The Ohio Justice & Policy Center (OJPC) calls on the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) to conduct necessary unannounced inspections in all Ohio facilities that are now housing undocumented immigrants for ICE amid concerns of overcrowding in the Butler County Jail.
“Overcrowding poses serious risks for all those who are detained in jails and prisons and for those who work there,” said Gabe Davis, Ohio Justice & Policy Center Chief Executive Officer. “Butler County has certainly highlighted this issue, and it is a clear sign that a policy of unannounced inspections is necessary as Ohio jail populations increase due to unprecedented ICE activity in our state. State and local authorities have an obligation to provide proper assurances that the constitution is being followed and that regulations are not being ignored in favor of financial benefit.”
Ohio’s rates of incarceration outpace most of the United States and cost on averageover $30,000 per year per person incarcerated in prison, with jail detentions alone costing Ohioans $266 million annually. ICE reportedly pays local jails $105 per day per person held. Incarceration in Ohio is plainly a big industry that rewards putting more people behind bars at the expense of taxpayers.
“People have a constitutional right to humane treatment. ODRC must take the necessary steps to guarantee human and constitutional rights within jail facilities and provide the oversight incarcerated people and taxpayers deserve. Much like our call for the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee to be reinstated and continue being an independent prison watchdog, we know how important that is in Ohio jails where conditions are often considered worse. ” said Michaela Burriss, OJPC Policy Director.
OJPC recommends that the ODRC immediately conduct unannounced inspections of all state and local detention facilities that are working with ICE.
To learn more about our work and our ongoing initiatives, visit https://ohiojpc.org/.