Report: Ohio mishandled youth prison closing

COLUMBUS (AP) — A report says Ohio mishandled the closing of a youth detention facility earlier this year, contributing to violence and other problems at other detention centers.

The report filed today in federal court here says the Department of Youth Services closed the Marion detention center without enough planning.

The report by Fred Cohen, juvenile prisons consultant, says it was unwise for the state to close the center so quickly knowing the obstacles that sending the youth elsewhere would present.

Violence continues in the youth prison system more than a year after the settlement of a federal lawsuit alleging excessive force being used on inmates.

Records show guards have used unauthorized restraints and young inmates have frequently attacked officers and one another.