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Photos: Tour of the new Genesee County Jail

By Howard B. Owens
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Attendees of the jail dedication ceremony on Friday enter the new $70 million facility, many for the first time.
Photo by Howard Owens.

See also: County dedicates new jail that officials expect to serve community for at least a century

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Assistant Jail Superintendent Jeff Searls conducted one of the tours of the new jail. Here he is standing in the new Centralized Arraignment Part Court. When the jail was designed, CAP Court did not exist. The state government-mandated it to provide defendants with a speedier arraignment process. Designers had to find space to accommodate the courtroom.
Photo by Howard Owens.
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This is the intake/processing center. When inmates or detainees first arrive at the jail, they will be processed in this section of the facility. They will be held here until being moved into the jail or released. The area includes a washer and dryer to, if necessary, clean the closes of people being held, as well as showers. There are storage bins for personal belongings in a secure room. Some cells are designed for one or two inmates, others for multiple inmates. The intake area can accommodate more than double the number of people being held than the old jail, Searls said.
Photo by Howard Owens.
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Photo by Howard Owens
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The admin area of the new medical unit. The unit provides first-aid as well as access to counseling. 
Photo by Howard Owens.
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Office space for mental health care.
Photo by Howard Owens.
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A classroom.
Photo by Howard Owens
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Janitorial space.
Photo by Howard Owens
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Classroom Space
Photo by Howard Owens
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A cell unit.
Photo by Howard Owens.
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Microwave and sink for use by inmates.
Photo by Howard Owens.
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Photo by Howard Owens.
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Each inmate is issued a computer tablet that enables them to make phone calls (which are monitored by an outside security company) but there are also phones in the units (monitored by the same company).
Photo by Howard Owens.
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A jail cell.
Photo by Howard Owens.
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Photo by Howard Owens
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Photo by Howard Owens
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The visitors' area. The state doesn't allow barriers between inmates and guests.  Searls said this is the most likely place where inmates will try to acquire contraband. There are multiple surveillance cameras and vigilant corrections officers constantly observing activities in the room.
Photo by Howard Owens.
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Photo by Howard Owens.
new-jail-tour-genesee-county Jeff Searls
Assistant Jail Superintendent Jeff Searls.
Photo by Howard Owens

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