By Sheri Trusty, Seneca County Sheriff’s Office Public Relations Coordinator
Seneca County Sheriff Fredrick Stevens received a call from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office on Friday with the good news that the state will award $124,781 in non matching grant funds to the Seneca County Jail for some security upgrades. The governor and Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Director Annette Chambers-Smith announced that the state will award $50 million in grants to support construction and renovation projects at a total of 19 local jails across the state.
The grants are distributed through the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Program, which is administered through the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s Bureau of Adult Detention. The program is designed to fund construction/renovation projects or structural/security upgrades at “functionally obsolete and structurally failing jails,” according to information from the State.
Sheriff Stevens applied for the grant money with the assistance of Fostoria Economic Development Corporation President, Renee Smith. Smith provided invaluable counsel and processed the grant for the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Stevens is grateful for her expertise and help.
The Sheriff has applied for the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Program grant funding every year since he took office in 2021, and this is the first time the jail was chosen as a grant recipient.
“I’m happy we’re getting some help,” he said. “All 88 counties fight for this money, so it’s nice to get some money back from the State after trying for 4 ½ years.”
Jail renovation was a top priority when Sheriff Stevens took office. His goal to improve living conditions for inmates and working conditions for staff aligns with the governor’s purpose behind the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Program.
“This funding will not only support safer environments for those living and working in our local jails, but it will also help prepare inmates for release by creating improved spaces for workforce development, educational opportunities, and other programming,” Governor DeWine said.
Of the 19 jails receiving funding, seven will utilize the funds for new jail construction, expansion, or major renovation projects. Eleven counties received funding for structural upgrades, security enhancements, and small renovation projects, and one county will invest the funds in a needs assessment/feasibility study.
“This funding will provide more safety and security in facilities and more space for programming, which will improve conditions for both staff and incarcerated people,” said Director Annette Chambers-Smith. “We are helping these jails provide what they need to better meet the demands of the criminal justice system in their county and prepare the incarcerated population for release back into their communities.”
This year’s Ohio Jail Safety and Security Grant Program funding comes from the current capital budget. Since the program’s inception, over $228 million in state funding has been awarded to 50 jails serving over 50 counties.
Sheriff Stevens is very grateful that Governor DeWine’s office chose the Seneca County Jail as a recipient for this round of funding, but he has been advocating at the state level for a change in the current method of funding distribution. On May 7, the Sheriff traveled to the Ohio Statehouse to testify before the Ohio Senate Government Oversight Committee on House Bill 96, which determines state operating appropriations for fiscal year 2026-2027.
During his testimony, Sheriff Stevens expressed his gratitude for the millions of dollars that Gov. DeWine’s office has invested in jail construction and renovation, but Sheriff Stevens said the “current method of funding distribution creates few winners and many losers across the state.”
Rather than distribute the grants through a competitive process that leaves the majority of county jails without funds, Sheriff Stevens suggested that funding be allocated to all counties with jails.
“I would like to suggest a new method that would help all Ohio sheriffs better maintain their jails and, in some counties, prevent the need for new construction,” he said during his testimony. “Instead of dispersing the money as a competitive grant, I would like to suggest that the State simply disperse it equally among all the counties that have sheriff-run jails. Although this would not address new construction, it would allow for the bulk of the aging facilities to receive yearly funds that can be earmarked specifically for remodeling and renovation projects. There are far more aging facilities with renovation/remodel needs than new construction needs.”
Sheriff Stevens will continue his efforts to advocate for the change. For now, he is focusing on utilizing the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Program funds for security upgrades throughout the jail.