Auburn Jail

The present Auburn jail facility opened in July, 1985, at a construction cost of $4.5 million. Funding was provided by Proposition 4, the first of three jail funding measures. The California State Board of Corrections (BOC) rated the original structure for 108 inmates, a total that was exceeded immediately. Within two months of operation, the total reached 148. By 1990, the population had increased to 272 inmates, far above the BOC allowable number of 108.

Construction

In 1990, a Federal court order restricting our daily population to 148 gave impetus to construction of a 260-bed addition to the jail, an addition that opened in April 1992. The new housing wing was constructed at a cost of $3.5 million, with funding provided through Propositions 52 and 96. 

It consists of three medium security dorms, two with a capacity of 92 inmates each, and one with a capacity of 44 inmates; and one maximum-security module with a capacity of 32 inmates. The dormitory housing units are of the direct-supervision type, with a custody offer stationed inside each of the dorms, and indirect supervision from a housing booth. With BOC approval, most of our cells have been doubled-bunked.

Minimum Security Facility

The minimum-security barracks was housed in buildings that were originally World War II Army warehouses, built in 1941. The facility consisted of three housing units, two male and one female, with a combined capacity of 160 inmates, making the total capacity of the Auburn Main Jail 646 (this total includes six beds located in the infirmary). May 31, 2014 the Minimum Security Barracks located at the Auburn Jail was closed and the inmates were moved to the South Placer Jail facility.