Correctional Reception Center - Ohio

CORRECTIONAL RECEPTION CENTER

• First Time Offenders Program:  This program is for the first time offender.  It is geared toward assisting the inmates on rules and regulations of the institution.  Each area of the institution is reviewed so the inmate has a general understanding of the area's and how to contact someone in that area for assistance.  In addition, the unit staff are introduced and the functions of the unit management are reviewed.  The entire process of reception is explained and the inmates are given an opportunity to ask questions.

• Cognitive Skills/Parenting:  Even when things happen that are out of control of the offender, they always have the ability to choose how they will deal with a situation.  Problems self-made or by circumstance can become the stepping stones to a more successful life.  This is a program for success.  It is designed to help the offender examine who they are so they can better understand who they would like to become.

• The Release Preparation Program is designed and is presented to the offender 60 to 180 days prior to the offender's release into the community.  The program consists of the following modules:  employment readiness, community resources (including recovery services, faith-based programs, workshops, assistance with obtaining documents needed by the offender returning to the community), and job linkage assistance.

• Shelter Dog Rescue Program:  CRC partners with four area rescue programs to help abused, abandoned and stray dogs to find new lives with new families.  Our area partners include:  Golden Endings, Golden Retriever Rescue, Fairfield Area Humane Society and Citizens for Human Action and the Buckeye Collie Rescue.  The program is an excellent program for offenders as it equips them with the tools necessary to care for and train the dogs to assist them with placement in the community.

• Alteration Tailor
• Animal Trainer
• Automobile Mechanic
• Baker
• Boiler Operator
• Carpenter
• Cook
• Electrical Appliance Repair
• Electronic Technician
• Electrician
• Janitorial
• Heating & Air Conditioning
• Maintenance Repair
• Paralegal
• Painter
• Plumber
• Powerhouse Mechanic
• Welding

• Complete listing of available programming/services
   

Reading Room
 

In 2000, former First Lady Hope Taft approached the Director about establishing a reading room for the children who visited their incarcerated parent at the Pickaway Correctional Institution. This idea spread across the state, and now the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction maintains children’s reading rooms in each of the 32 institutions. The reading rooms encourage family literacy by providing a pleasant and comfortable setting for both child and incarcerated parent. Each room is stocked with a wide variety of children’s books and has an inmate narrator who reads to the visiting children twice a day. The role of the inmate narrator is to read picture books to the children in much the same manner that children’s hour would be done at a public library. A variety of arts and craft supplies for the children are also available in most of the rooms. Many of the supplies and books are donated by employees and service organizations. This past year the Department served over 45,000 children. The inmate narrators worked over 32,000 hours in reading to and with the children.
 

Visit the Reading Room at CRC

• Reception visiting hours are from 8:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. Monday - Friday. The designated day to visit a reception inmate is based on the inmate's institution number.
• Visiting for Cadre inmates is Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. Visitors arriving in the morning must be processed by visiting staff by 10:00 a.m. Processing is restarted again at 11:30 a.m. All visitors must be processed prior to 2:15 p.m. in order to visit in the afternoon.
• There are no reservation visits or visits on holidays.

For general visiting information or to download a visitor application, go to http://www.drc.state.oh.us/web/visiting.htm.