The State - News from Dec. 31, 1986

A new “state-of-the-art” woman’s jail facility designed to give inmates more space has opened in Santa Clara County, officials announced. The 144-bed facility in Milpitas, which will relieve the pressure at other overcrowded jails, is adjacent to the Elmwood Jail, which houses both men and women. “It’s a state-of-the-art facility in the concept of inmate treatment,” Sgt. Glenda Parmentier said. “It’s based on the idea that you have officers and inmates in an area together--the open-space concept. It’s designed to improve the self-esteem of the staff and the inmates.” The facility was built in response to a judge’s order that the county must relieve overcrowded jail units. A 1975 lawsuit charged that inmates were illegally subjected to overcrowding. A federal judge agreed in 1985 and ordered the county to increase cell space.