The County Jail was established in about 1860 directly behind the County Court House on Spring Garden Road. A joint expenditure of the City of Halifax, the Town of Dartmouth, and the County of Halifax, as of the 1950s, the facility operated until 1969 when the Halifax County Correctional Facility was built in Lower Sackville. The Halifax-Dartmouth Regional Authority took over operation of the jail and the City Prison in January 1967.

It is unclear if the jail remained in a separate building for the duration of this period or if it was moved to the basement of the Court House following renovations planned for the late 1950s or 1960s. Inmates of the County Jail included men and women either serving sentences or awaiting trial and included both criminals and debtors. Inmates also came from all levels of the court system. Individuals convicted of serious crimes were usually sent to the provincial penitentiary on the North West Arm (and then Dorchester after confederation), while short sentences were served at the City Prison. The County Jail is known to have employed a jailor, matron, turnkeys, and a visiting physician.