Concern Over Overcrowding, Praise for Juvie Programs
The County Jail is overcrowded,
some city jails could use some work, and juvenile detention centers are making
headway. Such were the findings of a report released by the Santa Barbara
County Grand Jury on Friday, which recently analyzed conditions at all of the
public holding facilities in the area.
Not surprisingly, overcrowding
at the Main Jail remains an area of concern and has since the 2011
implementation of AB 109, the state law that shifted responsibility for certain
inmates from state prisons to county jails. While the jail’s capacity clocks in
at 659, the jury found, its population surpasses that, clocking in at 726 last
August. The increase in inmates has also come with an increase in the length of
their lock-ups, too, with stays previously lasting 20 days but now often
exceeding the 12-month mark. Services including electronic monitoring and the
work-alternative program have helped to some degree, the report stated, but the
2018 opening of the North County Jail will make a major difference.
The current Santa Maria branch
of the county jail — which houses up to 25 inmates — is helping in the interim
as well, but could use some equipment like protective gear and office
furniture. Sheriff’s Office substations in Isla Vista and Carpinteria face
their own challenges — for the Isla Vista Foot Patrol, it is in securing extra
staffing for large events; for Carpinteria, it is a cracked tile floor wracked
with asbestos — while the holding facility at the County Courthouse faces some
safety concerns that will be remedied with future construction.
Jails operated by cities in the
county have smaller issues that are being addressed. The two-holding-cell Santa
Barbara Jail, built in 1960, is due for a new air conditioning system, the
replacement plan for which is in the works. Santa Maria’s jail is moving to
bigger digs later this year.
Over at the 23-bed Lompoc
facility, two security issues stuck out to the Grand Jury. For one, inmates are
often left briefly unsupervised while an inmate is being escorted to court.
“This situation sets the stage for the possibility of inmates passing
contraband, fighting in cells, assaults, and other unforeseeable
possibilities,” the jury warned. Also at stake is security, the report
continued, noting that some staff at the Lompoc jail don’t take enough
precautions to protect their keys while transporting inmates.
Circling back to the county
level, the Grand Jury commended the efforts of the three juvenile detention
facilities: the Susan Gionfriddo Juvenile Justice Center in Santa Maria, La
Posada Juvenile Hall in Santa Barbara, and Los Prietos Boys Camp in Santa
Barbara. The minors who find themselves locked up there benefit from the
“quality of programs available,” the jury stated, adding that such “crime
prevention programs appear to be having a positive impact.” At the center in
Santa Maria, for example, the number of inmates has been decreasing since 2013
and a bigger focus is now being placed on their mental health needs.
February
8, 2015
Santa
Barbara Independent
By Indy Staff
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