Sheriff’s Office Breaks Ground on New Intake and Medical Assessment Area at Summit County Jail

AKRON – The Summit County Sheriff’s Office held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, July 20 to mark the beginning of construction on a new sallyport and intake area at the Summit County Jail. It will be the first new addition to the jail since 1995. The project is funded through a $2.9 million grant from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, with an additional $984,000 from Summit County. It is designed to improve the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of the jail’s booking process while expanding access to medical, mental health, and addiction treatment services from the moment individuals enter the facility. The project includes three major components: The construction of a new sallyport. The sallyport is the secure point of entry for individuals arrested throughout Summit County, and the departure point for inmates transported to court appearances, hospital visits, extraditions, and other purposes. The new sallyport will eliminate bottlenecks created by the current “drive-through” layout, improving traffic flow, reducing wait times for law enforcement agencies, and creating a safer environment for deputies and inmates. The conversation of the old sallyport into a pre-booking area. The current sallyport will be transformed into a dedicated pre-booking area with a waiting area, medical and mental health exam rooms, a blood alcohol testing station, evidence storage area, and other support spaces. Medical professionals will be able to assess each individual’s physical and mental health immediately upon arrival, identify those in crisis, and developing individualized treatment plans including psychological treatment, addiction recovery programs, and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). The renovation of the current intake area. The intake area will be modernized to improve workflow, security, and efficiency. Renovations include the addition of an ADA-accessible booking station, upgrades to holding cells, and improvements to the overall functionality and appearance of the space. “The jail you see behind me houses between 550-600 inmates at any given time, and we book around 10,000 individuals each year,” said Sheriff Kandy Fatheree. “Every single one of those inmates passes through the sallyport and intake areas – some of them multiple times during their stay. That is why this project is so important.” Attending the groundbreaking ceremony were Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree; Greta Johnson, Assistant Chief of Staff and Director of Communications for the Summit County Executive’s Office; Summit County Councilman Jeff Wilhite; a representative from State Senator Casey Weinstein’s office; Dr. Doug Smith, Chief Clinical Officer for the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health (ADM) Board; leadership from Welty Enterprises and Hasenstab Architects; and dozens of Sheriff’s Office employees. “By creating a space that truly meets our county’s needs, this expansion will improve safety for both the residents in our custody and the staff who serve them every day,” said Executive’s Office Assistant Chief of Staff Greta Johnson in her remarks. Addressing the growing mental health and addiction crisis is a central focus of the project. Approximately 70 percent of individuals booked into the Summit County Jail arrive with untreated or undiagnosed mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or co occurring disorders. The new pre-booking area will allow medical professionals to conduct immediate evaluations, identify urgent physical and mental health needs, and begin treatment as early as possible. “Although they’re only in our care and custody for a short time, for many inmates it’s a turning point in their lives, and we should be helping them to make the most of it,” said Sheriff Fatheree. “We’ve implemented programs to help inmates begin their recovery journey, connect them to critical mental health and medical care, and provide opportunities for education, job training, and life skills, and now we will be able to begin the rehabilitation process sooner and more effectively than ever before.” The Sheriff Office also believes that this project, along with numerous other programs and partnerships introduced at the jail over the past five years, will continue to reduce the rate of recidivism in our community, and the cost borne by all Summit County residents by the repeated incarceration of individuals for offenses related to addiction and mental health.