Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of Jan. 19.

Let's get started with project updates:

1. The new $150 million Pueblo County, Colo., detention center project is on track for completion and opening in April.
2. Construction on a new temporary jail in Kansas City, Mo., is officially underway, with the now $25 million project expected to be completed by June 1.
3. Work on the new $176 million Chambers County, Texas Justice Center Complex project is halfway complete and is expected to be finished by the end of this year.
4. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held last week at the new $44 million Butte County, Calif., jail expansion, concluding a 16-year process.
5. The intake center at the Santa Barbara County, Calif., Main Jail will be renovated after officials approved $6.3 million in project funding last week.

Moving on to Legislation and Funding:

1. Officials in Ohio authorized $130 million in funding last week to build a total of four new 36-bed youth detention facilities.
2. The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction received $2 million in grant funding to support education, job training and reentry services for incarcerated individuals.

Next in people news:

1. Dr. Mariel A. Marlow has joined the American Correctional Association as its Director of Correctional Health.
2. Diane Bruining has rejoined CGL Companies as Vice President of Business Development.
3. The Federal Bureau of Prisons named Patrick Mirandy as the new Director of the National Institute of Corrections.
4. Brant Smith has been named Vice President and General Manager of Tindall Building Systems -Mississippi.

Now for Construction Reports:

1. Finney County, Kan., is seeking proposals from construction management firms to build a new county jail, with bids due Jan. 30.
2. The Liberty County Board of Commissioners and Sheriff's Office in Georgia has issued an RFQ for CMAR firms to build a new public safety center, with bids due Feb. 13.
3. Hardee County, Fla., has issued an RFQ for architecture and engineering services for a new jail and multipurpose government facility, with bids due Feb. 27.

And finishing up with events:

1. The American Correctional Association's Winter Conference and the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators’ Winter Meeting will take place Feb. 5–8 in Long Beach, Calif.
2. Proposals for the National Commission on Correctional Health Care's Mental Health Care conference are due Feb. 13, and proposals for its National Conference are due March 6.

Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of Jan. 12.

Let's get started with project updates:

1. The Lancaster County, Pa., Board of Commissioners released preliminary designs for a new prison with cost estimates ranging from $434 million to $497 million.
2. Officials with the Acadiana Regional Juvenile Justice District in Louisiana have proposed building a new $75 million, 96-bed juvenile justice facility.
3. DLZ Architects presented conceptual renderings of a new $30 million jail to commissioners in Ashtabula County, Ohio.
4. The Cape Girardeau County, Mo., jail renovation project is on track, with renovation work expected to be completed by the fall.

Moving on to legislation and funding:

1. Commissioners in Oklahoma County, Okla., have proposed a permanent sales tax to support a new jail and other public safety operations, which could be on the April 7 election ballot.
2. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have awarded $234,000 in grant funding to improve career and technical education programs in correctional facilities.

Next in People news:

1. Willo Products Company has promoted Russell Roberts to Chief Executive Officer.
2. JE Dunn has hired Sean Ahern as Client Solutions Director for the West Region.
3. Nadia Privara Brahms has been appointed as San Diego County's Behavioral Health Services Director.
4. Joanne Lynds has joined the Rhode Island Department of Corrections as Assistant Director of Rehabilitative Services.

Now for construction reports:

1. Construction Manager Ajax Building Company is accepting bids for the construction of a new Judicial Justice Center in Alachua County, Fla., with bids due Jan. 29.
2. Kraus-Anderson Construction and Contegrity Group are seeking prime contractor bids for the new $308 million Stearns County Justice Center in Minnesota, with bids due Feb. 5.

And finishing it off with Events:

1. The National Commission on Correctional Health Care is accepting presentation proposals for its Correctional Mental Health Care Conference (due Feb. 13) and its National Conference on Correctional Healthcare (due March 6).
2. The American Correctional Association's Winter Conference will take place next month in Long Beach, Calif., from February 5–8.
3. The Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators will also hold its Winter meeting in conjunction with the ACA Winter Conference.
4. Registration is open for the International Corrections and Prisons Association's inaugural Prison Design and Technology Conference in Rabat, Morocco, from April...

Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of January 5, 2026.

Let's get into it with Project updates:

1. Plans for a new jail in Dallas County, Texas, are moving forward, with initial cost estimates between $3 billion and $5 billion, though the project could take up to a decade to complete.
2. The design phase for a new 200-bed detention center in Flathead County, Mont., is underway, with officials hoping to start construction this year on the estimated $93.5 million project.
3. Colbert County, Ala., Sheriff Eric Balentine said that construction of the county's new $35 million jail and administration building is ahead of schedule and expected to be complete in 20 months.
4. An open house will be held this week to mark the opening of the new Koochiching County Jail and Law Enforcement Center in International Falls, Minn.

Moving on to legislation and funding:

1. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has awarded $5.3 million in grants for substance use disorder treatment in correctional facilities across the state.
2. Funding to address much-needed improvements at the aging jail in St. Louis County, Mo., was not included in the county's 2026 budget, despite an ACA audit revealing significant issues.

Next in People news:

1. DLR Group has named Justice + Civic Project Manager and Senior Associate Alexander Straughn as the company's Orlando office leader.
2. Correctional Healthcare Partners has appointed Dr. Olatunde Oshikoya as its Director of MAT Services and Rapid Response.
3. Drone detection and aerospace security company Airsight announced that Nick Glasnapp will be the company's Director of Sales for the Central Region.
4. Correctional News sends condolences to the family of industry veteran Bob Tointon, who passed away on Dec. 27 at the age of 92.

Next In Construction reports:

1. The Cole County Commission in Missouri is seeking specialty contractors and suppliers for the new $14 million Cole County Juvenile Center project, with bids due Jan. 20.
2. The Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works has issued an RFP for design-build services for a new juvenile court community correctional facility, with proposals due Jan. 29.
3. The Minnesota Department of Administration is accepting bids for security system upgrades at the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Shakopee, with bids due Feb. 3.

And closing out with events:

1. The American Correctional Association's winter conference will take place in Long Beach, Calif., from Feb. 5-8.

1. For more details or to access the links mentioned, check out our podcast show notes at