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Jail from page 1

As a result, attorneys for the original plaintiffs have now requested a new hearing, which will be held in early August. In their motion, they charge the City with continuing to violate crucial provisions of the consent decree. The order states that "the health and safety of jail inmates are in grave jeopardy," and says overcrowding and inadequate staffing have increased the likelihood of violence at the facility. Overcrowding

Sentinel USA recently spoke with over a dozen gay inmates

along," said one man. "We don't have too many hassles, and I've been here a month." Another referred to his fellow inmates as "the gay community." However, several charged that when gays are moved to nongay areas, they are frequently assaulted. Due to overcrowding on the sixth floor, gays are sometimes moved to the seventh floor, according to several of the men. The seventh floor only houses men accused, of felonies.

"When the deputies come in because of overcrowding, they roll out the people they think are straight and put 'em in another tank," said one of the men. "Then those people get

problem. According to both inmates and prison authorities, everyone is checked for communicable diseases before they are put into any of the dorms. However one inmate recalls, "There was a guy taken out of here recently who had to be hospitalized. It took awhile for someone to get over here, and apparently it was something serious."

No Sunshine

There are no recreation facilities at the jail, and inmates remain confined to their area 24 hours a day, except for visits from friends and church on Sunday. The City was to

Behind these bars: gay inmates at City Jail are confined in overcrowded quarters due to lack of City funding.

about conditons at the jail. All agreed it was overcrowded, especially on weekends. A man who'd been there two weeks said, "Sure it's overcrowded, especially on weekends, and unsanitary. We keep it as clean as we can with what they give us. But there's just so many people who come through here all the time, that it's a losing battle." Inmates are expected to clean their own areas. The gay dorm looked clean enough on a weekday evening. "Little things would help," said one man. "If they gave us ashtrays the floors wouldn't become so dirty."

Jail overcrowding has caused shortages in supplies. One man said he had been wearing the same jail clothes for two weeks, and that it had taken him two weeks before he was able to get a pair of shoes. Another claimed he had been sleeping on the same sheet for a month. Others complained of not being able to get soap and toothpaste.

Only one gay man mentioned having been mistreated by guards. He said he was beaten up on two occasions. The first occurred when he was locked up. "I wasn't allowed to make a phone call and hadn't been read my rights, so I began screaming. Guards came up and started hitting me." Later, he claims he was blamed for a fire in a neighboring cell and beaten again.

Several gay men talked about violence between prisoners. None mentioned any serious incidents within the gay dorm. "I think we have the best tank here as far as getting

Since about September, 1984 police arrests have increased dramatically. In 1982 48,000 people were booked at the

jail. That figure is expected to climb to

56,000 for 1985.

jumped on. I don't think it's right," he added.

"When you go upstairs," warned another man, "You gotta fight. There's all felonies up there, and all of them have been to prison before. I've seen some of these guys come back with bloody noses, black eyes, and bruised buttholes," he said.

There were several complaints about the food. Most agreed it tasted okay but there just wasn't enough. Dissatisfaction seemed greatest among men who had been there at least a month. Said one, "The food in okay. It's enough to getyou by to the next meal, to survive on. They give you lots of starches so you can't lose any weight." Another man. explained, "if you got extra money you can buy food from the canteen. Otherwise you go hungry in here."

A few of the gay inmates said they had been unable to get needed medication from jail nurses despite repeated requests. One claimed he had an ulcer, another epilepsy. A third man said he had received good medical care for an alcoholism

have constructed a recreation area on the seventh floor by 1983, but plans are still in the bidding process. The frustration of being cooped up without the chance for physical activity was echoed by many of the men. "We don't even see sunshine," said one man. "They got a roof up there, and all they'd have to do is put two tiers in the elevator and take us upstairs to work out. They don't even do that."

The problems being experienced at City Jail No. 1 are not new of San Francisco, nor are they unique to the prison system in general. Lieutenant Michael Lavigne, who has been Facility Commander at the jail since September, 1983, acknowledged that there was some truth in the inmates' complaints. However, most of the problems, he said, are exacerbated by overcrowding. Since about September, 1984 police arrests have increased dramatically. In 1982, 48,000 people were booked at the jail. That figure is expected to climb to 56,000 for 1985, according to Lavigne.

More arrests result in higher jail populations, and a facility such as City Jail No. 1 which was intended to house 425 people, has had as many as 570 inmates a day this past winter. The monthly average, for March was over 500, while for June is was only 450. (Jail populations normally decline. during the summer months and peak in the winter.) In an attempt to deal with the problem internally, the Sheriff's Department has initiated Continued on next page

SAVAGE PHOTOGRAPHY

4 Sentinel USA August 1, 1985