Shasta County Jail to Open New Sobering Cell

REDDING, Calif. — Construction on a 90-square-foot sobering cell was recently completed on Dec. 29 at the Shasta County Jail in Redding. Shasta County Jail officials are currently waiting for approval from a state corrections inspector as well as the delivery of a lighting fixture before the new cell can be used, according to the Redding Record Searchlight.

The sobering cell was converted from a staff restroom and storage space at a cost of $162,650. Livermore, Calif.-based T. Amarals Done Right Construction completed the project, while locally based Nichols, Melburg & Rossetto created the blueprints for the cell.

The new cell features an inmate call system, padded flooring and a toilet as well as a drain in the center of the room. It will give the jail a specific space for inebriated inmates, which will also help speed up the process of holding inmates. Cells at the jail are currently separated between men and women, but now there will also be space for those inmates who are disruptive and need to be housed separately.

The sobering cell was considered high priority by jail staff, reported Redding Record Searchlight. Other projects will soon be underway, as the 99,923-square-foot facility has become worn ever since first opening in 1984. Up next: The jail will upgrade the cooling and heating system to a digital one. The project will cost about $500,000, and Public Works will bring the plan to the board of supervisors later this month.