The Dane County Jail Consolidation Project is underway. This project adds a new South Tower to the Dane County Public Safety Building (PSB). It is designed to replace the outdated jail facilities currently operating in the City County Building. By consolidating our downtown jail operations into one modern facility, Dane County is improving safety, health services, and day-to-day operations for staff and residents, while maintaining a central location near the courthouse and public transportation.
This project is the result of extensive planning by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, Dane County Public Works, and our project partners, including the construction manager Gilbane and design and engineering teams from Mead and Hunt, Potter Lawson, and HDR.
The primary objectives of the South Tower project are:
• Provide one consolidated jail facility downtown.
• Replace outdated cell blocks in the City County Building Jail.
• Create appropriate medical and mental health space.
• Eliminate or significantly reduce the use of solitary confinement.
The Jail Transition Team, made up of a Lieutenant, a Sergeant, and four deputies, leads a key part of planning and helps shape the facility in line with the Dane County Sheriff’s Office Direct Supervision and Strategic Inmate Management philosophies. This approach places deputies in the housing units with residents, moving away from the linear, indirect supervision model used in older facilities. The facility is designed to feel more “normative”—less institutional and more supportive of safe, stable daily routines.
To help achieve that goal, the design incorporates biophilic elements and uses color theory to bring aspects of nature into the building. The plan brings in as much natural light as possible. In medical and mental health spaces, the design includes tunable light fixtures that gradually change throughout the day, mimicking the brightness and color changes of the sun, to promote better health and behavioral outcomes.
Medical and mental health care are central to this project. The South Tower addition and the PSB renovation increase treatment space and capacity, providing a level of care that Dane County has not previously had in a downtown jail setting. The new Dane County Jail (DCJ) has a rated capacity of 62 dedicated medical beds and 57 dedicated mental health beds, allowing staff and partners to support people in our care better and improve access to appropriate treatment.
The South Tower also includes expanded space for programming and exercise. Dedicated areas for education, treatment-based programs, and physical activity help reduce stress and anxiety and support skill-building that a resident can carry back into the community. Programming offered within the DCJ includes Parenting Inside Out, Moral Reconation Therapy, Employability Skills, AA, NA, and faith-based supports such as Bible Study.
The new facility will be modern and innovative, built around the direct supervision philosophy. Deputies will be in the housing units with the residents. The facility will incorporate new technologies in both facility design and operations. The design team has worked to include as much natural light and open spaces into the project as possible. They also added biophilic design elements and used color theory to bring nature into the building. Using normalized furniture, fixtures, and finishes as much as possible to make the facility less institutional is also a core goal of the design.
Unfortunately, due to budget contraints, some of the original project goals will not be achieved. In 2022, through an agreement with the Dane County Board, a redesign of the project resulted in the elimination of visitation at the housing units, elimination of huber housing/entrance, elimination of booking renovation and a reduction in programming space.
The Jail Consolidation Project was competitively bid in September 2023, Miron Construction was awarded the contract in early 2024. A formal groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 13, 2024, with many community stakeholders and past and present partners in attendance.
Construction continues now. The South Tower addition is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. The PSB renovation begins at the start of 2027, and the entire project is expected to be completed near the end of 2027.
Once the South Tower addition and PSB renovation are complete—and after the City County Building jail is officially vacated—the overall maximum bed count for the Dane County Jail drops from 1,013 to 825. This is a reduction of 188 beds. The project also eliminates the Ferris Center, which was decommissioned in 2024, and the consolidated facility does not include housing for Huber prisoners.
Consolidating our downtown jail operations into one location benefits staff, residents, and the broader community. With one centralized facility, families and community members have clearer access points and more straightforward navigation for visits and support, and are close to public transportation and the courthouse. Most importantly, the project provides Dane County with a safer, more modern jail designed around direct supervision, enhanced treatment capacity, and operational practices that reflect today’s standards and community expectations.
