Gov. Mike DeWine: Close Ohio's 3 youth prisons, build a dozen smaller facilities

Ohio should eventually close its three youth prisons and replace them with a dozen small, close-to-home juvenile lockups, Gov. Mike DeWine said on Thursday.

"I think it's the right thing to do. It's important for safety of the juveniles, I think it's important for the safety of the staff. I think we'll be better able to deliver services to these juveniles in a smaller setting," DeWine told the USA TODAY Network Ohio.

This shift could take several years and require legislative action, the governor said.

Following the November publication of an eight-month investigation from The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Columbus Dispatch, Akron Beacon Journal and Canton Repository into youth prisons and detention centers, DeWine appointed a panel of experts to study issues and make recommendations.

The study group leader, Tom Stickrath, said he would like to recommend a shift to smaller facilities and hire an outside consultant to review operations inside the youth prisons.

Ohio operates youth prisons in Circleville, Massillon and Highland Hills for about 470 youths ages 12 to 21 found responsible for felony acts. Children aged 10 and 11 who are adjudicated delinquent are held in private facilities.

Ohio has had plans to replace Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility, which has dorm-style housing, with a new prison with individual cells. About $118 million in state funds has been earmarked for that project.

DeWine said he endorses those two ideas and would like to make the consultant's services available to locally operated juvenile detention centers.

He added that he wants the group to examine how many children should be in youth prisons in the future.

"We have to look at this from a system-wide point of view, a more holistic point of view," DeWine said.

The closure of Indian River Juvenile Correctional Facility would have an economic impact on the city of Massillon, newly-elected Mayor Jamie Slutz said. The prison employs 280 people, who contribute to the local economy, he said.

Slutz, a retired Massillon police officer, hopes the facility will remain open even if officials decide to move to smaller, community facilities for offenders.

"Maybe they can still use the facility and cut that number (of youth) in half," the mayor said. "We would want to talk to state legislators and come up with a plan to keep Indian River."

Two decades ago, Ohio had about 2,000 children incarcerated in 10 youth prisons. The state shuttered prisons and shifted to providing services at the local level.

The total number of children adjudicated on felony charges has fallen from about 9,000 in 2004 to 3,200 in 2022.

Other states have closed youth prisons in favor of smaller, closer-to-home facilities. California did so in June 2023.

Massillon Independent reporter Amy L. Knapp contributed to this report.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mike DeWine endorses closing Ohio youth prisons, building smaller ones