Charleston County Embarks on $90 Million Jail Expansion

CHARLESTON, N.C. — Charleston County Council approved a $90 million construction project to renovate and expand the existing county detention center.

MB Kahn Construction, of Columbia, and the Charlotte, office of Moseley Architects will collaborate on the design-build project, which is intended to alleviate chronic overcrowding by providing an additional 1,344 beds.

Originally designed to house 661 inmates, the expansion will raise the facility’s total rated capacity to 2,005 inmates and meet inmate-population projections through 2025, officials say.

A new four-story building will provide approximately 334,000 square feet of operational space with 21 direct-supervision housing units, accommodating 64 beds each.

The new building will house a medical clinic and infirmary, inmate processing, administration and support space, and kitchen and laundry facilities. Mechanical plant operations will be located on the top floor.

A new connecting corridor will link the existing housing tower to the new building. The facility’s existing linear housing wings will be decommissioned as part of the renovation phase.
Renovations will start after completion of the new construction phase, and will include remodeling of staff support space and upgrading of existing key-operated door locks to electronic locking systems.

The renovation phase is scheduled for completion by the middle of 2010, officials say.
In other news, inmates in nearby Greenville, S.C., began moving into new accommodations after officials unveiled the $13.5 million addition to the Greenville County Detention Center.

The new housing unit, which adds 448 beds, is expected to alleviate overcrowding and improve safety at the facility, originally designed in 1976, officials say.