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State probation, parole system needs overhaul, a report says

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By Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Bureau 10:27 PM Monday, July 26, 2010

COLUMBUS — Ohio’s probation and parole system is a hodge-podge of costly and fragmented programs that would benefit from uniform standards and policies, according to a report released Monday, July 26.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center reviewed crime, sentencing, probation, prison growth and post-release supervision trends in Ohio. The group concluded:

• More than 10,000 low-level drug and property crime offenders cycle through the state prison system each year, staying on average nine months, and 72 percent of them return to the community without supervision.

• The state spends more than $130 million a year on community corrections programs but does not collect the data needed to figure out which offenders would do best in which programs.

• Ohio’s probation system is a patchwork of state and local agencies monitoring 260,000 people. There is no data being collected to measure overall effectiveness.

• People who go to prison after violating a condition of probation are likely to be drug users and 36 percent have mental health needs but there aren’t enough drug treatment and mental health programs available.

Ohio has 50,800 state prison inmates and expects to have 53,000 by 2018, prisons director Ernie Moore said. The state spends $1.27 billion a year on corrections. It is unclear how much state and local governments spend on probation programs.

“We have got to do something differently,” he said. “We are on board with this. We are ready for solutions.”

The 10,000 low-level offenders who go to prison for short stints don’t benefit from any of the rehabilitation programs, said state Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, who has been advocating for prison reforms. Instead, they get a “short course in ‘Crime University,’ ” he said.

Ohio has prisons, jails, drug courts, halfway houses and other resources. “We have the pieces in place. The challenge to figure out in this study is: Are we using them in the most effective manner?” Seitz said.

Seitz said he hopes to see lawmakers pass his prison sentencing reform bill during the lame duck session between the November election and the end of the year. Recommendations from the report may be taken up then, he said.

Contact this reporter at (614) 224-1624 or lbischoff@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Facts about Ohio’s probation system

The number of people on probation in Ohio in 2008 grew to 260,962, from 194,875 in 2000, a 34 percent increase higher than increases in any other Midwestern state.

Ohio has a higher percentage of its adult residents on probation than Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.

A patchwork of independent agencies at the city, council and state level supervise people on probation in Ohio; it is not unusual for offenders to report to two different officers in two separate probation departments.

Minimum training requirements for probation officers vary widely among agencies statewide, as do requirements for collecting information about probation.

Seven of 10 judges said they don’t receive information on what happens to people they sentence to probation.

While a large percentage of people on probation need mental health treatment, two of every three probation departments say they don’t have enough mental health resources in their area.

Two of every three surveyed judges said they sentence offenders to more expensive halfway house programs to ensure offenders get treatment they need because such services aren’t available in the community.

Most people sentenced to prison in Ohio commit the lowest level felony offenses, and most were convicted of property or drug offenses. Almost half the people admitted to prison are low risk inmates and inmates with sentences of 12 months or less.

Counties vary in their approach to probation, with Cuyahoga County sentencing significantly more low-level offenders to prison instead of probation compared to Franklin County.

Just over half of high-risk offenders are supervised after release from prison, even though more than half will commit new crimes and be sent back to prison within three years. By contrast, just over half of low-risk offenders are supervised even though they are half as likely to commit another crime.

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