A new $301 million detention center opened Thursday morning in east Kansas City, expanding Jackson County’s capacity to detain people charged with felonies while they await trial.
County officials emphasized that the detention center was completed on its projected timeline and came in slightly under budget, though in the fall they said it would be done by the end of 2025. The new detention center will ultimately replace the current county detention center in downtown Kansas City, which is more than four decades old, has fallen into partial disrepair and has long been plagued by unsafe overcrowding and allegations of abuse and mismanagement.
“This is a historic moment for Jackson County,” Kevin Harrell, the presiding judge of Missouri’s 16th Circuit, said at a Thursday morning ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new facility. “In addition to that, it is the recognition that we have to keep our staff safe. It’s the recognition that we have to keep this community safe, and most importantly, it’s the recognition that we have to deliver justice with dignity.”…