The overhaul of Ohio’s juvenile justice system will bring new investment to some Northeast Ohio communities. Grafton is looking forward to more jobs and revenue created by two small-scale correctional facilities planned for a northeast section of the village.
“Grafton gets to be on the cutting edge of this new strategy, this new practice of rehabilitating youth. So we’re really excited about that,” said Village Administrator Andrew Lipian.
Two 36-bed centers will be built on Avon Belden Rd on land formerly belonging to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC). Along with two similar buildings planned for Rockside Rd. in Bedford, the centers will replace the larger Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility in Highland Hills.
The smaller facilities were recommended in the fall of 2024 by a juvenile justice working group. Governor Mike DeWine assembled the team after several high-profile incidents, including a violent 12-hour standoff at Indian River Correctional Facility in 2022.
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The working group recommended more trauma-informed rehabilitation and said smaller centers should replace the larger DYS facilities.
“We kind of said, ‘Let’s stop that’ and do what we call a system transformation or what I call ‘smaller is better,’” said working group chair Tom Strickrath.
In November 2024, the former DYS director told News 5 that scaling down facilities was the first of 26 recommendations to improve safety and outcomes in the state’s juvenile justice system.“It’s easier to manage 36 youth than 200 youth. We have better eyes on them, better ears on them, we get to know the youth better,” Strickrath said.
A former Indian River guard told News 5 Investigator Tara Morgan that understaffing and dangerous conditions had led to his brutal attack at the correctional center in 2022.
RELATED: Former Indian River corrections officer struggles with recovery from 2022 assault
The Department of Youth Services (DYS) said it’s prioritizing the replacement of Cuyahoga Hills over its Indian River and Circleville locations because of its design modeled after adult prisons more than 50 years ago. It said the facility’s open dorm concept can create dangerous conditions and challenges for staff, and small centers will better serve high-risk youth.
The smaller buildings planned for Grafton also present an economic opportunity for the village.
“The Village of Grafton will see roughly a quarter of a million [dollars] of new tax revenue, which will be a boon to village services and what we’re able to provide the residents,” said Lipian.
The village estimates the new facilities will create 140 new jobs with $15 million in new payroll. Lipian said the investment is a fitting addition to its longstanding relationship with the ODRC’s Grafton Correctional Institution and Lorain Correctional Institution south of the planned DYS site.
“The DRC has been our largest employer. Now with DYS moving in here, we view this as an expansion of this strategic partnership that will enable Grafton to continue to blossom,” Lipian said.
He expects the infusion of new jobs and facilities could attract more attention to a rural area primed for development.
“A lot of other potential investment is eyeing that land in the Northeast of our village for projects and investment,” he said.
DYS expects to begin 18-24 months of construction in Grafton in the spring before launching a strategic plan to relocate youth into the new centers. After completing the Cuyahoga Hills replacement, the agency plans to replace the Indian River and Circleville facilities.
