As Dallas County continues to show population growth, the need for more courtrooms continues to be a challenge for the Board of Supervisors.

The Supervisors have had to be creative in finding public spaces in the County to turn into courtrooms. One of those includes the west wing of the second floor of the Dallas County Courthouse. Previously this area contained the Recorder’s Office and Treasurer’s Tax Department, which moved to the first floor before construction began. With that project officially completed earlier this month, the Supervisors have started discussing the possibility of using the building that used to house the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office for additional court space. 

Earlier this fall, Jerry Purdy for the Farnsworth Group architecture firm presented more than half a dozen ideas to convert the former jail to courtrooms. One of the benefits this building has is the infrastructure to securely house inmates. 

While the discussion on the topic was thorough, the Supervisors noted they would need more information on what the exact needs of the County are. The spacing proposals show the facility could hold several courtrooms of various sizes while also offering other County services or archival storage, which is another issue the Supervisors are working to resolve.