THE FOX GUARDS THE HEN HOUSE
by John Perotti Ohio's General Assembly, in an effort to use Ohio's $45.1 billion State Budget to advance their agenda, ordered the elimination of all staff from the State's Correctional Institution Inspection Committee (CIIC)-the prison watchdog committee consisting of a bi-partisan panel of 12 equally divided Republican/Democratic State Representatives and Senators and 6-person staff), created in 1977 by the persuasion of the late Sen. C.J. McLin, a powerful Dayton, OH Democrat.
Also marked for cutbacks are many administrators assigned to psychological, treatment, and educational programming and halfway houses that benefit prisoners and lead toward rehabilitation. This, after talk of guards being laid off, which their union representatives protested. Ironically, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (DRC) is getting a $60 million budget increase. These cutbacks are a slap in the face to rehabilitative efforts and political efforts of the Democratic Party. Having been in prison for over twenty-one years, I personally have witnessed murders, assaults, human rights violations.
The CIIC was formed in the wake of a series of incidents of prison corruption in Ohio, such as attempts at murder-for-hire by staff against certain prisoners, misappropriation of funds by prison officials, and even cattle rustling at Lebanon Prison by a Guard Captain. Thus, due to the investigations and reports issued to the Ohio General Assembly, the DRC is held accountable by the CIIC, contrasted with their previous unfettered reign of corruption. Consequently, the DRC has always called the CIIC advocates of, or coddlers of, prisoners, as well as a "thorn in their sides." Of course! The CIIC's job was to expose corruption by DRC officials and make sure they follow the rules and regulations.
As a convict, I have seen CIIC efforts and interventions save lives and improve conditions for both prisoners and prison officials. The CIIC literally saved my life on two occasions, once when guards beat me severely and once after a major heart attack when a prison doctor refused to treat me. Even former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer, who voted against CIIC's creation, now serves as its chairman due to its good works. Now Ohio has no CIIC staff to research operations of the DRC-leaving the fox to guard the henhouse. I and hundreds of illiterate and mentally ill, disenfranchised prisoners victimized by the system will sorely miss this watchdog committee.