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San Mateo County
                                       Correctional Facilities
                                       Frequently Asked Questions
                                          Volume 1, Issue 1   July 3, 2008


                                       San Mateo County


                                   How many Jails are there in San
                                   -




                                   Mateo County?
Sheriff’s Facilities:
                                   Currently, there are 11 jails within our county, seven
1.   Maguire Correctional facil-   are under the control of San
     ity
2.   Maple Street Facilities
                                   Mateo County. The San
•    Women’s Correctional Center   Mateo County Sheriff’s Office
•    Weekender Dorm
•    Men’s Secure Transitional     facilities include the Maguire
     Facility                      Correctional Facility and the
3.   Medium Security Facility
4.   North County Correctional     Maple Street Correctional
     Facility
                                   Facilities, located in Redwood
                                   City; the Medium Security        Maguire Correctional Facility
                                   Facility, located in La Honda; 300 Bradford Street
                                                                    Redwood City
                                   and the Sheriff’s North
                                   County Correctional Facility and Courthouse located in
                                   the city of South San Francisco. The Probation Depart-
Probation Department:              ment is responsible for The Margaret Kemp Girls Camp,
1.   The Margaret Kemp Girls       the Youth Services Center, located in unincorporated
     Camp
2.   Youth Services Center         San Mateo County near the City of San Mateo; and
3.   Camp Glenwood
                                   Camp Glenwood, located in La Honda. San Francisco is
                                   responsible for the Log Cabin and Hidden Valley Ranch,
                                   located in La Honda, in unincorporated San Mateo
                                   County; and two jails in an unincorporated area of San
                                    Mateo County near San Bruno.
San Francisco Facilities
in San Mateo County:
1.   The Log Cabin
2.   Hidden Valley Ranch
3.   County Jail #5
4.   County Jail #7
San Mateo County Correctional Facilities                Page 2




                               Are all these jails currently open?
                               No. The Sheriff’s North County Correctional Facility is
                               not currently in use, although the adjacent North County
                               Courthouse is still operating. And while the Medium Se-
                               curity Facility in La Honda has been closed since 2003, it
                               is currently being renovated in anticipation of re-opening
                               in the near future. The Hidden Valley facility is also closed,
                               but is owned by the County of San Francisco and could be
Medium Security Facility, La
Honda
                               opened at any time.




                        Who is responsible to oversee jail
                        operations in San Mateo County?
                    The California Penal Code clearly authorizes the Sheriff in each
                    California county to operate and supervise all county adult correc-
                    tional facilities in their jurisdiction. In San Mateo County, two jails
                    owned by the County of San Francisco are located within our
                    boundaries, but are operated by San Francisco. Juvenile offenders
                    are housed in separate facilities from adults and those jails are su-
                    pervised by the local Chief Probation Officer.
Volume 1, Issue 1                                                                Page 3


How many inmates are incarcerated in San Mateo?
In 2007, there were about 1200 adult inmates in custody
in our county each and every day. About two thirds of
them are in custody awaiting trial and the other third are
serving their court imposed sentences. Three fourths of
the inmates have at least one felony charge and the oth-
ers are held on strictly misdemeanor charges. About 85%
on the inmates are men and 15% are women.

Are the current number of adult
correctional facilities in our county                              The Women’s

adequate?                                                          Correctional

                                                                   Center “E” Dorm

No. The current State of California rated capacity for adult       is rated for 18

offender correctional facilities operated by the San Mateo         inmates. The
County Sheriff is 834 inmates. As stated earlier, the aver-        average
age inmate daily population in our county in 2007 was              occupancy of
1200, causing serious overcrowding in both the Maguire
                                                                   “E” Dorm is 45
Correctional Facility and the Women’s Correctional Center.
                                                                   inmates.
The San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury recently stated
that the Women’s Correctional Center “is a crowded dis-
grace and should be replaced.”

What steps have been taken to alleviate
overcrowding in our jails?

In 2005, a task force consisting of a number of County de-     County’s Response
partments, including the Sheriff, the Board of Supervisors,    •   Jail Overcrowding
the District Attorney, the Courts and the County Manager           Task Force
was formed to take a closer look at the overcrowding prob-     •   Criminal Justice
lems in our jails. Their work resulted in the commissioning
                                                                   Working Group
and completion of a comprehensive needs assessment that
                                                               •   Conducted Needs
was completed in 2008 and makes a number of important
recommendations dealing with jail overcrowding. In addi-           Assessments

tion to those efforts, the Sheriff continues to operate the    •   Hosted Gender
Sheriff’s Work Program, an out of custody alternative sen-         Specific Summit
tencing program that reduces the number of incarcerated        •   Funded the Jail
inmates by nearly 500 per day.
                                                                   Planning Unit
San Mateo County Correctional Facilities               Page 4



            What recommendations are included in the jail
            needs assessment?
                                  The needs assessment concludes that San Mateo County
                                  should add 776 new jail beds to its inventory immedi-
                                  ately. The Sheriff, in concert with the County Manager
                                  and the Board of Supervisors, recently applied for fund-
                                  ing to build a 648 bed jail in our county. While the fund-
                                  ing sources sought were not offered, the Sheriff continues
                                  to support the construction of a like size jail to relieve
                                  overcrowding and provide for an expected increase in in-
    Increased inmate programs
    with new jail construction
                                  mate population in the coming years.

                                 Where will a new replacement jail facility
     New Jail Facility
                                 be built?
     will provide an

     opportunity for:             No decision has been made yet regarding the location of
     •    Family re-              the new jail. The needs assessment studied nine differ-
          unification             ent locations, including the current Maple Street Correc-
                                  tional Facilities. Other sites included in the assessment
     •    Increased
                                  were located in Redwood City, Menlo Park, the City of
          inmate
                                  San Mateo and the unincorporated area on our county.
          programs                Prior to a site being chosen, the Board of Supervisors
     •    Vocational              and the Sheriff have committed to holding public feed-
          training                back meetings to allow for an exchange of ideas and
                                  opinions.

                    What type of replacement jail will be built?
                             The state of California classifies jails in four general categories;
                             Type I, II, III and IV. Type I jails are considered temporary hold-
                             ing facilities designed for detaining inmates for less that 96
                             hours. Type II jails are described as a jail that houses both pre-
                             trial and sentenced inmates. A Type III jail is designed to house
                             only sentenced inmates and a Type IV jail is one that houses in-
Dorn located inside the      mates that serve their sentences on some sort of work release ar-
Maguire Correctional
                             rangement, meaning they often work at their regular jobs during
                             the day and return to jail at night to serve their sentence. The re-
                             placement jail here in our county will be a Type II facility.
Volume 1, Issue 1                                                                                               Page 5



How much will a new jail cost and when will it be
built?                                                                     Jai l C o nst r uct i o n C o st :
                                                                        12 % A nnual Escal at i o n F act o r
 The needs assessment states that a new 648 bed jail
 will cost around $140 million dollars to construct. It                       $200                     $ 166. 4m
                                                                                                                $ 186. 3m



 also points out that delays have the potential to sig-            In
                                                                               $ 18 0
                                                                               $ 16 0
                                                                                                $ 148. 6m
                                                                                        $ 132. 7m


 nificantly increase construction costs, possibly as          M i l l i ons    $ 14 0
                                                                               $ 12 0

 much as a million dollars a month. The Sheriff’s Office                       $ 10 0
                                                                                        2009           2 0 11

 has staffed a Jail Planning Unit that is working full
 time towards completing the new jail. It is the Sher-                  A nnual Escalat io n C o st @ 12 %
                                                                        2 0 0 9 C o nst r uct io n C o st
 iff’s goal to have a new jail built and occupied prior to
 the end of 2012.                                            Jail construction delays will increase
                                                             costs




What problems result from the serious jail
overcrowding?

A number of issues arise because of jail overcrowding. The
ability of the Sheriff to offer meaningful programming to in-
mates is severely curtailed by overcrowding. This is espe-
cially true for women inmates whose programming opportu-
                                                                                 Program space
nities are limited due to the outdated Women’s Correctional
                                                                                 converted into
Center. The Sheriff’s vision for the new jail includes com-
prehensive programming and re-entry modules. Legal li-                           jail dorms.
abilities are also a concern when jails become overcrowded.
More than half of California counties operate under some
type of inmate population cap, returning criminals to the
streets of our cities well before it is prudent. Overcrowding
also reduces the usable life span of a jail. Increased mainte-
nance issues result from overcrowded jails, increasing costs
to taxpayers and effectively shortening the beneficial occu-
pancy of a jail.
What are the next steps that will be
                                                                                Page 6



    taken to build a new jail?

                           As previously stated, a community outreach effort is under-
                           way to ensure that the public has a chance to contribute to
                           the building of a new jail. Soon after that, the Board of Su-
                           pervisors in consultation with the community, the Sheriff
                           and the County Manager will choose a location for the new
                           jail and determine its appropriate size. After that, the
                           County Department of Public Works will release a Request
                           for Proposals to secure the services of an experienced and
                           qualified architect. The new jail will then be designed with
                           input from a wide range of stakeholders and construction
                    will begin.


   Who do I contact if I have questions about the new jail?

 Sheriff’s Lieutenant Deborah Bazan heads up the Jail Planning unit and can be
reached at 650-508-6721. Lieutenant Bazan can help answer your questions and can
even arrange for a speaker from the Sheriff’s Office to make presentations to your
neighborhood group or service club.




   Bob Livengood, Jail Planning 650-508-6722
   Mike Mitchell, Jail Planning 650-508-6723




                     www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/
                     smc/department/home
                     HOT TOPIC: JAIL PLANNING

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Public Website Faq

  • 1. San Mateo County Correctional Facilities Frequently Asked Questions Volume 1, Issue 1 July 3, 2008 San Mateo County How many Jails are there in San - Mateo County? Sheriff’s Facilities: Currently, there are 11 jails within our county, seven 1. Maguire Correctional facil- are under the control of San ity 2. Maple Street Facilities Mateo County. The San • Women’s Correctional Center Mateo County Sheriff’s Office • Weekender Dorm • Men’s Secure Transitional facilities include the Maguire Facility Correctional Facility and the 3. Medium Security Facility 4. North County Correctional Maple Street Correctional Facility Facilities, located in Redwood City; the Medium Security Maguire Correctional Facility Facility, located in La Honda; 300 Bradford Street Redwood City and the Sheriff’s North County Correctional Facility and Courthouse located in the city of South San Francisco. The Probation Depart- Probation Department: ment is responsible for The Margaret Kemp Girls Camp, 1. The Margaret Kemp Girls the Youth Services Center, located in unincorporated Camp 2. Youth Services Center San Mateo County near the City of San Mateo; and 3. Camp Glenwood Camp Glenwood, located in La Honda. San Francisco is responsible for the Log Cabin and Hidden Valley Ranch, located in La Honda, in unincorporated San Mateo County; and two jails in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County near San Bruno. San Francisco Facilities in San Mateo County: 1. The Log Cabin 2. Hidden Valley Ranch 3. County Jail #5 4. County Jail #7
  • 2. San Mateo County Correctional Facilities Page 2 Are all these jails currently open? No. The Sheriff’s North County Correctional Facility is not currently in use, although the adjacent North County Courthouse is still operating. And while the Medium Se- curity Facility in La Honda has been closed since 2003, it is currently being renovated in anticipation of re-opening in the near future. The Hidden Valley facility is also closed, but is owned by the County of San Francisco and could be Medium Security Facility, La Honda opened at any time. Who is responsible to oversee jail operations in San Mateo County? The California Penal Code clearly authorizes the Sheriff in each California county to operate and supervise all county adult correc- tional facilities in their jurisdiction. In San Mateo County, two jails owned by the County of San Francisco are located within our boundaries, but are operated by San Francisco. Juvenile offenders are housed in separate facilities from adults and those jails are su- pervised by the local Chief Probation Officer.
  • 3. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 3 How many inmates are incarcerated in San Mateo? In 2007, there were about 1200 adult inmates in custody in our county each and every day. About two thirds of them are in custody awaiting trial and the other third are serving their court imposed sentences. Three fourths of the inmates have at least one felony charge and the oth- ers are held on strictly misdemeanor charges. About 85% on the inmates are men and 15% are women. Are the current number of adult correctional facilities in our county The Women’s adequate? Correctional Center “E” Dorm No. The current State of California rated capacity for adult is rated for 18 offender correctional facilities operated by the San Mateo inmates. The County Sheriff is 834 inmates. As stated earlier, the aver- average age inmate daily population in our county in 2007 was occupancy of 1200, causing serious overcrowding in both the Maguire “E” Dorm is 45 Correctional Facility and the Women’s Correctional Center. inmates. The San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury recently stated that the Women’s Correctional Center “is a crowded dis- grace and should be replaced.” What steps have been taken to alleviate overcrowding in our jails? In 2005, a task force consisting of a number of County de- County’s Response partments, including the Sheriff, the Board of Supervisors, • Jail Overcrowding the District Attorney, the Courts and the County Manager Task Force was formed to take a closer look at the overcrowding prob- • Criminal Justice lems in our jails. Their work resulted in the commissioning Working Group and completion of a comprehensive needs assessment that • Conducted Needs was completed in 2008 and makes a number of important recommendations dealing with jail overcrowding. In addi- Assessments tion to those efforts, the Sheriff continues to operate the • Hosted Gender Sheriff’s Work Program, an out of custody alternative sen- Specific Summit tencing program that reduces the number of incarcerated • Funded the Jail inmates by nearly 500 per day. Planning Unit
  • 4. San Mateo County Correctional Facilities Page 4 What recommendations are included in the jail needs assessment? The needs assessment concludes that San Mateo County should add 776 new jail beds to its inventory immedi- ately. The Sheriff, in concert with the County Manager and the Board of Supervisors, recently applied for fund- ing to build a 648 bed jail in our county. While the fund- ing sources sought were not offered, the Sheriff continues to support the construction of a like size jail to relieve overcrowding and provide for an expected increase in in- Increased inmate programs with new jail construction mate population in the coming years. Where will a new replacement jail facility New Jail Facility be built? will provide an opportunity for: No decision has been made yet regarding the location of • Family re- the new jail. The needs assessment studied nine differ- unification ent locations, including the current Maple Street Correc- tional Facilities. Other sites included in the assessment • Increased were located in Redwood City, Menlo Park, the City of inmate San Mateo and the unincorporated area on our county. programs Prior to a site being chosen, the Board of Supervisors • Vocational and the Sheriff have committed to holding public feed- training back meetings to allow for an exchange of ideas and opinions. What type of replacement jail will be built? The state of California classifies jails in four general categories; Type I, II, III and IV. Type I jails are considered temporary hold- ing facilities designed for detaining inmates for less that 96 hours. Type II jails are described as a jail that houses both pre- trial and sentenced inmates. A Type III jail is designed to house only sentenced inmates and a Type IV jail is one that houses in- Dorn located inside the mates that serve their sentences on some sort of work release ar- Maguire Correctional rangement, meaning they often work at their regular jobs during the day and return to jail at night to serve their sentence. The re- placement jail here in our county will be a Type II facility.
  • 5. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 5 How much will a new jail cost and when will it be built? Jai l C o nst r uct i o n C o st : 12 % A nnual Escal at i o n F act o r The needs assessment states that a new 648 bed jail will cost around $140 million dollars to construct. It $200 $ 166. 4m $ 186. 3m also points out that delays have the potential to sig- In $ 18 0 $ 16 0 $ 148. 6m $ 132. 7m nificantly increase construction costs, possibly as M i l l i ons $ 14 0 $ 12 0 much as a million dollars a month. The Sheriff’s Office $ 10 0 2009 2 0 11 has staffed a Jail Planning Unit that is working full time towards completing the new jail. It is the Sher- A nnual Escalat io n C o st @ 12 % 2 0 0 9 C o nst r uct io n C o st iff’s goal to have a new jail built and occupied prior to the end of 2012. Jail construction delays will increase costs What problems result from the serious jail overcrowding? A number of issues arise because of jail overcrowding. The ability of the Sheriff to offer meaningful programming to in- mates is severely curtailed by overcrowding. This is espe- cially true for women inmates whose programming opportu- Program space nities are limited due to the outdated Women’s Correctional converted into Center. The Sheriff’s vision for the new jail includes com- prehensive programming and re-entry modules. Legal li- jail dorms. abilities are also a concern when jails become overcrowded. More than half of California counties operate under some type of inmate population cap, returning criminals to the streets of our cities well before it is prudent. Overcrowding also reduces the usable life span of a jail. Increased mainte- nance issues result from overcrowded jails, increasing costs to taxpayers and effectively shortening the beneficial occu- pancy of a jail.
  • 6. What are the next steps that will be Page 6 taken to build a new jail? As previously stated, a community outreach effort is under- way to ensure that the public has a chance to contribute to the building of a new jail. Soon after that, the Board of Su- pervisors in consultation with the community, the Sheriff and the County Manager will choose a location for the new jail and determine its appropriate size. After that, the County Department of Public Works will release a Request for Proposals to secure the services of an experienced and qualified architect. The new jail will then be designed with input from a wide range of stakeholders and construction will begin. Who do I contact if I have questions about the new jail? Sheriff’s Lieutenant Deborah Bazan heads up the Jail Planning unit and can be reached at 650-508-6721. Lieutenant Bazan can help answer your questions and can even arrange for a speaker from the Sheriff’s Office to make presentations to your neighborhood group or service club. Bob Livengood, Jail Planning 650-508-6722 Mike Mitchell, Jail Planning 650-508-6723 www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/ smc/department/home HOT TOPIC: JAIL PLANNING