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| State wants to convert Institution to a female correctional facility |
| By Joanne Huist Smith, Staff Writer, daytondailynews.com |
| Published: 05/02/2011 |
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DAYTON — A state plan to convert Dayton Correctional Institution to an all-female facility could mean costly changes for a new county office working to keep ex-offenders from returning to prison. About 1,500 convicted felons return to Montgomery County each year after serving prison sentences. Since March, Montgomery County’s Office of Ex-Offender Re-entry has provided case management, employment services, mental health and drug addiction counseling — via contracts with community agencies — to about 280 former inmates. Just 11 percent were female. “If (the state) makes the change, it’s going to be challenging,” said Jamie Gee, Montgomery County’s re-entry manager. State prison officials want to transfer up to 960 female prisoners to DCI from three facilities — the Trumbull Correctional Institution in Leavittsburg; the Franklin Pre-Release Center in Columbus; and, the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, said Carlo LoParo, communications chief for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. The change would make DCI the only celled, female facility in the state. Others are dormitory-style. “Dayton is one of our better quality facilities,” LoParo said. “It would be a much better incarceration.” Roughly 800 male prisoners would be transferred from DCI to facilities in Columbus and Marion. The Montgomery County Pre-Release Center would be closed as part of the change, LoParo said. About 50 of 300 jobs there would be eliminated over time through attrition. ‘We’re going to have to adjust’ Ohio spends about $1.99 billion a year to incarcerate 50,500 inmates in 31 adult prisons and five youth facilities. The adult system is at 133 percent of capacity. Reforms to the system would save taxpayers an estimated $18 million and address prison overcrowding, LoParo said. The proximity of the Dayton prison to Montgomery County’s re-entry office at the Job Center, 1133 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd., makes it easy and inexpensive for the staff of three to meet face-to-face with male inmates. In 2010, of the 23,191 offenders who were committed to the Ohio state prison system, 20,155 were men and 3,036 were women, according to state data. Gee said the Office of Ex-Offender Re-entry would be able to serve more women if the conversion is approved, but they still need to work with the much larger male inmate population. “No matter how far away (male prisoners) are from Montgomery County, we still know they’ll be returning here,” Gee said. “If this change does happen, we’re going to have to adjust.” For example, instead of connecting with male inmates face-to-face at DCI, re-entry staff may try video conferences. If that’s not an option, trips to facilities around the state may become more frequent. Montgomery County Commissioner Deborah Lieberman, co-chair of the county’s re-entry task force, said she’s met with inmates at DCI prior to their release and believes that personal connection is important. “I would rather the change not happen,” said Lieberman, adding the most important factor to consider in the change is keeping the jobs at DCI. “If the change does happen, it will give us the opportunity to work closer with more women than we have in the past.” More services for women sought Another hurdle, the re-entry office’s collection of programs for women aren’t as broad as those for men. The office’s mentoring program, through the Dayton Circles Project, is for men only. Gee wants to boost services to women and a collaboration with Wright State University could result in grants to fund those programs. Crystal Arrone of Dayton believes women benefit from the services the re-entry office provides. The 46-year-old spent a decade at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, then the Franklin Pre-release Center after an attempted murder conviction stemming from a bar fight. She said it’s been difficult finding employment since her release in 2006 because of her criminal record. Goodwill Will Easter Seals Miami Valley, funded by a re-entry contract, helped Arrone land a temporary job at the E’naj Hair Studio in West Carrollton. to read more on this article |
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