“That problem of getting a job, to getting social services if they need them, to sometimes needing psychological help, to dealing with the problems that may still exist which cause them in some cases to make the bad decisions that put them in jail in the first place," he says. "Look, we can’t make choices for people. What we can do is give people the opportunity to make the right choice themselves.”

In the past three years, the Department of Justice has given Ohio 10-million dollars in grants under the Second Chance Act. Dettelbach says Northern Ohio needs to use the money to better reduce recidivism rates.