effort to help balance the budget. (And, of course, I can't find it on their website.)
The idea is that the police won't have to spend time on minor violations and can concentrate on more serious violations. Additionally the county charges the city to incarcerate people whose actions might not be a crime in other cities in the county.
Judge Allen suggested littering ordinances but the police already don't enforce that. Cincinnati's marijuana ordinance, 910-23 immediately sprang to my fevered mind. From the beginning the law has not been what it is purported to be as council members have stated the law will be used to harass only selected social groups.
The ordinance, which increases penalties on possession of small amounts of marijuana, has been pretty much a failure, has cost Cincinnatians cash, led to jail overcrowding, hasn't achieved it's stated purpose and has screwed up lives of some of the young people in Cincinnati.
Seems like a good place to start.
For more info on this ordinance & it's effectiveness and it's waste, here's more info:
Prioritize Cincinnati
Hemprock
The Cincinnati Asylum
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