State Rep. Hagan visits private prison after protest

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

After last week’s 14-hour protest, state Rep. Robert Hagan met Friday with the warden and other members of the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, 2240 Hubbard Road.

“The warden indicated that all issues would be resolved,” said Hagan of Youngstown, D-58th, who is part of the Ohio Correctional Institution Inspection Committee.

The prison staff showed Hagan a video of the disturbance and how the situation was handled. Hagan also spoke with six inmates about some of the concerns that sparked the sit-in. The biggest complaints were high commissary prices, food and health care. Hagan said he was content with how the prison handled the situation professionally.

The prison, owned by Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America, will work closer with public officials in the future than it has before, Hagan said.

According to an incident report, no violence occurred, and the community wasn’t in danger at any time. Prison operations will return to normal after investigations are concluded, said Candace Rivera, a spokeswoman.