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| High court hears Ohio's prison issue |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 03/31/2005 |
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Ohio's attorney general told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that the state should not have to go through excessive paperwork or hearings to send dangerous convicts to its super maximum-security prison. Inmates say they deserve a chance to prove they do not belong under such lockdown. The high court was asked to approve Ohio's system for transferring inmates into the more secure prison. At least 32 states and the U.S. government have similar prisons. "The government needs to have the capacity to make the best possible decision based on a wide variety of factors," said Ohio Atty. Gen. Jim Petro. At issue is whether the state has a constitutional process for determining which inmates go to the 500-bed Ohio State Penitentiary near Youngstown or are cleared to leave the prison. Petro said that while Ohio's policy calls for prisoners to be given 48-hour notice and some evidence, the "notice is very general in its nature." The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that inmates are entitled to hearings before being assigned to the prison. A lower court also called for a more formal process. |
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