Jails and prisons are places most people don’t want to enter once much less multiple times. The purpose of the new $144 million Maple Street Correctional Center in Redwood City, California is to ensure that prisoners get their lives together and don’t have to come back.
The center, which opened with a ribbon-cutting earlier this month, is a 576-bed facility that has a separate area with 88 beds for work furlough prisoners. Those inmates are allowed to leave the facility during the day for work, school or training. Work furlough inmates are housed separately from the general population.
“There is a trend in corrections to make jails and prisons more able to address trying to keep current inmates from getting into the recidivism cycle by getting them ready to merge back into society in a normalized manner,” said Sundt Project Director Steve Blaylock.
The criminal justice project, a joint venture with Layton Construction, houses pre-trial and sentenced inmates, ranging from minimum to maximum security women and minimum/medium security men. It replaces the old Maple Street complex, reducing San Mateo County’s severe overcrowding issues.
Staff ensures inmates appear in court and complete jail sentences, are incarcerated in a manner that provides for their medical, nutritional, hygienic, legal and spiritual needs and receive services designed to provide opportunities to improve their lives, both during and after incarceration, in order to reduce recidivism.
Visitation at the facility includes video capabilities as well as a children’s area that makes kids and families feel safe and welcome.