Challenge: Orange County’s existing jail did not have the capacity to meet their jail population and classification demands. Additionally, the facility layout was operationally inefficient and challenging to observe. To address this, the county was considering several options when a manufacturing facility became available for purchase.

Solution: RQAW was initially engaged to determine the feasibility of converting a portion of the 200,000 square foot facility into a modern jail. Once it was determined that the facility could be renovated into a jail, the county asked RQAW to develop conceptual plans to show how the remainder of the facility could be utilized for all justice and county government functions. RQAW was also tasked with developing a scheme to renovate and modernize the exterior of the facility and making it suitable for county government, including new entry features. With the overall scheme developed, RQAW then worked with the county to develop a phasing plan that initially builds the jail portion, develops the site and addresses some of the exterior renovation. Phase 1 includes a new Sheriff’s Office, Intake and Booking, Pre-process Area, Medical and a 171 bed Housing Pod that is expandable to 227 beds.