The top floor will remain closed until officials recruit enough staff, which could take weeks or months. Once the shutdown is finished, the jail will hold 80 fewer inmates. Officials are looking to transfer inmates to facilities around California, or enroll them in work-release or ankle-monitoring programs.
In a Facebook video, undersheriff Brian Jackson says the jail is working hard to recruit more staff.
“Our recruitment effort is going very well, however staff that currently work the jail sometimes have duties they have to attend to. Some people do get sick and may possibly have to be out," Jackson said. "That just increases the staffing needs.”
Lassen County recently terminated a contract to house inmates from Shasta County because of their own staffing shortages. As a result, 22 inmates will return to the Shasta County Jail in mid-August, which will make jail space even tighter.