A small state agency that serves as a watchdog over adult and juvenile prisons across Ohio is facing dramatic changes in the state budget bill.
The Corrections Institution Inspection Committee and its staff inspect dozens of prisons, review complaints and examine big picture criminal justice issues.
State Rep. Mark Johnson, R-Chillicothe, who is vice chair of the prison inspection committee, said state senators are pushing to move the duties and staff under the Ohio attorney general. For the past 48 years, lawmakers and appointed staff have handled the inspection and report duties.
"I don't have a lot of details at this point," he said.
The final version of the state budget bill is expected to be approved this week.
Ohio created the prison watchdog agency in 1977.
Nearly a decade ago, lawmakers made a move to dismantle the committee if its director didn't resign. Joanna Saul stepped down, but the agency remained short-staffed for a few years before being rebuilt to full strength.
Ohio is one of 19 states with oversight bodies, according to the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at University of Texas at Austin. Independent, external oversight can collect and share unbiased, first-hand information about prison conditions and help prevent abuse and neglect, according to the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab.
More states are moving to set up oversight agencies, not defund or weaken them, said Michele Deitch, director of the lab.
"It is a basic aspect of good government and an essential check and balance on these opaque institutions. And it is a way for the public and lawmakers to get objective information that enables better policy decisions and lets them know what is happening with public funds," she said.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@gannett.com and @lbischoff on X.