Santa Clara County's jail system is facing a public safety issue due to its reliance on an outdated paper-based processing method for inmate releases. A recent report highlighted that 35% of jail releases occur between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., often when essential support services are unavailable. The county plans to transition to a digital management system to address these delays, with changes expected as soon as September. Public defenders express concerns over balancing timely releases with the safety of released individuals, especially those with substance abuse or mental health issues.
"Court paperwork often arrives late in the day and must be manually reviewed before any release," Brooks Jarosz, spokesperson for the sheriff's office, told San José Spotlight.
"Late night releases are fraught. However, the solution cannot be holding people in jail longer," Acting Public Defender Damon Silver told San José Spotlight.
About 35% of the county's jail releases happen between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to the report.
The same report shows Santa Clara and Alameda counties have the lowest rates of releasing inmates in the daytime when critical resources are available at 44%.
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