A civil rights class action lawsuit filed this week seeks to remedy unhealthy and unequal conditions for women at a San Francisco jail.
Berkeley civil rights attorney Yolanda Huang, the lead lawyer on the case, held a news conference Wednesday in front of the County Jail 2 on Seventh Street. The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office says the facility can house up to 392 people and is the only jail in the city that houses women.
The plaintiffs are currently nine female inmates who want better living conditions and equal treatment and options when compared to the men in County Jail 2.
“If we don’t maintain our basic constitutional rights for everyone, then really those rights are meaningless,” Huang said. “Because any of us could be arrested for something and we would have the right to challenge it in court and we would have to be in custody while we’re challenging it.”
According to the complaint filed Monday, women at the jail have been denied access to sunlight and exercise. Huang said the building is dilapidated and has regular plumbing and hot water malfunctions, in addition to poor sanitation.
From the plaintiffs’ testimony, this has been going on for at least two years.
The complaint also asserts that female inmates are more limited than their male counterparts in the jobs they are allowed to have within the jail.
“It’s terrible that even in jail, women are second-class citizens,” Huang said. “Having a job is really considered a perk because you have something to do. The bane of being in jail is the boredom.”
The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit against San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto and his office in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Alex Barrett-Shorter from the office of City Attorney David Chiu said that once the city is served with the lawsuit, they will review the complaint and respond in court.
