Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of Sept. 15.
We'll get into it with project updates:
- Construction of the new $155 million Grant County Jail in Washington is progressing on schedule for completion in the summer of 2026.
- Also in Washington, Whatcom County has chosen four firms to design and build the county's new jail and behavioral health facility, which could cost between $160 million and $174 million.
- Officials in Colbert County, Ala., awarded a construction contract to Limestone Building Corporation to build a new $35 million, 260-bed county jail.
- In Ohio, the Greene County Sheriff's Office has moved into its new space as the first phase of the $61 million corrections center campus construction project wraps up.
Moving on to updates in legislation and funding:
- The Federal Communications Commission will consider a plan to lift restrictions on jamming cellphone signals in state and federal prisons, with a vote scheduled for Sept. 30.
- In California, a bill aimed at reducing stress and improving safety for correctional officers, as well as codifying principles of "normality" and "dynamic security" has been approved by the state Senate.
- A $40 million bond to fund the construction of a new 230-bed jail in Payette County, Idaho is on the ballot for November.
- A new bill that would ban paper legal mail in New York state prisons and shift all correspondence to a secure email portal has been introduced.
Moving on to people and company updates:
- Correctional News welcomes Ashley Oddo, Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, as the newest member of its Editorial Advisory Board.
- The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has appointed Michael Bates as Chief Projects Officer.
- Adnak Contracting Services, LLC recently announced the acquisition of Detention Equipment Service, Inc.
Moving on to construction reports:
- The city of Apopka, Fla., has issued an RFQ for architectural and design firms to conduct a facility needs assessment at its law enforcement training facility, with submittals due Oct. 7.
- The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Florida is requesting qualifications from architectural and engineering firms for the renovation of the Sheriff's Operations Center, with submittals due Oct. 24.
- The Caldwell County Project Development Board in Kentucky is requesting proposals from architectural and engineering firms for a new judicial center estimated at just over $33 million, with proposals due Oct. 10.
- The city of Corpus Christi, Texas is seeking bids for general contractors to expand and renovate the city's municipal detention center, with bids due on Oct. 8.
And lastly, for events this week:
- The American College of Correctional Physicians will host its 2025 National Education Conference this week in Providence, R.I., from Sept. 18–20.
