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Criminal Justice

The Criminal Justice Section is composed of four units:

The Special Prosecutions Unit is composed of career prosecutors who, at the request of county prosecutors, prosecute serious felony crimes throughout Ohio.  The unit may be appointed by the court to serve as a special prosecutor when the county prosecutor has a conflict of interest or may assist a county prosecutor when he requests additional resources.  Areas of focus include homicides, child sex offenses, white collar crime, and alleged wrongdoing by public officials.

The Capital Crimes Unit works to uphold lawfully imposed death sentences.  This generally includes many years of litigation in the federal courts opposing challenges brought by inmates who claim that their death sentences were improper.  The Unit provides assistance to county prosecutors at the trial level in death penalty cases, when requested, and also participates with the county prosecutor in responding to clemency requests prior to execution.

The Habeas Unit works to keep dangerous criminals in prison by opposing litigation brought by inmates who seek to overturn valid convictions and prison sentences.

The Corrections Unit represents the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and Department of Youth Services; it defends these departments and their employees against lawsuits brought by inmates.