A set of 180 revised standards that apply to 20,000 inmates in Ohio jails will take effect on April 15. The Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review accepted the modified rules at a meeting yesterday afternoon at the Statehouse.

A set of 180 revised standards that apply to 20,000 inmates in Ohio jails will take effect on April 15.

The Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review accepted the modified rules at a meeting yesterday afternoon at the Statehouse.

The rules cover wide-ranging topics, from the size of cells and extent of visiting privileges to use of restraints and physical force. They will not be enforced until the beginning of 2015, said Sara Andrews, court and community manager for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

The state does not run local jails, but it is responsible under Ohio law for inspecting them and setting operating rules.

Overall, the new rules will improve the treatment of mentally ill inmates but will reduce mandatory training for jail employees. The changes are designed, in part, to help sheriffs fend off potential prisoner lawsuits by requiring jails to meet standards.

Inmates can be limited to a shower every other day, but officials scrapped a previous proposal to limit them to two meals per day after receiving testimony by the Ohio Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggesting the restriction might cause health problems for those with diabetes, high blood pressure, gastric ulcers and renal disease.

A statement from Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott�s office said the standards, which were revised for the first time in more than a decade, �will aid sheriffs, chiefs and jail administrators in providing communities with safe and secure correctional facilities while providing those who are incarcerated professional, humane and fair treatment.�

A coalition that included Mental Health America of Franklin County, the National Alliance on Mental Illness Ohio and the Ohio Psychological Association said revised regulations dealing with pre-screening, health appraisals, pharmaceuticals, mental-health services and suicide prevention � are a significant improvement over the current rule.�

�We are especially pleased about the insertion of language in the pharmaceutical section that requires jails to �develop a policy, approved by the health authority, regarding incoming medications,�� the coalition said in a letter. �We are hopeful that jails will adopt policies to accept, verify and dispense current medications.�

That would help inmates with mental-health issues stay on their meds, while saving jails the expense of having to unnecessarily purchase medications.

The prisons agency has just two inspectors to monitor 92 full-service jails, 13 minimum-security jails, 90 12-day jails, 18 12-hour jails and 136 temporary holding facilities in the state.

ajohnson@dispatch.com

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