The County began the process of evaluating their existing facility in 2016 by conducting several studies to evaluate the operation and maintenance costs of the facility along with the design and configuration for criminal justice best management practices. Two major concerns, overcrowding and deteriorating facilities, drove the County to look at alternatives. Further studies determined a new jail would be more cost effective for the County to maintain than renovating the existing facility. Plus, an updated design would allow for the integration of programs and services to assist in reducing recidivism for the Jackson County community. More information can be found on the development of the facility here.

After an extensive site evaluation spanning over 40 potential locations, the facility will be built at 7000 E US Highway 40 in Kansas City, Missouri. More information can be found on the site here.

The County determined the size of the facility by conducting a thorough needs assessment to validate the square footage and necessary number of beds to service the needs of Jackson County’s judicial system. The needs assessment was completed in 2020 with an updated version conducted in 2023. More information on the needs assessments can be found here.

Once the needs assessment, program and criteria were developed for the new facility, the county selected a design builder to provide a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) to build the facility. The joint venture team JE Dunn + Axiom Construction delivered the GMP of $301, 162,067 to construct the new facility. More information can be found on the financing of the project under the “funding” block here.