Failed Michigan Jail Site to Host Innovation Center
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
More from this issue:
- Milestone: Thirty Years of Prison Legal News and the Human Rights Defense Center, by Paul Wright
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Texas Jail Prisoner’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Denied Medical Care During Pandemic, New Jersey Prisoner Treats Infected Wound With Bleach, by Dale Chappell
- Ninth Circuit: No Summary Judgment for Prison Officials Who Allegedly Allowed Attack on Nevada Prisoner, by David Reutter
- Lives at Stake as Pennsylvania County De-privatizes Prison, by David Reutter
- Coronavirus: A Second Wave of Infection, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio Loses Another Arizona Republican Primary, by Matthew Clarke
- Eleventh Circuit Vacates COVID-19 Injunction Against Miami Jail, by David Reutter
- Nebraska Declares Overcrowding Emergency in State Prisons, by Kevin Bliss
- Federal Judge Rules Prisoners Eligible for $1,200 Stimulus Checks; Application Deadline Extended to Nov. 21 for Online Filing, by Derek Gilna
- Fourth Circuit: Opening of Detainee’s Legal Mail Outside His Presence Violates Right to Free Speech, by David Reutter
- California Prison Guards Keep Jobs After Aiding Attacks on Sex Offenders, by Jayson Hawkins
- Texas: Prison Air Conditioning Needs Revisiting, by Edward Lyon
- Efforts to Keep COVID-19 Out of Montana Prisons Fuels Outbreaks in County Jails, by Alex Sakariassen
- Denial of Recruitment of Counsel for Wisconsin Prisoner Affirmed by Seventh Circuit, by David Reutter
- DOJ Finds Frequent Use of Excessive Force in Alabama Prisons, by David Reutter
- Third Circuit: District Court Erred in Ruling Against Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Civil Rights Complaint, by David Reutter
- Two-Thirds of Nevada Prisoners Confined in Arizona Private Prison Test Positive for COVID-19, by Mark Wilson
- Washington Prisoner’s State Public Records Act Lawsuit Results in His Freedom and $111,194 Award, by Matthew Clarke
- New Jersey Guard Acquitted in Sex Scandal, by David Reutter
- North Carolina Temporarily Closes Three Prisons for Lack of Guards; Final One Reopens During COVID-19 Pandemic, by Edward Lyon
- $225,000 Windfall in Lehigh County, Pa. But Officials Don’t Cut Jail Phone Costs, by David Reutter
- Second Circuit Reverses Summary Dismissal of Connecticut Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
- Private Prison Industry Ramped Up Campaign Contributions, Favoring Republicans, by Derek Gilna
- Pennsylvania Prisoner Loses Part of Leg, Wins Appeal in Precedential Grievance Process Case, by David Reutter
- Investment Firm Buys Corizon, by Matthew Clarke
- Florida Spent $1.7 Million, and Counting, to Impede Felon Voting Rights, by David Reutter
- $1.25 Million Settlement Against Tennessee County Over Sheriff’s Violations of Labor Law, by Douglas Ankney
- Ankle Monitor Shortage at Chicago Jail Put Prisoner Releases During COVID in Limbo, by David Reutter
- Violence at New York City’s Rikers Island Jail Increasing Even as Population Falls, by Edward Lyon
- Failed Michigan Jail Site to Host Innovation Center, by David Reutter
- Second Circuit: Denial of Exercise Over Four Months Defeats Summary Judgment, by David Reutter
- Report: Screening Failures Cited in COVID-19 Outbreak in California Prisons, by Kevin Bliss
- Rikers Island Death Case Against City of New York Settles for $5.5 Million, by Derek Gilna
- Families of 4 Alabama Prisoners Who Committed Suicide File Federal Lawsuit Against Prison Officials, by Matthew Clarke
- ICE Detainees Pepper-Sprayed Over Hunger Strike, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Connecticut: Summary Judgment Denied in Deliberate Indifference Case Where Facial Lesion Turned Out To Be Skin Cancer, by Chad Marks
- Eleventh Circuit: Florida’s Treatment Plan for Hepatitis C-Positive Prisoners Constitutional, by David Reutter
- Sixth Circuit Reverses and Allows Ohio Prisoner’s Civil Rights Lawsuit to Proceed, by David Reutter
- Fourth Circuit Orders Sealing of North Carolina Court’s Order to “Protect Defendant from Harm”, by David Reutter
- Mental Health Crisis in California’s Lock-Ups Worsens With COVID-19, by Edward Lyon
- Native Americans Protest Theft of Alcatraz Island, by Edward Lyon
- Temporary Halt of Federal Prison Labor at National Parks, but New Policy Proposed To Resume It, by Jayson Hawkins
- $70,000 Settlement in Private Firm’s Failure to Treat Arizona Prisoner’s Broken Wrist, by David Reutter
- Guard Violates Eighth Amendment by Brandishing Knife and Threatening Prisoner’s Life, by David Reutter
- Seventh Circuit Dismisses Summary Judgment for Defendants in Illinois Prisoner’s Lawsuit Over Beating, Choking, by David Reutter
- HRDC Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Colorado Sheriff for Censorship of Prisoner Publications, by Derek Gilna
- New York City BOP Prisoner Dies After Being Pepper-Sprayed, by Kevin Bliss
- Captain Accused of Abusing Mentally Ill Prisoners Cleared in Internal Investigation, by Kevin Bliss
- Former Pennsylvania Prison All Solitary with Silence Mandatory, by Edward Lyon
- Alabama Executes Non-Shooter in Police Killings, by David Reutter
- Former Angola Warden Burl Cain Appointed Head of Mississippi Prison System, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
- Massachusetts Jail Phone Cost Reductions Under Attack, by Edward Lyon
More from David Reutter:
- California Loses Round in Legal Fight to Deny Parole Based on Gang Affiliation, Feb. 1, 2021
- Federal Judge Slaps ICE, GEO Group Over “Abominable Performance” and Officials Who Lied During Testimony, Feb. 1, 2021
- $1.1 Million Settlement in Kentucky Jail Sex Abuse Suit, Feb. 1, 2021
- Experts Find “Deplorable” Conditions at Mississippi’s Parchman Prison, Feb. 1, 2021
- $4.65 Million Settlement for Florida Female Prisoner Left Quadriplegic After Brutal Beating by Guards, Feb. 1, 2021
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Tennessee DOC’s Hepatitis C Treatment Due to Lack of Funds, Feb. 1, 2021
- Eleventh Circuit: Private Probation Company With Financial Interest in its Sentencing Decisions Violates Due Process, Jan. 15, 2021
- Sixth Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Sheriff in Tennessee Prisoner’s Assault Case, Jan. 1, 2021
- California: Prisoner-Run Journalism Thrives with San Quentin News, Ear Hustle, Jan. 1, 2021
- Charges Finally Announced 32 Months After South Carolina Prison Riot, Jan. 1, 2021
More from these topics:
- Federal Educational Aid Restored for State and Federal Prisoners, Feb. 1, 2021. Education, Educational Opportunities for Inmates.
- Progress Made in Fight Against Prison Gerrymandering But Battle Continues, Feb. 1, 2021. Rural Prisons.
- Urban Redo: Lorton, Virginia Prison Recreated as Liberty Village, Jan. 1, 2021. Rural Prisons.
- Some Prisons Bear Names of Enslavers, Oppressors, Racists and Segregationists, Jan. 1, 2021. Rural Prisons.
- COVID-19 Lockdowns in Prisons Affecting Post-Secondary Education, Dec. 1, 2020. COVID-19, Education.
- Native Americans Protest Theft of Alcatraz Island, Nov. 1, 2020. Rural Prisons.
- Former Pennsylvania Prison All Solitary with Silence Mandatory, Nov. 1, 2020. Rural Prisons.
- Poetry for the Prisoners’ Soul, Oct. 1, 2020. Education, Art.
- NYC Floating Jail May Finally be Closed, Oct. 1, 2020. Rural Prisons, Prison Conditions.
- Michigan Prisoner’s Whistleblowing on GED Test Cheating Survives Summary Judgment, July 1, 2020. Whistleblowing, Education.