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The Justice Center in Cleveland, Ohio, takes up a whole city block downtown. It's a cluster of

concrete towers built in the 1970s. I could hedge here, but I'm just going to say it. The buildings

are hideous, but practical.

The Justice Center houses in one location everything a justice system needs.

The city and county courts, the county jail, prosecutor's offices, the sheriff's office, and headquarters for the Cleveland Police.

Roughly speaking, the building functions, like most hierarchies, vertically... Sheriff's Office and headquarters for the Cleveland Police.

Roughly speaking, the building functions like most hierarchies, vertically, in this case, from the bowels up, the main court tower is 26 stories high, so the elevator really runs the place.

If a person's arrested in Cleveland, they're coming into the Justice Center from the basement.

Weary cops escort

suspects from the underground parking garage. They get booked, go up a few floors to the jail.

Once they get a court date, they're riding up to one of the courtroom floors. The lower floors

are for lesser crimes, less hallowed proceedings, misdemeanors, housing court, and the higher floors,

starting about halfway up the building,

are for felonies.

Detectives wearing lanyards often get off on the ninth floor, where the prosecutor's offices.

...