Attorney General Mike DeWine

A new report says Ohio should reduce the number of times a child enters and exits the foster care system and give foster parents more input into court proceedings involving the children in their care.

The Ohio Foster Care Advisory Group also recommends improving the system governing court-appointed lawyers who look out for foster children's interests.

Attorney General Mike DeWine said Monday some of the changes will involve action by the Ohio Supreme Court and others need new legislation.

An annual report that looks at Ohio's capital punishment system says 128 inmates sentenced to death over the past three decades have avoided their sentence through court action, commutations or dying of natural causes.

The report by Attorney General Mike DeWine says the state sentenced a total of 316 inmates to death from 1981, when Ohio's current death penalty law was enacted, through 2012.

Eighteen inmates have been spared by Ohio governors, 24 died in prison and eight were found ineligible for execution because they are mentally disabled.

Ohio's attorney general says he'll provide grant money for new regional sexual assault coordinators to oversee direct and comprehensive services for victims of sexual assault.

Attorney General Mike DeWine said Wednesday a recently completed survey found that 52 of Ohio's 88 counties do not offer such services. The attorney general says it is crucial that adequate services are available to anyone who has been sexually assaulted.

The five year, $1.5 million project focuses in its first year on expanding services to Crawford, Meigs, Perry and Wyandot counties.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is warning consumers about a scam that exploits his office's work as a collection agency for state departments.

DeWine says the scam is not new but his office has noticed an increase in such reports over the past few months.

DeWine says scammers posing as Attorney General's employees or state Bureau of Criminal Investigation agents try to trick consumers over the phone into providing personal information or payments for bogus debts. Scammers often demand that people pay the debt immediately using prepaid money cards or face arrest.

Ohio lawmakers and state Attorney General Mike DeWine are promoting legislation to stop the financial exploitation of older Ohioans.

The proposals to be discussed today come at a time when experts estimate as many as 2 million older Americans are abused in various ways each year, ranging from physical assault to the misuse of a person's money, property and assets.

The proposed Ohio bill would also ensure that the life savings and homes of senior citizens are protected.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he'll back further legislation this session bolstering the state's legal crackdown on human trafficking.

Kasich spoke at an awareness event Friday at the Statehouse. The Republican governor said the state is marshaling its resources against the crime, but more can be done.

Victims of human trafficking often are prostituted or pushed to work against their will in sweatshop-type jobs. Some are girls as young as 11.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says his office is investigating the alleged rape of a teen girl in Steubenville. The case has made headlines in recent days after the video of the alleged rape surfaced on the internet. DeWine says two defendants are set to face rape charges in juvenile court.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says he wants to give teachers the tools they need to prevent or deal with school shootings.

"The truth is that while we train first responders, the real first responders in these tragedies are teachers.  They are the ones who are there," says DeWine. "They are the ones who make the life and death decisions.  They are the ones who are going to do what they can do to save lives.  By the time the first responders get there, we may have a number of children killed."

The state is expanding safety training for Ohio educators to reflect the reality that those inside a school are the first to face danger.

Attorney General Mike DeWine said this morning that nothing short of barricading every school in the country can stop something from happening, but officials have a moral obligation to take steps that will increase the odds of children surviving.

DeWine says the state police training academy will train educators across the state in how to deal with an active shooter.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has formed an advisory group to help solve some of the biggest problems in the state's foster-care system, including safety and stability.

DeWine announced the formation of the group at a news conference on Monday and gave its members a March deadline to issue recommendations to improve the system.

The announcement came almost one year after DeWine's office held the first of eight child-safety summits in the state following a rash of shocking cases.