County Jail 4 (CJ #4) on the 7th floor of the Hall of Justice represents the last vestiges of a bygone era. Opened in 1962, CJ #4 is a symbol of an outdated philosophy, which the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office has shifted away from in its role as a leader of progressive change and criminal justice reform. CJ #4’s archaic linear design includes housing for 402 beds placed in units along patrolled “lines” or hallways, which limits supervision.
To put the jail’s design in historical context, Alcatraz Federal Prison’s cell block lettering was used for CJ #4’s housing areas. The Sheriff’s Office closed two other linear jails -- CJ #3 in San Bruno built in 1933 and closed in 2006; and CJ #1 located on the sixth floor at the Hall of Justice, which closed in 2013.
I personally have been assigned to CJ #4 multiple times. When I became Sheriff in January 2020, I committed to closing County Jail #4. It had outlived its useful life and was seismically unsafe, putting not just the people in custody at risk, but deputies and Sheriff’s staff, contractors and the visiting public. The continued use of this decrepit facility has also led to plumbing and sewage issues and litigation.
For years, the Sheriff’s Office has worked with the City to safely relocate CJ #4’s population from this unsafe building. Funding, capacity and space issues frustrated our original plans.
Thanks to Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer’s leadership over the last several months, the Sheriff’s Office has secured the support we needed to move forward. Today, August 25, 2020, I am pleased to announce that we have advanced CJ #4’s closing date by two months to September 5, 2020.
My staff and our health care partners – Jail Health Services and the Department of Public Health -- have met every benchmark for closing while addressing new challenges for keeping people safe during a global pandemic. Sheriff’s employees have worked collaboratively and creatively and have remained focused on finding solutions for transitioning to a reduced living, work and visiting space. They have been responsive to advocates’ concerns. Our deputies have exceeded expectations and performed their duties at an exceptional level of professionalism with attention to everyone’s health and safety.
Since the onset of COVID-19 in March and the corresponding reduction in jail population to limit exposure, County Jail #4’s census today is 77 people. People from CJ #4 will be rehoused in either CJ #5 in San Bruno (rated for 768 beds) or CJ #2 at 425-7th Street in San Francisco (rated for 392 beds), which have the capacity to absorb CJ #4’s population.
I wish to thank my staff for their dedication and focused attention on our goal to safely advance County Jail #4’s closure and commend our Sheriff’s deputies for their contribution to this historic moment. They are the unsung heroes of this story without whom we wouldn’t be here today.
