Ohio prison chief urges more staff, security tools and reentry funding in biennial budget

Director Chambers Smith, head of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, told the House Public Safety Committee that the departmentis seeking additional staffing and security funding in the governors executive budget to address a more violent prison population and rising operational costs.

The departments FY26-27 executive request, Smith said, targets staffing and security: "78% of the additional GRF request that we've made is to go to staffing either raises that we're contractually obligated or increasing security staff." She also described a taser pilot and asked for statewide funding to deploy them if the pilot proves successful: "We will have 2 facilities piloting those this year and hope that we get the funding in the budget to take that statewide."

Why it matters: Smith said the system was built for less‑violent inmates and is now housing a much higher share of people convicted of violent crimes, which raises risks for staff and inmates and increases operational pressure. She told committee members the department expects the prison population to grow by about 1,000 people by July 2027 and that staffing accounts for roughly 72% of DRC's budget.

Key facts and figures cited by Smith: DRC's current in‑custody population is roughly 45,200; about 78% of new commitments now are for violent…