Alameda County details Santa Rita upgrades, staffing gap and expanded reentry services

Lieutenant Dan Murphy, speaking for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, and Juan Taison, director of the county’s Forensic Diversion and Reentry System of Care, gave a joint State of the Jail update on Nov. 20 that emphasized facility upgrades, staffing and a broad expansion of clinical and reentry services.

Lieutenant Murphy reviewed the sheriff’s consent‑decree work and compliance status: the consent decree contains 188 provisions, 40 of which the office reports as no longer monitored; several remaining provisions tie to construction and staffing projects (SEG 986–1005). Murphy said the office still needs 194 deputies to meet consent‑decree staffing targets but expected 61 new sworn deputies from upcoming academy classes ("18 will be in December; 43 will be in May; a new academy starts in February") and noted sustained recruiting work (SEG 1010–1019).

Murphy described active capital projects at Santa Rita: outdoor recreation yards on multiple housing sides, a Michael Foley Operations Center converted from a housing unit to centralized staff space, CPOD conversions to create confidential clinical and multi‑use spaces, housing-unit digital upgrades and a plan to add roughly 900 cameras as part of infrastructure modernization (SEG 1023–1037; 1056–1061; 1066–1075). He said these projects are intended to bring the facility into better alignment with the consent‑decree and BSCC (state corrections) expectations.

On technology and care, Murphy outlined a voluntary biometric-monitor pilot (Foresight Labs) to monitor medically fragile people and those withdrawing from substances; the device is voluntary and designed to alert medical and custody staff on activation (SEG 1146–1160). He also described intensified programming and scheduling efforts (a master calendar to reduce gaps, 108 weekly classes, and reentry services such as a transition center that served 4,032 individuals in the year) and cited a 21% year‑over‑year drop in uses‑of‑force over two years (SEG 1273–1280; 1359–1366).

Juan Taison (AFBH) framed parallel expansions in clinical services. He said the county now staffs intake assessment 24/7, has expanded therapeutic housing units (about 30% point‑in‑time in therapeutic units; roughly 75% of people are open to AFBH services at times), and established programs to accelerate competency treatment (the EASE program: 170 clients served) and suicide prevention. Taison said these efforts, plus partnerships (Telecare, Lifelong, WellPath, Lifelong, 5 Keys, Off the Street Ministries), have reduced mortality risk and enabled daily interagency huddles and integrated safety plans in the electronic health record (SEG 2219–2226; 2349–2357; 2376–2411).

Taison noted that San Antonio Jail has not reported a death by suicide in over two years, which he cited as evidence of improved suicide prevention processes (SEG 2408–2411). He also highlighted reentry partners: a Safe Landing trailer, a new six‑bed Safe Harbor peer respite operated by La Familia and Saliandro, and a diversion triage center in Pleasanton that accepts direct transfers with partner agencies such as Horizon Treatment Services (SEG 2468–2499).

Why it matters: the update connects capital investments, staffing and clinical programmatic changes to consent‑decree obligations and day‑to‑day safety and reentry outcomes. Supervisors and members of the public praised many programs (pre‑apprenticeship LIONA, Juilliard music classes, vocational partnerships) and asked how CalAIM funding and pending state or federal changes might affect program continuity.

Supervisors requested continued monitoring, an update on the Maters/Mazars audits, and that the sheriff and behavioral‑health teams return with follow‑up data on program outcomes and housing coordination for people leaving custody. No formal votes were taken.