Correctional administrators have traditionally had a number of disciplinary tools at their discretion to maintain institutional control. Following the virtual elimination parole and good time credits, the State of Ohio created a unique penal policy to strengthen prison authorities’ ability to respond to prison violations. This paper reviews the passage of the bad time statute and its eventual demise at the hands of the state's Supreme Court. The study illustrates how correctional discretion is often manipulated to serve perceived political and institutional needs and the consequences of altering that discretion
