NELSONVILLE — A former prison will be turned into a day-treatment facility for misdemeanor offenders and a female-only jail operated by the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office, state officials said Monday.

The Hocking Correctional Unit has been closed since 2018.

“This is an important investment for the criminal justice system in this region of the state,” Gov. Mike DeWine said. “This multi-functional facility will help ease the burden on area jails and offer important treatment opportunities to help those who have been jailed due to substance use disorders and mental health issues.”

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections received controlling board approval Monday to dedicate $12 million in capital funding for the project design and construction. The jail and treatment facility will serve Hocking and other surrounding counties.

“We are extremely excited to assist with bringing much needed female beds to this region. The facility will also offer treatment services, helping local communities and families impacted by the opioid epidemic,” Rehabilitation and Corrections Director Chambers-Smith said. “This project wouldn’t have been possible without the passion and support of our local partners, including Judge Fred Moses and Sheriff Lanny North.”

The Hocking Correctional Unit was constructed in 1955 as a hospital for the treatment of tuberculosis patients.

The facility also was used as a children’s center before becoming a prison in the early 1980s.

Project design will begin this month with construction starting in 2022.

Monday’s announcement is in addition to the recently announced $50 million in grants allocated to support local jail construction and renovations in Senate Bill 310 which was passed by the Ohio General Assembly and signed by DeWine in December 2020. The Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail and county jails in Coshocton, Gallia, Harrison, Lawrence, and Scioto counties received a portion of the funding.