{"id":7782,"date":"2026-08-26T15:10:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T15:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7782"},"modified":"2026-08-26T15:10:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T15:10:51","slug":"santa-clara-county-approves-potential-billion-dollar-plan-to-revamp-jails-in-deplorable-conditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7782","title":{"rendered":"Santa Clara County approves potential billion-dollar plan to revamp jails in \u2018deplorable\u2019 conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Despite fierce community pushback,\u00a0Santa Clara County is taking a step toward revamping its aging jails at an estimated\u00a0cost of $1 billion.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe conditions .. it\u2019s really quite deplorable,\u201d said Supervisor Margaret Abe Koga of the jails. \u201cWe\u2019re required to do this \u2026 we\u2019re at a point that we don\u2019t have time to wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision, voted on unanimously at Tuesday\u2019s Board of Supervisors meeting, is part a yearslong process of improving the county\u2019s two jail facilities \u2013 Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas and the Main Jail in San Jose \u2013 long the subject of controversy and legal wrangling over conditions in their antiquated facilities.<\/p>\n

The move comes more than 10 years after\u00a0an inmates rights group sued the county over the treatment of inmates, poor medical care and excessive use of solitary confinement, after guards beat and killed mentally ill inmate Michael Tyree in 2015.\u00a0Following the 2015 suit,\u00a0a group of inmates sued the county in 2016 over issues with accessibility.<\/p>\n

In the wake of those suits, the county\u00a0instituted reforms \u2013 including retraining officers and using body cameras. Even so, the county paid\u00a0millions of dollars in settlements over continued incidents and injuries in the jails. In early 2019, both suits led to federal judges imposing legally-binding plans to force the county to improve the conditions in the jail by focusing on accessibility, access to medical and dental care, and treatment of inmates with mental health issues.<\/p>\n

County officials say the new plan would seek to address those issues by tearing down some of the facilities in the most dire condition and building a new medical, mental health housing and male housing facility for those held at Elmwood. The change would result in a net loss of over 1000 beds, reflecting the decrease in those who are jailed in the county. The work would take until 2034 and cost an estimated $1 billion dollars.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the board unanimously voted to approve the framework, but urged the county to engage with the community and inmates on the design of the facilities over the coming months. While the vote sets the plan in motion, decisions on setting aside funding, choosing contracts and finalizing the design of the facilities would take place at later meetings.<\/p>\n

The approved plan represents the first part of a potential 15-year long, multi-phase plan. That broader plan, which would include further renovation and building at the Main Jail and Elmwood, could cost an estimated $2.5 billion over the course of the project.<\/p>\n

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At this week\u2019s meeting, over 50 residents spoke out in near-unanimous opposition to building new facilities, with residents repeating the refrain \u201cno new jails.\u201d Many balked at the price tag, especially in light of the county\u2019s ongoing budgetary woes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m \u2026 shocked and disappointed that we would even consider adding a new facility or upgrading,\u201d said county resident Carla Torres. \u201cWe just went through a budget crisis and cuts to much-needed services for the most vulnerable, but here we are talking about (billions of) dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many argued that the money should instead be reinvested in the programs that prevent crime and incarceration, that support low-income people and aid those leaving jail with re-entry efforts. Several who had been incarcerated spoke about the impact of those programs on their lives.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI know what it\u2019s like to be in that position \u2026 We need a community that doesn\u2019t give up on us,\u201d said resident Brandon Sanchez. \u201cInvest in intervention while we\u2019re still young \u2026 Don\u2019t wait until we\u2019re adults in those jail beds to decide what we\u2019re investing in.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Others noted that the legal system often had disproportionate effects on the most vulnerable communities \u2013 including minorities, low-income people, and disabled people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know carceral systems are innately racist,\u201d said resident Deb St. Julian. \u201cIf you invest in care you will decrease crime and decrease incarceration \u2026 This is backwards what you are doing \u2013 invest in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supervisors\u00a0said that they were sympathetic to the arguments of the speakers, but noted that the current conditions in jail were unacceptable and needed investments, even as they funded many of the types of programs that would help residents prior to incarceration.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is not about an either\/or decision. We need to do everything we can to prevent people from entering the criminal legal system,\u201d said Supervisor Susan Ellenberg. \u201cWhen those investments are not successful, our obligation to care for people doesn\u2019t end when they are incarcerated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellenberg noted that given the county\u2019s financial situation, it would likely need\u00a0to take on debt to renovate the facilities, but she also pointed out\u00a0that since the plan came in multiple phases, the county could hold off on further phases if they managed to decrease incarceration and meet the court-mandated plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve very conflicted,\u201d said Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, a Latina who has highlighted racial inequity of multiple systems throughout the county, including by spearheading the Latino Health Assessment showing that 7 in 10 cases in juvenile court are for Latinos. \u201cI don\u2019t want a new jail. Because \u2013 guess what\u2013 the people who are in there are going to look like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She argued that truly addressing issues with incarceration and racial injustice in the county would require system-wide change from child welfare reform to investments in behavioral healthcare. She urged the county to make the same level of investment in preventative efforts as it spent on the improvements to the jail.<\/p>\n

Even so, county officials and the board of supervisors agreed that the current facilities were in \u201cdeplorable\u201d conditions that were unfit for those who were incarcerated there and those who worked at the facility. They argued that the improved facilities would expand access to medical and mental healthcare and could allow for space for the programs that would help decrease recidivism and help with re-entry.<\/p>\n

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The county faced harsh criticism over a potential billion-dollar investment, which advocates said would be better spent on programs to prevent incarceration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSanta Clara County approves potential billion-dollar plan to revamp jails in \u2018deplorable\u2019 conditions - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7782\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Santa Clara County approves potential billion-dollar plan to revamp jails in \u2018deplorable\u2019 conditions - 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