Jailhouse Stripes Back in Fashion

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Santa Clara County inmates stepped back to the future as corrections officials replaced the standard-issue orange jumpsuits and blue jeans with striped uniforms.

In a throwback to a bygone era of jailhouse fashion, about 1,200 minimum-security inmates at the Elmwood Correctional Complex in Milpitas, Calif., began wearing the new black-and-white striped uniforms.

The change was instituted to reduce confusion among the public and the number of false reports of jumpsuit-clad escaped inmates at large in the community, officials say.

Each report forces corrections officials to place the entire system in lockdown mode, ceasing operations until a head count is completed.

With a capacity of more than 4,600 beds at four facilities, Santa Clara operates the fifth largest jail system in California and is among the 20 largest jail systems in the United States.
The false alarms are a drain on valuable and limited resources, officials say.

Unlike more modern jailhouse garb, the distinctive striped uniforms are readily identifiable and unmistakable, officials say. At a cost of less than $10 per uniform, the black-and-whites are less expensive than blue denims.

Santa Clara officials are not alone in abandoning the blue jeans and monochromatic jumpsuits. In recent years several counties, including Stanislaus, San Benito and Monterey, have opted to return to black and white uniforms.

Eighty miles west of San Jose, however, the Merced County Sheriff’s Department pursued a different strategy in dressing inmates, choosing an intricate color-coded system of clothing. The color-coding reflects inmates’ classifications, which are based on criteria, such as offenses committed, gang affiliation, or jail job.

Rather than black and white, Merced officials implemented a system of blues, grays, yellows, reds and luminescent greens, which allows correctional officers to rapidly identify inmate classifications, assess situations and act appropriately.

Inmate classification, which dictates what uniform they will wear and where they will be housed within the jail, is determined during an intake interview when the inmate arrives. Inmate behavior and classification is then monitored during incarceration.

The color-coded system of inmate classification is designed to enhance both staff and inmate safety in an environment where large numbers of inmates congregate. In the event of a critical situation or incident, officers can quickly identify and separate inmates, such as gang rivals, and troublemakers or potential victims.

The system also enhances safety and security in the transportation of inmates between the jail and courthouse, officials say. The color-coding classification allows officers to identify, monitor and maintain any necessary separation among segregated inmates.

Officials began using different colored jail uniforms in 2003 in order to separate rival gang members, but have expanded color-coded clothing to classify the entire jail population.

Rival Latino gang members from northern and southern California are kept segregated and are differentiated by green-and-white striped and orange-and-white striped jumpsuits.

Inmates who have recanted their gang affiliation wear solid orange jumpsuits, stamped with the letters VP to highlight their victim potential status in relation to active gang members.

Other potential targets of inmate-on-inmate retribution or violence include sexual offenders and inmates who are at risk in the general population due to mental illness or physical frailty. They are housed in a protective-custody unit and designated with gray jumpsuits.