Ohio's Program for Prison Correction (From Constructing Correctional Facilities: Is There a Role for the Private Sector?, P 22-28, 1987, James Sevick and Warren Cikins, eds. -- See NCJ-111104)

• NCJ Number: 111106
• Author(s): R P Seiter
• Date Published: 1987
• Length: 7 pages
• Sale Source: Brookings Institution
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Ohio has implemented a prison construction program that follows the lead of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in making use of existing facilities and carefully designing new ones.

Abstract

The program has created a standard design for all prisons, emphasizing small, decentralized, self-contained housing units with good perimeter security. Once an architect has been selected, a steering committee aids in design planning. A construction management approach is used to control costs, and bid packages are competitive and broken into small components. At the beginning of each project, the State provides architects with 10 design criteria that cover such issues as staff-inmate interaction, staff size, footage requirements, future expansion, security, and costs. Security has been a major design focus. Internal design has emphasized less expensive materials and a more relaxed, normal environment to discourage destructive inmate behaviors. Perimeter security depends on tough walls, ceilings, and floors and the use of technology (detection devices, sensors, razor ribbon) to reduce the need for guards. Ohio is paying for the new prisons through the sale of bonds, with payments taking the form of lease-rental payments by the corrections department.