Incarceration rates are higher in the US than any other country worldwide and sixteen states have more prisoners than they have capacity for. Some states have responded by investing millions into renovating and expanding existing detention centers as well as building new facilities. Based on building permit activity from BuildZoom’s National Building Permit Database, we identified eleven prisons that have been undergoing large expansions or renovations within the past six months.
Source: San Diego Free Press
#1: Otay Mesa Detention Facility
Project Type: Addition
Location: Otay, CA
Region: Southwest
Capacity: Add “572 beds in 2018, replacing what is now a soccer field, and possibly another 985 beds in 2020” (currently at 1500) (source)
Cost of Update: N/A
Permitted Valuation: $6,040,523 (for 66,477 square foot, 2 story, 512 bed extension)
Contractor on File: JE Dunn Construction Company
Permit Details
Otay Mesa is the fastest growing facility on our list and is a dedicated immigration detention center. Recently, these types of facilities have been heavily impacted by rising detainee populations. However, as Otay Mesa is the only privately-owned detention center in California allowed to expand its facilities due to policy changes, the facility has enacted large-scale plans to expand from 1500 beds to possibly double that in the next few years.
#2: Minnehaha County Jail
Project Type: Addition
Location: Sioux Falls, SD
Region: Midwest
Capacity: Add 320 beds (to existing 85 – 110 population)
Cost of Update: $48.3M
Permitted Valuation: $40.7M
Contractor on File: Henry Carlson Co.
Planned completion date: Summer 2020
Permit Details
Minnehaha County Jail is expanding upwards and outwards by adding an additional floor and building over the parking lot to the east of the existing jail. The County Commissioner attributes the need for a larger jail facility to an increase in crime in Minnehaha County. The existing facility, which was crowded to begin with, saw a recent influx of prisoners from neighboring Minnehaha County Prison when a fire rendered facilities for 80 inmates uninhabitable.
#3: Saginaw County Adult Detention
Project Type: New Build
Location: Saginaw, Michigan
Region: Midwest
Capacity: 511 new beds
Cost of Update: $35.8M
Permitted Valuation on File: $17,365,781
Contractor on File: Spence Brothers
Planned completion date: November 2019
Permit Details
According to permits for the project, the new jail will serve as an adult detention facility for the County of Saginaw. The project will replace the existing detention center at 208 S. Harrison Street, which was built in 1971 to house 218 (and now houses 513 via expansions added on over the years). According to previous coverage, the County Commissioners issued bonds worth $35.8 million to finance the project, and the cost may raise even higher to $38 million if not paid off in 30 years. The project is expected to create 200 construction jobs.
#4: Prince William County Adult Detention Center
Project Type: Addition
Location: Manassas, VA
Region: Southeast
Capacity: Add 204 beds
Cost of Update: $44M
Permitted Valuation: N/A
Contractor on File: Branch and Associates
Planned completion date: Early 2020
Permit Details
The expansion of the Prince William County Adult Detention Center will add 204 beds and will be financed through facilities capital reserve, general fund contributions, and $21 million in state funding. To guarantee reimbursement by the state, the expansion necessitated a “community-based corrections study” that proved the expansion was necessary for the growing inmate population. The Superintendent Col. Pete Meletis has stated that the current facility is over their capacity of 667 by about 300 (including inmates “farmed out” to other facilities).
#5: Le Sueur County Justice Center
Project Type: New Build
Location: Le Centre, Minnesota
Region: Midwest
Capacity: 36 new beds
Cost of Update: $23M
Permitted Valuation: N/A
Expected completion date: 2019/2020
Permit Details
The new 2-story, 60,000 square foot facility on the edge of Le Centre will contain a new courthouse as well as a jail. The new facility will be down the road from the existing courthouse. According to the county, the new building is needed because the existing facilities are 105 years old, inadequately sized, insufficiently secured, and non-compliant with Department of Corrections requirements. The new facility will have the added benefit of extra parking, neighboring space in which to expand, and secure, private transfers from inmates to the courtrooms for hearings.
#6: Becker County
Project Type: New Build
Location: Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
Region: Midwest
Capacity: 186 new beds
Cost of Update: $21M
Permitted Valuation: N/A
Expected completion date: December 2018
Permit Details
When the state ordered the county to shut down or replace the 43-bed maximum security jail at the Becker County courthouse, the city responded with plans to build a new facility for 180 inmates on 17 acres of property. The two story structure will be arranged in six pods, allowing inmates to be separated by “classification,” including spaces for the general population, higher-supervision inmates, disabled inmates, and “dorm style” spaces for minimum-security work-release crew. Other facilities include a gym and a classroom (source).
Other Facility Expansions of Interest:
#7: Sutter County
Region: West
Project Type: Addition
Location: Yuba City, CA
Capacity: Add 42 beds to existing 352
Cost of Update: $15.5M
Expected Completion Date: December 2018
Permit Details
#8: Denver County Jail
Region: West
Project Type: Addition/Remodel to expand female housing at jail
Location: Denver, CO
Capacity: 96 beds (up from 24)
Cost of Update: $8M
Contractor on File: Federal Contracting Inc
Permit Details
#9: West Central Regional Juvenile Center
Region: Midwest
Project Type: Addition
Location: Moorhead, MN
Capacity: 65 secure and 32 nonsecure (up from 32 secure beds and 15 nonsecure beds) (source)
Cost of Update: $7.5M
Permit Details
#10: Oak Creek Youth Correctional
Region: PNW
Project Type: 4500 square foot education addition to existing 41,513 sf youth correctional facility
Location: Albany, OR
Cost of Update: $7.1M
Permit Details
#11: Okaloosa County Jail
Region: Southeast
Project Type: Demolish old buildings and build an addition to the jail (the jail currently routinely exceeds capacity by 100 inmates)
Location: Crestview, FL
Cost of Update: $20M
Permit Details
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Notes:
- Permits from jails, prisons, and detention center projects from the past six months were identified in BuildZoom’s National Permit Database.
- Permit values are pre-construction estimates and may not reflect total construction costs.
- Aggregate sums are minimum estimates and may not include permits for demolition work, temporary structures, FF&E, engineering, or other public infrastructure improvements.
- This data has been made available to BuildZoom by the Building Department of each jurisdiction.
- Permitting data was supplemented by research published by other outlets, as cited.
About BuildZoom’s Research:
BuildZoom is a personalized online service that empowers people to hire the right contractor for their commercial or residential construction project. By analyzing construction data including nearly 200 million building permits from across the nation, the research team at BuildZoom has published many studies about the construction industry and housing market, many of which have been featured by national publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. Learn more at www.buildzoom.com
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