MRRJ HISTORY

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Middle River Regional Jail (MRRJ) was built to alleviate the increasing jail population at the former Augusta County Jail, Staunton, VA. MRRJ enabled inmates that were formerly being held in other facilities due to overcrowding to return to their local jurisdiction. Not only did this move make it easier for inmate families to visit, it also provided an exponential increase in living space, recreation, programming, and more opportunities to provide inmates the tools to help them succeed upon their re-entry to our communities. 

 

Countless years of planning and construction came to fruition on April 1, 2006 when MRRJ began operation. The facility was built on 28 acres which is conveniently located in close proximity to the I-81 and I-64 interchange in Augusta County.

 

The building’s 212,020 square feet has a rated capacity for 396 inmates anticipating that there may be as many as 600 inmates per day at times. MRRJ can house both female and male inmates. There have been times in the recent years when the average daily inmate population exceeded 900 inmates per day.

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The aforesaid population consists of local inmates from our member jurisdictions as well as state responsible inmates awaiting transfer to the Virginia Department of Corrections. MRRJ employs approximately 196 individuals including both jail officers and civilian support staff to provide for the inmate population.   

 

From 2006-2015, the MRRJ Authority Board is comprised of members from each of the participating original Member Jurisdictions: Augusta County and the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Rockingham County and the City of Harrisonburg joined as full members of the MRRJ Authority on July 1, 2015.

 

 

Update April 11, 2024