COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s prison system held 45,704 inmates as of Jan. 6, 2026, according to the latest monthly population report from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
Of that total, 8,223 inmates are serving life sentences. The state also reported 109 inmates on death row.
Most incarcerated individuals are housed in minimum- and medium-security facilities. The January count shows 20,160 inmates classified as Level 2 security and 14,029 at Level 1. Another 9,022 were held at Level 3 or 3R facilities. Higher security classifications include 1,174 inmates at Level 4 and 987 in extended security units.
Men account for 42,024 inmates, while 3,680 are women.
To oversee the prison population, the department reported a total workforce of 11,668 employees as of Feb. 1, 2026. That includes correctional officers, parole officers, health care staff, and administrative personnel.
The department lists 5,290 correctional and parole officers statewide. Overall staffing levels translate to roughly one staff member for every four inmates statewide. The inmate-to-correctional-officer ratio is approximately 6.6 inmates per officer, according to the department’s monthly fact sheet.
Health care services are provided by 1,167 medical employees, including 511 nursing staff and 656 non-nursing health care workers.
The workforce totals include 11,293 employees on active status and 375 on leave with pay. The figures do not include six employees at private prisons or 15 college interns.
The department releases population and staffing data monthly.
(Editor’s Note: Readers can view the full reports at the hyperlinks above.)