Lorain County judges and court staff press for a new jail, citing safety, capacity and mental-health concerns

Court officials told commissioners the county's detention and jail facilities are unsafe and inadequate and asked voters to be given the chance to accept or reject funding for replacement.

Lisa Bokovulich, civil administrator for Judge Cook, read a statement saying judges and mental-health stakeholders support a new jail because the county spends "hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on maintenance" and the current capacity (reported at about 432 inmates) and out-of-code conditions threaten safety for staff and inmates. She told the board the new facility would improve security, reduce litigation risk and allow better mental-health services.

Judge Lisa Swienski said the detention home (built in 1959) has "HVAC issues, mold issues, gang issues" and called the jail the county's largest de facto detox facility; she urged commissioners to place a question on the ballot so voters can decide. "If we can not make the case and we cannot prosecute the case about why we need to raise the sales tax for 15 years and have it sunset then we will deserve to lose," she said, adding the public education effort will be essential if the measure goes forward.

Officials said that if the county cannot provide space and services it may strain relationships with other jurisdictions and force transfers to other counties that have different practices for juvenile and adult detention. Judges and court staff said they would participate in public education and answer questions from residents after the hearing.