Weekly Connections August 10th, 2026

Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of Aug. 10.

Let's get started with project updates:

• Whatcom County, Wash., is reconsidering adding a reentry resource center and second courtroom to its new jail and behavioral care center plans.
• Officials in Elmore County, Ala., broke ground on a $70 million, 480-bed jail in Wetumpka, beginning a three-year replacement of the county's current facility.
• Architecture firm Goodwyn Mills Cawood presented a proposed timeline for a new $100 million courthouse in Madison County, Ala., which could open in 2030.
• Officials in Midland County, Texas are finalizing plans for a new 42,000-square-foot juvenile justice center, a $41 million project expected to break ground in November.

Moving on to legislation and funding:

• The Bond Oversight Board in Oklahoma County, Okla., recommended a Nov. 3 vote on a 0.4% sales tax to fund a new $605 million, 1,800-bed jail.
• Indiana Gov. Mike Braun announced a $5.1 million federal grant to train and support more than 600 people leaving prison through the "Keys to Work" initiative.
• Vermont Gov. Phil Scott's administration is seeking to pause the "Raise the Age" law, which moves nonviolent cases involving 18- to 21-year-olds into family court, due to shortages in treatment and housing.

Next, in people news:

• DLR Group appointed Leslie Jacques as business development leader for its California Justice+Civic practice.
• Cornerstone Detention Products appointed Scott A. Edgecombe as president, a newly created role overseeing daily operations and expansion.

Now for this week's construction reports:

• Swinerton Builders, on behalf of the City of Dallas, Texas, is seeking bids for the new $150 million Dallas Police Regional Training Academy, with bids due Aug. 20.
• Montgomery County, Texas has issued an RFQ to architectural firms for the design and construction of a new county jail, with responses due Aug. 26.
• The State of Minnesota has issued an RFP for architectural firms to provide pre-design services for the expansion of the Faribault Correctional Facility campus, with proposals due Aug. 31.

And finishing up with events:

• The American Probation and Parole Association's 51st Annual Training Institute will take place in Chicago from Aug. 16–19.
• The Correctional Leaders Association's Northeast Region meeting will be held in Bar Harbor, Maine, from Sept. 8–11.
• The newest episode of Correctional News' Corrections Connections docuseries, featuring the San Diego County Sheriff's Office's MAT unit, is now live.

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