Rejoining society once you have a felony conviction on your record can be a smothering burden. From diminished job opportunities to housing problems and other legal entanglements, it can be a disheartening struggle, one that can lead to disenfranchisement and apathy. With one group of ex-felons taking the lead, though, that's changing locally.  

A recent ACLU report evaluates two decades of studies that expose ineffective policies, inefficient use of funds and racial unfairness associated with Ohio's criminal justice system. Among a gauntlet of alarming statistics, the report shows that Ohio's prisons have reached 133 percent capacity and cost taxpayers almost $2 billion a year.