SAN ANTONIO — By the end of the summer, Bexar County's Justice Intake and Assessment Center is set to open.

It's a $32.8 million investment.

"This is different than anything you've seen here in San Antonio. Because we want to treat people in a dignified manner. They may be arrested, but they're not convicted," said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff.

At 5 stories tall, this new facility will be about twice as large as the current magistrate's office with noticeable differences, including who will be brought in.

"We have 26 cities in Bexar County. Many times they forget that each one of them have police forces and we will be handling those 26 cities here. The city of San Antonio has decided not to come over here at this time," said Wolff.

There are also a wide variety of physical differences between the two buildings.

The most noticeable: A secure sally port before you get in. Next, comes the open booking concept.Inside of heading straight to a cell, people will be assessed.

"We've really beefed up on our pre-trial services department, to interview individuals to give the judges information. We have the center for healthcare services, a mental health clinician here that will give full blown mental health assessments on individuals to give to the judge," said Judicial Services Director Mike Lozito.

There are dedicated spaces for specific departments such as the district clerk, sheriff, public defender, and district attorney. There will be professionals who can help address substance abuse and homelessness.

"Our overall goal is to make better use of our resources. Jails are for people that society is afraid of, those are the people who need to be here. Jail is not for people who society is mad at temporarily. This process here is going to let us make better use of those resources," said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar.

"If we haven't done anything to fix them, then they'll continue to do those crimes," Lozito said.