Pickens County Detention Center

After evaluating Pickens County's deteriorating and overcrowded jail, Moseley provided architectural and engineering services to create a 363-bed detention facility that prioritizes security, efficiency, and rehabilitation.

Security Through Clear Sightlines

The facility's layout emphasizes visibility through camera coverage and unobstructed views throughout, allowing staff to monitor all facility activities effectively.

Efficient Intake and Booking Design

A secure, 3,000-square-foot vehicular sally port serves as the primary entry point for arrestees. This enclosed space includes four dedicated parking spaces and accommodates both buses and emergency vehicles. The sally port contains pistol lockers and an emergency eyewash and shower station to manage contamination risks.

The 1,100-square-foot intake and pre-booking area contains open seating, sobriety testing space, and two adaptable holding cells that serve both intake and transport needs. The primary 3,900-square-foot booking area includes an elevated desk giving officers clear views of the area. Two suicide watch cells with flushing floor drains sit near the booking desk, enabling close monitoring of at-risk individuals.

Medical Services

The 1,400-square-foot medical suite includes an open waiting area and protected nurse's station. This wing contains three examination areas, storage facilities, a pharmacy, and designated toilet and shower spaces. A separate medical triage area in booking enables nurses to perform initial health screenings without moving inmates to the main medical suite. The nurse's station features secure construction to provide a refuge area if needed.

The facility includes a dedicated intake area for individuals experiencing mental health or substance abuse concerns.

Housing Units

The detention center contains approximately 128 steel modular prefabricated cells plus three dormitories of varying sizes. Each housing unit contains its own recreation yard and multi-purpose dayroom, reducing inmate movement throughout the facility. Rear plumbing chases let maintenance staff access fixtures without entering or disrupting housing units—a key feature for a facility that must operate continuously.

Administration and Visitation

The administrative wing contains records, lockers, and meeting spaces. A video visitation room next to the public lobby enables safe communication between inmates and visitors. Video arraignment technology reduces inmate transport needs.

Sustainable Design

The building incorporates multiple energy-saving features. Commercial-size condensing water heaters achieve 96 percent efficiency by recapturing heat typically lost through exhaust systems. Energy recovery units operating at 70 percent efficiency manage ventilation in inmate areas by transferring energy from exhaust to incoming fresh air.

The kitchen and administration areas—the only spaces not operating continuously—use precision timing technology to optimize heating and cooling based on daily staffing patterns. The facility uses all-LED interior and exterior lighting, motion sensors in appropriate areas, and spectrally selective window glazing that admits natural light while blocking heat-generating infrared rays.

The construction process required recycling of at least 50 percent of construction waste, demonstrating the project's focus on environmental responsibility.