Inmates shuffled to ease overcrowding

DAYTON (AP) — State prison officials are shuffling inmates to help deal with overcrowding in the state’s network of prisons.

About 450 inmates will be transferred to two Dayton prisons in an attempt to ease crowding at other Ohio correctional institutions. The Mahoning Valley has two state prisons: the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown and the Trumbull Correctional Institution in Warren.

Terry Collins, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, says the increases are necessary to deal with a statewide prison population. Currently, nearly 50,000 inmates are housed in 32 prisons designed for about 37,000.

Officials say the additions will bring both Dayton prisons to at least 150 percent capacity and force at least half the cells to go to double bunks. Some Dayton residents oppose the move, saying the extra prisoners will weaken security or hurt surrounding communities. But city officials say these fears are unfounded.