June 24, 2020 Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Cadet Dies After Collapsing During Academy Training By Jennifer Wadsworth John Nishimura collapsed while sparring with a proctor clad in what’s known as RedMan gear, a padded suit designed to absorb strikes. Read More 6
October 1, 2018 Santa Clara County Pays $365K to Settle Excessive-Force Case By Jennifer Wadsworth Santa Clara County has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by former inmate Rikki Martinez, who says he was brutally beaten by jail guards. Read More 1
June 20, 2018 Demotion Over Hateful Texts Moves to Center Stage in Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Race By Jennifer Wadsworth A powerful union leader violated agency policies by failing to report hate speech—and the former undersheriff leapt to his defense. Read More 30
January 8, 2018 Santa Clara County Correctional Deputies Face 15 Years to Life in Prison for Inmate’s Fatal Beating By Silicon Valley Newsroom Three Santa Clara County jail guards convicted of fatally beating a mentally ill inmate will serve 15 years to life in prison. Read More 8
September 11, 2017 Santa Clara County May Place Jails Under Civilian Oversight By Jennifer Wadsworth Santa Clara County will consider whether to create a civilian watchdog division to keep an eye on its troubled jails. Read More 5
November 28, 2016 Escaped Santa Clara County Inmates Still on the Run By Jennifer Wadsworth Two Santa Clara County inmates who broke out of the Main Jail in San Jose the day before Thanksgiving are still on the lam, authorities said. Read More 4
October 11, 2016 New Law Ensures Voting Rights for Felons in Local Jails By Jennifer Wadsworth Despite opposition from law enforcement, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new law last month that protects voting rights for felons in county jails. Read More 16
August 24, 2016 DA’s Office Flip-Flops on Charges for Jail Guard Assault 3 Years Ago By The Fly A former Santa Clara County jail guard was arrested on suspicion of beating an inmate years ago, raising concerns about what took so long. Read More 5
May 24, 2016 2 Jail Guards Charged with Beating Shackled Inmate By Jennifer Wadsworth Two Santa Clara County jail guards have been charged with beating a shackled inmate, the District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. Read More 9
May 10, 2016 Jail Guard Arrested on Suspicion of Molesting 9-Year-Old Girl By Jennifer Wadsworth A Santa Clara County jail guard has been suspended from work after his arrest Monday on suspicion of molesting a child in 2012. Read More 1
February 17, 2016 Sheriff’s Office Still Coy about Use of Force in Local Jails By Jennifer Wadsworth It wasn’t until December, under mounting public pressure, that the Sheriff's Office disclosed its jail use-of-force and cell extraction policies. Read More 4
November 10, 2015 Jails Commission to Continue Probe Despite Additional Inquiry By Jennifer Wadsworth An oversight board tasked with examining Santa Clara County jails decided against disbanding, despite concerns that a parallel probe would undermine its work. Read More 4
November 6, 2015 Jails Commission Might Disband By Jennifer Wadsworth A commission assigned to investigate local jails meets Saturday. Its first order of business: deciding whether to call the whole thing off. Read More 8
October 27, 2015 Former SJ Police Auditor to Lead Blue Ribbon Jail Commission By Jennifer Wadsworth San Jose's retired civilian police auditor, LaDoris Cordell, will lead a task force assigned to investigate Santa Clara County's jails. Read More 25
October 19, 2015 County Jails Had as Few as 2 Psychiatrists for 1,500 Inmates By Jennifer Wadsworth Santa Clara County is trying to hire more psychiatrists after years of leaving the jails understaffed. Read More 5
October 8, 2015 Blue Ribbon Commission for County Jails Seeks Applications By Silicon Valley Newsroom Santa Clara County is accepting applications for a commission that will examine local jails in response to the fatal beating of a mentally ill inmate. Read More 2