Montgomery County is receiving $13 million to support jail renovations, while Clark County Jail’s award of $4 million will support land acquisition and design work for a new jail. Stark County Jail, too, will receive $7.5 million to support the ongoing construction of a new jail.
Montgomery County in October began construction on a multi-million dollar jail renovation project that will convert 226 general population beds into a behavioral health and medical wing, expanding medical beds from 12 to 112 in the facility.
“This funding is a critical investment in the health and well-being of our community,” said Commission President Judy Dodge. “By building our first-ever Behavioral Health Unit in the jail, we’re taking a major step toward giving people in crisis the care they need, not just a bed, but a path to recovery. We appreciate the state’s support in providing solutions that truly make a difference.”
Jail space will be repurposed to provide more detox treatment, suicide prevention treatment, medical care and an enhanced intake area. In addition to expanding clinic space used by the jail’s Naphcare medical staff, the project will include improvements to the intake and booking process, adding padded crisis cells and creating a new entrance for employees, among other updates. Construction on the behavioral health unit is expected to conclude in 2027.
The Behavioral Health Unit is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and opioid settlement funds, with an initial cost estimate of $20 million.
“This funding ensures that our $20 million jail Behavioral Health Unit, along with an estimated $13 million in necessary jail mechanical upgrades, will be fully covered, without taking on debt or using local or general fund dollars,” said Michael Colbert, Montgomery County Administrator. “This is a smart, responsible investment in the safety, health and well-being of our community.”
The pandemic drove a 26% increase in behavioral health issues locally, according to county officials. A Dayton Daily News analysis of Ohio jail data for 2023 found that more people died after being put in custody at the Montgomery County jail than at any other jail in Ohio. That year, seven people died after being put in the jail’s custody. The following year, another inmate died in custody after taking a gun from an officer while receiving care at Kettering Health Dayton.
And this year, 25-year-old Christian Black died during his brief stay at Montgomery County Jail. His death resulted in the county paying out a $7 million settlement to his family.
In Clark County, funding for a proposed 454-bed jail was, in part, supposed to come from a 20-year, 0.5% sales tax increase, which voters rejected this fall. The levy could go in front of voters again.
Clark County’s current jail, which is in the public safety building downtown along with offices of the Springfield Police Division and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, is too small and out of compliance with multiple state standards.
Funding for this round of the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Grant Program comes from the existing program budget. The program is administered through the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s Bureau of Adult Detention.
An additional $5 million will be put toward security and safety projects at local jails as needs arise, according to a state press release.
The Ohio Jail Safety and Security Program has dedicated more than $230 million in state funding for nearly 70 jail projects, including 25 new or renovated jails and over three dozen jail security and life safety projects. The program was launched by DeWine in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly in 2021.
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