Sheriff Lutz meets with County Commissioners to discuss State Grant Application

MUSKINGUM COUNTY, Ohio- Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz met with county commissioners this morning to further discuss a state grant application that could help fund a new jail. 

The original jail on North Fourth Street was built between 1974-1975 and was designed as an office building. Sheriff Lutz says a new jail will facilitate more beds and space which is much needed.

“Also, with a new facility, you move prisoners with cameras indoors instead of our old facility where we move prisoners with actual correctional officers, so you can actually with a new jail, we can hold more prisoners with less people,” Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz.

A new jail will better serve the female population as well as increase the substance and mental health program capacity. If a new facility were built, the old building could possibly be serviced for in-house rehabilitation.

“One of the things we’ve talked about here in Zanesville is that we are not known for our in house rehab. We’re known for our outpatient rehab stuff. Those people do a very good job  that the issue with outpatient rehab stuff is that a lot of those folks, when they get done with their patient services, they go right back into the same environments that got them hooked into that stuff before, not all of them but some of them do,” Lutz said.

The county is applying for funding through Ohio Senate Bill 310 which was introduced back in march to help local jail projects. Officials are still working on an application and proposal which is due by June 30th.