Why do we need a new detention center?

A federal injunction requires the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department to release inmates when jails are at capacity. As a result, the sheriff’s department has been forced each year to release thousands of inmates – convicted criminals who have victimized our residents and communities – before their sentences are served. In 2007, more than 6,000 inmates were released early, some serving just a few days of a year-long sentence. Without a new detention center, the early release of inmates will continue to place our residents at greater risk for crime.

How big will the detention center be?

As many as 2,000 beds are planned for the first phase of construction. Decades down the road the facility may house up to 7,200 jail beds. At build out, the center will employ about 1,500 deputies and support personnel.

Will I be safe with a detention center nearby?

A study for the nonpartisan Senate Office of Research in California found that communities near correctional facilities tend to have lower crime rates than those without them. Inmates will not be booked and/or released at the detention center. Several layers of state-of-the-art security will ensure inmates stay locked up and nearby neighborhoods are safe. The priority is to protect our residents and communities.

Will inmates overwhelm our community?

No. In fact, inmates will not be booked or released at the detention center, but will be transported to other jail sites for release. Inmates will have no direct contact with visitors in order to restrict contraband. Visitors will only communicate with inmates by video camera from a remote location on the campus.

Why build this in the Whitewater area and not farther away?

The county looked at 30 sites to determine the best location for the new detention center. The location was proposed in an effort to minimize environmental effects and because of its close proximity to Interstate 10 and its ability to serve courts in both ends of the county.

How will the detention center benefit our community?

The detention center will create hundreds of new construction and public safety and support jobs. Although new roads, water lines and fire safety improvements are intended to serve the project specifically, they also offer benefits for surrounding neighborhoods.

The detention center will bring natural gas to the area to serve the detention center. County officials have approached the Southern California Gas Co. about providing residents in the Whitewater area an opportunity to hook up to the system, should they choose to do so. Those discussions about hookups will continue.

Timeline:

The Environmental Impact Report is expected to go to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors for consideration in early 2010. Public comments may be mailed to:

County of Riverside
Department of Facilities Management
P.O. Box 1468
Riverside, CA 92502-1468

ATTN: Riverside County Regional Detention Center Project