The Ohio House Finance Committee has added one more correctional facility to the list of those proposed for sale as part of the state budget. Governor Kasich had recommended five different adult and youth facilities be placed up for sale as part of his budget. Rob Nichols, the Governor’s spokesman, says the sixth facility the house is proposing for privatization is a youth lockup that was slated for closure.
The Dept of Youth Services has a facility in Southern Ohio, Ohio River Valley," he says. "We had planned to close the facility. The house, in this version of the budget, has decided they think it should be leased or sold and kept in some kind of correctional capacity. We are planning to take a look at what the house has suggested and see how that ties into the overall plan for the Ohio Department of Corrections."
The House version of the budget also removes the sentencing reform plan that was included in Governor Kasich’s budget. But key elements of that reform plan are included in a separate bill under consideration.