Topic: Security Central / Should OC use on juvenile offenders be restricted?

Ohio’s own Use of Force progression chart shows the use of OC before hands-on. Also, just the presence of OC on an officer is sometimes enough of a deterrant to prevent the inmate from taking action. Ohio has progressively become soft on offenders in the prison setting, as has most of the country. Yet, Police are getting new tools to use to subdue offenders on a regular basis. Now, I’m no rocket scientist or anything, but if Police get new tools to use on what is generally one-on-one situations, shouldn’t Corrections Officers who are placed in a setting with hundreds of potentially violent offenders be offered the same such tools? I’m not recommending guns in a housing unit or anything, but OC, PR-24’s and even Tasers would make offenders think twice about their behavior.

Topic: The Club House / New Career

You are referring to the other used car salesmen when you say “inmate types” right? They rob you and never have to face charges!

Topic: The Club House / If corrections had a slogan what would it be?

Seems someone has taken a liking to and is making some money off of some of our sayings.

http://www.correctionstees.com

Topic: A Broader View / Checks & Balances?

ACA is a joke. Honestly does anyone fail these inspections? They tell you a month or so ahead of time when they are coming, and then management has everyone running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to get everything ship shape for their visit.

Topic: Letter of The Law / Can we deny inmates access to newspapers, magazines as an incentive for better behavior?

Wow in seg too? and I thought Ohio was too liberal

Topic: Security Central / Transport security

At our prison we send two armed officers on any outside medical trip, 3 armed officers if the offender is considered an escape risk.

Topic: The Club House / Do you belong to a Union?

MichiganRUO, it sounds like you have that great, “no strike clause” like we do here in Ohio, it allows the State to pretty much force a contract on us, giving us nothing, because they know we have no leverage in the bargaining department.

Topic: The Club House / A Select Few.

The AB is actually one of the most serious gangs when it comes to getting business done, although they have quite a few wannabe’s in the bunch like every other gang, but for the most part they tend to shy away from the threats and such unless they are serious. They wouldn’t normally warn the person ahead of time though, so it would seem that this may be from one of the afformentioned wannabes. If they have the home address, hopefully law enforcement officials have taken care of the problem.

Topic: The Club House / Any suggestions for my prison toilet?

craigslist.com

Topic: The Club House / Where in the world are you

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction here

Topic: Tech Talk / Digital TV conversions

forget the converters, just buy a collection of Disney movies and pipe them in through the jail.

Topic: The Club House / disabilty benefits in contract

In Ohio we only get 1 year. I believe you’re looking for section D in this, our contract reads like this:

35.01 – Disability Program Eligibility and administration of disability benefits shall be pursuant to current Ohio Law and the Administrative Rules of the Department of Administrative Services except for the following modifications and clarifications:

A. Any full-time permanent employee with a disabling illness, injury, or condition that will last more than fourteen (14) consecutive days AND who has completed one (1) year of continuous state service immediately prior to the date of the disability may be eligible for disability leave benefits.

B. To be eligible for disability leave benefits, an employee must be: (1) in active pay status on approved sick leave, (2) on approved disability leave, (3) on approved leave of absence without pay for personal medical reasons or (4) disability separated. Employees alleging conditions precluded by OAC 123:1-33-14 are not eligible for disability benefits, unless the exceptions of the section are met. An application for disability benefits based on a diagnosis of a mental disorder, including but not limited to, psychosis, mood disorders, and anxiety, must be confirmed by a licensed mental health provider authorized by the Employer’s Mental Health Administrator. Where the initial application is accompanied by the opinion of such provider, it shall be processed accordingly. However, where the diagnosis is submitted by any other medical professional, the Employer shall make expeditious arrangements for the required examination by the licensed mental health provider. Approval of the application will be contingent upon receipt of substantiation from such provider. In the event the examination is outside the parameters of the employee’s mental healthcare plan, the cost of the examination shall be borne by the Employer.

C. Part-time or established term regular and established term irregular employees who have worked fifteen hundred (1500) or more hours within the twelve (12) calendar months preceding disability shall be entitled to disability benefits based upon the average regular weekly earnings for weeks worked over that twelve (12) month period.

D. Effective for all claims filed on or after March 1, 2006, disability benefits will be paid at seventy percent (70%) of the employees base rate of pay for the first three (3) months, and fifty percent (50%) for the next nine (9) months, and shall be entitled to receive disability leave benefits up to a lifetime maximum of twelve (12) months. All employees receiving payments under Article 35 prior to March 1, 2006 shall be paid according to the terms of Article 35 contained in the Collective Bargaining Agreement which expired on February 28, 2006. The utilization of disability leave prior to March 1, 2006 and the continuation of any disability leave past March 1, 2006 shall not be counted against the above one (1) year maximum. Employees who are grandfathered under the previous provisions of Article 35 shall continue to only receive benefits under such provisions until their instant disability leave is terminated, either by recovery and ability to return to work, expiration of the time period allocated to that disability claim, the lifetime maximum limits or termination of employment. Thereafter any claim filed shall be administered in accordance with the new provisions of this Article, effective March 1, 2006.

E. The Employer agrees that transitional work programs will not violate the provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act.

F. Pursuant to OAC 123:1-33-14, employees who have been denied Workers’ Compensation lost time benefits for an initial claim, may file an application for disability leave benefits twenty (20) days from the notification by the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation of the denial of an initial claim.

G. Disability separations shall be made pursuant to OAC 123:1-33. The Employer’s decision to disability separate an employee or to deny reinstatement from an involuntary disability separation shall not be grieveable but shall be exclusively subject to appeal through the State Personnel Board of Review (SPBR).

H. In the event an employee submits an application for disability leave after either (1) the employee has received notice that he/she is under investigation for possible disciplinary action or (2) where an investigation regarding the employee is actively underway, disability payments may be held in abeyance subject to the following procedure: The Agency shall promptly notify DAS that (1) an investigation is underway, (2) the date that the investigation was initiated, (3) the basis of the investigation and (4) why access to the employee is necessary for completion of the investigation. A copy of the disability leave application and all accompanying documentation shall be forwarded with the notification. In the event that DAS concurs that the disability payments should be held in abeyance, DAS shall notify the employee, by regular and certified mail, that the disability payments shall not be processed until the completion of the investigation. An investigatory interview pursuant to Article 24, Section 24.04 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement shall be scheduled no more than thirty (30) days after the Agency files the investigation for possible discipline with DAS. The matter shall then be subject to the constraints of Article 24 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Upon completion of the investigatory interview, or the thirty (30) day period, payments may be made, providing the application qualifies for eligibility. However, if the investigation cannot be completed as a result of the employee’s absence, the investigatory interview shall be cancelled and the application shall be denied. Said denial shall not prevent the submission of a new application, subject to the above same requirements. This section shall not be applicable where the absence, and subsequent disability, is the result of hospitalization for more than five (5) days for a serious medical condition. If an application for disability benefits is pending and/or has been approved prior to the initiation of the investigation, this section shall not be applicable.

Topic: Juvenile Jam / gang assessment

Your thinking is probably right, but the facilities think of the high cost of lawsuits when good little johnny gets beat up when we housed him with a rival gang member when we should have known they wouldn’t get along. And judges go along with it. Instead of forcing them to live together and deal with their differences (usually just the stupid zip code they live in), we put them together reinforce the gang mentality, and let them reorganize, and recruit more members while locked up so when they hit the streets, they can pick up where they left off without missing a beat.

Topic: Letter of The Law / Second Chance Act

True. Unfortunately most of these offenders are allergic to hard work. They look for the easy (usually illegal) way to make money fast. Unless the laws get tougher, the prisons aren’t better living quarters for them than the streets and people are actually afraid to come to prison, recidivism will not be reduced.

Topic: The Club House / Ohio DRC

Yeah, luckily it hasn’t been the officers…..yet.

Topic: Everything Education / just applied?

BOP is very picky about things all the way down to your credit history and your family tree. State & County DOC’s you can probably get by with it.

Topic: Security Central / Transport security

Tell that to the bigwigs in Ohio. Their “do more with even less” attitude has us understaffed and overcrowded, while they continue to cut jobs within the department. We are currently at an all time high for inmate population throughout the state, and they are doing massive job cuts across the department and planning for more within the next year.

Topic: Letter of The Law / # chances before drug offenders go to prison instead of rehab

greenshirt, but think of the job security. They’ll always need us as long as they keep sending them to us.

Topic: The Club House / Losing control

Wow Mick and I thought that was only the way things were going over here in the states, nice to see everyone getting to share the pain (in the butt) of the inmate advocates.

Topic: The Club House / Ohio DRC

What institutions are you guys at? LORCI here.

Topic: Health & Wellness / Mandated CPR On Inmates: Good Or Not So Good?

Must be nice. I guess that once a year training they give us makes us “trained medical responders”. So now they can discipline us for not helping. If Ohio was half as tough on the felons as they are on the Officers, it would be a great place to work.

Topic: A Broader View / This month, Corrections.com focuses on architecture. What makes your facility's design unique? What historic prisons have you visited?

I could handle that. We get stuck for 16 + hours sometimes on outside trips, and don’t even get a thank you, let alone paid for our meal.

Topic: The Club House / Living breathing flesh ?

Ever tried to determine if one of those skinny convicts wrapped up in his blankie is breathing at night without waking him up? Now that’s not easy. Have stood for 10 minutes sometimes without seeing a movement. Til you kick the door and he jumps out of his bed.

Topic: The Club House / Living breathing flesh ?

ever tried to dtermine if one of those skinny convicts wrapped up in his blankie is breathing at nightwithout waking him up? Now that’s not easy. Have stood for 10 minutes sometimes without seeing a movement. Til you kick the door and he jumps out of his bed.

Topic: A Broader View / This month, Corrections.com focuses on architecture. What makes your facility's design unique? What historic prisons have you visited?

I asked my supervisor for a lunch break the other day, he laughed and told me to eat while I do my rounds. “You have 8 hours, you can find time, just multi-task.” Sounds much less liberal towards the inmates in your neck of the woods. Wish Americans weren’t so quick to worry about these criminal’s rights so much.