Macomb County, Mich., Creates National Model of Corrections and Care
The Macomb County Jail Central Intake and Assessment Center (CAIC) serves as a crucial link between the justice system and community-based mental health care. At admission, people will be assessed for medical needs as well as mental health or substance-use disorders in coordination with MCCMH professionals. Photo Credit (all): STV and PARTNERS in Architecture, PLC
By Lindsey Coulter
When 16 hospitals across the state of Michigan were shuttered in 1997, the responsibility of caring for many people struggling with mental illness shifted from medical providers to county jails. Such was the case for Macomb County, where then-Deputy Sheriffs Mark Hackel and Anthony Wickersham quickly recognized a need for behavioral health services on the county jail level as a matter of public safety as well as fiscal responsibility.
Thinking Beyond Corrections
Both Hackel and Wickersham envisioned a facility to identify, diagnose and begin treatment of incarcerated people suffering from mental illness and substance use addictions. That vision was eventually endorsed by the U.S. Department of Treasury via the authorization of American Rescue Plan Act funds ($128 million), the project was also supported by Macomb County ($60 million) and the State of Michigan ($40 million) to help develop of a new model of corrections and care. The vision finally became a reality when construction began on the new $228 million Macomb County Jail Central Intake and Assessment Center (CIAC) in August 2024.
“The new Intake and Assessment Center is much more than a jail,” said Hackel, who now serves as the elected county executive. “It is designed to serve the public and offenders suffering from acute or sub-acute mental illness and/or substance use addictions resulting in suicide or death to others as a worst-case scenario.”
Hackel explained that the facility is designed and will be professionally staffed to comprehensively diagnose and treat offenders with medical and mental health needs via a partnership with Macomb County Community Mental Health (MCCMH). The collaborative approach will include deflecting crisis calls away from emergency services through de-escalation, outpatient referrals and connections to existing caregivers, family or community-based support networks. For people who cannot be diverted, however, crisis intervention and response will feed into three primary pathways: no-refusal acute crisis facilities; community and residential care programs; or the CIAC.
“Much too frequently law enforcement officers are confronted by deviant people exhibiting assaultive
or suicidal behaviors, which is a direct or indirect consequence of their mental illness and/or substance use addictions, too often resulting in deadly consequences to them and others,” said Wickersham, who now serves as Macomb County Sheriff.
In contrast, this multiple-pathway approach ensures that people receive the necessary level of care in the least-restrictive setting possible—helping to reduce jail admissions, ease emergency-room overcrowding and free up hospital beds, all while improving outcomes and reducing costs to taxpayers.
A New Facility for a New Philosophy
The CIAC serves as a crucial link between
the justice system and community-based mental health care. At admission, people will be assessed for medical needs as well as mental health or substance-use disorders in coordination with MCCMH professionals. Information gleaned will inform security classification decisions, housing placement and treatment plan—both while people are in custody and following their release. At the same time, the strategy will provide more support to correctional and clinical staff, improving working environments and reflecting a renewed sense of mission that will contribute to better outcomes for all.
PARTNERS in Architecture (PIA) and STV worked together to deliver the 162,000-square-foot design, with PIA serving as architect-of-record and STV as justice architect and engineer-of-record. PIA’s deep history of working with Macomb County provided essential insight into local requirements and construction processes, while STV brought extensive expertise in justice and behavioral health design.
The project team facilitated visioning sessions with the county cxecutives, Sheriff’s Office, facilities and operations staff, community corrections staff, and medical and mental health teams, exploring multiple options before advancing a preferred design. The project scope was refined to align with the budget during value engineering sessions with construction manager Granger Construction and owner’s representative Plante Moran Realpoint. This was followed by a concerted effort to complete the construction document bid packages and validate received bids, allowing the county to meet a Department of Treasury deadline for almost $130 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding.
“The ultimate design aims to balance two priorities: expanding community-based interventions and services to reduce unnecessary incarceration and to transform the jail environment to improve outcomes for people in custody with chronic medical conditions, serious mental illness or substance use disorders,” said Michael Malone, AIA, principal at PIA.
“The county’s vision prioritizes triaging people in crisis into the least restrictive settings possible while ensuring those who enter the justice system have access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and intensive behavioral health services,” said Hugh D. Lester, Ph.D.c, architecture director, corrections and secure psychiatric, at STV. “Throughout the design process, PIA and STV worked to align this vision with operational needs—balancing best practices in direct supervision and normalized, therapeutic environments with considerations such as self-harm mitigation, maintainability, operational concerns and staffing costs.”
This article was originally published in the March/April Issue of Correctional News. Read the rest of the article to learn about how the project is balancing safety and care, and the next steps for the team.