Columbus, OH -- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Director Annette Chambers-Smith on May 28th, announced more than $73 million in state support for the construction of three new jails in Ohio.

Funding for new jails in Adams, Jackson, and Wyandot counties will be awarded through the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Program, which was launched by Governor DeWine in 2021 to help local communities with functionally obsolete and structurally failing jails.

Adams County: $21.6 million

Jackson County: $32.8 million

Wyandot County: $19.4 million

An additional $4.3 million will be awarded to Morrow County for renovation and security projects at the Morrow County Correctional Facility. Meigs County will also receive $144,886 for a regional jail feasibility study. In total, more than $78 million will be invested across the five jail projects. 

“Continued investments into Ohio’s jail infrastructure create safer environments for the people who work there and better spaces for important programming, education, and training opportunities for those in our jails,” said Governor DeWine. "When people serving jail time have access to quality, comprehensive support, they are better prepared to make positive choices upon release." 

MORE: Jail Construction/Renovation Project Descriptions

The Ohio Jail Safety and Security Grant Program operates with support from the Ohio General Assembly. Including today's announcement, more than $178 million in state funding has been awarded to support local counties in need of jail construction or renovation. 

The counties receiving awards were selected based on legislative language requiring the Ohio Department of Taxation to rank counties using a formula that includes property tax values and an estimate of the gross amount of taxable retail sales for the current fiscal year, combined with counties’ need for the project. The legislation also requires the selected counties to pay a portion of their total jail construction costs based on those rankings. All funding is administered through the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction's Bureau of Adult Detention.