HRRJ History

The Hampton Roads Regional Jail opened in March, 1998 and has been in continuous operation since that time.  The five member jurisdictions choose which inmates are sent to the Regional Jail and to a great extent they are inmates with medical, mental health, or disciplinary problems. 

While it originally was established to house general overcrowding, it has since evolved into managing inmates with medical and mental health issues or disciplinary problems.  The two-story structure is divided into three separate and distinct housing units.  The housing units are at the corners of a large central rectangular area, which contains the kitchen, laundry, intake area, command center, training area, classification, administration, and health services.

Housing Unit #1 is used to house special management inmates who require additional supervision and/or medical or mental health care.  The housing areas are separated into pods with the lower areas designated as medical areas and the upper units as segregation areas.  This section contains the infirmary and is adjacent to the health services area.  Housing Unit #2 is used for housing both male and female inmates of all custody levels.  The first floor is subdivided into two sections for better management and control while the second floor are open pods consisting of 48 cells.  Housing Unit #3 houses male inmates and is identical in construction to Housing Unit #2.

In March 2015, the Hampton Roads Regional Jail celebrated its seventeenth anniversary of providing services to its member cities.  The establishment of the Regional Jail has been an outstanding success, and it is fulfilling its basic purpose of reducing overcrowding in the four member cities’ jails.  The contribution provided by the Regional Jail, however, is much greater than simply holding approximately 1300 inmates from the member city jails.  This is because the Regional Jail houses a disproportionately large number of inmates who are difficult to manage.  The Regional Jail houses the majority of the four cities’ inmates with severe medical and mental health needs and essentially serves as the medical and mental health correctional facility for the member cities.  Significantly more difficult and overcrowded conditions would exist in the four cities’ jails today were it not for the establishment of the Hampton Roads Regional Jail. 

 

 

The Hampton Roads Regional Jail Authority continues to be an excellent example of regional cooperation!