WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – Two years later than expected, the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center will officially open on Sept. 3.
The center is located on Russell Street near the I-75 Service Drive.
The center, stretching one million square feet across seven buildings, will be the new home of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Wayne County Clerk’s Office, Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility, Wayne County Adult Detention Facility, and the Wayne County Third Judicial Circuit—Criminal Division.
“So instead of people having to drive around to find parking, go from point A to point B to point C, we have a one-stop shop for them to handle all of their business,” said Captain Rachel Davis with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.
The detention facilities will house nearly 2,500 adult inmates and juvenile residents.
Those incarcerated will have access to recreational spaces, a library, an area to meet with their families, and more.
The facility has 26 criminal courtrooms. The justice center has been a long time coming.
In 2017, the Detroit City Council agreed to swap land with Wayne County to move the failed jail site from downtown to Russell Street near the I-75 Service Drive.
In 2018, the county reached an agreement with Dan Gilbert’s Rock Ventures to build the jail complex in exchange for the division one and two jails, juvenile detention facility, and Frank Murphy Hall of Justice.
Rock Ventures also purchased the unfinished Gratiot jail site.
The project was supposed to be completed by the summer of 2022. The center is expected to welcome a thousand visitors each day.
Parking is free, and it’s also accessible by public transportation.
“Having the opportunity to work on the transition team for the last five years and actually see this building, you know, being born from the ground up, watching the foundation and the walls go up, and seeing everything that has been put into this facility, I think it’s a gigantic win for both the CEO’s office and each one of the stakeholders,” Davis said.