The California prison realignment program has brought more hardened criminals into county jails throughout the past year. As a result, San Mateo County Jail authorities have said there has been a change in the inmates' attitudes and many are saying they would rather not have been transferred to the county facilities, the Almanac reported.

San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks told the news source that attitude problems among the inmates have become such an issue that jail officials have had to discontinue a treatment program to free up space for special housing.

"We're having a much harder clientele, we're having a much more difficult clientele," Munks told the Almanac.

The state program has taken the prisoners classified as "non-violent" or non-serious and transferred them to county jails throughout California. However, Munks said, these inmates would rather be in the state-run lockups instead of at San Mateo, as prisons offer more opportunities for the inmates to meet with visitors and give them more personal space, the Almanac reported.

These inmates upset about their transfer have even become violent in the jail. According to a jail statement, one state inmate punched a county inmate in San Mateo jail when the county inmate's hair touched the state inmate's towel, the Almanac stated. Another county inmate was punched, allegedly because she wouldn't give money to a state inmate.

However, authorities hope the new jail planned in Redwood City will help alleviate the inmate issues occurring. The jail will feature "open dorm-like" rooms for inmates with wooden doors. Fewer inmates will be housed in each room than are currently occupying cells at the San Mateo County Jail, the Almanac reported. According to the article, the jail has women inmates in triple-tier bunks. One section of the jail is designed for 18, but houses about 50 inmates.

Overcrowding is an issue for many county jails throughout California as a result of the realignment plan. For instance, Ventura County has had to hire more officials to keep the jails safe as inmate numbers rise, ABC affiliate KEYT reported. And in Monterey County, a $40 million jail expansion is planned to provide more beds in the already overpopulated facility, according to the Monterey Herald.

For San Mateo County, the current jail will remain open after the new one is built in Redwood City, the Almanac reported. The county jail will continue to operated as a maximum security section for men.