To: Dr.

Gordon
From: Jena Kosinski
Subject: Overcrowding in Ohio Prisons
Date: 10 October 2013
Problem:
Ohio prisons are overcrowded. This is a continuing problem that has occurred for decades. As
the number of individuals in the prisons increases, the well-being and safety of the prisoners and
staff members decreases. Tensions amongst the prisoners and between the prisoners and staff
increase when the prisons are filled above the intended maximum capacity of the facilities.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, the prisoner-to-staff member ratio is the highest in two
decades (Johnson, 2013). The last time the prisoner-to-staff ratio was this high, tensions between
prisoners and staff escalated to a riot in Lucasville that lasted eleven days and resulted in the
deaths of ten individuals (Johnson, 2013).
Who is incarcerated? Why are they incarcerated?
For three decades, the population of jails and prisons in the US has increased at an unforeseen
and unanticipated rate. Jails are the short term holding facilities to which individuals are
confined in counties and cities, so the problem of overcrowding is much more temporary than the
overcrowding of the prisons. Prisons are the long term holding facilities for incarcerated
individuals and are utilized by the state and federal governments.
The United States Congress utilizes a branch known as the Congressional Research Service for
conducting research and gathering information. According to the CRS, a study has been
conducted which states that the unprecedented rise in population in prisons takes a toll on the
infrastructure of the prison systems. This means that the foundation that has been laid for the
social system within the prisons is severely damaged by the presence of more individuals than
can be comfortably fit within the building (quoted in Biron, 2013).
The Congressional Research Service has determined that the population in jails and prisons has
increased by as much as 790 percent in three decades. The reason for the increased incarceration
rate lies with small drug offences, immigration violations, and weapons possession. The stiff
prison sentences for small, nonviolent crimes has increased the population more than prison
sentences for violent crimes, according to the Congressional Research Service Report released in
early 2013. Much of this problem is attributed to the mandate that requires certain minimum
prison sentences for crimes, especially for drug related offences (quoted in Biron, 2013).
According to the CRS, another trend in the jail system is the increased incarceration of young
individuals (below the age of 18) and the incarceration of those over the age of 64. About 95,000
juveniles under the age of 18 were put in prison in 2012, and this does not include those juvenile
who were placed in juvenile facilities. Between the years of 2007 and 2011, the elderly
population of those over the age of 64 increased by 94 times the rate of the normal population.
Many of these individuals are also low income and/or of racial/ethnic backgrounds (quoted in
Biron, 2013).

What does overcrowding do?

The past has proven that overcrowding has a negative impact on the safety and infrastructure
within the prisons. In April 1993, a riot took place at the Southern Ohio Correctional Institution
near Lucasville, Ohio. At the time of the riot, the inmate to corrections officer ratio rose to 8.8 to
1 and increased the tensions within the prison. The riot lasted eleven days and left one officer
and nine inmates dead. After this happened, Ohio officials created new jobs and decreased the
number of inmates per prison by building the Ohio State Penitentiary, located in Youngstown, to
house the worst prisoners in the state of Ohio. Maximum security inmates were placed into cells
by themselves, adding more security cameras, creating special response teams for every prison,
and identifying and classifying those inmates who may be more likely to create trouble for the
other inmates and the corrections officers on duty. In the past two decades, budget cuts have
erased the 904 jobs created in response to the Lucasville Riot (Johnson, 2013).
What are the problems with overcrowding?
As of April 2013, the inmate to corrections officer ratio in Ohio is 7.3 to 1, an average that is far
higher than the national average. The largest problems related to the overcrowding have
remained unsolved, particularly the violence related to gangs, understaffing, and managing any
and all crises. Since 1994, there has been a 20.6% increase in populations, and the populations
are only expected to increase further in the coming years (Johnson, 2013).
Another problem the prisoners face is the facilities to which they are confined. In the state of
Ohio, single occupancy cells are required to be seventy square feet, double occupancy cells are
required to be one hundred square feet, and triple occupancy cells are required to be one hundred
and forty-five square feet (Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, 2003). In many cases,
prisoners in single occupancy cells have been double bunked due to increased populations and
lack of space within the prisons. This has been shown to be a major cause of the violence within
the prisons (Palmer, 2013).
What if we do not address this problem?
If the problem is not addressed, the risk of another riot such as the one that took place in
Lucasville in 1993 is high. Crowded conditions in prisons also lead to the risk of more inmates
being killed inside the prisons. The Toledo Prison had a third inmate in one year die after a
violent attack inside the prison (Palmer, 2013). The prison was operating at 130 percent capacity,
increasing tensions amongst prisoners (Palmer, 2013). More lives can be lost if the problem is
not addressed and corrected.
How do we address this problem?
There are three possible solutions to the problem of overcrowding in Ohio prisons.
The first possible solution is to apply for federal grants which would allow for additions to the
most highly populated prisons in Ohio. These additions would decrease the congestion and allow
more room for the inmates as well as allow correctional staff to separate the most at risk inmates

from the lowest risk inmates. More room, specifically where it allows prisoners to have their
own cells, would lower the tensions between the prisoners. The addition of more cells is the best
solution for the immediate problem.
The second possible solution is to appeal to the state for more funding. Increased funding would
bring back some, if not all, of the jobs that budget cuts have taken away from the prison system.
The population within the prisons had decreased and no major riots had occurred during the time
the jails had more correctional positions. This solution is the least ideal solution during the
economic crisis and would be the most expensive course of action for the state.
The third possible solution is to appeal to the state government regarding prison sentencing. The
mandatory minimum sentencing has increased the prison population, specifically among
impoverished youths and the elderly. The majority of the population within the prisons is youths
who are imprisoned for minor drug offenses. An appeal to the Ohio state government specifically
requesting decreased mandatory minimums for first time offenses, especially for those with no
prior record in any capacity, would help to lower the prison population significantly. An
additional appeal requesting mandatory drug rehabilitation for all first drug offenders would keep
the offenders from entering the prisons in order to overpopulate the facilities.

Resources:
Biron, Carey L.. " IPS U.S. Prison Population Seeing Unprecedented Increase | Inter Press
Service." Inter Press Service | Journalism and Communication for Global Change. N.p., n.d.
Web. 24 Sept. 2013. <http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/02/u-s-prison-population-seeingunprecedented-increase/>.
Johnson, Alan. "Ohio prisons understaffed, overcrowded, union says | The Columbus Dispatch."
The Columbus Dispatch | Central Ohio News, Sports, Arts & Classifieds. N.p., n.d. Web. 10
June 2013. <http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/04/04/Ohio-prisonsunderstaffed-overcrowded-union-says.html>.
Palmer, Kim. " Beaten Ohio inmate dies in prison's third killing in a year| Reuters." Business &
Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/23/us-usa-ohio-prison-idUSBRE97M01620130823>.
Wilkinson, Reginald. "Minimum Standards for Jails in Ohio." Ohio Department of Rehabilitation
and Correction. Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
<www.drc.state.oh.us/web/FullServiceMinimumSecurityStandards2003-01-20.pdf>.