|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
More than a month after in-person visitation was paused at the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City due to elevator issues, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office publicly acknowledged the suspension on Aug. 1 — one day after the Redwood City Pulse reported on concerns by advocates and how the lack of visitation impacted one family of an incarcerated man.
“Despite multiple repair efforts, the visitation elevator remains out of service. The Sheriff’s Office has been informed that additional parts have been ordered, and repairs will proceed as soon as those parts are received,” a press release from Sheriff’s Office Director of Communications Gretchen Spiker said.
Spiker added that the Sheriff’s Office does not have an estimated date when in-person visitation will be restored.
In-person visitation has been paused since late June, when the facility’s sole visitation elevator broke down. Maguire, the county’s largest correctional facility, has had issues with its elevators before. In 2021, the visitation elevator broke down, leading to the cancellation of in-person visitation for four days. In 2023, the county conducted a report that determined the jail’s four elevators needed to be replaced. The Board of Supervisors approved replacing all four elevators in June for $4.5 million. The project is expected to be finished by March 2026.
Only one of the facility’s elevators connects to the visitation area; three other elevators and all stairwells are located in areas of the facility that are not generally accessible to the public. The Sheriff’s Office says allowing public access to those areas would be a security issue and might violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The press release, which was the first time the Sheriff’s Office publicly acknowledged the issue, adds that video visits, electronic messaging and telephone calls are an option for families who are trying to stay connected.
Read more about the issue, how it impacted one incarcerated man’s family and why advocates say in-person visitation is important here.
