Santa Rita Jail
Encyclopedia
Santa Rita Jail is a county jail
located in Dublin
, Alameda County, California
adjacent to the Camp Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, and operated by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office
. Santa Rita houses the majority of persons arrested in Alameda County, which occupies most of the East San Francisco Bay Area
and includes the cities of Oakland
, Berkeley
, San Leandro
and Alameda
.
The original Santa Rita Jail was constructed in 1947 on a retired WWII training base near the current site. By 1983, overcrowding had become an issue, and plans were established for the construction of the current $172 million facility, which opened in 1989. Funding for the jail's construction was obtained through state bonds as well as local county matching funds.
The current 113 acre (0.45729518 km²) facility is laid out in a modern decentralized "campus" design, similar to many modern prisons, one-half mile long by one-quarter mile wide. The facility has 18 separate, self-contained housing units, a "core" building containing central booking, release and administration, and a service building containing the laundry, commissary, kitchen and warehouses. Santa Rita is the third largest jail in California and the fifth largest in the United States
, and is considered a "mega-jail", specified to hold 4,000 prisoners at any one time, making it as large or larger than many California state prisons. Perhaps reflective of the Bay Area
community that it serves, the jail incorporates several modern technological advances, and is touted by the Sheriff's Office as one of the most modern correctional facilities in the world. A 500-kilowatt peak-power solar
array was installed in 2001 on the roofs of the housing units, supplying up to half of the jail's power demand during daylight hours. This solar array constitutes the largest such rooftop array in the Western Hemisphere. An automatic robotic cart system moves all meals, laundry, commissary items, supplies and garbage through the jail, allowing maximal restriction of prisoner movement throughout the facility.
Despite this modernistic design, as is the case with many American jail and prison facilities, particularly in California, Santa Rita has attracted controversy, particularly related to overcrowding, and violence. Many violent acts, including murders, have occurred in Santa Rita since its opening.
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
located in Dublin
Dublin, California
Dublin is a suburban city of the East Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States. Located along the north side of Interstate 580 at the intersection with Interstate 680, roughly east of Hayward, west of Livermore and north of San Jose, it was named after the city of Dublin in...
, Alameda County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
adjacent to the Camp Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, and operated by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office
Alameda County Sheriff's Office
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is a law enforcement agency serving Alameda County, California. The ACSO is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies , the American Correctional Association , National Commission on Correctional Health Care and the...
. Santa Rita houses the majority of persons arrested in Alameda County, which occupies most of the East San Francisco Bay Area
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
and includes the cities of Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, San Leandro
San Leandro, California
San Leandro is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is considered a suburb of Oakland and San Francisco. The population was 84,950 as of 2010 census. The climate of the city is mild throughout the year.-Geography and water resources:...
and Alameda
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
.
The original Santa Rita Jail was constructed in 1947 on a retired WWII training base near the current site. By 1983, overcrowding had become an issue, and plans were established for the construction of the current $172 million facility, which opened in 1989. Funding for the jail's construction was obtained through state bonds as well as local county matching funds.
The current 113 acre (0.45729518 km²) facility is laid out in a modern decentralized "campus" design, similar to many modern prisons, one-half mile long by one-quarter mile wide. The facility has 18 separate, self-contained housing units, a "core" building containing central booking, release and administration, and a service building containing the laundry, commissary, kitchen and warehouses. Santa Rita is the third largest jail in California and the fifth largest in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is considered a "mega-jail", specified to hold 4,000 prisoners at any one time, making it as large or larger than many California state prisons. Perhaps reflective of the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
community that it serves, the jail incorporates several modern technological advances, and is touted by the Sheriff's Office as one of the most modern correctional facilities in the world. A 500-kilowatt peak-power solar
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
array was installed in 2001 on the roofs of the housing units, supplying up to half of the jail's power demand during daylight hours. This solar array constitutes the largest such rooftop array in the Western Hemisphere. An automatic robotic cart system moves all meals, laundry, commissary items, supplies and garbage through the jail, allowing maximal restriction of prisoner movement throughout the facility.
Despite this modernistic design, as is the case with many American jail and prison facilities, particularly in California, Santa Rita has attracted controversy, particularly related to overcrowding, and violence. Many violent acts, including murders, have occurred in Santa Rita since its opening.
Cultural references
- Major portions of Tom WolfeTom WolfeThomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
's novel A Man in FullA Man in FullA Man in Full is a novel by Tom Wolfe, published in 1998 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. It is set primarily in Atlanta.-Summary:As with Wolfe's other novels, A Man In Full features a number of point-of-view characters...
(1998) take place at Santa Rita Jail, but the facility depicted in the novel was the pre-1989 jail which used World War II-era barrack-style buildings.
- The Oakland based hip-hop group The CoupThe CoupThe Coup is a political hip hop group based in Oakland, California. It formed as a three-member group in 1992 with emcees Raymond "Boots" Riley and E-Roc along with DJ Pam the Funkstress. E-Roc left on amicable terms after the group's second album but appears on the track "Breathing Apparatus" on...
has a track titled "Santa Rita Weekend" on their 1994 album, Genocide & JuiceGenocide & JuiceGenocide & Juice is the second studio album by Political hip hop group the Coup, which was released October 13, 1994, on Wild Pitch Records. The album is produced entirely by group leader Boots Riley, and features guest appearances from fellow West Coast hip hop artists Spice 1 and E-40...
.