'Everything is going good:' Coshocton Justice Center in process. What will it feature?

COSHOCTON − The new Coshocton Justice Center is under construction and running on schedule, according to Sheriff James Crawford.

It's more than a quarter done and should be open by October 2024. Crawford said the move in date will be based on how training is going with corrections officers as there will be a lot new to learn with the facility. He said four additional corrections officers will be hired.

"We need to make sure they know every inch of the place and know how to operate it safely," Crawford said.

Concrete has been poured in various parts and exterior walls are currently being built at the location at the end of Third Street, once home to Steel Ceilings. There are about a dozen contractors on site doing various work. Granger Construction of Columbus is the construction manager at risk.

"They've built a lot of jails. They know the process. They know the subcontractors. They know who to get and what to watch out for," Crawford said of Granger. "When I go in and see the project engineer and he says everything is going good, he means it. There's no issues and I love to hear that."

Groundbreaking was held in December. The 40,000-square-foot facility will have space for 126 inmates with wings for men and women. There will be a minimum-security unit for each gender with the others being medium to maximum security based on need. The breakdown is 24 single cells, 24 dual occupancy cells and 72 beds in dorm-style rooms.

Importance of programming

There will be community rooms for education classes, church services and other rehabilitative services, along with a medical area and space for office work, booking, inmate processing, showers and property storage.

"There are so many opportunities out there for programming that wouldn't cost us anything, we just have to have the availability of space," Crawford said.

Lt. Chip Udischas, jail administrator, said programming could include employability, parenting and anger management classes; a spiritual component with Bible study and church services; and Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Everyone is in jail because they committed a crime, but Udischas doesn't see the crime as the problem.

"Something caused them to commit the crime. Whether there was an anger issue, lack of knowledge of how to parent, lack of communication skills, maybe lack of a job and they were going out and trying to make money in a quick way, which usually don't lead to a good end," he said. "There's a root cause to why people got there. If we can help get that root cause taken care of, get them to where they're employable, to where they can be a benefit back to our community, take care of the anger management issues and teach them how to be a parent and be part of their families lives; if we can take care of that root cause maybe they won't come back to see us as least as frequently as what some of them do nowadays."

Crawford also touted an outside recreation area, which they don't have now.

"Incarcerated individuals will be able to get some fresh air and sunlight. However, it's still behind walls," Crawford said.

He's also keen on the location, which is out of the way but still close to main roads and Downtown Coshocton. He said people often ask him if there's any work going on, just because they can't see much from the road.

"We like that location for that purpose. We don't need to be in the mainstream of things. But, we are close to state routes and we're within the city. It's a win-win in my opinion where we chose to build," Crawford said. "Our elected officials, especially our county commissioners, have worked tirelessly on this for many years. It didn't happen overnight."

Why a new facility?

Coshocton County Commissioners have long called the current county jail the county's biggest liability. In a 2019 inspection by the ODRC, the jail was cited for 54 violations with 28 deemed important and 26 essential. Of those, 16 could only be fixed with a new facility. Built in 1973, the justice center was designed to hold 65 prisoners at one time, but is only rated by the state to have 15.

Crawford has long said a new building is needed not only to meet state compliance issues, but to offer services and programming to cut down on recidivism. A modern facility will also be safer for inmates and officers and should cutdown on problems such as fights and people trying to bring contraband into the facility.

"The new facility will not be well received by our incarcerated individuals. They won't have the freedom to move around in our new facility like they have today. Our (corrections officers) intermingle in the hallways and rec room with our inmates. You're not going to see that in the new facility," Crawford said. "They'll have a lot less freedom of movement and it will be safer for our corrections officers and inmates."

The project is estimated at $43 million with $10.1 million coming from Senate Bill 310, $8 million from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and $3.15 million from a Targets of Opportunity grant. The remainder is from bonds. The administrative portion of the building is being funded from the $4.3 million sell of land owned by the county at the former Ohio State University hydrological station on Ohio 621.

Crawford said there will be one entry for the jail and one for administrative services. Everyone at the current facility enters through one door and it can be confusing or officers have to leave their post in the jail to take care of visitors. People often come in for fingerprinting, background checks and other legal matters.

"Having two different entries will alleviate a lot of distance away from where their main focus should be," Crawford said.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: New Coshocton Justice Center to increase safety for officers, inmates