Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of Dec. 8.
Let's get into it with project updates:
- South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden and Department of Corrections Secretary Nick Lamb visited the site of the state's under-construction women's prison in Rapid City. The $87 million facility is expected to be complete by next July.
- Oklahoma County commissioners recently projected costs for the new Oklahoma County jail at $835 million, more than three times the amount voters approved in 2022.
- The new Liberty County, Fla., Jail and Sheriff's Office officially opened last week, replacing the oldest operational jail in Florida.
- Officials from Albemarle County and the city of Charlottesville, Va., recently celebrated the completion of the first phase of a $65 million court complex project.
Next in legislation and funding:
- Legislators in Erie County, N.Y., have cut $20 million intended to fund a study for a new county jail project from its proposed budget.
- A public hearing will be held this week to discuss plans for a new $750 million courthouse in Fresno County, Calif.
- Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon called on state legislators to release $9.3 million in emergency funding to address staffing shortages within the Wyoming Department of Corrections.
- St. Martin Parish, La., will move forward with plans to build a new jail, raising its capacity from 186 to 350 inmates.
Moving on to people and company News:
- The Delaware Department of Correction recently announced two promotions: Christopher Kearney to Warden of the Special Operations Group and Sean Milligan to Deputy Warden of Sussex Correctional Institution.
- Global access solutions company ASSA ABLOY recently acquired Sargent & Greenleaf, a manufacturer of high-security locking solutions.
Next in construction reports:
- The Bullock County, Ga., Board of Commissioners has issued an RFQ for firms to provide architecture and design services for the county's jail addition project, with submissions due Dec. 19.
- The Florida Department of Management Services is seeking bids for trade packages for the new Regional Juvenile Detention Center project in Hillsborough County, with bids due Jan. 8.
- Guadalupe County, Texas has issued an RFQ for architecture and engineering firms to conduct a jail feasibility study, with submissions due Jan. 13.
- The Indian River County Sheriff's Office in Florida has two open solicitations: one for an upgraded security system (bids due Feb. 16) and another for medical unit renovation (bids due Feb. 23).
And finishing it off with events for this week:
- The Correctional Leaders Association is convening in Scottsdale, Ariz., this week for its annual All Directors Symposium, from Dec. 8–11.
- The recording of last week's "Reimagining Corrections: Inside Arizona's Systemwide Transformation" webinar is now available.
- Correctional News is compiling its 2026 Projects to Watch list, with submissions due by Dec. 15.
For more details or to access the links mentioned, check out our podcast show notes at correctionalnews.com/podcast.
