State finds Ohio private prison safer, cleaner

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio prisons department says a lakeshore lock-up that became the nation's first privately-owned state prison last year has corrected 38 of the 47 safety, health and security issues uncovered during a fall audit.

Results of the re-inspection of Lake Erie Correctional Institution in Conneaut were released Friday.

The report said the facility was largely organized and clean last week. An earlier state inspection found moldy showers, long food lines, a lack of blankets and mattresses for inmates, and missing keys amid generalized disorder.

Both staff and inmates now say they feel safe.

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said Nashville, Tenn.-based Corrections Corporation of America clearly worked hard to address the state's concerns. She expressed optimism the prison would pass a national accreditation inspection next month.