Bill expands inmate state ID program to prison diversion facilities

COLUMBUS — Community-based correctional facilities would be required to help individuals in their custody obtain a state identification card under legislation being considered in the Ohio General Assembly.

House Bill 393, sponsored by state Reps. Gary Click (R., Vickery) and Darnell Brewer (D., Cleveland), would add CBCFs to the state ID program that is currently being implemented throughout the state prison system. The bill passed unanimously in the Ohio House and is now in the hands of the Ohio Senate.

Under the program, prisons are required to provide inmates with an ID card application. Prisons are then required to submit the completed application, color photograph, and documentary evidence of the inmate’s age and identity to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

CBCFs should have been included in the program to begin with, and H.B. 393 corrects that oversight, Mr. Click said Friday. 

“We just want to help people when they’re trying to get back into society,” Mr. Click said. “Corrections is not supposed to be punitive, it’s supposed to be rehabilitative. We want to see people have every opportunity to succeed when they’re released.”

Mr. Click said obtaining identification is a common problem for incarcerated individuals.

“A lot of people who are in there don’t even know where they were born. I never thought about that. That’s pretty sad,” he said, noting the legislation will help ensure resources are provided to track down birth certificates and other relevant documents. 

Mr. Brewer said the bill would help not only the incarcerated person, but society as a whole.

“When people are given the tools to succeed, they’re less likely to return to the justice system,” he said. “That means safer neighborhoods, lower costs to taxpayers, and more families staying together.”

Jason Varney, vice president of correctional programs for a CBCF in Tiffin, said H.B. 393 would promote best practice standards across the state.

“If we’re trying to divert individuals from the prison system, or if we’re trying to aid offenders in staying out of the criminal justice system and leading productive, tax-paying lives, then we have to remove certain barriers they may have due to the way they lived,” Mr. Varney said.

Many offenders housed at CBCFs have long criminal records, mental health issues, or substance use disorders, Mr. Varney said.

“Some of them have lived chaotic lives. They’ve been in foster care. They’ve moved around a lot. ... They don’t have things that we often take for granted,” he said. “To kind of level the playing field for these folks, I think it’s important to make sure that they have all of the necessary documentation of who they are.”

Proper identification is particularly important for entering the work force, Mr. Varney said. 

“Employment is one of the primary things that drives whether or not a person engages in criminal behavior,” he said. “Generally speaking, a large number of our clients do not have a birth certificate, and a large majority of them do not have government-issued photograph IDs. In order to gain employment, you have to have these things.” 

It’s important to remember that most incarcerated individuals will return to their community at some point, Mr. Varney said.  

“Frankly, I would much rather have a person coming out of prison into my neighborhood that is established, they’re on their feet, they have a job, and they have a means of supporting themselves,” he said. “We see a lot of good people come through our programs, and all they need is an opportunity to get their lives together. And a good number of our clientele has done just that.”

There are currently 18 CBCFs in Ohio, with four serving northwest Ohio, including the Lucas County Correctional Treatment Facility. Northwest Community Correctional Center in Bowling Green serves Wood, Defiance, Fulton, Henry, and Williams counties; Oriana House in Tiffin serves Seneca, Ashland, Crawford, Erie, Huron, Ottawa, Richland, Sandusky, and Wyandot counties; and the WORTH Center in Lima serves Allen, Auglaize, Hancock, Hardin, Mercer, Putnam, Paulding, Shelby, and Van Wert counties.

CBCFs are different from halfway houses in a number of ways, Mr. Varney said.

“The primary difference is that CBCFs are considered secured detention facilities. Their doors are locked, and you cannot get in, and you cannot get out,” he said, noting halfway houses allow more freedom. “Halfway houses, traditionally, have been your step down from prison to the community, whereas CBCFs were designed to divert people on the front end of their offense by avoiding prison, staying in their community, but still serving that sentence.”

Currently, H.B. 393 does not apply to halfway houses, but Mr. Click said he would be open to including them.

“If the halfway houses need it, they can approach us just like the CBCFs did,” Mr. Click said. “If it’s necessary there, I would be happy to see that amended into it.”