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Santa Rita Jail staff last year saved the lives of 336 inmates who were either suspected of overdosing, had suicidal thoughts, or experienced medical emergencies, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
That number jumped from the previous year, 2024, where the jail staff saved 250 lives, the sheriff’s office stated in a press release.
“Sheriff (Yesenia) Sanchez has made improving the quality of life at Santa Rita Jail a top priority,” the press release states. “Over the course of both years, staff administered Narcan 55 times, preventing potentially fatal outcomes.”
According to the sheriff’s office, Sanchez has implemented and amended several life-saving policies at the jail. The office worked with Wellpath — a private, for-profit medical provider — and several other organizations like the Alameda County Behavioral Health Services to “strengthen services and improve conditions for those in our custody”.
The jail also recently implemented a new mail delivery process where all non-privileged mail now has to be sent to Pigeonly Corrections’ mail processing center in order for it to be delivered to inmates. According to the sheriff’s office, this helps limit the amount of contraband entering the jail and also helps “enhance the safety of incarcerated individuals and staff”.
“Postal mail can be exploited to introduce contraband and illicit substances into correctional facilities, posing significant health and safety risks,” the ACSO press release states. “In recent years, the Sheriff’s Office has responded to multiple fentanyl exposure incidents linked to mailed substances.”
The office went on to say those drug exposure incidents required emergency responses and, in several cases, required life-saving intervention, which is why the updated mail process was an important measure that reduces the risks of narcotics going into the jail, while also maintaining “meaningful communication between incarcerated individuals and their loved ones”.
“The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office recognizes the importance of maintaining personal connections between individuals in our custody and their families,” sheriff’s officials said. “The new process carefully balances institutional safety with the need for timely, reliable correspondence.”
