Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of July 13.

Let's get started with project updates:

• South Dakota officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new $87 million, 102-750-square-foot women’s prison in Rapid City.
• Santa Barbara County awarded a nearly $139 million design-build contract to Sletten Construction Company and partner DLR Group for the North Branch Jail expansion project.
• A new $60 million, 200-bed jail in Cheatham County, Tenn., designed by MBI Companies and built by BELL Construction officially opened last week.
• The Montana Department of Corrections will explore using existing facilities to expand housing for women inmates, as the Montana Women’s Prison remains at or above capacity.
• Hancock County, Maine, officials held a groundbreaking ceremony last week for the new $55 million Hancock Judicial Center.

Moving on to legislation and funding:

• North Carolina’s newly signed state budget includes major raises for Department of Adult Correction employees, though officials say more is needed to fill staffing vacancies.
• Spokane County, Wash., officials are considering tax measures to fund a replacement jail and community-based behavioral health facilities ahead of the November ballot.
• The Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana will receive up to $27 million in state funding for design and construction of a new jail.

Next in people and company news:

• The Federal Bureau of Prisons awarded Securus Technologies a contract to provide secure tablets to all inmates in custody in BOP facilities.
• CorrectPac, a division of PortionPac Chemical Corporation, has named Pam Engel as its Western Regional Manager.
• Habersham Metal Products has named Jay Hill its new Detention Sales Manager.

Now for this week's construction reports:

• The Pierce County, Wash., Facilities Management Department has issued an RFQ to architecture firms for pre-design services for a Jail Replacement Project, with submittals due July 31.
• New Kent County, Va., is seeking proposals from architecture and engineering firms for the design and construction of a new county courthouse, with proposals due Aug. 14.

And finishing up with events:

• The National Commission on Correctional Health Care's 2026 Correctional Mental Health Conference will take place in Austin, Texas, from July 18–20.
• The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives will host its 50th Annual Training Conference in Dallas, from July 24–28.
• The American Correctional Associations 156th Congress of Corrections, the Correctional Leaders Association’s Summer Conference and the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators’ Summer Juvenile Justice Leadership Forum will be held concurrently in Pittsburgh later this month, from July 30–Aug. 2.

For more details or to access the links mentioned, check out our podcast show notes at correctionalnews.com/podcast.