Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Bureau of Community Sanctions

Bureau of Community Sanctions Overview

The Bureau of Community Sanctions distributes and monitors grant and capital funds provided to local jurisdictions to establish community punishments for adult offenders that otherwise would be incarcerated in local jails or state prisons. The Bureau also manages contracts with private not-for-profit halfway house vendors for residential placement of adult offenders under the supervision of the felony courts or the Adult Parole Authority. The funds and contracts managed by the Bureau are addressed in Ohio Revised Code Sections 2301.51, 5149.30, 2976.14 and 5149.06.

The Bureau was established by Executive Order in 1976 and was updated with a subsequent Executive Order in 1992. The Bureau’s mission is to develop and enhance community corrections programs, in partnership with state, local and private agencies, for sanctioning and treating adult offenders in the community.

The Bureau includes staff members located throughout the state working with halfway house vendors, independent housing vendors, non-residential community corrections act grant programs, and community-based correctional facility grant programs. The Bureaus halfway house beds to house felony offenders and provided subsidized funding to divert offenders from prison and local jails throughout Ohio. The Bureau also oversees the transitional control program and an electronic monitoring program for offenders who violate their terms of supervision.

The Bureau of Community Sanctions, in partnership with state, local and private/non-profit agencies, develops and enhances community corrections programs utilized by local courts and the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction for sanctioning and treating offenders in the community.

• Fact Sheet
• Bureau of Community Sanctions Annual Report

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Duties

The Bureau is responsible for:

• Providing guidance and oversight to DRC funded halfway houses, transitional control and electronic monitoring, community based correctional facilities, community corrections act programs
• Reviewing and approving grant applications for community corrections funding
• Auditing all DRC funded programs to ensure compliance with minimum standards of operation
• Providing technical assistance and training to DRC funded programs
• Recognizing outstanding achievement within DRC funded programs
• Administering the transitional control and electronic monitoring programs

CCIS-Web Statistic Report

• Demographic data on offenders and programs are compiled quarterly and used to evaluate Ohio community correction programs. These reports are posted on the reports page

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Halfway Houses

Halfway houses are community residential programs providing supervision and treatment services for offenders released from state prisons, referred by Courts of Common Pleas, or sanctioned because of a violation of conditions of supervision. Halfway houses are a vital component of Ohio’s community justice continuum providing services such as drug and alcohol treatment, electronic monitoring, job placement, educational programs, and specialized programs for sex offenders and mentally ill offenders.

• Annual Reports for Halfway Houses
• HWH Staff and Program Directory - 8/12
• HWH Program Overview - 8/12
• HWH General Information - 11/12
• Ohio Map of Halfway House locations

Permanent Supportive Housing

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and the Corporation for Supportive Housing have collaborated to implement a pilot permanent supportive housing project—Returning Home—Ohio.  The target population for this project is offenders who are identified as chronically homeless before incarceration or are likely to become homeless upon release due to episodically disabling conditions. Priority is given to offenders who are identified as being most likely to require supportive services in order to maintain housing, this includes but is not limited to offenders who are severely mentally ill, have a developmental disability, severe substance addictions, are aged or have custody of minor children.  The goal of the pilot is to prevent homelessness and reduce recidivism for this population.

• Permanent Supportive Housing Directory

Transitional Control and Electronic Monitoring

The Transitional Control program is available to inmates who are reviewed and determined eligible by the Ohio Parole Board. Upon the sentencing judge’s approval, appropriate inmates may be placed on Transitional Control and transferred to a halfway house to complete up to the last 180 days of their prison term. The Adult Parole Authority supervises Transitional Control offenders and case management services are provided by Halfway House personnel in partnership with the supervising officer. If they are employed and doing well in the program, Transitional Control offenders may be stepped down on electronic monitoring in an appropriate home placement. The emphasis of the Transitional Control program is to provide offenders with resources for employment, education, vocational training and treatment so that they may transition to their home community more successfully.

Independent Housing

A housing initiative launched by the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in January 2004. Independent Housing agencies provide housing, some limited monitoring of residents, case management and community referrals for services. Offenders with no viable home placement options that are stabilized and have moderate to low programming needs that can be met in the community.

• Community Residential Center Director - 8/12

Community Corrections Act Programs

Ohio Community Correction Act (CCA) jail and prison diversion programs are funded by the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, through the Bureau of Community Sanctions. This program is a partnership between the State of Ohio and the Local Community Correction Planning Boards. Each CCA program is under the control of the Local Corrections Planning Board and administered by either the county or city officials. Each Planning Board is comprised of local officials representing all areas of the criminal justice system within the county. CCA non-residential programs allow local courts to sanction certain offenders in the community saving scarce prison and jail beds for violent offenders.

• Annual Reports for CCA
• CCA Staff and Program Directory
• Ohio Map of CCA program locations

Community Based Correctional Facilities

Community Based Correctional Facilities (CBCFs) are residential programs that provide comprehensive programming for offenders on felony probation. CBCFs provide a wide range of programming addressing offender needs such as chemical dependency, education, employment, and family relationships. A Judicial Corrections Board, comprised of local Common Pleas Court Judges, is responsible for oversight of the facility.

• Annual Reports for CBCFs
• Ohio Map of CBCF locations
• CBCF Staff and Program Directory
• CBCF Program Overview

Clifford Skeen Award

The Clifford Skeen Award is presented annually to residential and non-residential programs in recognition of excellence in community corrections. The Clifford Skeen Award is a part of former Governor and current U.S. Senator Voinovich’s commitment to enhancing the quality of community corrections programs in Ohio. The award, first presented in 1993, is given in honor of the late eight-term Ohio legislator who sponsored Ohio’s Community Correction Act.

2012 recipients of the Clifford Skeen Award:

Residential

• Northwest Community Corrections Center (Community Based Correctional Facility)
• Alvis House Veterans Residential Program (Halfway House)

Nonresidential

• Butler County Department of Court Services (Prison Diversion)
• Bryan Municipal Court Probation Department (Jail Diversion Program)

Training Opportunities

The Corrections Training Academy houses the Community Corrections Training Institute (CCTI), which provides training opportunities for community correction program staff statewide.

• 2012/2013 Course Catalog