[Santa Barbara] Grand Jury Report Outlines Concerns with Northern Branch Jail Design as Construction Delayed Again

New facility near Santa Maria won't be finished in May after all, but it's still expected to open this year

The construction completion date for the new Santa Barbara County jail has been pushed again, but the Sheriff’s Department still expects to start accepting inmates at the facility this summer.

The 376-bed Northern Branch Jail near Santa Maria is expected to finish construction between late June and August, then staff will have a training period and open it by September, Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Raquel Zick recently said.

Santa Barbara County has 90 days to occupy the space after construction is finished,

Chief Vincent Wasilewski, head of the Custody Operations Branch, has said the plan is to gradually start accepting inmates at the Santa Maria location, rather than sending everyone south to the Main Jail.

The aging Main Jail facility near Santa Barbara has been overcrowded for decades, until the novel coronavirus pandemic prompted the Sheriff’s Department to reduce bookings, grant early releases and take other measures to drop the inmate population to 568 as of last week — the lowest it’s been in 50-plus years.

Even if the new jail opened sooner, “we still wouldn’t be able to achieve the social distancing,” Zick said.

Main Jail inmates have been provided N-95 masks and cloth masks, as well as paper bags to store them in, she said. They are typically wearing them whenever they leave their housing units for programs or to use common areas.

Construction has been reportedly 98 percent completed on the new North County jail for several months now.

The county’s Civil Grand Jury issues a Detention Facilities report every year, and in February it visited the new jail as part of its investigation.

“The most noteworthy findings were the current overcrowding in the Main Jail, the significant schedule and cost overrun of the new Northern Branch Jail, a new proposed approach to inmate management for the new jail, the significant shortage of critical body scanning equipment in the facilities to address the drug contraband problem, the need for improved camera coverage, and serious sheriff and police staff shortages directly impacting public safety,” the Grand Jury report concluded.

Jurors took issue with some of the Northern Branch Jail’s design features, such as the lack of in-person visitation (only video booths are included) and small exercise areas.

“Considering the potentially long sentences for some inmates, these small enclosures are inadequate,” the Grand Jury wrote.

The Sheriff’s Department did not have transportation available for released inmates to leave the facility, which is 10 miles from the Santa Maria city center, the report said.

Zick said the Sheriff’s Department is not commenting on the report’s finding and recommendations until the official response to the Grand Jury is released.

Noozhawk
By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli
May 15, 2020