Officials in Stark County broke ground in Canton on an addition to the county jail Friday morning, intended to house more people in better conditions.
The current jail has linear housing pods with cells lined along long hallways. That’s dangerous for both the people who are incarcerated at the jail and for the corrections officers, Stark County Sheriff Eric Weisburn said.
“Our current jail has served us for decades," he said, "but parts of it date back to the 1960s.”
The addition features a pod style layout that will increase visibility for corrections officers, Weisburn said.
"From overcrowding to outdated plumbing to poor lighting to limited visibility, the old design poses real challenges to the safety, supervision and basic care of the inmates," he said.
Conditions in the current jail are not up to state standards or community expectations, according to Stark County Commissioner Alan Harold.
“I hope through this project we demonstrate a commitment to you and your safety and importantly also to the inmates, regardless of the circumstances that have led them here," Harold said. "Protection of all of our citizens is our solemn duty."
Stark County Commissioner Richard Regula said he is especially proud of the people building the addition.
“Seventy two percent of the workers on this project are from Stark County," he said.
The addition will have a 312-bed capacity, of which 144 will be mental health beds, a massive increase from the 35 the jail currently has, county officials said.
"At times, the county jail is the mental health institution of the county," Regula said, "and we want to help these people."
The addition will also include upgraded healthcare facilities and an expansion of the existing kitchen facilities, county officials said.
The project is funded without raising taxes or borrowing money, Regula said.
"Thanks to the passage of the 0.5% criminal justice sales tax we've been saving over the years," he said. "We're a very fiscally responsible county government, and then we took half of our ARPA funding."
The county is using $35 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding for the project, with the total cost coming to $75 million, Regula said.
The project is expected to finish at the end of 2027, Weisburn said.
"The new jail will be built. Once it's completed, then we'll move all of the inmates into that new area of the jail," he said. "At that time, we'll shut down that old area, and then it will be then demolished."
