COLUMBUS (AP) -- The state says it's scaling back the number of Ohio prisons participating in a program that generates money in return for big electricity users agreeing to reduce power during periods of high usage.
An agreement with Ohio-based KOREnergy Ltd. had involved 24 institutions that agreed to significantly reduce power on two hours notice in exchange for payments, whether the shut-offs are required.
Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman Ricky Seyfang said Thursday the state is limiting to five the number of participating prisons for quality of life reasons during the heat wave.
The program generated more than $1.3 million in the last three years.
The five: Chillicothe, Marion and Pickaway correctional institutions; Northeast Pre-Release Center in Cleveland; and the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown.
Previous coverage:
ACLU Calls on Ohio to Stop Cutting Power to Prisons
CLEVELAND -- The ACLU of Ohio today called on the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) to put an end to its practice of shutting off the electricity at Ohio correctional institutions in exchange for money from KOREnergy Ltd., a private energy contractor.
âTimes are difficult and government agencies are looking for revenue anywhere they can find it,â said ACLU Director of Communications and Public Policy Mike Brickner. âHowever, this plan is dangerous. It compromises safety and security, not only for the incarcerated, but for the people who staff these facilities.â
In the midst of a heat wave, the ACLU says media reports indicate that up to 24 of Ohioâs correctional institutions have made agreements to restrict electricity during peak hours, cutting power to lights and fans and raising the temperature to nearly 90 degrees in some areas.
An agreement with Ohio-based KOREnergy Ltd. had involved 24 institutions that agreed to significantly reduce power on two hours notice in exchange for payments, whether the shut-offs are required.
Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman Ricky Seyfang said Thursday the state is limiting to five the number of participating prisons for quality of life reasons during the heat wave.
The program generated more than $1.3 million in the last three years.
The five: Chillicothe, Marion and Pickaway correctional institutions; Northeast Pre-Release Center in Cleveland; and the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown.
Previous coverage:
ACLU Calls on Ohio to Stop Cutting Power to Prisons
CLEVELAND -- The ACLU of Ohio today called on the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) to put an end to its practice of shutting off the electricity at Ohio correctional institutions in exchange for money from KOREnergy Ltd., a private energy contractor.
âTimes are difficult and government agencies are looking for revenue anywhere they can find it,â said ACLU Director of Communications and Public Policy Mike Brickner. âHowever, this plan is dangerous. It compromises safety and security, not only for the incarcerated, but for the people who staff these facilities.â
In the midst of a heat wave, the ACLU says media reports indicate that up to 24 of Ohioâs correctional institutions have made agreements to restrict electricity during peak hours, cutting power to lights and fans and raising the temperature to nearly 90 degrees in some areas.