What for decades was an eighth floor cell block housing 30-55 inmates in the Norfolk City Jail is now a fully-equipped medical and mental health services clinic, expanding the jail’s ability to meet inmates’ daily medical needs on-site, rather than relying on transport to local hospitals.
In under two years and with over $1.5 million in city funds, construction crews gutted out the concrete showers, steel benches and sinks of the nearly 60-year-old cell block, replacing it with six examination rooms, mental health and telehealth consultation spaces.
Before this year’s renovation, the jail had two examination rooms for hundreds of inmates. Those requiring medical care would wait in line on a metal bench…