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Escambia County’s New $142 Million Correctional Facility Is Almost Complete. Here’s A Photo Tour.
January 29, 2021
The new $142 million Escambia County Correctional Facility is set to open in the spring, replacing the Central Booking and Detention Center that was destroyed by an explosion in 2014.
On Thursday, select media members, including NorthEscambia.com, were allowed inside the 304,067 square foot, four story structure.
It is expected to be substantially completed in next month, with a final completion and the first inmates housed by April.
There are 15 housing units, know as “pods” for the inmates. Four dorms are centered around a central multipurpose room that includes a station for corrections officers.
“We have the officer in direct contact with the inmate,” said Escambia County Corrections Lt. Jason Walker. “It allows the inmate to create a professional relationship with the staff. The staff can then help them through their process of being incarcerated.”
Inmates will spend their time inside the pods, with services such as medical treatment, food and video visitation coming to them. There are televisions in the multipurpose rooms, and there access to an attached recreation area with a basketball goal. The rec area has high windows that open to the outside to allow in natural light and fresh air.
“Inmates have the opportunity to go outside and get some fresh air,” said Walker.
The facility has a complete infirmary to provide medical care.
“This was pretty much design to be a mini hospital so that we can handle patients that have direct medical needs,” Walker added.
There is a separate wing for juveniles that will not have contact with adult prisoners.
“They’ll have everything they’ll need, medical, schools, programs, all the recreation, in one wing,” Walker said. “It’s separate so they won’t even intermingle with adults.”
The new Escambia County Correctional Facility will not replace the current jail, which was constructed in the 1980s. The two buildings are connected by an enclosed corridor. Inmates will be divided between the two buildings based up on their security classification. Main services such as food and laundry will be in the new building.
Escambia County Corrections is now hiring correctional officers, detention assistants and medical professionals for the new facility. For more information on how to apply, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
30 Responses to “Escambia County’s New $142 Million Correctional Facility Is Almost Complete. Here’s A Photo Tour.”
The new jail looks new – for now. I won’t get into the hotel vs. jail argument, it’s a stone & metal facility, and anyone who thinks it looks like a 5 star has never stayed in a 5 star. Though I do feel that people who haven’t been convicted of a crime, but don’t have the ability to bond out, shouldn’t have to suffer as if they HAVE been convicted. And corrections officers shouldn’t have to suffer with them either… My issue is the cost of this facility. 142 million? Really? Has anyone driven down the street in front of this jail (Pace Blvd.) lately? The County can’t afford to repave that street (which stresses my car’s alignment every time I have to go that way) or several of the main arteries in town, but they can spend that much (which includes sales tax $) to house more arrestees??? We can’t get street lights in more than half the neighborhoods in town, but we can afford a huge jail? Am I the only one who has a problem with SO MANY of our tax dollars being spent this way? Insane.
The new jail looks good. To those that reply like they on facebook my 1st point is it’s not no 5 stars hotel. I’ve never even seen any hotel have metal toilets yep and it’s COLD BTW. Jail is for folks that haven’t been to court yet. Too poor to bond out and anyone sentenced to a year or less and 2nd point back in the day jail and prison was bad condition and folks complain and laws were made to protect the inmates from poor condition. Private prison is florida uneducated government that allowed a company to get paid to take inmates and house said inmates and the private company works the inmates to make money. The condition or worse than State prison and I guess uneducated government in Florida wants to be sued again. Yes I said again. Back in the day inmates were sold to the forestry department and poor condition and unlawful deaths caused florida to be sued and that was less than 100 years ago and now florida is paying theses company to take the of inmates and trust me Florida will be in court years from now because of private prison condition. I look at it a different way. Poor condition for inmates means poor condition for officer to work in.
Thank you for your positive comments Nana! A lot of people we’re not positive of my opinion but it you don’t like jail don’t do anything wrong or at least don’t get caught! It’s almost like they built A jail that looks like a hotel too make people wanna go there. The old castle gray skull looks like a jail the new one looks like a office park! Let’s be honest it’s the correction officers that are doing time not the inmates!!
I called up couldn’t get a reservation for 4 months! Do they have a pool??
Jail is too easy but what’s hard is getting the beat down while your getting arrested! All you do in jail is work on your spades game and try and get money put on your books! The other jail blew up because the dryers floated up and ripped the gas line out the wall. That new jail is so nice it’s going too put bondsmans outta business! No one will wanna bond out and leave! I might be wrong but in my opinion it’s 5 star hotel! Imma look it up on Air BnB
If jail so bad why do people go back? That’s a five star hotel!
@todd just how comfortable do you think their victims are? Jail is not supposed to be a country club, it’s supposed to be a deterrent, as you see that don’t work because they keep going back for more.
Those saying it’s too nice for jail… Removal from society and loss of personal freedom is the punishment. Making things extra harsh for the sake of it is unnecessarily cruel.
Don’t forget that county jails also house those awaiting trial who cannot afford bail.
Don’t matter how good they make new jail sound. They fail our safety and allowed the old one to blow up. Who to say they want do it again jail is no place for anyone. Don’t care how good they make new jail sound
@Kane lol you make it sound like it’s the jails fault!!!!. The ones that are in there are not people who just made a mistake, 99% are repeat customers over and over. They are the ones who have caused their loved ones grieve. Talk to the county commissioners and ask how much is spent each year on inmates healthcare, it’s not as you describe at all. And if it was truly that bad a person wouldn’t make a mistake but once due to fear of going back. Jail is not supposed to be a country club. This is what’s wrong now days people feeling sorry for the criminals, never thinking or considering the string of victims they have made, from their so called mistake.
PRISONERS are human beings. We all make mistakes. C’mon folks, if you e never has a loved one in jail, shut up! You are just showing your ignorance.
@Judy you’re fooling yourself if you think any of that is free. Tax payers foot the bill for a lot and the inmates constantly plead for money from family and friends. The medical is charged to the prisoner if they have to many charges they can’t go to medical unless they are bleeding or non responsive. Most prisons in Florida do not have a Doctor on site some do not even have a nurse (I’m looking at you Walton Correctional).
Prison is no “5 star hotel” it is punishment that goes beyond punishing those that committed a crime it also punishes families friends everyone connected to that criminal. Private ran prisons are even worse. Those facilities are in it to make a profit off crime guess they didn’t learn from their inmates that crime doesn’t pay.
As for free food if you like green meat and cancer then maybe jail is for you. Most inmates survive off canteen with the money they get from their families. There is no such thing as a free lunch in these places.
I want to remind everyone that the new jail was built because the old one blew up with people inside it. I know a lot of you are just making jokes but it also shows your ignorance of what jail is really like and what the inmates and their loved ones have to endure and remember they are in there because of a mistake they made and we all make mistakes.
Skip on January 29th, 2021 7:28 am : I was going too go too work today but I might just go too jail. That looks like a five star hotel. Free medical free gym/Basketball courts and free food sign me up!
Make yourself at home. Big Bubba will be by to see ya shortly, and plan on a visit tonight from Horney Harold. Hope you like P’nut butter and Kool-aid, and really hope you like playing dominoes…or listening to the fights over them! Also I suspect you will love all the strip searches because there is little else to occupy your time. You are not allowed to sleep during the day, either. So, just commit a crime and have a blast!
One hundred and forty two million!
I would have put up a big pole barn, with individual cells. You could have built a good functional Jail for twenty five million.
Two man cell
One table with one seat. Not good. Dominant inmate will control comfort item. Would like taking tour.
It’s really nice but I still would not want to be in jail. I was born free!
You people are sick what is wrong with having a clean jail this is no way a 5 star living arrangement you forget what life can be like confined with other alpha males whats so wrong with some feesh air once in awhile or a basketball game ? Sitting in a jail os punishment so why not let them sit in a better viewing with activities? Yall are heartless
First, all jails in Florida have to meet these requirements for inmates: https://www.flsheriffs.org/uploads/docs/FMJS_04-01-2018_-_Updated_copy.pdf
Secondly, there is more than one shower per housing unit. No, they don’t get individual showers. Refer to the Florida Model Jail Standards for the shower requirements, as well as everything else.
It’s a shame it couldn’t have been designed by someone really smart like Bill. It appears Bill knows all there is to know about jail security. What amenities were you talking about, Nana, the snazzy combination toilet and hand sink that you’ll share with someone else, was it the one TV for the entire pod that you get to watch to fill the time? Maybe it was the steel beds or the stylish desk and stool mounted to the wall. And for everyone that thinks it looks really appealing, it’s the easiest hotel booking you’ll ever make, they’ll even come pick you up, give you something clean to wear, feed you, then you just live it up. Feel free stay as long as you like, leave a review.
“Wowwwwww. They have individual showers? Just wowwwwww!!”
They do not have individual showers. One per dorm in the pod we visited.
Wowwwwww. They have individual showers? Just wowwwwww!!
I can’t wait!
Skip I know you just kidding..
Yeah you get those things you say. But you also lose your freedom to come and go and you please. And you got to put up with all those other monsters in there that just create another nightmare in there. There is no simply doing your time and having fun.. Always people wanting to cause issues for some slight they see you do….
I agree with Skip……who wouldn’t want to go to jail. You’re taken care of, given all those amenities! That’s what wrong with society today….you go to jail to be punished for your crime! You shouldn’t be treated like your at a “5 star hotel.” It’s like sending your kids to their rooms when they are punished but yet they have a tv, stereo, computer or iPad, games, etc. and told to stay there for awhile! Big deal! What lesson did they learn? Same as criminals!
would like to take a tour.
looks like a lot of wasted space.
I’m sure the existing employees tried to give input on this inept design.
I was going too go too work today but I might just go too jail. That looks like a five star hotel. Free medical free gym/Basketball courts and free food sign me up!
This is a stupid design that puts staff in danger by leaving them exposed all day long. Escambia County is like this about everything. If it’s what they’re doing elsewhere in the country we just follow along like sheep. Old jails looked like jails for a reason.
With the exception of the top pic, it looks like a public school. LOL
My son and I are retired correction Officers and we would to take a tour of the new facility.