Criminal Justice Complex
Montgomery County Government
Department of General Services
Division of Building Design & Construction
Division Chief: Hamid Omidvar, AIAHamid.Omidvar@montgomerycountymd.gov
Section Chief: Patel Suresh
Project Manager: Susanne Churchill
Architect / Engineer
Grimm + Parker, Inc.Contractor
Grimm + Parker Inc.,Current Phase: Design
Grimm and Parker Architecture Inc./RicciGreene Architects, P.C., a Joint Venture, was selected as the architecture/engineering firm for the design of the Criminal Justice Complex. They have completed the updating of the assisting the County’s original Program of Requirements (POR), which is a summary statement of the Agency’s space needs in a form that is mutually agreeable to both DGS and the Agency. These requirements must include information about the location, square footage, construction requirements, and duration of the Agency’s space needs.
From the POR the A/E developed a conceptual design and an initial cost estimate which have been used to support a Grant Application for funding from the State (Maryland).
The 2014 Master Confinement Study indicated a declining overall inmate population in Montgomery County. However, the remaining incarcerated population is more acute in terms of mental health and substance abuse. As such, Montgomery County is embarking on a new approach for dealing with mentally ill persons who come in contact with the criminal justice system. The program for the new CJC envisions a facility where mental health assessment and treatment services are added to traditional intake activities, with an emphasis on deflection and diversion of inmates suffering from mental illness.
Costello Construction Inc., from Columbia, MD, have been selected as the General Contractor for construction.
Called the “ Restoration Center” this facility will be jointly operated and occupied by Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DOCR) and Health and Human Services (HHS); providing mental health screening and assessment, treatment and short-term stabilization and evaluation beds, in addition to traditional CPU activities for arrestees admitted and processed into the detention facility.
The Criminal Justice Complex (CJC) will replace the existing Montgomery County Detention Center (MCDC) on an adjacent site at the north end of Seven Locks Road and will house the functions currently in operation at MCDC. The Project will consist of the design and construction of a new maximum security facility to include a "Restoration Center" that will provide mental health assesments and treatment services. A vehicular sallyport and on-grade parking will also be accommodated on a site of approximately 6 acres out of a 28.2 acre parcel owned by the County.
Montgomery County operates a two-jail system. The Montgomery County Correctional Facility (MCCF) in Boyds provides long-term incarceration of inmates in the County. The primary function at the CJC will be to provide initial care, custody and security for inmates for up to 72 hours prior to transfer to MCCF. The maximum number of beds at the CJC will be 200. The CJC will serve the needs of the entire criminal justice system across a broad range of agencies at the County and State level. This will be a state-of-the-art criminal justice operation involving the following agencies: the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, District Court Commissioners, County Police, Sheriff’s Office, Health and Human Services, Office of the Public Defender, other law enforcement and police agencies, and other related agencies.
The CJC will be the central processing location for all arrested offenders by law enforcement in Montgomery County, and as such, will serve as the entry and discharge point for over 16,000 persons arrested and detained annually in the County. Short term detention services for men, women and juveniles will be provided as well as support services to respond to the needs of the critical first 72 hours after arrest. This will involve health care screening, mental health evaluation, pre-trial screening and initial appearance hearings, prisoner classification for those not being released, and public defender services. This maximum security facility also will provide a significant location for the District Court of Maryland Commissioners’ Office where judicial proceedings will be conducted 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, combining public access and security needs. Montgomery County Police warrants and fugitives units provide interrelated services on a 24 hours per day, 7 days per week basis and require direct access to the central processing unit.
