October 21, 2016 Santa Clara County Inmates Call Off 5-Day Hunger Strike after Discussion with Jail Officials By Jennifer Wadsworth Santa Clara County inmates suspended a hunger strike over solitary confinement Friday after a discussion with jail officials. Read More 31
October 18, 2016 Santa Clara County Jail Inmates Join Nationwide Hunger Strike over Solitary Confinement By Jennifer Wadsworth Santa Clara County inmates kicked off a hunger strike to protest solitary confinement and what they see as a gap between policy and practice. Read More 14
October 11, 2016 New Law Ensures Voting Rights for Felons in Local Jails By Jennifer Wadsworth Despite opposition from law enforcement, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new law last month that protects voting rights for felons in county jails. Read More 16
August 24, 2016 DA’s Office Flip-Flops on Charges for Jail Guard Assault 3 Years Ago By The Fly A former Santa Clara County jail guard was arrested on suspicion of beating an inmate years ago, raising concerns about what took so long. Read More 5
August 15, 2016 Santa Clara County Looks to Texas with Jail Reform Plan By Jennifer Wadsworth A local reform group has proposed a plan to divert people with serious mental illness out of Santa Clara County jails and into treatment. Read More 1
June 23, 2016 Santa Clara County Jail Inmate Dies at Valley Medical Center By Silicon Valley Newsroom A 57-year-old Santa Clara County inmate, whose name is being withheld, died in the hospital Thursday, according to jail officials. Read More 10
May 24, 2016 2 Jail Guards Charged with Beating Shackled Inmate By Jennifer Wadsworth Two Santa Clara County jail guards have been charged with beating a shackled inmate, the District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. Read More 9
May 10, 2016 Jail Guard Arrested on Suspicion of Molesting 9-Year-Old Girl By Jennifer Wadsworth A Santa Clara County jail guard has been suspended from work after his arrest Monday on suspicion of molesting a child in 2012. Read More 1
April 29, 2016 Report: Santa Clara County Jails Need ‘Serious Tuneup’ By Jennifer Wadsworth A new report traces some of the problems at Santa Clara County’s jails to a lack of staffing, training, funding and a deeply divided work culture. Read More 4
April 27, 2016 Santa Clara County Jail Inmate Dies While in Custody By Silicon Valley Newsroom A 36-year-old Santa Clara County inmate died at the hospital Monday, authorities confirmed. Read More 4
April 13, 2016 Sheriff Smith Dips Out of Jails Hearing before Public Comment By The Fly Sheriff Laurie Smith left in the middle of a hearing on jail reforms Tuesday, but her early exit rubbed some people the wrong way. Read More 16
April 5, 2016 Fight Erupts at Santa Clara County’s Main Jail By Jennifer Wadsworth Santa Clara County’s Main Jail went on lockdown this morning after a fight broke out in the southern wing, according to the sheriff’s office. Read More 20
March 29, 2016 Jails Panel Slams Sheriff Smith, Calls for New Leadership By Jennifer Wadsworth A reform commission created after the fatal beating of a mentally ill inmate wants to wrest control of the jails from Sheriff Laurie Smith. Read More 12
February 29, 2016 County Jail Review Could Extend as ‘critical failures at every stage’ of Grievance Process Identified By Jennifer Wadsworth A review of local jails found that inmate complaints often fall on deaf ears and that a lack of oversight allows guards to conceal their own misconduct. Read More 1
February 25, 2016 Jails, Homelessness Prioritized in State of the County Speech By Silicon Valley Newsroom Board President Dave Cortese called for jail reforms and continued efforts to help the homeless in Wednesday's State of the County speech. Read More 4
February 17, 2016 Sheriff’s Office Still Coy about Use of Force in Local Jails By Jennifer Wadsworth It wasn’t until December, under mounting public pressure, that the Sheriff's Office disclosed its jail use-of-force and cell extraction policies. Read More 4