San Mateo County Jail: An Outside Perspective

Dear Editor:

I am struck by a simple fact: 70% of all Californians held in County jail on any given day are awaiting trial, not convicted. 

It costs about $100 per day to keep a person awaiting trial in jail for one day compared with about $2.50 per day to put the same person on electronic monitoring, according to “Public Safety: California at a Crossroads” by Allen Hopper.  

The United States incarcerates a much higher percentage of its population than any other country on earth and major American thinkers and law-makers throughout the country are re-assessing our sentencing and incarceration policies. 

Let’s consider this issue carefully now before we commit to a $100 million San Mateo County jail which may not be needed by the time it is finished if national and state policy has shifted.

Sincerely,

Kaia Eakin

Redwood City, CA  94061

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