Two San Francisco county jails have been on lockdown since Friday, April 12, following a series of reported attacks by inmates on nine staff members.
This afternoon, flanked by 16 deputies, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto spoke to reporters at a press conference on the steps at the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant St. to address the lockdowns, and said the primary cause of both is overcrowded jails.
“I felt it was imperative to look into causes, which is why the lockdown itself was necessary,” he said. The department anticipated that County Jail No. 2, at 427 7th St., will reopen Wednesday morning, with County Jail No. 3 — located in San Bruno — opening up sometime before the weekend.
Beside Miyamoto were two enlarged photos of deputies’ injuries: One a baseball-sized bump on the back of a man’s head, the other an apparent bite mark on a forearm.
“His arm was bitten so hard, it went through two layers of clothing and broke skin,” said the sheriff. The department confirmed that no weapons were used in any attacks.
Miyamoto stated that none of the incidents appear to be related, and instead attributed the “uptick” in violence against jail staff to overcrowded jail conditions.
“Currently, with only two jails open, there’s insufficient space for us to spread those individuals out,” he said. Miyamoto added that with so many trial delays, people are being held in jail for “extended lengths of time,” and that these are often “serious violent offenders in our custody,” increasing the likelihood of attack on staff.
Of the 1,182 people currently held in county jails, 44 are in County Jail No. 1, also at 425 7th St., where booking and release takes place, and the remainder are split between jails 2 and 3. The lockdowns mean inmates cannot receive visits from family or friends, and are prevented from leaving their cells for in-jail programs and other activities.
As the number of inmates has climbed in the past year — jumping from about 830 in 2022 to more than 1,000 — deputies have asked the city for more space. In November 2023, the city reopened a facility known as “the annex,” which is adjacent to County Jail No. 3 in San Bruno.
The annex has “capacity for 200-plus more individuals,” said Miyamoto. Right now, there are close to 100 incarcerated there.
“If necessary, we have plans to open an additional facility.”
Over the weekend, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the sheriff’s union called for deployment of the National Guard in city jails to support the department’s staffing shortage.
Miyamoto, however, countered the union’s request for outside help. “We are short-staffed,” he said, “but we don’t believe it is one of the primary factors. We don’t have the need for anyone else to come in and help us at this time.”
He added, “we can create a better and safer environment with the people and resources we have right now.”
At this time, no charges have been filed against inmates while the investigation continues.
Miyamoto described the lockdowns as “a shelter-in-place,” likening it to the pandemic lockdowns experienced by the general public. While inmates will still have access to health services, no community programming or family visits can take place at this time.
Valerie Ibarra, spokesperson for the Public Defender’s Office, emphasized the hazards posed against inmates during a lockdown. “It’s really bleak,” she said. “People only get out of their cells for one hour a day.”
Last year, Mission Local reported on the health effects of limiting inmates’ access to sunlight.
“Throughout the pandemic, we saw numerous lockdowns for various reasons — health and safety, staffing issues. These lockdowns were 23 hours a day,” said Ibarra. “And they can create extra pressure on our whole system — on our whole criminal legal system.”
It’s cops playing politics with Public Safety,
When SFPOA told cops to stop arresting people under Boudin the jail population plummeted and Miyamoto suggested that perhaps his deputies could take over City’s end of Airport Security.
In a panic over lost territory the cops started arresting drug customers as well as dealers and the jails quickly became overcrowded.
No more talk of Breed losing 181 gun toters at SFO to another elected official.
Empire Building 101
Go Niners !!
h.