In December 2018, the number of inmates in Ohio totaled 49,255, with the prison system spending nearly $1.8 billion that year.

[3] On April 11, 1993, a major riot broke out at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility that resulted in ten deaths.

The majority of male death row inmates are held at the Ross Correctional Institution, while others are held at Franklin Medical Center, Ohio State Penitentiary, and Warren Correctional Institution.

[citation needed] The main men's death row was previously held at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution from 2011 until 2024.

[6][7] Since the establishment of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, 26 officers have died in the line of duty.