Healthcare professionals demanded we drastically reduce the jail population, so we listened. On Jan 21, the SF jail population was 1,238. On March 4, when the emergency was declared, it was 1,097. Yesterday, it was 766. Meanwhile, crime rates continue to decrease in SF.
One of the reasons to reduce the overall prison population is to reduce costs. A quick search reveals that it costs $31k per person per year. Sure, building the prison will boost the economy but operating it is kinda expensive.