S.D.C.J.

The San Diego Central Jail, or SDCJ, opened in May 1998. The state-of-the-art facility makes extensive use of touch-screen controls and video surveillance. At the heart of the facility is the Central Command Center, which has the capability of electronically controlling all jail operations in the event of an emergency or major system failure.

The population at SDCJ consists primarily of special handling inmates, newly booked inmates awaiting transfer to other facilities and pre-arraignment inmates. The special handling inmates consist of those with serious medical challenges, those under psychiatric care, inmates representing themselves in court, as well as defendants facing high-publicity trials.