County outlines four-part plan to assess and redesign custodial facilities

Santa Clara County officials on Jan. 17 told the Public Safety and Justice Committee they are moving forward on a four-part transformation process for local custodial facilities that will include community engagement, a technical assessment of buildings, a review of international best practices and 10-year custodial population projections.

Deputy County Executive Consuelo Hernandez summarized the plan and said the administration intends an ongoing, multifaceted engagement with stakeholders and community groups, not a single public meeting. “It is an evolving opportunity to engage with the community and it is multifaceted,” Hernandez said.

The plan matters because the county must balance legal obligations to hold people in local custody with policymakers’ stated goals to reduce trauma and increase rehabilitative services inside facilities. The administration said the technical assessment is out for proposals and that it expects to return to the full board with a recommended contract in April. The community- and stakeholder-engagement plan is expected to be presented to the committee this quarter.

Hernandez described the four workstreams: (1) a standing community engagement process coordinated with the Community Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring Committee; (2) a technical assessment of the county’s physical custodial facilities; (3) a literature and best-practices review emphasizing differences between county jails and prisons; and (4) a custodial population projection and policy analysis to identify reforms that could reduce the local jail population. The population analysis will examine items the committee previously requested, including court policies and case-processing changes described in Dr. Austin’s report.

Committee members and county staff discussed how changes outside the county—court policies, superior court calendaring and treatment referrals—affect local custody needs. Deputy County Executive Casey Halcon and Chief Operating Officer Hansen said the administration is coordinating with the superior court, district attorney and defense offices to study those levers and will return to the committee later this year with a focused report on population-reduction opportunities.

Committee members also discussed likely near-term impacts from the recently passed Prop 36 and similar changes; Sheriff’s staff confirmed they are tracking new bookings tied to the recently cited penal provision and will provide more data to the committee. Supervisor President Otto Lee urged advocates who oppose any new jail to nonetheless participate in the engagement process so their perspectives are included.

The committee voted to receive the report. Chairperson Ellenberg moved to receive the report; the vote was recorded as Vice Chairperson Otto Lee, aye; Chairperson Ellenberg, yes. Motion carries.

Public comment: One Zoom speaker, Ben Zee, spoke during public comment and alleged misconduct by private attorneys and the district attorney’s office in separate matters; his remarks were not taken as part of the formal report and no committee action followed from his comments.

Next steps: staff will return with a community engagement plan this quarter and a recommended contract for the technical assessment in April. The administration will bring a separate item later this year on specific court-policy reforms under review.