Officials in Stark County broke ground in Canton on an addition to the county jail Friday morning, intended to house more people in better conditions.

The current jail has linear housing pods with cells lined along long hallways. That’s dangerous for both the people who are incarcerated at the jail and for the corrections officers, Stark County Sheriff Eric Weisburn said.

“Our current jail has served us for decades," he said, "but parts of it date back to the 1960s.”

The addition features a pod style layout that will increase visibility for corrections officers, Weisburn said.

"From overcrowding to outdated plumbing to poor lighting to limited visibility, the old design poses real challenges to the safety, supervision and basic care of the inmates," he said.

Conditions in the curren

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