In the midst of transitioning the Lawrence County Jail to the former Ohio River Valley Juvenile Correctional Facility in Franklin Furnace, discussions about building a new jail here in the county have begun.

Forming a committee to begin looking at the various options that may be available is a step in the right direction.

At the current time, however, the move to the Scioto County facility is the best option.

While there will be some additional expenses for the sheriff’s office and county, the costs of transporting all inmates to facilities outside of the county is larger than transferring operations to Scioto County.

While continuing talks about building Lawrence County a jail of its own is a good plan, steps should have been taken years ago to ensure the county had a facility that meets state standards.

The most obvious issues the county will face with a new jail is funding. Another issue is where the jail would be located.

It seems this new committee, whomever its members will be, will certainly have their work cut out for them.