FACILITY OF THE MONTH
The South Housing Unit features muted colors and flexible furnishings to foster a therapeutic atmosphere focused on rehabilitation.
From ‘The Farm’ to the Future Orange County’s James A. Musick Facility represents a scalable, secure and sustainable model for 21st-century corrections By Kat Balster
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ucked into 45 acres near Irvine and Lake Forest, the newly completed James A. Musick Facility in Orange County, Calif., marks the county’s largest single public-safety construction project to date, designed to support future expansion and justice reform. Originally nicknamed “The Farm” for its agricultural roots and low-security past, the facility now stands as a 324,000-square-foot, 896-bed complex with a focus on rehabilitation, mental health and secure, humane incarceration. The $290 milion facility includes two housing buildings, and administrative center and support structures such as a maintenance warehouse and central plant. Omaha, Neb.-based HDR served as the project architect and San Fernando, Calif.-based Bernards Brothers as the general contractor., Funded by AB 900, SB 1022 and county resources, the project enhances local public safety infrastructure while reinforcing the county’s emphasis on innovation in criminal justice.
Transforming a Site, Shaping a Community The project’s significance goes beyond numbers. For the county, which
battled overcrowding and outdated temporary structures on the 100-acre site, this renewed and reimagined Musick facility represents a hard-fought win for the sheriff’s department. The previous version of the facility was a patchwork of trailers and tents that were installed in the 1980s as a temporary solution for overcrowding but lingered for decades. Greg Yi, senior project manager for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OSCD), recalls the challenge of transforming that legacy. “We were dealing with facilities well past their lifespan,” Yi said. “What we needed was a long-term solution that responded to the needs of our evolving jail population— and that’s what this project became.” Yi also noted that community pushback in the form of lawsuits from a nearby city contributed to a delay of the project for nearly a decade. Despite this resistance, the team was able to demonstrate how a rehabilitation-focused, low-profile design could coexist with surrounding suburban development. For example, HDR used limestone cladding, updated landscaping and low-profile fencing on the exterior to present a civic image rather than a punitive one. “It looks more like a college campus than a jail,” said Mike Brenchley, justice principal for HDR.
A Unique Role for HDR HDR entered the project during a critical transition. After parting ways with the original architect, the
The newly completed James A. Musick Correctional Facility spans 324,000 square feet across five structures on 45 acres in Orange County, Calif. Photo Credit (all): Courtesy of HDR © 2024 Kim Rodgers 22 | www.correctionalnews.com | may - june 2025