Run by a citizen constable whose wife cooked for prisoners, this jail held suspects, often involved with whiskey and/or fists, for trial and, if found guilty, for short terms imposed by the Justice of the Peace. Long terms were not served here. Designed and built for the county of San Diego for $1075 plus $62 extra for overlooked grating and door, this reinforced site mixed concrete jail ended the escapes common to the three wooden jails that previously existed on this site since 1872. County ownership ended in 1952.