Columbus – State Senator Michael J. Skindell (D-Lakewood) issued the following statement today after the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction announced the State of Ohio will be selling one prison instead of five:
“Fortunately the taxpayers of Ohio received a temporary reprieve from the sale of more valuable state assets. The fact that the Kasich administration found a buyer for only one state prison shows they greatly overestimated the potential cost savings from privatization.
“Today’s announcement is further proof that Ohio’s state-run prisons are already being operated efficiently and effectively, thanks in no small part to the hard work of the employees of the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. If that wasn’t the case, DRC would have been able to find more private companies willing to purchase Ohio prisons with the stipulation they cut operating costs by at least 5%.”