This piece in The Guardian highlights the continuing humanitarian crisis in San Francisco County jail. Nearly 900 people remain in isolation under 23-hour lockdown, and at least 25% of them are people whose trial deadlines have passed. We are litigating against the trampling of their speedy trial rights caused by ongoing court delays.
“These aren’t even people who have been convicted of a crime,” [public defender] Raju said. “They’re just awaiting their day in court.”
The Guardian interviewed some of our clients who finally got out of jail, months past their trial deadline, after being acquitted at trial.
“Being released is not as joyful as you might expect,” [public defender client] Brewer said. “You come out of this hole with very little human contact. You make it out, but you leave a big piece of yourself in jail.”
We first broke this story last year through our Adachi Project film “From Inside” — Hear the first person accounts of the fear and anxiety from SF County Jail.
Learn more about how we’re using the arts to reveal truth and demand justice at AdachiProject.com.
