Ohio’s criminal justice system is tasked with improving public safety while simultaneously reforming offenders who pose a risk to that safety. The following sections briefly examine the areas of Ohio’s criminal justice system most critical in accomplishing those tasks.

Taking the first steps toward understanding crime and criminal justice in Ohio begins by asking the following questions:

• What criminal rehabilitation programs are used in Ohio?
• Are there alternatives to incarceration in Ohio?
• How many people are incarcerated in Ohio?
• What are the biggest prisons in Ohio?
• What is Ohio’s recidivism rate?
• What is Ohio’s crime rate?

The Bureau of Justice Statistics analyzes incarceration data for each state. According to their findings, Ohio has the 12th highest incarceration rate in the nation, just behind Alabama but just ahead of Missouri. Ohio imprisons 382 people for every 100,000 living in the state. The national incarceration rate is about 350 for every 100,000.¹

The National Institute of Corrections put out a data set regarding Ohio jails and prisons, showing that Ohio has 108 jails in 88 counties, with a jail population of about 20,670 (per 2019 data). Ohio also manages 25 prisons, which hold about 50,338 prisoners. Ohio’s state-operated prison facilities had a staff of 12,278 employees and a budget of $1,792,279,001. Ohio also runs a community corrections program, with 222,292 people on probation and 21,832 on parole.²

Ohio’s $1.7 billion per year expense on incarceration is the 7th-costliest item on the annual budget. Only police, highways, roads, hospitals, higher education, K–12 education, and public welfare receive more funds than incarceration. While $1.7 billion seems like a lot to spend on prisons (and it is), Ohio taxpayers spend less per capita on incarceration than the average U.S. taxpayer.³

Ohio has come to rely on private prisons to incarcerate its offenders. In 2000, Ohio had just 1,918 people locked up in private prisons. But by 2019, that number had soared to 6,766—a 253% increase. The prisoners locked up in Ohio’s private prisons represent about 13% of all prisoners in the state.⁴

Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution. Image courtesy of drc.test.ohio.gov

When measured by prisoner population, the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio, has the most prisoners, recording a total prisoner population of 3,513 in 2019. Open since 1988, the Allen-Oakwood prison is a minimum and medium security prison for men, and it’s known for having a residential substance abuse treatment unit to provide rehabilitation services for offenders who also struggle with drug and alcohol abuse problems.⁵

One of the best ways to determine the efficacy of a state’s criminal justice program is to study the crime and recidivism rates. In Ohio, the most critical crimes to look at are violent crimes. According to federal data, Ohio records about 33,000–34,000 violent crimes annually, a figure that has gradually trended down for some time.⁶

Photo by John McGraw/Shutterstock.com

Most of the violent crimes recorded in Ohio are aggravated assaults and robberies. However, the state also recorded about 7,000 rapes yearly and about 400–600 murders. The state also records anywhere from 330,000 to 370,000 property crimes annually.

Unfortunately, while much of Ohio’s violent crime has been down-trending slightly, the state’s murder rate is up. Quoting one author’s investigative journalism into the issue, “there were 820 murders in Ohio in 2020 or 7.0 for every 100,000 people – the 19th highest murder rate among states. For comparison, the national homicide rate stands at 6.5 per 100,000.” ⁷

A rising murder rate suggests that critical public safety needs are not being met by the criminal justice system.

While violent crime may still be a serious issue in Ohio, recidivism is trending downward, which is a good thing. A 2020 report shows recidivism is down to 20% from almost 22% in 2019, which means that formerly incarcerated people are less likely to re-offend and become re-incarcerated today than in previous years. It means the prison system is producing better results in reforming offenders than it used to.⁸

However, a 20% recidivism rate still means one in five formerly incarcerated individuals is returning to criminal activity at some point after being released from prison. The ideal recidivism rate in Ohio would be 0%.

Criminal reform programs in Ohio have gradually improved, leading to year-over-year reductions in recidivism. To continue reducing recidivism and improving results for criminal reform, Ohio should implement the following (and improve existing programs that contain the following):

• addiction and substance abuse treatment programs for offenders who misuse mind-altering substances
• vocational training/job skills to help offenders learn valuable skills/trades for post-incarceration employment
• programs and courses that teach life skills and coping strategies to help offenders learn how to live crime-free lives

Some alternatives to prison in Ohio exist, but these, too, should be expanded. Many people who break the law in Ohio do not necessarily belong in a jail or prison cell, particularly nonviolent offenders and people who have committed possession-level drug crimes. Some of the current alternatives to incarceration in Ohio include:

• probation
• house arrest
• community service
• work release programs
• substance abuse programs

Policymakers need to invest in educational and rehabilitation programs inside prisons in Ohio. Such programs (especially educational programs) will provide better services for Ohio offenders and help them overcome the criminal inclinations that brought them to prison. The goal of such programs should be to assist offenders in getting to the bottom of why they committed a crime in the first place and help them construct a life in which they do not have to resort to crime just to get by.