Ohio & Mahoning Valley - The Ohio Justice and Policy Center (OJPC) is calling for a planned $350,000 pilot program allowing the use of tasers on convicted individuals in state prisons to be put on pause.

Calls were also made by the OJPC to review the program thoroughly before it is implemented in two state prisons.

"Introducing tasers into prisons creates enormous safety risks to both prison staff and to the people serving sentences. We are calling on the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to stop the use of tasers now," said OJPC Policy Director Michaela Burriss.

OJPC reached out to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to get any sort of research, documentation and training materials in regards to the use of tasers.

The state responded in turn by saying there were no responsive records in the three months since this project was announced. The OJPC finds this lack of documentation in relation to a project starting this month "deeply concerning."

"At best, this project was greenlighted without the proper due diligence," said Burriss. "It is unfathomable for a program this big and this complex to have no planning records or correspondence. It is being rushed, and Ohioans deserve transparency."

The OJPC says that police already sufficiently maintain control with their current non-lethal methods and strategies.

"This is dangerous, and we do not want to be alarmist, but if the state is not careful and considerate, someone is going to end up being killed or seriously injured," said Burriss.

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