Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
History

Washtenaw County Sheriffs - 1823 - Present

Jail History

The first Jail, which was also the first public building of Washtenaw County, was built in 1829, on property donated by E. W. Rumsey. This property, which later came to be known as the “Old Jail Square” was located between Fourth and Fifth Avenues, and between Liberty and Washington Streets in Ann Arbor. The first jail structure was such as the resources of the time could provide. A piece of ground of the desired size was enclosed by a ditch, into which trunks of trees were set of a length equal to the height of the building, plus the depth of the ditch. These tree stems formed the outer walls of the jail. Across the tops, a roof was placed and the interior was fitted up for the first jailer, Israel Branch, and his family; and quarters for the prisoners. Rumsey himself was the Justice of the Peace, and John Allen seems to have acted in the capacity of the first police officer.

According to history, this old building was not often used for the purposes for which it was constructed; and when it was, no one was sure that a prisoner who had been placed within its confines on any particular night would be found there the next morning. The escape of two or three “desperate characters” in 1834 and 1835 made it apparent that a Bastille, more strong and more commodious, would have to be built. On January 21, 1836, the grand jury of Washtenaw County, through its foreman, Bethuel Farrand, reported that they had examined the jail and found it “...entirely insufficient for the permanent security and comfortable accommodation of the prisoners.” The jury recommended that the building be repaired and “...that as soon as possible, a good and sufficient building be erected by this county.”

The result was that the very next year, in 1837, the second Jail, a two and a half story building, was erected by John L. and Robert Davison. It was built at 627 North Main Street, about four blocks from the present Court House at the time, at a cost of $17,000. The front part of this building was used for the jailer and the back part for cells.

With the abandonment of the first jail, the structure was torn down and the “Old Jail Square” was sold off into lots. It is reported that, in 1885, the last Ann Arbor lot was sold by a Mr. DeForest, to Arthur Covert of Lima, for a mere $1,400. Not a bad price for property in Ann Arbor’s prime location!

In 1884, not long after the second jail was built, it was voted upon by the county and the City of Ann Arbor as to whether a larger and more modern facility should be built. Although the county voted it down, the city voted to built it, and that is when the second jail was sold off to John J. Robinson, for the sum of $1,500. Robinson eventually tore down the cell-block section at the rear of this structure and built three additional homes with the bricks from the cell-blocks. He lived in the remaining, original portion of the building for some years. Over time, the second jail was eventually converted into a gas station and then a church. It was severely damaged in 1951 by fire, and after standing for 121 years, it was finally torn down on December 26, 1958, to make way for the Ann Arbor Community Center that was built on its site at that time.

With the $1,500 the city received from Robinson, the next jail site was purchased at the corner of 119 West Ann and North Ashley Streets in Ann Arbor. The erection of Washtenaw County’s third Jail, took place in or around 1885-87, and was an old “Victorian-style” house, with 18 foot ceilings and intricate grillwork on the front porch. It is said to have cost the county about $21,000. Utilized through the Prohibition era, this jail was used to house many an incorrigible who were arrested for bootlegging. It is said that, whenever the Sheriff raided a bootlegger, he would bring the wooden kegs of whiskey back to the jail and dump the contents down the drain on Ann and Ashley Streets, right in front of the inmate and the public. It must have seemed at the time, a high price to pay for anyone attempting to sell illegal liquor.

It is reported that the third jail-house was condemned by jail inspectors as early as 1920, but was continued in use until 1934; at which time the county had an opportunity to obtain a new $100,000 structure, (at a reported cost of only $11,000 to local taxpayers).

This new structure, also erected at the same 119 West Ann Street address in Ann Arbor, became Washtenaw County’s fourth Jail and Sheriff’s Department. Constructed in 1934, the jail now stood on a .57 acre site, was over 20,000 square feet and accommodated 100 prisoners. When it was completed, it was considered to be the “...finest utility jail for its size in the state”, in the opinion of then Sheriff Jacob B. Andres.

The building was supposedly so fortress-like and well-built that two more stories could have been added to the top. Instead, in 1959, a 2,000 square foot wing was added, which accommodated the administrative and communications sections. In addition to the 100 inmates, the jail could now house its 75 employees, working three shifts.

Reportedly, it was 17 years after it was built before the first prisoner ever escaped from this facility. In January of 1951, a 50-year old Ypsilanti man, serving time on a disorderly charge, climbed up a dumb waiter shaft into the jail’s kitchen and got a window open and jumped to the ground. He enjoyed his freedom only 12 hours before he was found by the Ypsilanti Police, hiding under a bed in a relative’s home. The inmate was immediately returned to the jail, to serve out the remainder of his sentence.

It wasn’t until March of 1978, that then Sheriff Thomas R. Minick and his staff gathered up their records and their house full of prisoners and moved into the fifth Jail, which is the current Corrections Facility located at 2201 Hogback Road in Pittsfield Township. Although the building at 119 W. Ann Street had served it’s community well, in late November of 1982 it was sentenced to death and a steel wrecking ball leveled it to the ground.

Today’s Washtenaw County Jail, which cost an estimated $10 million back in 1978, was originally built to house 215 inmates. During the past 19 years, this building has undergone three (3) renovations and has increased its original capacity from 215 to 285.  Serving under the direction of Sheriff Daniel J. Minzey, who has been with the agency for over 20 years and has held the Office of Sheriff since 2001, the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department has approximately 250 employees, who encompass the Corrections Division, Police Services Division and Administrative Services.

Washtenaw County has been particularly effective at the use of alternative sanctions for non-violent offenders. However, the Jail, which is below the State average of jail beds per thousand population, has experienced chronic overcrowding over the last several years.

In March of 1996, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners authorized the Sheriff’s Department to submit a grant application to the Michigan Department of Corrections, to obtain funding through the Minimum Security Facilities Grant for this jail expansion project. In October of 1996, the grant was approved in the amount of $672,000 and the future expansion of Washtenaw County’s fifth Jail is now underway.

Ground-breaking for the new expansion took place on August 4, 1997. The total cost of the expansion is estimated at just under one million dollars, with over two-thirds of the funding being provided by the State of Michigan, making this a true State-Local partnership. Washtenaw County will provide funding for the remaining third. It is anticipated that the expansion project will be completed in April or May of 1998.

Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department
Sheriff Daniel Minzey
2201 Hogback Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Phone: (734) 971-8400
Fax: (734) 973-4624