We have a crisis in Cuyahoga County. Cuyahoga County transfers more children – from juvenile court to adult court – than any other county in Ohio. This process is called bindover. A child sent to adult court is tried and sentenced as an adult. Children as young as 14 can be bound over. Currently there is no policy or plan to reduce bindover in our county.

Why does this matter?

• Bindover is harmful and make us less safe. Youth bound over are 34% more likely to commit a future crime.
• Youth in adult facilities are more likely to be sexually and physically assaulted, and to commit suicide.
• Children are not small adults—their brains are still developing which means they’re more likely to change and grow out of harmful behaviors as they mature.
• Bindover disproportionately harms children of color.

• Cuyahoga County binds over many more youth than similar urban counties.
• From 2018-2020, Cuyahoga County’s bindover rate was six times higher than Franklin County and four times higher than Hamilton County.
• Cuyahoga County sends the largest number of Black youth per capita to adult court of any county in Ohio.
• Less than 30% of Cuyahoga County’s population are persons of color; yet 91% of youth bound over to the adult system in our county are Black or Brown.

GCC is focusing on Discretionary Bindover because juvenile judges and the County prosecutor have a choice to bindover a child or keep the child in juvenile court.

GCC believes that a plan to reduce bindover is urgently needed. 

GCC is urging stakeholders who have the power to change this harmful practice to commit to reducing bindover and investing in evidence-based alternatives.