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(Garfield Heights) - The group heading a movement against the construction of a new Cuyahoga County Jail in Garfield Heights held a meeting to discuss the issue Wednesday night. The Cuyahoga County Jail Coalition, which has introduced a campaign called "No New Jail," argues that the new jail would present logistical issues and be detrimental to the Garfield Heights community.
The new jail has been proposed because the current one downtown is reportedly run down and has not been updated in years. The Coalition advocates for renovating the current downtown jail because of its proximity to the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court and public transportation. They also say the money for a new jail could go towards different causes, including ones that aim to prevent people from going to jail in the first place.
The Coalition has a difficult obstacle to get around to achieve its goal, as the Cuyahoga County Council already voted to approve the purchase of a 72-acre plot of land in Garfield Heights for the new prison. The "No New Jail" advocates hope the Council will reverse the decision and put this issue before Cuyahoga County voters.
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