Source: Michelle Rotuno-Johnson, Marion Star, July 18, 2012
Related:
Union sues Ohio over privately run prisons
Source: Associated Press, July 12, 2012
Union sues state over private prisons / Suit says actions last year hurt 270 workers
Source: Alan Johnson, Columbus Dispatch, July 12, 2012
Union files lawsuit against private prison contractors
Source: OCSEA, News, July 11, 2012
DeWine’s override of career attorneys threatens reputation of Attorney General’s Office
Source: Plunderbund, June 4, 2012
A recent opinion from Mike DeWine on a technical legal issue could have huge long-term ramifications on the reputation and integrity of the Ohio attorney General’s Office. Records recently obtained by Plunderbund show that DeWine rejected the opinion of career government attorneys in order to assist Governor Kasich’s effort to privatize state prisons, sending a clear message that politics is more important to him than the rule of law….Clearly, the Kasich Administration – and this includes senior officials at Public safety and the leadership of the Patrol – did not like the conclusion from the Opinions Section that the Patrol could not conduct criminal investigations at private prisons because it complicated the political objective of privatizing the prisons. So they went up the chain to try to find an attorney who would tell them what they wanted to hear. Apparently, they found a sympathetic ear in DeWine, who would essentially over-rule the Opinions Section to help Kasich pursue this political objective. The evidence here strongly suggests that the tail wagged the dog – DeWine’s conclusion was pre-determined by political or ideological agenda.
- Press release
- Ohio prepares to privatize some state prisons
Source: Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press, December 29, 2011
- Prison union official to tour merged Grafton facility
Source: Cindy Leise, Chronicle-Telegram, January 5th, 2012
- Prison privatization risks higher costs for Ohio
Source: Bob Paynter, Policy Matters Ohio, December 15, 2011
From the summary:
This study reviews Ohio’s September 2011 moves to further privatize some of its prisons and finds that they could be a drain on public funds. The state announced it would sell one of its prisons, privatize the management of two others, and combine under state control the operations of two more.