Effective: January 1, 2004
Latest Legislation: House Bill 490 - 124th General Assembly
(A) As used in this section, "prisoner" means any person confined in the county jail in lieu of bail while awaiting trial, any person committed to jail for nonpayment of a fine, or any person sentenced by a court to the jail.
(B) A board of county commissioners, by resolution adopted by a majority vote of its members, may approve the establishment of a county jail industry program for its county in accordance with this section.
(C) Upon the adoption by the board of the resolution described in division (B) of this section, a jail industry board shall be established, consisting of three voting members appointed by the board of county commissioners, three voting members appointed by the county sheriff, and one voting member appointed jointly by the board of county commissioners and the county sheriff. One of these voting members shall have knowledge of and experience in the social services, one in the field of labor, one in law enforcement, and one in business. The initial appointments to the jail industry board shall be made on the same date. Of the initial appointments, one by the board of county commissioners and one by the county sheriff shall be for terms ending one year after the date of appointment, two by the board of county commissioners and two by the county sheriff shall be for terms ending two years after that date, and the joint appointment shall be for a term ending three years after that date. Thereafter, terms of office for all appointed members shall be for three years, with each term ending on the same day of the same month as did the term that it succeeds. Any vacancy on the board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration date of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office as a member for the remainder of that term. Any member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until the member's successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.
The jail industry board, by majority vote, may appoint additional persons to serve as nonvoting members of the board.
Each member of the jail industry board shall be reimbursed for expenses actually and necessarily incurred in the performance of the member's duties as a board member. The board of county commissioners, by resolution, shall approve the expenses to be reimbursed.
(D) A jail industry board established under division (C) of this section shall establish a program for the employment of as many prisoners as possible, except those unable to perform labor because of illness or other health problems, security requirements, routine processing, disciplinary action, or other reasonable circumstances or because they are engaged in education or vocational or other training. The employment may be in jail manufacturing and service industries and agriculture, in private industry or agriculture that is located within or outside the jail, in public works, in institutional jobs necessary for the proper maintenance and operation of the jail, or in any other appropriate form of labor. The county shall attempt to employ, provide employment for, and seek employment for as many prisoners as possible through the program. The county is not required to provide employment for every employable prisoner when the available funds, facilities, or jobs are insufficient to provide the employment; however, a county that has a county jail industry program shall continuously seek sources of employment for as many employable prisoners as possible.
(E) The jail industry program established under division (D) of this section shall do all of the following:
(1) Establish a system for assigning prisoners to perform jobs, for periodically evaluating the job performance of each prisoner, and for periodically evaluating the qualifications of each prisoner for other jobs;
(2) Attempt to provide jobs and job training for prisoners that will be useful to them in obtaining employment when released, except that institutional jobs at the jail need not be related to any previous employment of the prisoner or relevant to any job the prisoner intends to pursue after release from jail;
(3) Establish an accounting system to administer and allocate the earnings of each prisoner. The accounting system may permit earnings to be used for payment of the employee taxes and workers' compensation of the prisoner, for reimbursing the county for room and board and for the expense of providing employment to the prisoner, for restitution to the victims of the prisoner's offenses if the prisoner voluntarily requests or is under court order to make restitution payments, for fines and court costs, for support of the dependents of the prisoner, and for an account for the prisoner.
(4) Require all persons who employ prisoners to meet all applicable work safety standards.
(F) The jail industry board, with the approval of the county sheriff, shall adopt rules for the establishment and administration of the jail industry program. The rules shall provide for all of the following:
(1) A procedure for seeking the employment of prisoners in penal industries and agriculture, in private industry and agriculture located within or outside the county jail, in public works, in institutional jobs necessary for the proper maintenance or operation of the county's institutions, and in other appropriate forms of labor;
(2) A system of compensation, allowances, hours, conditions of employment, and advancement for prisoners employed in any form of labor;
(3) The regulation of the working conditions of prisoners employed in any form of labor;
(4) An accounting system for the allocation of the earnings of each prisoner;
(5) Any other rules on any subject that are necessary to administer the program or to provide employment for as many prisoners as possible.
(G) In establishing and administering a county jail industry program, the board of county commissioners, upon the recommendation of the jail industry board and the county sheriff may do any of the following:
(1) Enter into contracts with private industry, agriculture, and other organizations or persons, and receive grants to establish test work programs within or outside institutions under the control of the county;
(2) Enter into contracts with private industry for the establishment of manufacturing and service industries within or near institutions under the control of the county for the employment of prisoners;
(3) Enter into contracts with private industry, agriculture, and other organizations or persons to provide employment for prisoners;
(4) Enter into any other contracts or perform any other functions that are necessary for the county jail industry program.
(H) The jail industry program established under division (D) of this section shall be administered in accordance with any rules adopted by the jail industry board pursuant to division (F) of this section and with the following requirements:
(1) The county sheriff at all times shall be responsible for the security and discipline of the prisoners in the program. the sheriff shall adopt a procedure for the discipline of a prisoner who violates the requirements of a job in the program, and the sheriff may remove a prisoner from the program if the sheriff determines that considerations of security or discipline require it.
(2) When the sentence imposed on a prisoner includes a specification pursuant to division (E) of section 2929.24 of the Revised Code, authorizing the county sheriff to consider the prisoner for participation in the county jail industry program, the sheriff shall review the qualifications of the prisoner and determine whether the prisoner's participation in the program is appropriate.
(3) When making the initial job assignment for a prisoner whom the county sheriff has approved for participation in the program, the board shall consider the nature of the offense committed by the prisoner, the availability of employment, the security requirements of the prisoner, the prisoner's present state of mind, the prisoner's jail record, and all other relevant factors. When making the initial job assignment of a prisoner, the board shall attempt to develop the work skills of the prisoner, provide the prisoner rehabilitation, consider the proximity of the job to the prisoner's family, and permit the prisoner to provide support for the prisoner's dependents if the prisoner's earnings are sufficient to make that feasible.
(4) Each prisoner shall be required to perform satisfactorily the job to which the prisoner is assigned, be permitted to be absent from that job only for legitimate reasons, be required to comply with all security requirements, and be required to comply with any other reasonable job performance standards.
(5) A prisoner who violates the work requirements of any job shall be disciplined pursuant to the disciplinary procedure adopted by the county sheriff pursuant to division (H)(1) of this section.