"San Francisco's Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant St. is not a romantic place. Its ground floor courts can upend defendants' lives. The exterior is an austere reinforced-concrete monument to 1960s utilitarian architecture. In 2017, feces literally streamed down its walls. Still, it is a crossroads for love in all its forms, filled with parents, partners, and children waiting to see loved ones. This is true at any time of year, but particularly as Valentines' Day approaches."
"Harvey was taken into custody in December, she said. He missed his daughter's birthday, Christmas, and New Year's. When the 26-year-old discovered she was pregnant with another child, she had to tell him over the phone. He called most days, and when he didn't, Naya assumed the jail was on lockdown. It was, Naya said, "stressful and sad." "Really, all we have is each other.""
San Francisco's Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant St. is an austere reinforced-concrete building whose ground-floor courts can upend defendants' lives; in 2017 feces streamed down its walls. The courthouse and adjacent county jail are hubs where parents, partners, and children wait to see detained loved ones, with demand rising near Valentine's Day. On Jan. 30, Naya waited outside hoping to see the vehicle transporting her boyfriend, Harvey, for a probation hearing; he missed holidays and phone calls were sporadic. Another woman, Tiana, has a partner in custody, lost housing after his arrest, could not visit in person due to lack of transportation to the San Bruno jail, and had unsuccessful Zoom attempts.
#hall-of-justice #families-of-incarcerated #visitation-barriers #probation-hearings #housing-instability
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