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Contra Costa County expands its detention facilities

The Seal of Contra Costa County California
Russell Mondy
/
Flickr / Creative Commons
The Seal of Contra Costa County California

Approval for the West County Reentry, Treatment and Housing
Program, or WRTH, was accepted in Tuesday's meeting by a 4-1 vote. The vision for the WRTH focuses more on a therapeutic approach by adding rehabilitation and mental health treatment space.

New additions include a classroom, detox space, and a new family visitation facility. The project will also add 288 high-security beds, with 96 being mental health treatment beds. But the project won’t expand Contra Costa’s jail population because the expansion is an attempt to alleviate overcrowding at the Martinez Detention Facility, or MDF. So, when the addition is finished, 288 beds will be removed from the MDF.

The Martinez Detention Facility is also expecting some remodeling. New plumbing and added space for a mental health treatment center will also be funded there.

The new facilities are expected to be up and running by the end of 2024.