Case Study | Corrections: Delta County Jail and Sheriff’s Office

Delta County’s Jail was more than 50 years old, located on the County square and the Lake Michigan shorefront. Experiencing jail overcrowding, constant housing of inmates out-of-county, the building’s aging and maintenance-intensive layout made it difficult to monitor inmate activities and required extensive staff and inmate movement.

Securitecture conducted a feasibility study to assess the County’s long-term Justice and Corrections needs, helping the County make a fully informed decision and providing data to present to the community to gain project approvals. After reviewing several options, a plan was developed to renovate and expand an existing, underutilized county asset. Half of the County’s existing Service Center Facility was converted into Jail and Sheriff’s office functions— Sheriff administration, patrol division, investigations, evidence storage/processing, and support/training; Jail kitchen and laundry; inmate worker housing; and inmate medical. A new housing pod added to the Service Center increased housing by 164 beds, and added indoor/outdoor recreation plus 3 classrooms, and a new Intake and Booking Center was also constructed.

To expedite construction, early bid packages were developed for sitework/utilities, footings/foundation, structural steel, precast concrete wall panels, detention equipment, and security electronics. Modularly constructed steel cells and dormitory units were used with an elevated, central control room. To accommodate new inmate transport, a new vehicular sallyport and holding area was added to the now remotely-located courthouse. The decision to renovate and expand an under-utilized County asset saved approximately $2.5 million in project construction.