Inmates in San Francisco County Jail have it better than most people incarcerated in California. Thanks to diversion programs that offer alternatives to incarceration, the jail is not overcrowded; there are also opportunities for education, drug treatment and other ways to break the cycle of crime and punishment.
That’s partially why San Francisco taxpayers pay more than most California counties to house inmates — the vast majority of whom are awaiting prosecution.
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Several dozen inmates in San Francisco jails shimmied and sweat Thursday in a behind bars choreography aimed at symbolizing an end to violence against women on Valentine's Day.San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi invited a local choreographer to organize the flash mobs several months after his own domestic violence case nearly led to his ouster from office last year.Numerous inmates said they found participating in the dance inspiring. Read More
With police calling it less of a protest site and more of a homeless camp, Occupy San Francisco’s year-old sidewalk outpost at the doorstep of the downtown Federal Reserve Bank was cleared and fenced off late Wednesday night. Read More
For one Occupy San Francisco protester, resisting arrest was apparently more important than appealing to the 99 percent.
On Tuesday, prosecutors say, Richard Barksdale, 43, allegedly tried to bring marijuana into the Hall of Justice during his trial on misdemeanor vandalism and trespassing charges related in part to an Occupy SF protest earlier this year. But it wasn’t the weed that got him in trouble. Read More
He apparently wanted to occupy San Francisco County Jail.A Southern California man cited for having a concealed gun at the Occupy SF encampment at Justin Herman Plaza on Tuesday was arrested again the following day for threatening a park ranger at the encampment, police said. Read More
A crash that killed an elderly World War II veteran at an Excelsior district intersection on Veteran’s Day in 2009 has resulted in a four-year prison sentence for the driver who fled the scene.Arthur Clark Jr., 22, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to felony hit-and-run and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for the Nov. 11, 2009, crash that killed 84-year-old Isaac Hudson, attorneys said. Read More
The mother of a mentally disabled San Francisco County Jail inmate who died after being physically restrained by sheriff’s deputies in 2009 will receive a $350,000 settlement from The City, attorneys said Tuesday.Esther Downes sued The City for $50 million following the death of her 31-year-old son Issiah Downes on Sept. 7, 2009. She alleged deputies used excessive force and unconstitutional restraint procedures, involving placing their weight on his back and neck. Read More
Whenever a new chief takes the reins of the Police Department there is historically a spike in inmates to San Francisco County Jail, Sheriff Michael Hennessey said this week at a hearing on his department budget. “Typically, after a new chief of police comes in our population does tend to go up, but that’s merely a historical observation and it’s not based on anything other than what has happened in the past,” Hennessey said. Read More
