Voices from Inside

As part of our work to #ShutDown850 and decarcerate San Francisco, we’ve been working closely with people who are locked up throughout SF’s jail system.

Since the summer of 2019, we had been doing jail visits before COVID instilled Shelter-in-Place, and for months before we were doing regular outreach outside of 850 Bryant connecting with family members of prisoners and folks recently released.

Testimonies from People Locked up in SF Jails

Here are some quotes from people we’ve been talking with. To protect their identities, only initials are used, followed by what county jail (CJ) the speaker is in.

VOICES from INSIDE SF JAILS: Prisoner Interview Report

In 2019, we interviewed people caged inside SF County Jails to centralize the experiences, insights, needs and voices of the people currently locked up in San Francisco’s jails. In these interviews, imprisoned people inside San Francisco’s jails uplift their resilience in the face of inhumane and torturous conditions. Their voices fuel the coalition’s demands in both fighting against criminalization and fighting for strong and healthy communities. Listen to their Voices and Read the full Report here (Spanish translation coming soon!)

Frisco Families Speak Out: #ShutDown850

County Jail 4 at 850 Bryant has been a harmful presence in Deahna’s life since being born and raised in San Francisco. Her younger brother is currently locked up at 850 in inhumane and torturous conditions. Listen to why she thinks 850 Bryant should be closed immediately and permanently:

If you or someone you know has family currently locked up in 850 Bryant, and would want to be interviewed for a video like Deahna’s contact our outreach team to share your story: [email protected].