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Results for correctional programs (ohio)

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Author: Furderer, Darin

Title: Ohio Penal Industries

Summary: Ohio Penal Industries (OPI) is an inmate work program and a division of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC). OPI manufactures goods and services for the DRC and other state agencies through the use of inmate labor under close staff supervision. OPI inmates produce/process a variety of products including inmate clothing, toilet paper, license plates, milk, meat, furniture, dentures, eyeglasses, cleaning compounds, plastic bags and others. Inmates that work in OPI also conduct service on vehicles, provide office support, and install modular furniture. OPI has the potential to provide a tremendous benefit to the Ohio taxpayer. Not only can it provide products at competitive prices, a direct savings for the state, it also teaches inmates valuable work skills that will assist them upon release, assists institutional management, and provides significant community service. Each of these benefits would carry cost savings for state taxpayers. Although OPI can generate revenue for the state and provide numerous opportunities for inmates to acquire knowledge and occupational traits, its potential is hindered due to various challenges, which include restraints placed on its bidding process, negative perceptions of its products and services, and a lack of a strong marketing strategy, among others. Over the course of its study of OPI, CIIC staff came to three important conclusions: (1) OPI is immensely valuable and should be supported; (2) OPI has a number of limitations placed upon it that will need to be lifted for it to truly operate "at the speed of business"; and (3) OPI is a work in progress. New leadership took the helm of OPI in 2010 and has since worked diligently to fix the very same problems that this report highlights. While the problems cannot be hidden or overlooked in an evaluative report such as this one, it must be emphasized that there is a definite break between the OPI of the past and the forward-moving OPI that currently exists. The recommendations are mutually agreed-upon goals between CIIC and the DRC; CIIC will conduct a second evaluation of OPI in two years and expects to report on OPI’s continued success as it builds upon this past year. The following sections provide CIIC's key findings and recommendations, based on a national comparison of correctional industries, inspections of OPI shops at multiple facilities, interviews with DRC staff, and a literature review. The report then discusses in detail OPI's history, current financials, the challenges facing OPI, and the comparison of correctional industries’ products and financial information.

Details: Columbus, OH: Correctional Institution Inspection Committee, 2011. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 11, 2014 at: http://www.ciic.state.oh.us/docs/ohio_penal_industries_2011.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.ciic.state.oh.us/docs/ohio_penal_industries_2011.pdf

Shelf Number: 133284

Keywords:
Correctional Industries
Correctional Programs (Ohio)
Inmate Labor
Prison Labor
Prison Work Programs