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Inmate program ‘veered off-course,’ report says

Prisoners working at the governor’s home could get knives, tools and other contraband.

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By Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Bureau Updated 9:28 AM Friday, April 30, 2010

COLUMBUS — It’s no wonder that working at the Governor’s Residence is a coveted gig among prison inmates: An Inspector General’s report reveals they have unfettered access to deadly weapons, get to wear regular clothes and call the staff by their first names and are supervised so loosely that they’ve been able to run a lucrative tobacco smuggling business using the mansion as a drop station.

All of this has been happening under the eye of the Ohio Highway Patrol, which guards the governor and first lady, and the state Department of Administrative Services, which staffs the residence.

The Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections shuttles the inmates to and from the residence, abdicating responsibility for supervising and keeping track of the convicted felons during the day shifts, according to the report.

Inmates have performed chores at the Governor’s Residence in Bexley, a leafy upscale neighborhood with million-dollar mansions, since the 1960s. But since 2007, the program has “veered off-course,” according to the scathing report issued Thursday, April 29, by state Inspector General Tom Charles.

The 48-page report suggests that the three state agencies work together to curb inmate access to dangerous tools, conduct random searches of areas frequented by inmates, thoroughly train non-law enforcement employees who work with the inmates at the residence and make sure prisoners are under the control of prison guards or police officers at all times.

The report said many of the problems have already been addressed in a security review conducted by the patrol.

Prison officials allowed inmates working at the residence to forgo important security measures such as wearing shirts that say “DRC inmate” in large letters or being visually checked every 30 minutes by a supervisor. The report said those waivers to prison policy should be revoked.

Charles’ investigators found two dozen incidents involving contraband, alcohol stashes, theft and other misconduct since March 2007 involving the inmates at the residence. Inmates tried to smuggle a utility knife, a razor blade and other contraband stolen from the governor’s house into the prison, the report said. A serrated knife with a 6-inch blade has been missing from the governor’s kitchen since March 9, prompting a prisonwide shakedown. It has yet to be found.

“Putting maids in charge of inmates; being oblivious to prisoners meeting vehicles on the street to accept curbside deliveries of contraband in a residential neighborhood in broad daylight; permitting felons to have unlimited access to knives, tools and other potential weapons with no accountability whatsoever — these are all reckless and irresponsible security practices,” the report concluded.

The Ohio Department of Public Safety, which oversees the patrol, said it will review the recommendations and respond.

Contact this reporter at (614)

224-1624 or lbischoff@Dayton

DailyNews.com.

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