By Mark Arner Union-Tribune Staff Writer
11:58 p.m. May 7, 2009
Most of the county's 31 detention facilities are in good shape and managed well, but the Las Colinas jail for women is too old, crowded and has poor medical facilities, the county grand jury said in a report released Thursday.
As it has in recent years, the grand jury supported a county plan to replace the 1960s-era Las Colinas jail with a new, larger jail as soon as possible.
The Sheriff's Department runs eight main jails, with a total of more than 5,000 inmates. Las Colinas is the county's only all-female jail.
The grand jury also reviewed several juvenile detention facilities and temporary holding cells at police and sheriff's stations countywide.
Las Colinas has a court-ordered maximum capacity of 500 inmates, but frequently houses more than 700. On the day the grand jury visited, it had 771 inmates, the 22-page report said.
The grand jury praised the sheriff's staff for keeping Las Colinas operating and effectively serving inmates' needs. It pointed out, for example, that during the past year, several housing units were painted inside and out, all housing-unit roofs were resealed, six dormitories were renovated, and rotted wood floors were removed and concrete floors installed.
In the meantime, county officials are hoping to review an environmental impact report in June for a new 1,216-bed jail proposed to replace Las Colinas at a cost of up to $300 million. Last year, the state announced tentative approval of $100 million for the project. If fully funded, the replacement jail would take about five years to complete.
The grand jury report also recommended installing video surveillance systems at all detention facilities and converting juvenile medical records from paper to electronic format.
Mark Arner: (619) 542-4556;
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/may/07/bn7jury235842/?metro&zIndex=95797
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