State Reps. Cockley, Sigrist & Sen. DeMora Urge ODRC to Address Conditions at ICE Detention Facility

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Christine Cockley (D-Columbus), State Rep. Mark Sigrist (D-Grove City), and State Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) today sent a letter to Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) Director Annette Chambers-Smith urging the department to take immediate steps to ensure humane, safe, and lawful conditions for individuals detained at the Butler County Jail, which is currently being used to house Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees.

The Central Ohio lawmakers point to a July ODRC inspection report showing that the Butler County Jail was already overcrowded and out of compliance with food service standards, and note that the population has only continued to rise as Operation Buckeye began in December of last year. They also cite credible reports from advocates about inadequate heating and other problems tied to overcapacity, including concerns about ICE detainees being housed with the general inmate population.

“The continued practice of exceeding safe capacity limits represents a fundamental failure to meet the state's duty of care to those held in its facilities,” the letter states, noting that Ohio assumes legal liability when detainees are housed in state-supervised facilities.

The letter calls on ODRC to immediately exercise its oversight authority and outlines five specific actions the department should take:

• Implement unannounced inspections of the Butler County Jail focused on population levels, environmental conditions, medical care, and housing classifications-with legislators included in the inspections;
• Conduct a full review of capacity and create an action plan to bring the facility back into compliance with recommended population limits within six months;
• Identify and fix heating deficiencies so that all housing units meet basic health and safety standards throughout the winter;
• Explain why ICE detainees are housed with the general population and detail what safeguards are in place to protect both groups; and
• Prepare a report on the state's potential legal liability related to current conditions and recommend strategies to reduce that risk.

“Ohioans expect humane and constitutional treatment for everyone held in custody, no matter their location, immigration status, or detention reason,” the lawmakers write, stressing the moral and legal obligation to prevent avoidable harm.

The legislators also requested a written response from ODRC with a timeline for inspections and corrective measures and expressed their willingness to work collaboratively to ensure state facilities meet appropriate standards.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A full copy of the letter is attached here.