Ohio Penal Industries Honored with National Innovation Award at ACA Conference

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Ohio Penal Industries Honored with National Innovation Award at ACA Conference

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) proudly announces that the Ohio Penal Industries (OPI) was awarded the "Innovations in Corrections" award from the American Correctional Association (ACA) during its winter conference.

This award recognizes programs that serve adult or juvenile offenders and achieve meaningful outcomes such as reducing recidivism, improving education, boosting employment marketability, enhancing life skills and strengthening family involvement in treatment.

The nitrile glove factory, located at Madison Correctional Institution in London, Ohio, is the first of its kind in any prison in the country and one of only a few nitrile glove factories in the United States. Primarily focused on making fentanyl-resistant gloves for ODRC security staff, this initiative started back in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's a great feeling to be recognized for this operation," said Ann King, bureau chief of industries at OPI. "All of this came from a simple question: can OPI produce gloves? What followed was a lot of research, development, innovation and problem solving by our staff to make this possible since we started in April 2020."

Gloves being manufactured at Madison Correctional Institution

"This award is another feather in the hat for OPI," said ODRC Director Chambers-Smith. "During COVID, we had trouble procuring gloves and other personal protective equipment. OPI accepted the challenge to protect us from supply chain issues and the gloves are a big piece of that. Great work, OPI!"

OPI seeks to reduce recidivism by enabling incarcerated adults to acquire real-life skills and experiences that make them better prepared to maintain employment after they are released. There are currently OPI operations within 12 of Ohio's 28 correctional institutions, each equipped to produce a variety of goods.

For more than 155 years, the ACA has championed the cause of corrections and correctional effectiveness. ACA is the oldest association developed specifically for practitioners in the correctional profession, providing national standards for accreditation, networking, training, and career development opportunities.

Director Chambers-Smith (middle left) and Ann King (middle right) accept ACA Award