Wayne County’s Criminal Justice Complex Merges Courts, Care and Corrections

Photo: Comprising a courthouse, adult and juvenile facilities and administrative offices, the project represents the county’s efforts to consolidate and modernize its system.

By CN Staff

The new Wayne County Criminal Justice Complex (CJC) in Detroit consolidates several key justice functions into one 1,000,008 square foot campus. Comprising a courthouse, adult and juvenile facilities and administrative offices, the project represents the county’s efforts to consolidate their system into a modern, centralized infrastructure that supports long-term stability and public service delivery.

Designed by HOK and developed through a turnkey delivery model with Bedrock, the $500 million project brings together four distinct, but interconnected buildings, a courthouse, adult detention facility (ADF), juvenile detention facility (JDF) and administrative/prosecutorial space, into a single civic campus.

A Civic Campus, Not Just a Jail

“It’s a civic campus,” said Jeff Goodale, director of justice at HOK and principal in charge for the project. “The buildings are separated, but they’re physically joined. They share things like the loading dock, mail delivery, electronic security and the central utility plant. Each one of them [could have been] a project on its own.”

The CJC centralizes critical services with a secure pedestrian tunnel connecting the ADF to the courthouse. All residents, staff and visitors enter through a single, large central lobby that controls access to the complex. From there, the 28-courtroom courthouse rises seven stories. Adjacent sit a four-story building shared by the Sheriff’s Department and Prosecutor’s Office, a central courtyard and utilities plant managed by Detroit Edison, and two secure detention facilities.

Prefabrication Meets Purpose

Construction at this scale required creative strategies. The ADF was built using a hybrid model. Half was composed of prefabricated modular steel cells and half build using traditional built-in-place methods. “Half the jail was prefab cells… the other half was eight-person units too large to ship,” said Goodale.

SteelCell of North America manufactured the modular units in their factory, providing consistent quality and built-in hookups for utilities. Pauly Jail Building Company installed the prefabricated cells, while CML Security and Barton Malow executed complementary work on security infrastructure and field construction. This team structure also helped to manage labor coordination and union requirements across the project.

The hybrid approach allowed for an accelerated timeline, improved installation efficiency and ultimately enhanced safety.

“This approach dramatically accelerated the timeline and enhanced long-term durability,” said Wayne County executive Warren C. Evans.

The eight-person units, constructed on site, feature large glass fronts, integrated dayroom space, WiFi, television and telephones. These expanded living quarters reflect a growing trend in corrections to normalize the residential environment, particularly for lower classification individuals, without compromising security or supervision.

Beyond Containment

From the outset, Wayne County’s goal was not only to replace aging infrastructure, but to change the experience and outcomes of incarceration.

“The future of corrections in Wayne County is rooted in transformation, not just containment,” said Evans. “This facility isn’t just a building, it’s a commitment to dignity, safety and accountability.”

Every housing unit within both the adult and juvenile detention facilities is equipped with dedicated programming spaces. Including classrooms and multipurpose rooms available for educational instruction, religious services and volunteer-led initiatives. Recreation spaces are also embedded directly into each unit, providing daily access to physical activity, which is a new element that wasn’t included in two of the three previous jail facilities.

Every resident receives a personal tablet that supports access to books, music, law library, rule book, commissary, mail, medical requests and video messaging. These devices are not only convenient, but they are also part of the county’s strategy to create constructive engagement and help inmates stay connected with their community.

The environment itself also reflects Wayne County’s philosophy. Natural light is emphasized in the design and administrative spaces use glass curtain walls to reinforce transparency, both literally and symbolically. Notably, the county operates the facility well below capacity, around 1,600 of 2,280 beds, in line with its broader strategy to reduce incarceration through pretrial reform and diversion.

A New Approach to Mental Health and Reentry

A full floor of the ADF is dedicated to medical and behavioral health services, including 188 acute mental health beds and suicide-watch housing. Offices for embedded medical and mental health staff are built into housing units, increasing both access and oversight. “Those units really do have a lot more access,” said Goodale. “They’re purpose-built.”

Special attention was also paid to the work environment for the Wayne County staff that would eventually occupy the space. Improvements in lighting, visibility and amenities were aimed at supporting staff recruitment and long-term retention.

The JDF was carefully designed to maintain sight-and-sound separation from adult areas while still benefiting from shared infrastructure. It also includes a library, arts and crafts rooms and a full basketball court. It also supports cognitive-behavioral and reentry programs delivered by Credible Messengers and community organizations.

“We don’t want time behind bars to define a person’s life… except for the skills we provide that make them stronger,” said Evans. “The CJC should just be an interruption, not the last stop.”

See the July/August issue of Correctional News to learn more about how the value of collaboration and how the facility prioritizes safety for all occupants.