Ohio Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has a policy which provides a loop hole for F-2 and F-1 classed offenders to participate in its Prison Dog Programs which was intended for lower classed (F-3 and below), non-violent offenders. Under Ohio Admin Code 5120-2-06, offenders are given "goodtime" credit for participating in prison programs so offenders use these programs to get out of prison earlier than originally sentenced. Ohio DRC's own policy states, "inmates progress to lower security levels and receive additional privileges", this includes program participation. Ohio DRC has no policy providing protections for the dogs that participate in their Prison Dog Program specifically. In Warren Correctional Institution, the dogs are housed throughout the compound where those offenders who do not qualify to participate would have access to these dogs. There is also inadequate checks on the dogs throughout the day, minus head counts every eight hours. Under currently lack of policy, these dogs are set up to be collateral damage in altercations between inmates and inmates who should not be in the program to begin with without better management of the prison dog program by Ohio DRC.

The Prison Dog Program is a positive program that's been used over 20 years but only if it is ran properly. Ohio DRC, at Warren Correctional Institution, failed to establish a uniform policy that keeps all dogs in its care to one central location, away from unqualified offenders and easier on the Correction Officers to perform mid-shift checks on the dogs.

Ohio DRC in its failure to properly make the prison dog program secure, has caused the death of my foster dog, Evie. Evie belonged to Joseph's Legacy. I placed Evie in the program because she was jumping my fence and I thought she would be safer. She died due to blunt force trauma in a Warren Correctional Institution prison cell. I do not want to see this happen again. I do not want any other foster to feel what I feel.

Regardless of the outcome of the investigation into Evie's death, Ohio DRC needs to provide adequate protections for it's prison dogs.