Report: Most Ohio prison killers had violent crimes in past

COLUMBUS (AP) — Most prison killers in Ohio were already serving time for violent crimes, including several with some version of a murder charge, according to a report released today on homicides behind bars over the past 15 years.

Most homicides happened in higher security facilities and involved weapons less than half the time, and most often were committed by offenders serving longer sentences, according to the report by the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee.

In total, 26 inmates were killed in Ohio prisons from 2000 through 2014, according to the bipartisan legislative group. That included five alone in 2013, including three at Toledo Correctional Institution.

All victims were men and the majority of inmates killed were white, while perpetrators were equally likely to be black or white. No one died as a result of a gang hit, the report said, which noted Ohio’s prison homicide rate is lower than the national average.

Three homicides involved inmates killed because their original crime involved children, according to the report.