For Immediate Release
Thursday, February 28, 2020
Contact: Nancy Crowley, 415-554-4469
Press Release
San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto Moves to Close Hall of Justice Jail
San Francisco, CA -- In his first official budget to the Mayor and Controller's offices covering FY (fiscal year) 20-21 and FY 21-22, San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto is moving forward with plans to close County Jail #4 by July 2021. The Sheriff’s plan will meet Mayor London Breed’s deadline for closing the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant St., where County Jail #4 is located on the 7th floor.
According to the Sheriff’s budget proposal, the jail’s prospective closure will save the City more than $10 million annually in operating costs.
To minimize the need to redistribute the jail population to out-of-county locations, Sheriff Miyamoto is asking the City to invest in a safe environment for those who are housed at County Jail #2, located at 425 - 7th St. The Sheriff’s proposal to close County Jail #4 is contingent upon a $50 million capital investment in the renovation of existing jail facilities.
Until the City agrees on these investments, the Sheriff proposes to relocate up to 100 incarcerated people from County Jail #4 to Santa Rita jail in Alameda County.
“We can’t wait any longer,” said Sheriff Miyamoto. “County Jail #4 is seismically unsafe, a danger to justice-involved people, deputies, staff, and visitors, with an outdated design that does not support educational and behavioral programs for people in jail.”
When shuttered, County Jail #4 will become the third jail that the Sheriff’s Office has closed since 2010, eliminating more than 1,000 beds in San Francisco’s jail system without provisions for replacement beds.
“Over half the people who are justice involved await resolution of their cases out-of-custody,” said Sheriff Miyamoto, “but when the courts mandate incarceration, I need a place to house people safely and humanely.”
In 2014, the Sheriff’s Office sought a replacement facility for County Jail #4 to be located adjacent to the current Hall of Justice. In 2015, the State awarded San Francisco an $80 million grant for new multi-purpose facility construction. The Board of Supervisors rejected the replacement facility plan and declined the grant in December 2015.
As an alternative, the Board of Supervisors created the “Work Group to Re-envision the Jail Replacement Project.” Since 2016, the Sheriff’s Office has worked with the Department of Public Health and community activists, who comprise the Work Group, to develop and implement recommendations to reduce the jail count.
Built in 1962, County Jail #4 is a maximum security facility with an operating capacity of 385 beds. It is one of three custodial jails in San Francisco City and County. The other two include County Jail #2 at 425 - 7th Street with 392 beds and County Jail #5 at One Moreland Drive in San Bruno with 768 beds.
Led by elected Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department serves the people of San Francisco by administering the county jails, providing security for the Superior Court and other high-profile public buildings, and performing civil court orders. The Sheriff’s Department employs more than 850 sworn staff and almost 200 non-sworn employees.
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