Santa Clara County supervisors approve new $390M jail
Controversial new Santa Clara County jail approved
The Santa Clara County board of supervisors approved funding to build a new $390 million jail facility over objections
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The funding to build a new $390 million jail facility in Santa Clara County has been approved.
The board supervisors gave the OK on Tuesday, which comes with the recommendation for providing expanded behavioral health care and community-based alternatives to incarceration.
The board of supervisors faced a lot of opposition to approving the new jail before they voted.
"I urge you to reject the recommendation to build a new 500-bed maximum security jail," Rita Giles of Bend the Arc told the supervisors. " Remember that over 80% of the people in our jails are pre-trial. They have not been found guilty of a crime."
The approval for a new jail comes just one week after the state Attorney General launched a civil rights investigation into the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, including concerns about conditions at the county's jails.