Op-Ed: Criminals now live in fear, thanks to ‘Castle Doctrine’

by Jason Phillabaum

Aristotle said, "Law is order, and good law is good order." Although the law passed well after Aristotle's time, his quote rings very true in regard to Ohio's "Castle Doctrine."

Under the Castle Doctrine, citizens of Ohio can now welcome law and order back into their homes, instead of giving fear and anarchy a place at the dinner table.

Even though the doctrine may have some legal edges, the common-sense reasoning that supports the doctrine is — for many — a welcome reawakening of the right to protect your home and family. For far too long, rights of criminals have triumphed over the rights of law-abiding citizens.

Thankfully, through the Castle Doctrine, the pendulum of protection swings back to the citizenry — where it belongs. Long ingrained in our collective consciousness is the belief that a man's home is his castle. If this concept is our societal belief, then every person should have every right to protect his or her home and family with all his or her might against anyone who would dare to break into his or her "castle."

In simplified form, Ohio's Castle Doctrine presumes that a resident acted in self-defense if he used force against someone who unlawfully enters his home or occupied vehicle. Homeowners having the law on their side is only a recent fact.

Prior to Ohio's Castle Doctrine, homeowners had to show that they acted in self-defense to use force to defend their home. In other words, the burden was on the homeowners, and they had to make a snap decision about only using as much force as was reasonable to properly defend their home and family.

Click here to read the entire op-ed from The Middletown Journal.