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In-person visitation at the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City has been suspended for more than a month due to elevator repairs that have left at least one family “tormented” with no contact with their loved one.
“We just want to know he is okay and well,” Karen Guerrero said. Her brother is an inmate at Maguire. Guerrero nor members of her family have not been able to contact him since June 19, when he was incarcerated for committing a crime while on probation.
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement in-person visitation has been suspended indefinitely at the county’s largest correctional facility because two public elevators are out of service for repairs. The Board of Supervisors approved replacing all four elevators in June for $4.5 million. The project is expected to take 1.5 years.
While the supervisors just agreed to replace the elevators, it is not the first time issues with the elevators have paused visitation. In 2021, in-person visitation was temporarily unavailable for four days because the elevators broke. Since 2023, the county has known that the elevators needed to be replaced.
While there are still two elevators that are operational, the Sheriff’s Office claims the public can not use them or any stairs since they are located in a secure area of the facility, where the public is not typically allowed.
In the meantime, while families can still use video visitation for free, Guerrero said jail staff never informed her of that.
“Jail staff did not notify me when I repeatedly called to ask for updates on the elevator issues with the video visit option. I was just informed of ‘smart messages.’ I have attempted to contact him that way, and I have yet to receive a response,” Guerrero said.
On the jail’s website and social media, there is no information regarding the suspension of in-person visitation or video visitation at Maguire, San Mateo County’s largest correctional facility.
Even if she knew of video visitation, it would not replace in-person visits.
“Video visits do not compare to actually being in the same room as him. In-person visits help remind us that he is still here with us,” Guerrero said.
In-person visitation also has proven benefits.
“We know that the experience of going to jail is extremely deleterious to people’s mental health, and often to their physical health as well. One of the key reasons for that is that jail isolates people from their families. One of the best things that counties can do to ameliorate the effects of that is to provide as much family contact as possible,” Prison Policy Institute spokesperson Wanda Bertram said.
The Prison Policy Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit dedicated to research and advocacy about the “broader harm of mass criminalization.”
The inmates at Maguire are both convicted criminals and individuals on pre-trial holds.
The Prison Policy Institute estimates two-thirds of women and more than half of men held pretrial are parents of minor children.
“There is no way to have a loved one, especially a parent, incarcerated not be traumatic. But to not be able to see that person face-to-face, to see their entire body, to see this person physically, is so much worse,” Bertram said.
Guerrero agrees: “Knowing your loved one is incarcerated is already tough, but not knowing if they are safe, well, and mentally okay is what has tormented my family as a whole.”
‘Shocked’
There has yet to be any public notice of the pause of in-person visitation: even local advocates were unaware.
“This is news to me. No one within Fixin has mentioned this problem. Certainly, we are against this,” said Jim Lawrence, chair of the board of Fixin’ San Mateo County, a local organization working to improve independent civilian oversight of the Sheriff’s Office. “This is another reason the Board of Supervisors needs to move swiftly to remove the current Sheriff. The longer it takes, the more the situation will deteriorate.”
“I am shocked the ‘County’ allows this to happen and will personally inform management and the board of supervisors,” he added.
Lawrence is not the only one surprised.
“I’m surprised to hear that the jail has seen fit to stop in person visits for a whole month rather than work around this elevator issue because family contact is a core issue that impacts people’s mental health, their reentry prospects and security inside the jail. It could not possibly be more important,” Bertram said.
Independent Civilian Advisory Commission on the Sheriff’s Office chair Kalimah Salahuddin also did not know about the pause on in-person visitation until after this news organization started asking questions.
“For several months, ICAC has not had a regular participant from the Sheriff’s Office to report on successes or challenges to our committee… I strongly believe that maintaining close connections with family and loved ones is essential, and I hope this issue is resolved soon,” Salahuddin said. “ICAC is recommending that the Board of Supervisors appoint a permanent Inspector General with subpoena power over the Sheriff’s Office. This role would assist in ensuring the flow of relevant and important information to both ICAC and the County.”
“In terms of in-person meetings with our attorneys, the jail is making sure that is still happening either via Zoom or in person. While I haven’t heard anything from our clients, if families are expressing concern, I certainly don’t want to dismiss those,” Managing Attorney of the Private Defender Program Mitri Hanania said. “The question is are they making sure it is getting fixed? Why is it taking over 30 days? If it’s beyond their control then we understand. But if they can’t explain why or it’s a ‘well get to it,’ that’s not ok and something needs to be done.”
“Despite multiple repair efforts, the elevator remains out of service. Additional parts have been ordered, and repairs will proceed as soon as those parts are received. The Sheriff’s Office appreciates the community’s continued patience and understanding during this time,” Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Gretchen Spiker said.
“Jails have maintenance issues just like any other public building. But frankly, there is no excuse to be taking away something that is a basic right for people: their right to see and communicate with their families,” Bertram said.
Guerrero says her family and she feel the impacts every day.
“I struggle every day living my day-to-day life, not knowing if he is okay. I have even added funds to his account, and we have yet to receive a call from him, which is not normal,” she said. “It has impacted my family drastically, especially my mother. My brother is a veteran, and he deserves to be granted basic visiting rights at least so his family can see him in person.”
Guerrero said jail staff told her the issue was due to a lack of funding from the county. The county staunchly refutes that claim.
“To be clear, there are no budget issues delaying the repair or replacement of the elevators… Elevator restoration is a priority, and the facilities staff are working with contractors to complete the necessary repairs efficiently and ensure safety,” San Mateo County Interim Strategic Communications Director Effie Milionis Verducci said.
The Sheriff’s Office says it values inmates having in-person contact with their families. “The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office recognizes the importance of in-person visits and hopes the issue will be resolved soon,” Spiker said.
In-person visits do not just benefit the families of inmates and inmates themselves, but correctional officers as well.
“Denying people in-person visits is not just bad for their prospects for re-entry to society, it’s also bad for security within the facility. When people are not able to talk to their loved ones, mental health starts to fray, tensions increase, resentment against corrections officers increases — this is something that can be really bad for the facility at large,” Bertram said.
