The criminal justice facility bond will help us improve public safety and alleviate overcrowding in our jail by funding the initial phase for the new Wake County Detention Facility on Hammond Road. In calendar year 1999, we needed a total of 1,092 detention beds, on average. We had 820 beds, about two-thirds the number needed.
Overcrowded jails place our security personnel at risk and hinder our daily operations.
The first graph shows how the Public Safety Center first began exceeding capacity in 1997. The bond referendum would partially fund phases 1a and 1b. Decisions about future phases will be made in coming years. Phase 1A, currently under construction, will provide 248 additional beds. Phase 1B, illustrated in brown in image at right, will add 416 beds, for a total of 664 in this initial phase.