San Francisco to close crumbling, unsafe county jail sooner than expected in face of coronavirus threat

“The closure of County Jail 4 has been a long time coming,” said San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, who linked the jail’s closure to broader criminal justice reform efforts.

“The COVID-19 crisis, coupled with the national Black Lives Matter movement, has shined a light on just how important it is for us to be looking at all of our systems, including our law enforcement institutions, through a public health lens as well as a racial justice lens.”

Public Defender Mano Raju also spoke at Mayor London Breed’s press conference announcing the closure of County Jail 4.