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While the rise in incarceration rates has slowed considerably, the need remains for additional affordable temporary and permanent housing. What are the advantages of using modular cells?

Traditional brick and mortar construction has worked well in building prisons for centuries. Alcatraz and Shawshank give a nod for concrete.

Yet modern prison operations do not always have the luxury to wait two or three years for a new correctional facility to be built from the ground up, or even to wait several months for an existing building to be refurbished.

Emergencies erupt in the course of running a prison. Building projects, in particular, may have snags. General contractors don't deliver, an aging building may need an emergency repair or an environmental health problem can shut a building down, as discussed in a situation below. Yet, detainees and/or inmates need to be housed somewhere during the building process.

Modular construction, which is oftentimes associated with prison population overcrowding for the solution it offered during years of peak incarceration growth, may now be put to another purpose. Known for its quick erection times and ability to relocated and reused, it can be ideal for a transitory fix.

Such was the case when in January 1999 Santa Clara County, California, was faced with an emergency-the South County Superior Court in San Martin, which was completed less than three years previously, was declared environmentally "sick" due to mold infestation. County officials were forced to close the courthouse, creating an urgent need for a new courthouse as well as a holding facility to house in-custody defendants. The county turned to GE Capital Modular Space, based in Devon, Pennsylvania, for a cost-effective modular replacement for both facilities.

It turned out Santa Clara County was fortunate: when it specified its desired structure in an RFP, the modular company, which has a inventory of more than 75,000 buildings, had an appropriate building in stock. The company had found the ideal retrofit for the South County Superior Court-a 180 x 130 ft. complex that was designed and manufactured in 1996 for use as a temporary public library. It offered 23,400-square-feet under one roof, nine-foot ceilings and a 125-pound floor load. The library had served the City of Burlingame, California, for three years and had been sitting idle for a year before being leased to the county.

Contrary to what one might imagine, cost of construction is not the biggest benefit to an owner, according to Keith "Swede" Swenson, senior VP of sales, GE Capital Modular Space, North America. Factory construction and quality control is most attractive to a prison official or office building owner, he says, as is the residual use modular construction offers end-users based on re-usage abilities. "It can be reconfigured and relocated very easily," says Swenson. "In many cases, it just means unbolting the construction." The exterior finishes can be changed in its new location to permit it to fit in with existing structures. "As demographics change, needs change, and modular units are very adaptable."

In addition, modular construction is fast. Under normal conditions, construction time can be half or less that of conventional construction.

In the case of Santa Clara, the $3.25 million renovation project required modifying the library to include four courtrooms, judges' chambers, administrative space, jury assembly space, public areas and rest rooms. County representatives concluded that the biggest advantage modular construction offered was the ability to mobilize quickly to provide full project management services. In fact, by June 1999, less than three months after the project got under way, the modular construction company had re-opened the doors of justice.

The Santa Clara County sheriff also required a holding cell area for detainees awaiting court appearances. It was necessary that these holding cells have the ability to house a range of inmates, from traffic offenders to violent prisoners. Each cell was required to be as secure as those in a high security prison.

Simultaneous site preparation and unit manufacturing for the holding cell structure commenced in August 2000. The building was occupied by December 2000. "Something that may have taken two or three years to build conventionally was ready in four months," Swenson points out. The facility holds up to 80 inmates and consists of 12 cells, each equipped with benches and lavatories, a control room, four interview rooms, offices, rest rooms and an open area. Cells have nine-foot ceilings and on average are 6 x 10 feet, except for one 12-foot x 10-foot cell designed to accommodate physically disabled inmates.

To "harden" the facility, project managers used stainless steel for the walls of cells, holding areas and interview rooms. Tough, and easy to maintain, yet not as heavy as concrete, the modules are able to be relocated. The cells also have rigid steel frames and concrete floors.

Along with the durable cells and support areas, the sheriff's staff needed a security system to monitor both the courthouse and holding facility. Modules had been outfitted with empty electrical boxes and conduits to accommodate wiring prior to delivery. This approach made it easier for alarm contractors to install security systems on-site as the electrical raceways were already in place. GE Capital Modular Space equipped the facility with high-tech camera viewing devices and panic alarms as well as doors and gates that can be locked and opened from remote locations. The facility was also designed with a confined sally port where correctional buses are received. In the end, visitors would be hard pressed to see the difference in functionality from a traditional holding facility.