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New Ohio Park Cabins will be built by Inmates

from left to right: Gov. John Kasich; ODNR Director Jim Zehringer; and ODRC Director Gary Mohr announce inmate cabin building project at the Ohio State Fair (Credit: Andy Chow)

A new state partnership has formed to increase the amount of cabins available at Ohio’s parks -- built by Ohio’s inmates. Statehouse correspondent Andy Chow reports. 

While touring the Ohio Department of Natural Resources park at the Ohio State Fair visitors can spot a newly built, single unit, air conditioned cabin. The cabin is a prototype of what the state plans to put in about 24 of its parks.

Inmates housed at the Chillicothe facility will be in charge of building more than 60 of these cabins.

Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Director Gary Mohr says this project can teach inmates helpful, life skills.

Mohr: “If you think about it, one person’s not gonna build this, there’s gonna be a team of folks building this and I think in life, social team building and working with other people is pretty darn important.”

The state hopes to have the cabins ready to use by next summer.