Structure of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections

The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) has traditionally operated under a function organization structure within state government that clearly separated services provided into two primary categories: prisons and parole services with both categories reporting to the agency Director. An organization structure based on functions provides a clear direction for job requirements, allows the opportunity for staff to become experts in their field of assignment, which increases productivity. Although this structure was successfully utilized by the DRC for many years, unintentionally, it created a separation between levels of management and their subordinates and division and a division between the agency’s prison and parole services.

To remedy this division the DRC changed its structure to a regionalized organization type. The supporting goal for this transition is to blur the lines within the functional structure and decentralize functions throughout the agency. Decentralizing will empower organization leaders, increase lines of communication at all levels, and build bridges within and between prison and parole services. The decentralized structure will make staff more available in the field to see, hear and feel what is taking place within their regions, allowing them to create relationships with community partners and offenders. All of these changes are to support and further the DRC’s mission of “reducing recidivism among those we touch” (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction). Common among most state ran prison systems within the United States; the Ohio DRC maintains several functions. Author Dean John Champion has identified these functions in his book, Administration of Criminal Justice: Structure, Funct...

... middle of paper ...

...creditation in all of its facilities, including prisons, training academies, central office, penal industries, parole services, and the parole board. Receiving such an award shows that Ohio is a national leader in many areas of corrections and the innovative approaches to performing the essential functions of a prison system; providing societal protection, punishing offenders, rehabilitating offenders, and reintegrating offenders into society as functional pro-social members.

Works Cited

Champion, Dean John. Administration of Criminal Justice: Structure, Function, and Process. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2003. print.

Ohio Department of Corrections. ODRC: 3-Tier System. June 2013. web. 26 March 2014.

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. "2013 Annual Report." 2013. Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. web. 26 March 2014.