Why does Orange County need a new detention center?

The county has been studying the feasibility of a new detention center for several years. The Orange County jail was originally built in 1925 to house 34 inmates and has been expanded several times since to its current capacity of 129. The last expansion occurred in the mid-1990s. The number of beds will increase slightly with the new facility, which will also offer potential for additional expansion should future needs dictate.

The current jail needs significant upkeep each year to meet minimum standards as established by the NC. Department of Health and Human Services. The current facility has several inadequacies that must be addressed, including an aging cell locking mechanism that is expensive to repair and will need to be replaced, insufficient kitchen, medical and laundry facilities and an inadequate suicide watch cell, especially for female inmates.

Show All Answers

1. Why does Orange County need a new detention center?
2. If the county acquires the properties for the Northern Campus uses, would the properties be annexed into Hillsborough?
3. What progress has been made regarding the Northern Campus since the County acquired the properties in April, 2018?
4. Aren’t there other sites you could use?
5. Why is the Highway 70 site the best location?
6. Why does Orange County need a new Environment and Agricultural center?
7. What is a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR)?
8. What will happen to the current facility?
9. What is ETJ?
10. What is the Comprehensive Plan?
11. What Hillsborough land-use ordinance provisions are being requested to be amended by Orange County for the County Northern Campus?
12. What are the criteria used in site selection and evaluation for the Orange County North Campus?
13. What kind of due diligence did the county perform on the site?