Part One in a series of articles that will serve to inform and educate the public on the San Francisco County Jail system. Look forward to future editions where each jail facility will be spotlighted to detail the function and role that it plays in our system.

Amidst San Francisco's unique and diverse neighborhoods, such as the Mission, the Richmond, the Fillmore, and the Bayview, there is one neighborhood that is often overlooked--the County Jail.

Just like in all communities, those who keep the peace in this neighborhood face challenges in preventing criminal activity and ensuring the protection and safety of its inhabitants.  Meeting those challenges head-on and walking the toughest beat in San Francisco are our professional and dedicated staff of Sheriff's Deputies. In addition, our community can only function because of the hard work of numerous civilian team members.  This team includes building engineers, doctors, nurses, psychologists, attorneys, legal aids, rehabilitation services coordinators and educators.

The San Francisco County Jail community can have a population of up to 2200 inmates, along with the hundreds of employees who work there every day. The system is comprised of six separate jail facilities, spread across San Francisco and San Mateo counties, each serving a specific purpose. 

When thinking of jail, most people conjure up images of concrete and bars, and hours spent idly sitting in a cell marking days on a calendar. Many would be surprised to learn the variety of programs and activities that make up our community: it has traffic, hospitals, schools, food, crime, an economy, politics, art, theater, and town gossip. Each day inmates may go to and from court appearances, to the infirmary for medical treatment, to the gym for state-mandated recreation and to class for participation in programs and education. Inmate workers staff two industrial size kitchens where over 4600 meals are prepared every day and two industrial size laundry rooms in order to clothe the approximately 1550 inmates currently in custody.

Within our jail is an accredited high school called the Five Keys Charter School.  Inmates participate in classes and are offered the opportunity to earn a high school diploma or equivalency while in our custody and after they are released. The department has long been committed to the potentially transformative power of programs in a jail setting. Inmates in our custody have an opportunity to receive vocational training, education, substance abuse treatment and anger management training. Most recently, the department has begun a food service training program in which participants may attain a ServSafe food handler card which is required for most types of work in the restaurant industry.

The county jail is a bustling but often-forgotten San Francisco neighborhood with thousands of residents and thousands more that visit. In keeping this neighborhood's inhabitants and visitors safe and secure, our dedicated Sheriff's Deputies help keep all of San Francisco's neighborhoods safer.