Soon-to-open Southern California jail welcomes new technology, opportunities for inmates

A new soon-to-open jail in Orange County will offer prisoners more positive opportunities and visitors a new way of interacting with incarcerated inmates, all while increasing safety for everyone at the facility. 

The new James A. Musick Facility, a medium-security jail in Irvine, was the subject of a $256 million project “designed to meet the needs of an evolving jail population,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said. It replaces the old James A. Musick Facility, which consisted of multiple temporary structures and closed in 2019.

Included in the 324,000 square-foot facility are 896 beds, direct-supervision housing units and contemporary medical and programming facilities. A 512-bed building with an administration component will be joined by a 384-bed program building, officials said. 

KTLA 5 Orange County Bureau Chief Chip Yost got a look at the new correctional center, and the changes begin right as you walk in; rather than a typical jail visitation area with a window in between the visitor and inmate, visitors will now communicate via a tablet device while the inmate remains in their housing unit, also communicating via tablet. 

The jail was built in a way that minimizes inmate movement, officials told Yost. They said they are looking to keep inmates inside their living areas as often as possible, and that not having to move them regularly will help with that. 

An example of this is bringing prisoners to the chow hall; rather than escorting them there, meals will be served in their living areas. That way, officials said, they don’t have to lock down other parts of the facility as often, and it also gives the inmates more out-of-cell time. 

And while it is still a prison, Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials said Tuesday that the facility was designed with inmate rehabilitation in mind. 

“The design features softer colors and the furniture can be moved about…it’s not industrial and stainless steel,” said OCSD Commander Mark Alsobrook. “Having landscapes and seascapes in each of the housing units – which also act as sound dampeners – contribute to the mindset of the incarcerated person and [allow them to] receive those educational opportunities and take part in their own transition to prepare to go back to the community.” 

Also included in the facility are body scanners that Alsobrook says are “much like you would see at the airport” and provide a less invasive search for illegal contraband inmates may be trying to sneak in.

“Each housing unit will be assigned personnel who will remain inside the module 24 hours a day, allowing for direct interaction with incarcerated persons to encourage positive behavior and identify any potential issues before they escalate,” the sheriff’s department said in a press release. “The design also limits movement throughout the facility while bringing services directly to those in custody, creating a safer environment that emphasizes education and rehabilitation.”

“Aesthetic components of the facility include large-scale colorful murals and more natural light, which are features shown to benefit mental health and stimulate a calming environment,” OCSD’s release continued.

The original James A. Musick Facility opened in 1963 in what was once “a largely undeveloped area miles from any incorporated city” and was initially a minimum-security jail, Orange County officials said. 

In fact, when the facility first opened, security was so lax that a former employee testified that inmates could “walk around on their own” and that fencing was allegedly only erected to keep neighboring cattle from eating produce grown at the jail. 

Due to its agricultural beginnings, the jail was nicknamed “The Farm,” but its official name comes from James A. Musick, who served as Orange County Sheriff from 1946 to 1974. 

Presently, the facility is surrounded on three sides by the city of Irvine and on one side by the Bake Parkway, which is part of the city Lake Forest.

If all goes according to plan, it should open up sometime in early December, more than four years after construction started in Aug. 2020.