A new soon-to-open jail in Orange County will offer prisoners more positive opportunities and visitors a new way of interacting with incarcerated inmates, all while increasing safety for everyone at the facility.
The new James A. Musick Facility , a medium-security jail in Irvine, was the subject of a $256 million project “designed to meet the needs of an evolving jail population,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said. It replaces the old James A. Musick Facility, which consisted of multiple temporary structures and closed in 2019.
Included in the 324,000 square-foot facility are 896 beds, direct-supervision housing units and contemporary medical and programming facilities. A 512-bed building with an administration component will be joined by a 384-bed program building, officials said.
KTLA 5 Orange County Bureau Chief Chip Yost got a look at the new correctional center, and the changes begin right as you walk in; rather than a typical jail visitation area with a window in between the visitor and inmate, visitors will now communicate via a tablet device while the inmate remains in their housing unit, also communicating via tablet.