Ohio attorney general: Child safety is top priority

October 28, 2011 at 9:40a.m.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Ohio’s top lawyer says a foster child’s safety should be the first priority when being placed with a family. His comments come in the wake of the alleged killing of a Cincinnati boy who was when returned to his birth parents.

Attorney General Mike DeWine says family reunification is the goal in foster care decisions, but Ohio law states that the child’s safety is more important than putting a family back together.

DeWine’s comments come in reaction to the Oct. 21 death of 2-year-old DeMarcus Jackson, a foster child returned to his birth parents in August. The boy’s father, Antrone Smith, has been charged with murder in Jackson’s death.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters will have a press conference this morning to discuss Jackson’s death.