Established in 1998, the Hampton Roads Regional Jail proudly served the cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia by operating the facility in accordance with the collective best interests of the five participating jurisdictions. The facility was operated under the direction of the Hampton Roads Regional Jail Authority, which was comprised of the sheriffs, city managers and city council members representing their respective jurisdictions.
The primary function of the facility was to house both male and female inmates from the five participating jurisdictions including: pretrial, sentenced and inmates requiring special management.