Maricopa County’s New Jail Replacement Facility Helps with Booking

PHOENIX — Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Sheriff Paul Penzone attended a ceremonial wall signing, marking advancement in the construction of the new Maricopa County Intake, Transfer and Release Facility to replace the outdated Durango Jail, located in the Phoenix area.

With Hensel Phelps and Arrington Watkins Architects (from their Phoenix offices) working on the project, the minimum-security jail replacement facility will create increased efficiency within the booking process. The expansion is planned to establish an effective and time-saving process for the intake, transfer and release facility to help law enforcement officers spend more time patrolling their community and less time in booking. It will include 1,280 beds as well as a 512-bed holding area for people released within 72 hours.

“The Maricopa County Intake, Transfer and Release Facility is not just another jail. It applies science and best practices to the facility design,” Supervisor Steve Gallardo, District 5, said in a statement. “It will help us achieve our goal of giving people in custody a better chance of success when they’re out.”

Durango was not originally intended to be a jail but rather a facility to help inmates re-enter the community, according to Maricopa County’s website. However, as the jail population increased, the building was repurposed, first into a female unit for the Department of Corrections and then a Psychiatric Unit. This replacement facility will help the county better accommodate treatment and educational programs as well as reduce recidivism, and physical and mental healthcare services will be available on site. Maricopa County staff will also be able to give evidence-based treatment and help connect people with community resources for continued treatment when they get out.

“Public safety is a core function of what we do as a county government, and jails are a necessary component,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve Chucri, District 2, in a statement. “The new jail will make the booking process more efficient and streamlined, which will allow officers to be back on the streets for a safer community.”

Construction of the facility is scheduled to be complete by early 2020.

Above Video Courtesy of Maricopa County