The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction is piloting the use of body-worn cameras for guards and parole officers in the state’s prisons and Adult Parole Authority regions.
Officials say the cameras were issued at the Ohio State Penitentiary and Chillicothe Correctional Institution on Monday.
The Cleveland APA and Montgomery Unit of the Dayton APA will be outfitted next week.
“At DRC, our number one priority is safety, and we believe that a body-worn camera program could go far to help protect our staff, inmates, parolees, and communities as a whole,” stated DRC Director Annette Chambers-Smith. “If successful, this pilot program could expand to all state prisons and APA regions to help not only ensure a safer prison environment, but also to enhance accountability and transparency in our operations as well.”
The first phase of the pilot program will run through July 30 and will include the evaluation of equipment from two vendors.
The second phase, which runs from Aug. 9 to Oct. 1, will evaluate two different vendor’s equipment.
Officials say there is no cost to ODRC for the pilot phases. If fully implemented, the estimated final cost for the first year is approximately $17 million.
