I can’t square sentencing in two recent criminal cases.

First, a pole-barn contractor was sentenced to 17 years for defrauding customers out of $400,000. Second, ex- Ohio State University football player Kirk Barton, a suspected repeat offender, was sentenced only 5 to 7-1/2 years for aggravated vehicular homicide, killing  24-year-old Ethan Perry while driving 125 miles per hour, with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.

More: Former OSU football player pleads guilty as new details revealed about fatal crash

I understand each case is different, and plea deals can affect sentencing. But in the end, the loss of a life should have cost Barton more, far more.

Doug Johnson, Dublin

In the minds of many, domestic violence is a private matter.

However, in reality, it is an ongoing, escalating public health issue that threatens the safety of many people within our state. The secrecy surrounding domestic violence and ignored warning signs put the lives of many people in danger on a daily basis.

Domestic violence offenders often heighten their violence because their patterns of violent physical, emotional and verbal abuse are not sufficiently monitored or addressed by the overburdened judicial system.

Tennessee recently enacted the nation’s first domestic violence registry based on Savanna’s Law (effective Jan. 1, 2026).

It is time for Ohio legislators to sponsor similar legislation that will better protect domestic violence survivors and their family members. Ohio needs to develop a coordinated, statewide, easily accessible database that will hold persistent offenders accountable for their abusive actions.

This type of advocacy provides increased support for those at risk of domestic violence.

It is about prevention and victim empowerment.

To avoid another domestic violence tragedy from taking place in our community, we, as a state, need to take proactive steps to reduce domestic violence. State lawmakers should be encouraged to explore all available legislative paths to increase transparency and safety as it relates to domestic violence behaviors and subsequent convictions.

Public awareness and strengthened online tools will provide much-needed information to protect domestic violence victims from sustaining additional injury at the hands of repeated domestic violence offenders.

Susan Gibson, Columbus

“This is about shielding the next generation from premature sexualization, from the erosion of their innocence,” said Rep. Angie King, R-Celina.  

Opinion: I went to war in my heels, wig, lashes. My art, rights matter

Have any of these morality reps watched network TV?

Seen bathing suits and clothing marketed to girls? Clothing using the butt portion as a billboard? Social media that allows contact with predators? Video games and music videos that portray females as toys, or set pieces?

And these reps think what...that men in over the top, obviously cartoonish costumes...are the tipping point?  That, they, are the problem?