Polk County Justice Center

---

Klein McCarthy Architects was commissioned by Polk County and the Tri-County Community Corrections Regional Board to develop a program and design for a Jail and Courthouse complex. With Richard Rude Architectural and a team of engineers, KMA led a "hands-on" client team from programming concepts to bidding in just seven months.

A strong operational feature of this joint-use facility is the direct connection of the jail to the courts floor. Addressing heightened security concerns, the design provides for court staging at the jail intake center under direct supervision by the jail's central control. Inmates arrive via elevator to a security court vestibule adjacent to the master calendar and criminal trial courtrooms.

Site master planning resulted in clear zones of public, private, and service traffic, including a separation of staff, work release and public parking areas, and an architectural expression of public service for the community.