Farming operations at Allen Oakwood Correctional are ending as part of a statewide effort to transition prisoners back into the community.
Managing Director Stuart Hudson tells us selling farm land and livestock allows the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to invest more money into safety and prisoner job training. He says the prison wants to focus on its core mission of "keeping prisons safe and providing rehabilitative opportunities to inmates".
Hudson says selling the land could contribute to the local tax base and increase revenue for schools.
He says this will also cut back on passing illegal contraband. He says it won't completely eliminate the problem, but it will help.
According to Hudson there are about 220 inmates in farm operations at the Allen Facility who will be reassigned to job training programs including warehousing, manufacturing, and construction.
The facility has around 700 acres and they are considering selling 150 acres. Hudson says with the legislative process it could take one to two years to get the land sold.
They will start with auctioning off the dairy herd soon, then harvest and auction the beef herd by the end of this year. Hudson says this will drive more energy and resources inside the prison.Â
