EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — The East Cleveland Jail — made infamous in Season 3 of the podcast “Serial” and at the center of a $30 million court judgment — quietly closed in December after two inspections found dozens of violations.

City officials discussed inspection findings and their failure to update the facility with Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction officials and agreed to temporarily close the jail, spokesperson JoEllen Smith confirmed.

City officials could not say exactly when the facility closed, but Cuyahoga County officials suggested it was around Christmas Eve, the day East Cleveland officials requested that the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department start housing its prisoners while it repaired and remodeled the jail.

“We don’t have an operable jail,” said a spokesp

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