Santa Clara County moves forward with $3.5 billion jail transformation

Santa Clara County’s efforts to construct new jail facilities have repeatedly stalled due to rising costs and ongoing disagreements among officials and residents, but the deteriorating infrastructure is propelling the county to finally move forward.

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to proceed with a multistep plan last week to overhaul and modernize Main Jail North and Elmwood Correctional Facility. There are eight phases to the plan, with the first three phases slated for completion by 2034. Those phases include a decrease in the number of beds in the main jail; construction of a two-story 56,000-square-foot intake, booking and short-term housing building attached to main jail; building medical and behavioral health facilities at Elmwood; and a new male bed facility at Elmwood, demolishing the old location.