Staff photo / Chris McBride Lt. James Davis, a 10-year veteran at Trumbull Correctional Institution in Leavittsburg, leads a tour Tuesday for Lakeview students, explaining the facility’s high-risk inmate holding areas. Davis provided insight into inmate management and security procedures during the visit.

LEAVITTSBURG — Field trips usually mean museums, science centers or maybe a zoo. But for students at Lakeview High School, this one was different.

Instead of dinosaur bones or planetarium shows, they walked through the courtyard of the Trumbull Correctional Institution and into a world few ever see up close and walk out of the same day.

The visit, organized by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC), aimed to challenge misconceptions about prison life and highlight some of the various career opportunities within the system.

The tour began around 10:30 a.m. and divided students into two groups. One group participated in a discussion with staff, including Warden Anthony Davis, while the other explored the facility. The groups later switched, so all students experienced both activities.

The tour was facilitated by Josh Allen, the facility’s personnel director, who detailed job opportunities within the ODRC.

Landon Baker, a junior, shared that his initial interest in the tour stemmed from his father’s employment at the facility.

“I didn’t know much about what he does or even what a prison is,” Baker said. “Walking around here and seeing how things work helped me understand that they’re here to do more than just keep people out.”

Isaiah Lance Jr., another student, admitted he had little prior knowledge of criminal justice but found the experience enlightening.

“I didn’t know about the colleges or programs they have here,” Lance said. “It’s kind of different from what I expected. They get to live a life like us, but just here.”

Both students noted that their perceptions of prison up to that point had been shaped largely by media portrayals and were challenged by the visit. Lance was particularly struck by the facility’s layout, which he described as having a “campus college type feel” rather than the wall-to-wall, cell-type environment he had imagined.

During the tour, Allen discussed the facility’s focus on rehabilitation.

“We don’t just lock these guys up,” he said. “They’re not just treated like animals. We have programs, education, and community service hours where these guys are learning skills and giving back.”

Allen highlighted initiatives like the garden program, educational courses and Ohio Means Jobs, which helps inmates develop career plans before their release. He also pointed out the diverse career opportunities within the prison system, ranging from mental health and medical roles to maintenance and storekeeping.

“This is a city within a city,” Allen said. “Everything that happens out in the city has to happen here for these people, and those career fields and jobs have to be here to provide that.”

The tour program, which began with just a few schools, has expanded significantly, with more than a dozen schools participating this year. Allen attributed the growth to positive feedback and word-of-mouth referrals.

“Every school that’s come in has loved what we’ve done,” he said. “They’ve told us for sure they’re going to contact us again.”

Allen sees potential for further expansion, noting the program’s ability to shed light on the stability and benefits of careers within the prison system.

“In this area, those are kind of harder and harder to come by,” he said.

For students like Baker and Lance, the tour offered a new perspective on both prison life and potential career paths. While neither expressed immediate interest in criminal justice, both acknowledged the value of the experience.

“I didn’t know you could be a nurse in here,” Lance said. “That’s something to look into.”