Meet the Facility
Facility Name: Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility Location: Wichita, Kansas Year Built/Opened: Opened in 1990, addition in 1998 Average Daily Population: 1,406 Sheriff: Jeff Easter Jail Administrator: Jared Schechter Number of Staff: 300 Operating Budget: $33,200,000 Method of Inmate Supervision: Direct Supervision Point of Contact: Captain Jarod Scott, Jarod.Scott@sedgwick.gov
The Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility is located in Wichita, Kansas, the largest city in the state of Kansas. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office prides itself in the innovative and technologically advanced operation of the largest detention facility in the state.
The Detention Bureau is the “gatekeeper” to the criminal justice system in Sedgwick County. More than 300 men and women work around the clock, 7 days a week to ensure the safety of the public, inmates, and all those entering into the detention facility. The Detention Bureau of the Sheriff’s Office is composed of the Operations and Support Divisions. Each has a vital role in the efficient operation of the detention facility. The Operations Division addresses the day-to-day management of more than 1,500 inmates, at times, in a safe, secure, and humane manner. The Support Division provides the necessary services to augment and support the Operations Division.
Working in a modern pre-trial housing facility is a profession that requires a deep commitment to ensuring that all inmates in the Sheriff’s custody are provided with safe and humane treatment consistent with applicable standards, laws, and community expectations.
To have the professionals necessary to operate the detention facility, the Sheriff’s Office invests heavily in training. Previously, staff attended an 11-week academy, followed by 6 weeks on the job training. To adapt to current learning styles, a new adult-based learning academy was created.
This academy provides a phased-in approach with a hands-on learning concept. The new academy is showing positive results in its early stages and appears to be helping with retention.
To provide the most effective public service, the Sheriff’s Office is always looking to better its services. This is reflected in the Sedgwick County Offender Re-Entry Program (SCORE). This program provides inmates, close to release, with the resources to be successful in the community with the goal of reducing recidivism. The Sheriff’s Office received an award from the local branch of the Salvation Army for this program. This is just one example of how the Sheriff’s Office assists the inmate population.
The Sheriff’s Office also places an importance on staying current with technology. As such, the Sheriff’s Office recently completed a security overhaul in the detention facility. For this project, the detention facility earned multiple national awards.
The recent introduction of a detention k-9, Turbo, to the detention facility is one of the newest advancements and should help in the elimination of contraband from the facility. Being innovative is a goal of the Sheriff’s Office, and it routinely nets positive outcomes in the detention facility.
The dedicated and highly trained professionals at the Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility are focused on providing the citizens of Sedgwick County a safe and professional detention facility.
