The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in Ohio is responsible for the 50000 inmates detained over here. It employs nearly 13000 staff members and supervises 27000 offenders that reside within the 88 OH counties. The core duty of the agency is detention; however it considers rehabilitation as its primary mission. Maintaining a balance between detention and rehabilitation is not an easy job and requires highly trained staff, partnership with key organizations and effective rehabilitation programs that are based upon factual data.
Rate of recidivism is a key evaluative figure for the rehabilitative aspect of DRC. It is calculated every three years and as per the 2010 report, the rate of recidivism for DRC was 34% which is the lowest in the last 11 years. This figure is significantly lower than the national rate of recidivism, which stands at 50%. Also 7% of the 34% that returned did not commit any new crime, and were required back due to the violation of some sanctions. This reduction in the rate of recidivism is the result of the contributions made by the programs that are based on factual data, proper classification of inmates and effective supervision of offenders after release. The contributions made by the highly trained staff that provide with programs which deal with the specific requirements of the inmates has also made a huge impact.
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction also benefits with partnerships from other organizations in the state. In regards to the decrease of the rate of recidivism, the University of Cincinnati has played a major role. As per the director the department, the partnership of DRC and the University’s Criminal Justice research department has greatly contributed towards this success. The data received by DRC from the university has increased the effectiveness of the programs aimed for the proper rehabilitation of the inmates. This data also plays a key role with the strategic planning of the facility.
Intake of Prisoners
The inmates that are sentenced to the OH Department of Rehabilitation and Correction will initially go through three centers of reception. The reception center is chosen on the basis of their gender and also on the basis of the county where they have committed the crime. The intake of females, who are sentenced to the DRS, will be processed by Ohio Reformatory for Women, situated in Marysville. The intake of male offenders is done on the basis of the county in which they have committed the crime. Inmates coming from the 25 counties in Northern Ohio are processed by the reception center located in Grafton. This centre is called Lorain Correctional Institution. The male inmates from the remaining counties are processed in the Correctional Reception Center, which is situated in Orient.
As a part of the process of identification, right after the admission into an OH DRC, inmates will be fingerprinted and photographed. Examination will be conducted to evaluate the physical health, dental health and also of vision. Other mandatory test will also be taken to detect any health issues with the inmate upon arrival. Intelligence and educational level will also be tested. Inmates will then have a one on one interview, wherein a clear understanding of their family structure, social and criminal behavior, involvement with alcohol or drug, institutional and military experience and educational and work history will established.
Visitation
If you would like to visit an inmate, you must know that visitors to all branches of Ohio DRC are prohibited from carrying in any type of tobacco into the facility. If you happen to violate this condition, you will be subjected to possible restrictions and sanctions.
It is the responsibility of the inmates to request a visitor into their visiting list. You can find the visitor application over here: http://www.drc.ohio.gov/Portals/0/Visiting/VisitingPacket2013.pdf?ver=2016-08-29-134917-590
. And in case you would like to visit with a minor then you will have to fill up the form at this link: http://www.drc.ohio.gov/Portals/0/Visiting/DRC4371_2011a.pdf?ver=2016-08-29-134917-763. The visitation hours for each facility are posted on the facilities website. And since visiting hours can change without prior notice, it’s always a good idea to check with the facility, before you plan the visit. You can find the contact information for all the Ohio Correctional Institutions at this link: http://www.drc.ohio.gov/institutions. Video visitation is also possible; you can find the required information for it at this link: http://www.drc.ohio.gov/visiting.