Lack of sunlight at SF jails contributing factor in violence, civil rights attorney says

SAN FRANCISCO - A civil rights attorney is questioning the conditions of the jails in San Francisco, saying that the lack of sunlight could be contributing to the violence against the deputies. 

"You're taking them, human beings, many of them young men, and you're putting them in a small room that's like eight by ten, and you're locking them in that room 20, 22 hours a day with another person," said Oakland attorney Yolanda Huang, who sued the jails over their lack of sunlight and outdoor access. "We've all been in lockdown. We all know how terrible that feels. And so now it's going on year four. They're still in lockdown. And what do they expect these people to do? They're going crazy. Of course, they're going to be lashing out."

Huang accused the sheriff of not taking "affirmative action to provide" those incarcerated with the mandated out-of-jail time.

Her comments come as the sheriff's deputies union said there have been nine attacks on deputies at the jails in the past three weeks. 

Some of those attacks included punches to the head, being spit at and kicked in the head. Deputies have suffered dislocated shoulders and bloody eye sockets. 

Sheriff Paul Miyamoto blames jail overcrowding and a shortage of deputies.

In a statement Wednesday to KTVU, the sheriff's office said they take their "obligations for incarcerated persons’ safety seriously. The Court has consistently held that San Francisco jails do not need to provide outdoor access in order to comply with the Court’s order."

The lockdown at the jail located at 7th and Bryant streets in San Francisco was lifted on Wednesday. The jail in San Bruno is still on lockdown.