Pardon teen from adult prison sentence

As an attorney who defended children in Franklin County Juvenile Court, I am deeply troubled over the four-year adult prison sentence given to John L. Staley III, the student from Hilliard Davidson High School who drew diagrams of his school and tried to recruit other classmates in an effort to kill people that never came close to fruition.

As serious as this is, he never should have been tried as an adult. Two courtappointed psychologists and the juvenile probation department all recommended rehabilitation in the juvenile system. The juvenile court judge, Terri B. Jamison, disregarded those recommendations and, with no evidence supporting her decision, insisted there was not enough time to rehabilitate this teen in the juvenile system.

I therefore implore Gov. John Kasich, who speaks openly about his faith and his desire to make things better for all Ohioans, to use his power to pardon this child. The power to pardon, never to be taken lightly, is what our nation’s governors and president inherited from England as part of the divine right of kings. Today, a pardon should be used when the law has been followed but the result is not just.

I also implore all attorneys, therapists, pediatricians, teachers, clergy and others to join me in asking Kasich to issue this pardon.

Lisa Kalson Dublin