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The Legislative Service Commission staff updates the Revised Code on an ongoing basis, as it completes its act review of enacted legislation. Updates may be slower during some times of the year, depending on the volume of enacted legislation.

Chapter 341 | Jails

 
 
 
Section
Section 341.01 | Sheriff to have charge of jail.
 

The sheriff shall have charge of the county jail and all persons confined therein. He shall keep such persons safely, attend to the jail, and govern and regulate the jail according to the minimum standards for jails in Ohio promulgated by the department of rehabilitation and correction.

The sheriff's responsibilities under this section do not extend to a jail or workhouse that is the subject of a contract entered into under section 9.06 of the Revised Code.

Section 341.011 | Notice of escape and apprehension of escaped person.
 

(A) If a person who was convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense or was indicted or otherwise charged with the commission of an offense escapes from a county jail or workhouse or otherwise escapes from the custody of a sheriff, the sheriff immediately after the escape shall report the escape, by telephone and in writing, to all local law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the place where the person escaped from custody, to the state highway patrol, to the department of rehabilitation and correction if the escaped person is a prisoner under the custody of the department who is in the jail or workhouse, to the prosecuting attorney of the county, and to a newspaper of general circulation in the county. The written notice may be by either facsimile transmission or mail. A failure to comply with this requirement is a violation of section 2921.22 of the Revised Code.

(B) Upon the apprehension of the escaped person, the sheriff shall give notice of the apprehension of the escaped person by telephone and in writing to the persons notified under division (A) of this section.

Section 341.02 | Jail register - operational policies and procedures - prisoner rules of conduct.
 

The sheriff shall make the following entries in a suitable book, which shall be known as the "jail register," kept in the office of the jailer, and delivered to the successor in office of such jailer:

(A) The name of each prisoner, and the date and cause of his commitment;

(B) The date and manner of his discharge.

The sheriff or jail administrator shall prepare written operational policies and procedures and prisoner rules of conduct, and maintain the records prescribed by these policies and procedures in accordance with the minimum standards for jails in Ohio promulgated by the department of rehabilitation and correction.

The court of common pleas shall review the jail's operational policies and procedures and prisoner rules of conduct. If the court approves the policies, procedures, and rules of conduct, they shall be adopted.

Section 341.04 | Sheriff shall visit jail.
 

The sheriff shall visit the county jail and examine the condition of each prisoner, at least once during each month.

Section 341.05 | Staff assignment and compensation.
 

(A) The sheriff shall assign sufficient staff to ensure the safe and secure operation of the county jail, but staff shall be assigned only to the extent such staff can be provided with funds appropriated to the sheriff at the discretion of the board of county commissioners. The staff may include any of the following:

(1) An administrator for the jail;

(2) Jail officers, including civilian jail officers who are not sheriff's deputies, to conduct security duties;

(3) Other necessary employees to assist in the operation of the county jail.

(B) The sheriff shall employ a sufficient number of female staff to be available to perform all reception and release procedures for female prisoners. These female employees shall be on duty for the duration of the confinement of the female prisoners.

(C) The jail administrator and civilian jail officers appointed by the sheriff shall have all the powers of police officers on the jail grounds as are necessary for the proper performance of the duties relating to their positions at the jail and as are consistent with their level of training.

(D) The sheriff may authorize civilian jail officers to wear a standard uniform consistent with their prescribed authority, in accordance with section 311.281 of the Revised Code. Civilian jail officer uniforms shall be differentiated clearly from the uniforms worn by sheriff's deputies.

(E) Except as provided in division (B) of section 341.25 of the Revised Code, the compensation of jail staff shall be payable from the general fund of the county, upon the warrant of the auditor, in accordance with standard county payroll procedures.

Section 341.07 | Copies of minimum standards for jails to be furnished - prisoner rules of conduct.
 

The department of rehabilitation and correction shall provide a copy of the minimum standards for jails in Ohio to the board of county commissioners, the common pleas court, and the sheriff.

The sheriff shall ensure that the prisoner rules of conduct are placed in a conspicuous location within each jail confinement area or are given to each prisoner in written form.

Section 341.08 | Minimum standards may be revised, altered or amended - distribution.
 

The department of rehabilitation and correction may, by rule, revise, alter, or amend the minimum standards for jails in Ohio to reflect changes in case law or public policy. Such revised, altered, or amended standards shall be printed and distributed to the board of county commissioners, the court of common pleas, and the sheriff in the manner directed by section 341.07 of the Revised Code.

Section 341.09 | Separation of prisoners in county jails.
 

When the design of a county jail will permit, the separation of prisoners shall be as required in the minimum standards for jails in Ohio.

The department of rehabilitation and correction shall, when necessary, initiate appropriate judicial proceedings for the enforcement of this section.

Section 341.10 | Separate confinement in new county jails.
 

County officers having charge of the construction of a new jail shall provide for the separate confinement of prisoners, as required by section 341.09 of the Revised Code.

Section 341.11 | Confinement of minors.
 

Except as provided in division (C) of section 2151.311 of the Revised Code, no child taken into custody shall be held in a county, multicounty, or municipal jail or workhouse or other place for the confinement of adults convicted of crime, under arrest, or charged with crime.

Except as provided in division (C) of section 2151.311 of the Revised Code, a child confined pursuant to section 2151.311 of the Revised Code shall be held in a room or cell totally separate and removed by sight and sound from all adult prisoners.

Section 341.12 | Confinement of persons in custody in jail of another county.
 

In a county not having a sufficient jail or staff, the sheriff shall convey any person charged with the commission of an offense, sentenced to imprisonment in the county jail, or in custody upon civil process to a jail in any county the sheriff considers most convenient and secure. As used in this paragraph, any county includes a contiguous county in an adjoining state.

The sheriff may call such aid as is necessary in guarding, transporting, or returning such person. Whoever neglects or refuses to render such aid, when so called upon, shall forfeit and pay the sum of ten dollars, to be recovered by an action in the name and for the use of the county.

Such sheriff and the sheriff's assistants shall receive such compensation for their services as the county auditor of the county from which such person was removed considers reasonable. The compensation shall be paid from the county treasury on the warrant of the auditor.

The receiving sheriff shall not, pursuant to this section, convey the person received to any county other than the one from which the person was removed.

Last updated August 4, 2021 at 10:55 AM

Section 341.13 | Sheriffs of adjoining counties to receive prisoners.
 

The sheriff of a county in this state to which a prisoner has been removed as provided by section 341.12 of the Revised Code shall, on being furnished a copy of the process or commitment, receive the prisoner into custody. The sheriff of a contiguous county of an adjoining state to which a prisoner has been removed as provided in section 341.12 of the Revised Code may, on being furnished a copy of the commitment, receive the prisoner into the sheriff's custody. Each receiving sheriff shall be liable for escapes or other neglect of duty in relation to the prisoner, as in other cases, and neither the conveying sheriff nor any county commissioner of the county that employs the conveying sheriff is liable in damages in a civil action for any injury, death, or loss to person or property suffered or caused by the prisoner while the prisoner is in the custody of the receiving sheriff. Each receiving sheriff shall receive from the treasury of the county from which the prisoner was removed, such fees as are allowed in other cases.

Section 341.14 | Weekly advance deposit of prisoner costs.
 

(A) The sheriff of an adjoining county in this state shall not receive prisoners as provided by section 341.12 of the Revised Code unless there is deposited weekly with the sheriff an amount equal to the actual cost of keeping and feeding each prisoner so committed for the use of the jail of that county, and the same amount for a period of time less than one week. If a prisoner is discharged before the expiration of the term for which the prisoner was committed, the excess of the amount advanced shall be refunded.

(B) Pursuant to section 2929.37 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners of the county of this state that receives pursuant to section 341.12 of the Revised Code for confinement in its jail, a prisoner who was convicted of an offense, may require the prisoner to reimburse the county for its expenses incurred by reason of the prisoner's confinement.

(C) Notwithstanding any contrary provision in this section or section 2929.18, 2929.28, or 2929.37 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners in this state may establish a policy that complies with section 2929.38 of the Revised Code and that requires any prisoner who is not indigent and who is confined in the county's jail under this section to pay a reception fee, a fee for medical treatment or service requested by and provided to that prisoner, or the fee for a random drug test assessed under division (E) of section 341.26 of the Revised Code.

(D) If a county in this state receives pursuant to section 341.12 of the Revised Code for confinement in its jail a person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense and has been sentenced to a term in a jail or a person who has been arrested for an offense, who has been denied bail or has had bail set and has not been released on bail, and who is confined in jail pending trial, at the time of reception and at other times the sheriff or other person in charge of the operation of the jail determines to be appropriate, the sheriff or other person in charge of the operation of the jail may cause the convicted or accused offender to be examined and tested for tuberculosis, HIV infection, hepatitis, including but not limited to hepatitis A, B, and C, and other contagious diseases. The sheriff or other person in charge of the operation of the jail may cause a convicted or accused offender in the jail who refuses to be tested or treated for tuberculosis, HIV infection, hepatitis, including but not limited to hepatitis A, B, and C, or another contagious disease to be tested and treated involuntarily.

Section 341.141 | Interstate prisoner transfer under RC 341.12.
 

(A) The sheriff of a county in this state shall not transfer a prisoner to a contiguous county in an adjoining state as provided in section 341.12 of the Revised Code unless there is deposited weekly with the sheriff of the contiguous county an amount equal to the actual cost of keeping and feeding each prisoner committed to the custody of that sheriff for the use of the jail of that county, and the same amount for a period of time less than one week. If a prisoner is discharged before the expiration of a week for which the cost of keeping and feeding the prisoner has been deposited, the excess of the amount shall be refunded.

(B) The minimum standards for jails that are applicable for jails in the adjoining state shall apply to a jail in that adjoining state that receives prisoners as provided in section 341.13 of the Revised Code.

(C) All other terms of the transfer of a prisoner from a county in this state to a contiguous county in an adjoining state shall be as agreed upon by the board of county commissioners, any applicable governmental entity in the receiving county, and the sheriffs involved in the transfer.

(D) If a prisoner is transferred to a contiguous county of an adjoining state as provided in section 341.12 of the Revised Code, jurisdiction over the transferred prisoner shall remain with the Ohio governmental agencies and entities that would have jurisdiction over the prisoner if the prisoner had not been so transferred, including the Ohio court to which the prisoner's case is assigned.

Section 341.15 | Quarterly account of fees of sheriff.
 

At the end of each quarter of each calendar year, a sheriff in this state shall account for and pay to the county treasurer all money received by the sheriff as provided by sections 341.13 and 341.14 of the Revised Code.

Section 341.16 | Process for the return of prisoner.
 

The prosecuting attorney of the county from which a person charged with the commission of an offense has been removed for safekeeping, may file a praecipe with the clerk of the court of common pleas thereof, directing that a warrant be issued to the sheriff having the custody of such person, and commanding him to deliver the prisoner to the sheriff of the county from which the prisoner was removed, or to the sheriff of the county in which the trial is to take place upon change of venue.

Section 341.17 | Payment of costs of habeas corpus.
 

When a writ of habeas corpus is issued for a person removed and confined in a county jail as provided by section 341.12 of the Revised Code, the county from which such person was sent shall pay all the costs of such proceeding. Upon the presentation of the certificate of the clerk of the court of common pleas, showing the amount of such costs, to the county auditor of the county from which such person was sent, the auditor shall draw his order for such costs on the county treasurer in favor of such clerk, or in favor of such person as the clerk orders, and the clerk shall pay such costs to the persons entitled to them.

Section 341.18 | County using jail of another county liable for damages.
 

The county in which a prisoner was confined as provided by sections 341.12 and 341.13 of the Revised Code, shall have a right of action against the county from which such prisoner was sent, for damages done by him to the jail or other property of the county.

Section 341.19 | Reimbursing county for its expenses incurred by reason of person's confinement.
 

(A) Pursuant to section 2929.37 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners may require a person who was convicted of an offense and who is confined in the county jail to reimburse the county for its expenses incurred by reason of the person's confinement.

(B) Notwithstanding any contrary provision in this section or section 2929.18, 2929.28, or 2929.37 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners may establish a policy that complies with section 2929.38 of the Revised Code and that requires any prisoner who is not indigent and who is confined in the county's jail under this section to pay a reception fee, a fee for any medical treatment or service requested by and provided to that prisoner, or the fee for a random drug test assessed under division (E) of section 341.26 of the Revised Code.

(C) If a person who is convicted of or pleads guilty to an offense is sentenced to a term in a jail, or if a person who has been arrested for an offense, and who has been denied bail or has had bail set and has not been released on bail is confined in jail pending trial, at the time of reception and at other times the sheriff or other person in charge of the operation of the jail determines to be appropriate, the sheriff or other person in charge of the operation of the jail may cause the convicted or accused offender to be examined and tested for tuberculosis, HIV infection, hepatitis, including but not limited to hepatitis A, B, and C, and other contagious diseases. The sheriff or other person in charge of the operation of the jail may cause a convicted or accused offender in the jail who refuses to be tested or treated for tuberculosis, HIV infection, hepatitis, including but not limited to hepatitis A, B, and C, or another contagious disease to be tested and treated involuntarily.

Section 341.191 | Health insurance claims for jail inmates.
 

(A) For each person who is confined in a county jail, the county may make a determination as to whether the person is covered under a health insurance or health care policy, contract, or plan and, if the person has such coverage, what terms and conditions are imposed by it for the filing and payment of claims.

(B) If, pursuant to division (A) of this section, it is determined that the person is covered under a policy, contract, or plan and, while that coverage is in force, the county jail renders or arranges for the rendering of health care services to the person in accordance with the terms and conditions of the policy, contract, or plan, then the person, county, or provider of the health care services, as appropriate under the terms and conditions of the policy, contract, or plan, shall promptly submit a claim for payment for the health care services to the appropriate third-party payer and shall designate, or make any other arrangement necessary to ensure, that payment of any amount due on the claim be made to the county or the provider, as the case may be.

(C) Any payment made to the county pursuant to division (B) of this section shall be paid into the county treasury.

(D) This section also applies to any person who is under the custody of a law enforcement officer, as defined in section 2901.01 of the Revised Code, prior to the person's confinement in the county jail.

Section 341.192 | Payment of outside medical provider for necessary care.
 

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Jail" means a county jail, or a multicounty, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal correctional center.

(2) "Medical provider" means a physician, hospital, laboratory, pharmacist, pharmacy, or other health care provider that is not employed by or under contract to a county, municipal corporation, township, the department of youth services, or the department of rehabilitation and correction to provide medical services to persons confined in a jail or state correctional institution, or is in the custody of a law enforcement officer.

(3) "Necessary care" means medical care of a nonelective nature that cannot be postponed until after the period of confinement of a person who is confined in a jail or state correctional institution, or is in the custody of a law enforcement officer without endangering the life or health of the person.

(B) If a physician employed by or under contract to a county, municipal corporation, township, the department of youth services, or the department of rehabilitation and correction to provide medical services to persons confined in a jail or state correctional institution determines that a person who is confined in the jail or state correctional institution or who is in the custody of a law enforcement officer prior to the person's confinement in a jail or state correctional institution requires necessary care that the physician cannot provide, the necessary care shall be provided by a medical provider. The county, municipal corporation, township, the department of youth services, or the department of rehabilitation and correction shall pay a medical provider for necessary care an amount not exceeding the authorized reimbursement rate for the same service established by the department of medicaid under the medicaid program.

Section 341.20 | Contracts with commercial providers for food, medical, other services.
 

The board of county commissioners, with the consent of the sheriff, may contract with commercial providers for the provision to prisoners and other persons of food services, medical services, and other programs and services necessary for the care and welfare of prisoners and other persons placed in the sheriff's charge.

In the absence of a commercial food service contract, the sheriff shall appoint a cook who shall have charge over the preparation of food for the feeding of prisoners and other persons placed in the sheriff's charge. The cook need not, but may be, required to perform other staff duties provided for in this section. The compensation of the cook shall be payable semimonthly from the general fund of the county, upon the warrant of the county auditor.

Section 341.21 | Confinement of federal or state prisoners in county jail.
 

(A) The board of county commissioners may direct the sheriff to receive into custody prisoners charged with or convicted of crime by the United States, and to keep those prisoners until discharged.

The board of the county in which prisoners charged with or convicted of crime by the United States may be so committed may negotiate and conclude any contracts with the United States for the use of the jail as provided by this section and as the board sees fit.

A prisoner so committed shall be supported at the expense of the United States during the prisoner's confinement in the county jail. No greater compensation shall be charged by a sheriff for the subsistence of that type of prisoner than is provided by section 311.20 of the Revised Code to be charged for the subsistence of state prisoners.

A sheriff or jailer who neglects or refuses to perform the services and duties directed by the board by reason of this division, shall be liable to the same penalties, forfeitures, and actions as if the prisoner had been committed under the authority of this state.

(B) Prior to the acceptance for housing into the county jail of persons who are designated by the department of rehabilitation and correction, who plead guilty to or are convicted of a felony of the fourth or fifth degree, and who satisfy the other requirements listed in section 5120.161 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners shall enter into an agreement with the department of rehabilitation and correction under section 5120.161 of the Revised Code for the housing in the county jail of persons designated by the department who plead guilty to or are convicted of a felony of the fourth or fifth degree and who satisfy the other requirements listed in that section in exchange for a per diem fee per person. Persons incarcerated in the county jail pursuant to an agreement entered into under this division shall be subject to supervision and control in the manner described in section 5120.161 of the Revised Code. This division does not affect the authority of a court to directly sentence a person who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony to the county jail in accordance with section 2929.16 of the Revised Code.

(C) Notwithstanding any contrary provision in section 2929.18, 2929.28, or 2929.37 or in any other section of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners may establish a policy that complies with section 2929.38 of the Revised Code and that requires any person who is not indigent and who is confined in the jail under division (B) of this section to pay a reception fee, a fee for any medical treatment or service requested by and provided to that person, or the fee for a random drug test assessed under division (E) of section 341.26 of the Revised Code.

(D) If a sheriff receives into custody a prisoner convicted of crime by the United States as described in division (A) of this section, if a person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense is incarcerated in the jail in the manner described in division (B) of this section, if a sheriff receives into custody a prisoner charged with a crime by the United States and the prisoner has had bail denied or has had bail set, has not been released on bail, and is confined in jail pending trial, or if a person who has been arrested for an offense, and who has been denied bail or has had bail set and has not been released on bail is confined in jail pending trial, at the time of reception and at other times the sheriff or other person in charge of the operation of the jail determines to be appropriate, the sheriff or other person in charge of the operation of the jail may cause the convicted or accused offender to be examined and tested for tuberculosis, HIV infection, hepatitis, including, but not limited to, hepatitis A, B, and C, and other contagious diseases. The sheriff or other person in charge of the operation of the jail may cause a convicted or accused offender in the jail who refuses to be tested or treated for tuberculosis, HIV infection, hepatitis, including, but not limited to, hepatitis A, B, and C, or another contagious disease to be tested and treated involuntarily.

Section 341.22 | Religious services and welfare work in county jail.
 

Each administrative board or other authority in the state, having control of a county jail, shall provide for the holding of religious services and the conducting of other welfare work in such jail, by such persons or organizations, and at such time, as the probate judge directs.

Section 341.23 | Confinement of county or municipal prisoners in county jail.
 

(A) The board of county commissioners of any county or the legislative authority of any municipal corporation in which there is no workhouse may agree with the legislative authority of any municipal corporation or other authority having control of the workhouse of any other city, or with the directors of any district of a joint city and county workhouse or county workhouse, upon terms on which persons convicted of a misdemeanor by any court or magistrate of a county or municipal corporation having no workhouse, may be received into that workhouse, under sentence of the court or magistrate. The board or legislative authority may pay the expenses incurred under the agreement out of the general fund of that county or municipal corporation, upon the certificate of the proper officer of the workhouse.

(B) The sheriff or other officer transporting any person to the workhouse described in division (A) of this section shall receive six cents per mile for the sheriff or officer, going and returning, five cents per mile for transporting the convict, and five cents per mile, going and coming, for the service of each deputy, to be allowed as in cases in which a person is transported to a state correctional institution. The number of miles shall be computed by the usual routes of travel and, in state cases, shall be paid out of the general fund of the county, on the allowance of the board, and for the violation of the ordinances of any municipal corporation, shall be paid by that municipal corporation on the order of its legislative authority.

(C) Pursuant to section 2929.37 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners, the directors of the district of a joint city and county workhouse or county workhouse, or the legislative authority of the municipal corporation may require a person who was convicted of an offense and who is confined in a workhouse as provided in division (A) of this section, to reimburse the county, district, or municipal corporation, as the case may be, for its expenses incurred by reason of the person's confinement.

(D) Notwithstanding any contrary provision in this section or section 2929.18, 2929.28, or 2929.37 of the Revised Code, the appropriate board of county commissioners and legislative authorities may include in their agreement entered into under division (A) of this section a policy that complies with section 2929.38 of the Revised Code and that requires any person who is not indigent and who is confined in the county, city, district, or joint city and county workhouse under this section to pay a reception fee, a fee for any medical treatment or service requested by and provided to that person, or the fee for a random drug test assessed under division (E) of section 341.26 of the Revised Code.

(E) If a person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense is incarcerated in the workhouse as provided in division (A) of this section, at the time of reception and at other times the person in charge of the operation of the workhouse determines to be appropriate, the person in charge of the operation of the workhouse may cause the convicted offender to be examined and tested for tuberculosis, HIV infection, hepatitis, including but not limited to hepatitis A, B, and C, and other contagious diseases. The person in charge of the operation of the workhouse may cause a convicted offender in the workhouse who refuses to be tested or treated for tuberculosis, HIV infection, hepatitis, including but not limited to hepatitis A, B, and C, or another contagious disease to be tested and treated involuntarily.

Section 341.24 | Health insurance claims for workhouse inmates.
 

(A) For each person who is confined in a workhouse as provided in section 341.23 of the Revised Code, the county, district, or municipal corporation, as the case may be, may make a determination as to whether the person is covered under a health insurance or health care policy, contract, or plan and, if the person has such coverage, what terms and conditions are imposed by it for the filing and payment of claims.

(B) If, pursuant to division (A) of this section, it is determined that the person is covered under a policy, contract, or plan and, while that coverage is in force, the workhouse renders or arranges for the rendering of health care services to the person in accordance with the terms and conditions of the policy, contract, or plan, then the person, county, district, municipal corporation, or provider of the health care services, as appropriate under the terms and conditions of the policy, contract, or plan, shall promptly submit a claim for payment for the health care services to the appropriate third-party payer and shall designate, or make any other arrangement necessary to ensure, that payment of any amount due on the claim be made to the county, district, municipal corporation, or provider, as the case may be.

(C) Any payment made to the county, district, or municipal corporation pursuant to division (B) of this section shall be paid into the treasury of the governmental entity that incurred the expenses.

(D) This section also applies to any person who is under the custody of a law enforcement officer, as defined in section 2901.01 of the Revised Code, prior to the person's confinement in the workhouse.

Section 341.25 | Establishing commissary and commissary fund.
 

(A) The sheriff may establish a commissary for the jail. The commissary may be established either in-house or by another arrangement. If a commissary is established, all persons incarcerated in the jail shall receive commissary privileges. A person's purchases from the commissary shall be deducted from the person's account record in the jail's business office. The commissary shall provide for the distribution to indigent persons incarcerated in the jail necessary hygiene articles and writing materials.

(B)(1) If a commissary is established, the sheriff shall establish a commissary fund for the jail. The management of funds in the commissary fund shall be strictly controlled in accordance with procedures adopted by the auditor of state.

(2) Commissary fund revenue over and above operating costs and reserve shall be considered profits.

(3) All profits from the commissary fund shall be used for the following:

(a) To purchase supplies and equipment, and to provide life skills training and education or treatment services, or both, for the benefit of persons incarcerated in the jail;

(b) To pay salary and benefits for employees of the sheriff who work in or are employed for the purpose of providing service to the commissary;

(c) To purchase technology designed to prevent contraband from entering the jail;

(d) To pay for construction or renovation of a jail facility to provide medical or mental health services.

(4) The sheriff shall adopt rules for the operation of any commissary fund the sheriff establishes.

Last updated September 21, 2023 at 1:12 PM

Section 341.26 | Performance of random drug testing of prisoners.
 

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Random drug testing" has the same meaning as in section 5120.63 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Prisoner" means a person confined in a jail or multicounty correctional center following a conviction of or plea of guilty to a criminal offense.

(B) The board of county commissioners of the county, with the consent of the sheriff of the county, or the boards of county commissioners of two or more adjacent counties that have jointly established a multicounty correctional center pursuant to section 307.93 of the Revised Code, with the consent of the sheriffs of those adjacent counties, may enter into a contract with a laboratory or entity to perform blood or urine specimen collection, documentation, maintenance, transportation, preservation, storage, and analyses and other duties required in the performance of random drug testing of prisoners. The terms of any contract entered into under this division shall include a requirement that the laboratory or entity and its employees, the sheriff, deputy sheriffs, the corrections commission or the administrator of the multicounty correctional center specified in division (D) of this section, the employees of the jail and multicounty correctional center, and all other persons comply with the standards for the performance of random drug testing as specified in rules adopted under division (C) of this section.

(C) Prior to entering into a contract with a laboratory or entity under division (B) of this section, a board of county commissioners or, in the case of a multicounty correctional center, the boards of county commissioners of the counties that have established the center shall adopt rules for the random drug testing of prisoners. The rules shall include, but are not limited to, provisions that do the following:

(1) Require the laboratory or entity to seek, obtain, and maintain accreditation from the national institute on drug abuse;

(2) Establish standards for the performance of random drug testing that include, but are not limited to, standards governing the following:

(a) The collection by the laboratory or entity of blood or urine specimens of individuals in a scientifically or medically approved manner and under reasonable and sanitary conditions;

(b) The collection and testing by the laboratory or entity of blood or urine specimens with due regard for the privacy of the individual being tested and in a manner reasonably calculated to prevent substitutions or interference with the collection and testing of the specimens;

(c) The documentation of blood or urine specimens collected by the laboratory or entity and documentation procedures that reasonably preclude the possibility of erroneous identification of test results and that provide the individual being tested an opportunity to furnish information identifying any prescription or nonprescription drugs used by the individual in connection with a medical condition;

(d) The collection, maintenance, storage, and transportation by the laboratory or entity of blood or urine specimens in a manner that reasonably precludes the possibility of contamination or adulteration of the specimens;

(e) The testing by the laboratory or entity of a blood or urine specimen of an individual to determine whether the individual ingested or was injected with a drug of abuse, in a manner that conforms to scientifically accepted analytical methods and procedures and that may include verification or confirmation of any positive test result by a reliable analytical method;

(f) The analysis of an individual's blood or urine specimen by an employee of the laboratory or entity who is qualified by education, training, and experience to perform that analysis and whose regular duties include the analysis of blood or urine specimens to determine the presence of a drug of abuse and whether the individual who is the subject of the test ingested or was injected with a drug of abuse.

(3) Specify the frequency of performing random drug testing on prisoners in the jail or multicounty correctional center;

(4) Prescribe procedures for the automatic, random selection of prisoners in the jail or multicounty correctional center to submit to random drug testing under this section;

(5) Provide for reasonable safeguards for transmitting the results of the random drug testing of prisoners in the jail or multicounty correctional center from the contracting laboratory or entity to the sheriff, the corrections commission, or the administrator of the multicounty correctional center pursuant to division (E) of this section;

(6) Establish a reasonable fee to cover the costs associated with random drug testing and analysis performed by a contracting laboratory or entity under this section and establish procedures pursuant to division (E) of this section for the collection of those fees from the prisoners subjected to the drug tests.

(D) If a board of county commissioners enters into a contract pursuant to division (B) of this section, the sheriff of that county, pursuant to the terms of the contract and the rules adopted under division (C) of this section, shall facilitate the collection, documentation, maintenance, and transportation by the contracting laboratory or entity of the blood or urine specimens of the prisoners who are confined in the jail and who are subject to random drug testing. If the boards of county commissioners that have jointly established a multicounty correctional center enter into a contract pursuant to division (B) of this section, the corrections commission or the administrator of the multicounty correctional center, pursuant to the terms of the contract and the rules adopted under division (C) of this section, shall facilitate the collection, documentation, maintenance, and transportation by the contracting laboratory or entity of the blood or urine specimens of the prisoners who are confined in the multicounty correctional center and who are subject to random drug testing.

(E) If a county or two or more adjacent counties enter into a contract pursuant to division (B) of this section and the contracting laboratory or entity performs the random drug testing as provided in the contract, the laboratory or entity shall transmit the results of the drug tests to the sheriff, corrections commission, or administrator who facilitated the collection, documentation, maintenance, and transportation of blood or urine specimens under division (D) of this section. The sheriff, corrections commission, or administrator shall file for record the results of the random drug tests that indicate whether or not each prisoner who is confined in the jail or multicounty correctional center and who was subjected to the drug test ingested or was injected with a drug of abuse. The sheriff, corrections commission, or administrator shall give appropriate notice of the drug test results to each prisoner who was subjected to the drug test and whose drug test results indicate that the prisoner ingested or was injected with a drug of abuse. The sheriff, corrections commission, or administrator shall afford that prisoner an opportunity to be heard regarding the results of the drug test and to present contrary evidence at a hearing held before the sheriff, corrections commission, or administrator within thirty days after notification of the prisoner under this division. After the hearing, if a hearing is held, the sheriff, corrections commission, or administrator shall make a determination regarding any evidence presented by the prisoner. If the sheriff, corrections commission, or administrator rejects the evidence presented by the prisoner at the hearing or if no hearing is held under this division, the sheriff, corrections commission, or administrator may assess a reasonable fee, determined pursuant to division (C) of this section, for the costs associated with the random drug test to be paid by the prisoner whose drug test results indicate that the prisoner ingested or was injected with a drug of abuse. The sheriff, corrections commission, or administrator may collect the fee pursuant to section 307.93, 341.14, 341.19, 341.21, or 341.23 of the Revised Code.

Section 341.27 | Qualified immunity for injuries to work detail prisoners.
 

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "County correctional facility" has the same meaning as in section 341.42 of the Revised Code.

(2) "County correctional officer" has the same meaning as in section 341.41 of the Revised Code.

(B) The sheriff and board of county commissioners of any county jointly may establish in writing a prisoner work program pursuant to which prisoners and adult offenders confined in a county correctional facility under control of the county work outside of the facility in a work detail administered by the facility. A program established under this division shall be separate from and independent of any program or camp established under section 341.31, 5147.28, or 5147.30 of the Revised Code or under any other provision of the Revised Code. A sheriff and board of county commissioners that jointly establish a program under this division shall specify rules for the operation of the program. The rules shall include, but are not limited to, rules that provide the following:

(1) That no prisoner or adult offender confined in the facility under a charge of, or a sentence imposed for, an offense of violence may be assigned to a work detail under the program;

(2) That no prisoner or adult offender may be assigned to a work detail under the program unless the prisoner or adult offender volunteers for the work detail;

(3) That no prisoner or adult offender under supervisory authority of the adult parole authority may be assigned to a work detail under the program.

(C) If all the prisoners or adult offenders working on a work detail administered by a county correctional facility and outside the facility have volunteered for the work detail and are imprisoned or reside in that facility for an offense other than a felony of the first or second degree and if the applicable county correctional officer complies with division (D) of this section, both of the following apply:

(1) No sheriff, deputy sheriff, or county correctional officer is liable for civil damages for injury, death, or loss to person or property caused or suffered by a prisoner or adult offender working on the work detail unless the injury, death, or loss results from malice or wanton or reckless misconduct of the sheriff, deputy sheriff, or county correctional officer.

(2) The county in which the prisoners or adult offenders work on the work detail and that employs the sheriff, deputy sheriff, or county correctional officer is not liable for civil damages for injury, death, or loss to person or property caused or suffered by a prisoner or adult offender working on the work detail unless the injury, death, or loss results from malice or wanton or reckless misconduct of the sheriff or any deputy sheriff or county correctional officer.

(D) To qualify for the immunity described in division (C)(1) of this section regarding a work detail, a county correctional officer, prior to having the prisoners or adult offenders of the county correctional facility, work outside the facility on the work detail, shall inform each prisoner or adult offender on the work detail of the provisions of this section, including notifying the prisoner or adult offender that, by volunteering for the work detail, the prisoner or adult offender cannot hold the sheriff, deputy sheriff, or county correctional officer or the county liable for civil damages for injury, death, or loss to person or property unless the injury, death, or loss results from malice or wanton or reckless misconduct of the sheriff, deputy sheriff, or county correctional officer.

Section 341.31 | Operation of county rehabilitation work camps.
 

In addition to its other powers, the board of county commissioners of any county may construct, maintain, equip, furnish, appoint the necessary personnel of, and supervise the operation of county rehabilitation work camps for the purpose of the rehabilitation of persons who have been sentenced to imprisonment for a misdemeanor.

Section 341.32 | Agreement for work camp services with other counties and municipal corporations.
 

The board of county commissioners of any county not having a county rehabilitation work camp or the legislative authority of any municipal corporation may agree upon the terms on which persons convicted of a misdemeanor by any court or magistrate of such county or municipal corporation may be received into a county rehabilitation work camp under sentence of such court or magistrate. Such board or legislative authority may pay the expenses, including the cost of transportation of prisoners, incurred under such agreement out of the general fund of such county or municipal corporation, upon the certificate of the proper officer of such county work rehabilitation camp.

Section 341.33 | Use of work camp services by municipal corporations.
 

Imprisonment under the ordinances of a municipal corporation, in addition to the manner provided for in section 1905.35 of the Revised Code, may be in a county rehabilitation work camp, provided an agreement for the use of such camp has been entered into between the board of county commissioners of the county wherein such camp is located and the legislative authority of such municipal corporation.

Section 341.34 | Establishing minimum security jails.
 

(A) As used in this section, "building or structure" includes, but is not limited to, a modular unit, building, or structure and a movable unit, building, or structure.

(B)(1) The board of county commissioners of any county, by resolution, may dedicate and permit the use, as a minimum security jail, of any vacant or abandoned public building or structure owned by the county that has not been dedicated to or is not then in use for any county or other public purpose, or any building or structure rented or leased by the county. The board of county commissioners of any county, by resolution, also may dedicate and permit the use, as a minimum security jail, of any building or structure purchased by or constructed by or for the county. Subject to divisions (B)(3) and (C) of this section, upon the effective date of such a resolution, the specified building or structure shall be used, in accordance with this section, for the confinement of persons who meet one of the following conditions:

(a) The person is sentenced to a term of imprisonment for a traffic violation or a misdemeanor or is sentenced to a residential sanction in the jail for a felony of the fourth or fifth degree pursuant to sections 2929.11 to 2929.19 of the Revised Code, and the jail administrator or the jail administrator's designee has classified the person as a minimal security risk. In determining the person's classification under this division, the administrator or designee shall consider all relevant factors, including, but not limited to, the person's escape risk and propensity for assaultive or violent behavior, based upon the person's prior and current behavior.

(b) The person is charged with a traffic violation, a misdemeanor, or a felony of the fourth or fifth degree and has had bail set and has not been released on bail and is confined in a county or municipal jail pending trial, and the jail administrator or the jail administrator's designee has classified the person as a minimal security risk. In determining the person's classification under this division, the administrator or designee shall consider all relevant factors, including, but not limited to, the person's escape risk and propensity for assaultive or violent behavior, based upon the person's prior and current behavior. Nothing in this division authorizes the operation or management of a minimum security jail by a private entity.

(c) The person is an inmate transferred by order of a judge of the sentencing court upon the request of the sheriff, administrator, jailer, or other person responsible for operating the jail other than a contractor as defined in section 9.06 of the Revised Code, who is named in the request as being suitable for confinement in a minimum security facility.

(2) The board of county commissioners of any county, by resolution, may affiliate with one or more adjacent counties, or with one or more municipal corporations located within the county or within an adjacent county, and dedicate and permit the use, as a minimum security jail, of any vacant or abandoned public building or structure owned by any of the affiliating counties or municipal corporations that has not been dedicated to or is not then in use for any public purpose, or any building or structure rented or leased by any of the affiliating counties or municipal corporations. The board of county commissioners of any county, by resolution, also may affiliate with one or more adjacent counties or with one or more municipal corporations located within the county or within an adjacent county and dedicate and permit the use, as a minimum security jail, of any building or structure purchased by or constructed by or for any of the affiliating counties or municipal corporations. Any counties and municipal corporations that affiliate for purposes of this division shall enter into an agreement that establishes the responsibilities for the operation and for the cost of operation of the minimum security jail. Subject to divisions (B)(3) and (C) of this section, upon the effective date of a resolution adopted under this division, the specified building or structure shall be used, in accordance with this section, for the confinement of persons who meet one of the following conditions:

(a) The person is sentenced to a term of imprisonment for a traffic violation, a misdemeanor, or a violation of an ordinance of any municipal corporation, or is sentenced to a residential sanction in the jail for a felony of the fourth or fifth degree pursuant to sections 2929.11 to 2929.19 of the Revised Code, and the jail administrator or the jail administrator's designee has classified the person as a minimal security risk. In determining the person's classification under this division, the administrator or designee shall consider all relevant factors, including, but not limited to, the person's escape risk and propensity for assaultive or violent behavior, based upon the person's prior and current behavior.

(b) The person is charged with a traffic violation, a misdemeanor, or a felony of the fourth or fifth degree and has had bail set and has not been released on bail and is confined in a county jail pending trial, and the jail administrator or the jail administrator's designee has classified the person as a minimal security risk. In determining the person's classification under this division, the administrator or designee shall consider all relevant factors, including, but not limited to, the person's escape risk and propensity for assaultive or violent behavior, based upon the person's prior and current behavior. Nothing in this division authorizes the operation or management of a minimum security jail by a private entity.

(c) The person is an inmate transferred by order of a judge of the sentencing court upon the request of the sheriff, administrator, jailer, or other person responsible for operating the jail other than a contractor as defined in section 9.06 of the Revised Code, who is named in the request as being suitable for confinement in a minimum security facility.

(3) No person shall be confined in a building or structure dedicated as a minimum security jail under division (B)(1) or (2) of this section unless the judge who sentenced the person to the term of imprisonment for the traffic violation or the misdemeanor specifies that the term of imprisonment is to be served in that jail, and division (B)(1) or (2) of this section permits the confinement of the person in that jail or unless the judge who sentenced the person to the residential sanction for the felony specifies that the residential sanction is to be served in a jail, and division (B)(1) or (2) of this section permits the confinement of the person in that jail. If a rented or leased building or structure is so dedicated, the building or structure may be used as a minimum security jail only during the period that it is rented or leased by the county or by an affiliated county or municipal corporation. If a person convicted of a misdemeanor is confined to a building or structure dedicated as a minimum security jail under division (B)(1) or (2) of this section and the sheriff, administrator, jailer, or other person responsible for operating the jail other than a contractor as defined in section 9.06 of the Revised Code determines that it would be more appropriate for the person so confined to be confined in another jail or workhouse facility, the sheriff, administrator, jailer, or other person may transfer the person so confined to a more appropriate jail or workhouse facility.

(C) All of the following apply to a building or structure that is dedicated pursuant to division (B)(1) or (2) of this section for use as a minimum security jail:

(1) To the extent that the use of the building or structure as a minimum security jail requires a variance from any county, municipal corporation, or township zoning regulations or ordinances, the variance shall be granted.

(2) Except as provided in this section, the building or structure shall not be used to confine any person unless it is in substantial compliance with any applicable housing, fire prevention, sanitation, health, and safety codes, regulations, or standards.

(3) Unless such satisfaction or compliance is required under the standards described in division (C)(4) of this section, and notwithstanding any other provision of state or local law to the contrary, the building or structure need not satisfy or comply with any state or local building standard or code in order to be used to confine a person for the purposes specified in division (B) of this section.

(4) The building or structure shall not be used to confine any person unless it is in compliance with all minimum standards and minimum renovation, modification, and construction criteria for jails that have been proposed by the department of rehabilitation and correction, through its bureau of adult detention, under section 5120.10 of the Revised Code.

(5) The building or structure need not be renovated or modified into a secure detention facility in order to be used solely to confine a person for the purposes specified in divisions (B)(1)(a) or (b) and (B)(2)(a) or (b) of this section.

(6) The building or structure shall be used, equipped, furnished, and staffed in the manner necessary to provide adequate and suitable living, sleeping, food service or preparation, drinking, bathing and toilet, sanitation, and other necessary facilities, furnishings, and equipment.

(D) Except as provided in this section, a minimum security jail dedicated and used under this section shall be considered to be part of the jail, workhouse, or other correctional facilities of the county or the affiliated counties and municipal corporations for all purposes under the law. All persons confined in such a minimum security jail shall be and shall remain, in all respects, under the control of the county authority that has responsibility for the management and operation of the jail, workhouse, or other correctional facilities of the county or, if it is operated by any affiliation of counties or municipal corporations, under the control of the specified county or municipal corporation with that authority, provided that, if the person was convicted of a felony and is serving a residential sanction in the facility, all provisions of law that pertain to persons convicted of a felony that would not by their nature clearly be inapplicable apply regarding the person. A minimum security jail dedicated and used under this section shall be managed and maintained in accordance with policies and procedures adopted by the board of county commissioners or the affiliated counties and municipal corporations governing the safe and healthful operation of the jail, the confinement and supervision of the persons sentenced to it, and their participation in work release or similar rehabilitation programs. In addition to other rules of conduct and discipline, the rights of ingress and egress of persons confined in a minimum security jail dedicated and used under this section shall be subject to reasonable restrictions. Every person confined in a minimum security jail dedicated and used under this section shall be given verbal and written notification, at the time of the person's admission to the jail, that purposely leaving, or purposely failing to return to, the jail without proper authority or permission constitutes the felony offense of escape.

(E) If a person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense is sentenced to a term of imprisonment or a residential sanction in a minimum security jail as described in division (B)(1)(a) or (B)(2)(a) of this section, or if a person is an inmate transferred to a minimum security jail by order of a judge of the sentencing court as described in division (B)(1)(c) or (B)(2)(c) of this section, at the time of reception and at other times the person in charge of the operation of the jail determines to be appropriate, the sheriff or other person in charge of the operation of the jail may cause the convicted offender to be examined and tested for tuberculosis, HIV infection, hepatitis, including but not limited to hepatitis A, B, and C, and other contagious diseases. The person in charge of the operation of the jail may cause a convicted offender in the jail who refuses to be tested or treated for tuberculosis, HIV infection, hepatitis, including but not limited to hepatitis A, B, and C, or another contagious disease to be tested and treated involuntarily.

Section 341.35 | Private operation of correctional facility.
 

The board of county commissioners of a county with a county jail, workhouse, minimum security misdemeanant jail, or other correctional facility may enter into a contract under section 9.06 of the Revised Code for the private operation and management of that facility, but only if the facility is used to house only misdemeanant inmates.

Section 341.41 | Prohibiting activities designed to increase muscle mass and physical strength or improve fighting skills.
 

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Free weight exercise equipment" means any equipment or device that is designed to increase the muscle mass and physical strength of the person using it. "Free weight exercise equipment" includes, but is not limited to, barbells, dumbbells, weight plates, and similar free weight-type equipment and other devices that the department of rehabilitation and correction, in rules adopted under section 5120.423 of the Revised Code, designates as enabling a person to increase muscle mass and physical strength.

(2) "Fixed weight exercise equipment" means any equipment, machine, or device that is not designed primarily to increase muscle mass and physical strength but rather to keep a person in relatively good physical condition. "Fixed weight exercise equipment" includes, but is not limited to, weight machines that utilize weight plates, tension bands, or similar devices that provide weight training resistance like universal and nautilus equipment. "Fixed weight exercise equipment" includes machines that are usually assembled as a unit, are not readily dismantled, and have been specifically modified for prison use so as to make them secure and immobile.

(3) "County correctional officer" means a person who is employed by a county as an employee or officer of a county jail, county workhouse, minimum security jail, joint city and county workhouse, municipal-county correctional center, multicounty-municipal correctional center, municipal-county jail or workhouse, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse.

(4) A person is "employed by a county" if the person is employed by, or receives any compensation or benefits from, any official, officer, office, agency, board, commission, department, or other entity that is a branch of county government, that is established by a county, or that serves a county, including, but not limited to, a sheriff.

(5) "Multicounty-municipal" has the same meaning as in section 307.93 of the Revised Code.

(B) No county correctional officer shall do any of the following:

(1) Provide a prisoner access to free weight or fixed weight exercise equipment;

(2) Allow a prisoner to provide or receive instruction in boxing, wrestling, karate, judo, or another form of martial arts, or any other program that the department of rehabilitation and correction, in rules adopted under section 5120.423 of the Revised Code, designates as enabling a person to improve fighting skills.

(C) Nothing in this section prohibits a county correctional officer from allowing a prisoner to participate in jogging, basketball, stationary exercise bicycling, supervised calisthenics, or other physical activities that are not designed to increase muscle mass and physical strength or improve fighting skills.

Section 341.42 | Improper internet access - county facilities.
 

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "County correctional officer" has the same meaning as in section 341.41 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Computer," "computer network," "computer system," "computer services," "telecommunications service," and "information service" have the same meanings as in section 2913.01 of the Revised Code.

(3) "County correctional facility" means a county jail, county workhouse, minimum security jail, joint city and county workhouse, municipal-county correctional center, multicounty-municipal correctional center, municipal-county jail or workhouse, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse.

(B) No county correctional officer shall provide a prisoner access to or permit a prisoner to have access to the internet through the use of a computer, computer network, computer system, computer services, telecommunications service, or information service unless both of the following apply:

(1) The prisoner is accessing the internet solely for a use or purpose approved by the managing officer of that prisoner's county correctional facility or by the managing officer's designee.

(2) The provision of and access to the internet is in accordance with rules promulgated by the department of rehabilitation and correction pursuant to section 5120.62 of the Revised Code.

(C)(1) No prisoner in a county correctional facility under the control of a county shall access the internet through the use of a computer, computer network, computer system, computer services, telecommunications service, or information service unless both of the following apply:

(a) The prisoner is accessing the internet solely for a use or purpose approved by the managing officer of that prisoner's county correctional facility or by the managing officer's designee.

(b) The provision of and access to the internet is in accordance with rules promulgated by the department of rehabilitation and correction pursuant to section 5120.62 of the Revised Code.

(2) Whoever violates division (C)(1) of this section is guilty of improper internet access, a misdemeanor of the first degree.

Last updated March 8, 2023 at 10:55 AM