Maria Elena Scott
Both county executive Ronayne and Mayor Burke spoke at the Garfield Heights Civic Center.
Cuyahoga County residents on Saturday morning joined county executive Chris Ronayne and Garfield Heights Mayor Matt Burke at a community engagement meeting at the Garfield Heights Civic Center with questions, comments and concerns over proposed plans for a new jail.
Although the jail has been discussed in county council meetings, turnout for the event was much larger than the meetings, which are held on weeknight evenings.
While the majority of the dozens of people spoke shared opposition to the plan to build a new jail in Garfield Heights — based on traffic, human rights, financial and safety concerns — local and regional officials voiced support.
“It’s important to understand that I’m aware of the inherent concerns that people have when they hear the word ‘jail’,” said Burke. “I would go as far as to say that when I first heard the term jail I was a little concerned myself and I had the same questions a lot of you probably have today.”
Ronayne has spoken frequently about his vision for a more humane jail and the stark contrast between Cuyahoga County’s current jail and Franklin County’s, for instance. The current jail, located in downtown Cleveland and the subject of horrifying stories in recent years, provides little access to sunlight and had several inmate deaths last year and another in 2023.
The plan for the 72-acre campus includes auxiliary services like vocational, mental health, family and reentry services, as well as a parking lot, sheriff’s offices and more. But some opposed to the jail have argued that problems like overpopulation and food so bad that guards fear the quality could cause riots wouldn't be addressed despite the $750 million price tag.
“Slapping a new jail into our continuum of crisis care is a continuation of the decision that people living with a behavioral health diagnosis deserve jail and not care,” said Elaine Schleiffer of Cleveland’s Mental Health Response Advisory Committee.
“At the end of the day, a jail in Cuyahoga County is home to a majority population whose needs are medical care and housing, so I submit to you that an appropriate solution would be increasing our medical care and housing resources, not a billion dollar new jail.”
Many residents specifically from Garfield Heights were concerned about property in the city. Some worried the campus would raise property taxes while others voiced concerns that, regardless of taxes, being in the vicinity of a jail would lower property values.
Other location-based objections dealt specifically with traffic. Some Garfield residents raised concerns that having a large-scale campus with a variety of facilities would impact those on nearby roadways.
One major issue that has come up at every council meeting discussing the jail is the impact that moving the jail so far from the courthouse would have on those who need to travel between the two. In a presentation at the meeting, Ronayne and planning and programming administrator Nichole English shared plans for an on-site parking lot and a new bus route.
While some meeting attendants shared fears that the presence of a jail would negatively affect public safety, Mayor Matt Burke pushed back, telling those assembled that the jail would make the city safer, which would incentivize companies to go to Garfield Heights. Although his comment was met with laughter, another resident later spoke in agreement, saying that the visible presence of law enforcement would deter crime.
Another resident said he believed the jail would be an investment because of tax revenue. English’s presentation also framed plans for the campus as an investment, saying the facility would create 200 sheriff’s department administration jobs and 650 correctional officer jobs.
Additionally, both English and Burke spoke about the possibility of complementary uses of auxiliary services, like vocational training for community members.
But, as one resident shared, constructing a new jail just isn’t a priority compared to other issues the city faces. “I think we have bigger fish to fry,” they said.
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