County outlines four-part plan to review custodial facilities, will report back with contract recommendation in April

Santa Clara County officials told the Public Safety and Justice Committee on Jan. 17 that the county has launched a four-part transformation process to review its custodial facilities and will return with a contract recommendation in April.

Deputy County Executive Consuelo Hernandez said the county’s plan includes: (1) a community and stakeholder engagement process led with the Community Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring Committee; (2) a technical assessment of physical facilities; (3) a literature and best-practices review focused on facility design and management; and (4) a 10-year custodial population projection tied to possible reforms based on previous studies.

Hernandez said the county has received several proposals for the technical assessment and anticipates returning to the board with a contract recommendation in April. She described the community engagement as an ongoing, multifaceted process that will include a subcommittee to develop an engagement plan and said administration staff will coordinate across county departments and outside partners.

The population-projection work will examine three specific opportunities identified by the administration to reduce jail population: reinstatement by the superior court of a zero-bail policy, adoption by the superior court of a trial-continuance policy recommended by the National Center for State Courts, and more efficient calendaring and case processing. Hernandez said those measures require collaboration with the superior court, the district attorney’s office, the public defender and independent defense counsel.

Vice Chair Otto Lee acknowledged principled opposition among some advocates to any new jail, but urged engagement so the county can ensure facilities—if required by law—are designed to minimize trauma and focus on rehabilitation. Lee suggested the committee consider international models of facility design discussed in previous delegations.

Deputy County Executive Casey Halcon told the committee the administration has begun initial discussions with criminal justice and public-safety partners about the local impacts of Proposition 36 and will report early findings to the committee in April. The sheriff’s office said it has begun daily tracking of bookings under new Penal Code section 666.1 and reported an increase in bookings from 23 on Jan. 1 to 38, a 40% rise for that specific offense category; the sheriff called the figure preliminary.

Committee members voted to receive the report. The administration plans to return with procurement recommendations and a community engagement plan later this quarter.