Voters to play key role in making new jail a reality

LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) -- Plans to build a new jail are starting to become a reality as the county has been awarded a $16.8 million grant from Gov. Mike DeWine’s office to build the jail.

However, elected officials will need voters to get the project past the finish line.

Sheriff Jeff Lawless has been in charge of the 48-year-old Lawrence County Jail for 13 years.

“It doesn’t meet today’s standards,” Lawless said. “We certainly struggle everyday with a small confined area to try to house as many inmates as we have on a daily basis.”

The Lawrence County Jail was originally built to house 50 inmates. By today’s standards, though, it is now only certified to house 27 inmates.

But commissioners say there is finally a chance for change after Lawrence County was awarded funding from DeWine’s office.

The county is one of six across the state receiving grant money to rebuild or expand local jails.

Coshocton County received $10.1 million, Gallia County received $5.5 million, Harrison county received $9.1 million, the Scioto County Jail is receiving $1.5 million, and the Southern Ohio Regional jail is receiving $1.9 million.

Lawrence County is walking away with the most grant money: $16.8 million to build a new jail.

The total cost to build the jail is $31,764,185.

Commissioners say the remaining $14.9 million they need for the jail will come from bonds.

“We wanted to build a jail that would be sufficient for today’s operations and well into the future so that 10-15 years from now, we’re not facing the same crisis,” said Commissioner DeAnna Holliday, president of the Lawrence County Commission. “We did a jail study which gave us all of the pertinent information that we would need to build the jail and for it to be sustainable for a long period of time.”

The new jail will be built at the old Lombard School property on Lorain Street on the south end of Ironton. It’s something officials say has been 20 years in the making.

“Having a new facility is not only safer for our staff and the inmates, but also for our community,” Lawless said. “There [are] minor crimes now that somebody probably should go to jail for for a few days, [but] they can’t go to jail. The judge can’t put them there because we don’t have the room or the space [for the inmates].”

The overcrowding issue is something Holliday says the county has spent millions of dollars for years because when there is no room at the jail, inmates have to be housed outside of the county.

“At that point, we have to move them to other counties around the state, and some of these trips are four hours one way to take these prisoners to other counties and then we have the cost of housing there which averages about $60 per day per inmate,” Lawless said. “We’re helping fund and keep other jails in operation by sending them to other counties. So, having a 200-bed jail will allow us, we hope, to house for other counties and that’ll help off-set the cost that we incur to run this facility.”

A new jail means a need for more staffing.

Lawless says he currently has a staff of 18, but he would need to hire up to 20 new corrections officers for the new location.

Day-to-day operations will also need a source of funding, which the commissioners will put on the ballot in the 2022 primary in the form of a half-percent sales tax increase.

“This is crucial to this build and for us to reach the finish line with our jail build,” Holliday said. “It’s up to us to support the needs here in Lawrence County, and I think that the citizens of Lawrence County will realize that and that they’ll meet the call.”

Holliday says the sales tax increase would bring in $3 million into the county each year.

“It does create jobs for our county and helps turn our money back into our county, as well by having people employed,” Lawless said. “Our staffing numbers will have to increase, and that’s gonna be a big burden on the county budget. It’s vitally important that we get this sales tax passed so we can keep the operations of the jail functioning.”

“I refuse to think that Lawrence County will turn this opportunity down. We’ve come a long way, and it’s been a very long road traveled, so our citizens know the issue that exists here and I think they also realize that we’re all in this together,” Holliday told WSAZ.

“The citizens of this county know how vital this jail is and how much trouble we’ve had, and how we can’t pass up this opportunity,” Lawless added.

Officials plan to start construction as soon as the sales-tax increase is approved by voters in May 2022. They hope construction is completed by 2025.

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