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Failed Michigan Jail Site to Host Innovation Center

Loaded on Nov. 1, 2020 by David Reutter published in Prison Legal News November, 2020, page 43
Filed under: Rural Prisons, Education. Location: Michigan.

by David M. Reutter

The University of Michigan (UM) is building a graduate campus on the grounds of the former site for a new Wayne County Jail (WCJ). The 190,000 square-foot research and graduate education building for UM students will focus on automotive mobility, artificial intelligence, sustainability, cybersecurity and financial education.

As PLN reported, construction was halted in 2013 on the WCJ after it was discovered the project was running tens of millions of dollars over its $300 million budget. [See: PLN, April 2016, p.58.]

At least $150 million in 2010 bond funds were spent on the half-built jail. Since construction was halted, taxpayers paid nearly $1.2 million per month in costs for debt financing, security, and other fees related to the site.

In early 2018, the site was sold to Dan Gilbert, who owns the Rock Ventures development company, for $21.8 million. His company demolished the half-built jail with plans to build a soccer stadium if Major League Soccer awarded Detroit an expansion team. Instead, teams were awarded to Cincinnati and Nashville.

UM announced in October 2019 plans to partner with Gilbert and billionaire real estate mogul and UM alum Stephen Ross to build the $300 million Detroit Center for Innovation on the former 15-acre jail site. The facility will serve up to 1,000 graduate and senior-level undergrads. It will focus on high-tech research, education and innovation, with the goal of supporting the economic development of Detroit and the state with “a pipeline of talent,” mlive.com reports.

The Center will also include incubator and startup services, collaboration space for established companies, residential units, a hotel and conference center and event space. 

 

Source: mlive.com

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  1. Milestone: Thirty Years of Prison Legal News and the Human Rights Defense Center, by Paul Wright
  2. Fifth Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Texas Jail Prisoner’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
  3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
  4. Denied Medical Care During Pandemic, New Jersey Prisoner Treats Infected Wound With Bleach, by Dale Chappell
  5. Ninth Circuit: No Summary Judgment for Prison Officials Who Allegedly Allowed Attack on Nevada Prisoner, by David Reutter
  6. Lives at Stake as Pennsylvania County De-privatizes Prison, by David Reutter
  7. Coronavirus: A Second Wave of Infection, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
  8. Eleventh Circuit Vacates COVID-19 Injunction Against Miami Jail, by David Reutter
  9. Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio Loses Another Arizona Republican Primary, by Matthew Clarke
  10. Nebraska Declares Overcrowding Emergency in State Prisons, by Kevin Bliss
  11. Fourth Circuit: Opening of Detainee’s Legal Mail Outside His Presence Violates Right to Free Speech, by David Reutter
  12. Federal Judge Rules Prisoners Eligible for $1,200 Stimulus Checks; Application Deadline Extended to Nov. 21 for Online Filing, by Derek Gilna
  13. California Prison Guards Keep Jobs After Aiding Attacks on Sex Offenders, by Jayson Hawkins
  14. Texas: Prison Air Conditioning Needs Revisiting, by Edward Lyon
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  16. Denial of Recruitment of Counsel for Wisconsin Prisoner Affirmed by Seventh Circuit, by David Reutter
  17. DOJ Finds Frequent Use of Excessive Force in Alabama Prisons, by David Reutter
  18. Two-Thirds of Nevada Prisoners Confined in Arizona Private Prison Test Positive for COVID-19, by Mark Wilson
  19. Third Circuit: District Court Erred in Ruling Against Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Civil Rights Complaint, by David Reutter
  20. Washington Prisoner’s State Public Records Act Lawsuit Results in His Freedom and $111,194 Award, by Matthew Clarke
  21. New Jersey Guard Acquitted in Sex Scandal, by David Reutter
  22. North Carolina Temporarily Closes Three Prisons for Lack of Guards; Final One Reopens During COVID-19 Pandemic, by Edward Lyon
  23. $225,000 Windfall in Lehigh County, Pa. But Officials Don’t Cut Jail Phone Costs, by David Reutter
  24. Second Circuit Reverses Summary Dismissal of Connecticut Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
  25. Private Prison Industry Ramped Up Campaign Contributions, Favoring Republicans, by Derek Gilna
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  27. Florida Spent $1.7 Million, and Counting, to Impede Felon Voting Rights, by David Reutter
  28. Investment Firm Buys Corizon, by Matthew Clarke
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  30. Violence at New York City’s Rikers Island Jail Increasing Even as Population Falls, by Edward Lyon
  31. Ankle Monitor Shortage at Chicago Jail Put Prisoner Releases During COVID in Limbo, by David Reutter
  32. Failed Michigan Jail Site to Host Innovation Center, by David Reutter
  33. Report: Screening Failures Cited in COVID-19 Outbreak in California Prisons, by Kevin Bliss
  34. Second Circuit: Denial of Exercise Over Four Months Defeats Summary Judgment, by David Reutter
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  51. Former Pennsylvania Prison All Solitary with Silence Mandatory, by Edward Lyon
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