In 2022, Santa Barbara opened a new North County Jail. The capacity was 376.
Now, just two years later that want to ADD 256 to 512 new jail beds. That is double from what they needed just two years ago. Yet, nobody is talking about a crime wave, they just need more jail beds. This is an example of the problem. The government claims it is for more mental health beds. If that is what they need, why are they jailing the mentally ill?
“Sullivan acknowledged that one of the issues that deputies had at the Main Jail was connecting inmates with services for medical or mental health.
“What we’re really focusing on is really increasing the access, both in the facility for in-person visitation for community providers, as well as (…) family members that want to reintegrate with (…) their loved ones when they’re incarcerated,” Sullivan said.
He added that the jail is working to increase access to visitation and services through video and other means.”
That incoherent statement is a cover up for the real problem—more crime.
County Eyes Adding 256 to 512 Beds to North County Jail
Officials say the expansion to the Northern Branch Jail will provide inmates access to better medical and mental services.
by Daniel Green, Noozhawk, 12/5/24 https://www.noozhawk.com/county-eyes-adding-256-to-512-beds-to-north-county-jail/
Santa Barbara County announced that it is looking to expand the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria by adding anywhere between 256 and 512 beds at the facility.
The expansion plans were revealed this week during an online meeting hosted hosted by Tanja Heitman from the County Executive Office and Commander Ryan Sullivan of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
The county has not made any decisions regarding the beds, Sullivan said, and the Board of Supervisors will make the final decision on the numbers.
He said the matter is expected to be discussed in spring 2025.
The Northern Branch Jail opened in 2022 and currently holds 376 beds.
“The facility was originally designed to be able to support future expansions for the addition of (…) housing pods, which we are discussing today,” said John Green, an assistant director for the county.
Construction for the new pods is expected to be completed by mid-2029, Green said.
Each pod will hold up to 64 beds and will be split into four sub-pods, each with its own recreation yard, program space, classrooms, and other services.
The plans to expand the Northern Branch Jail are part of the county’s goal of reducing the cost of its two jails. The yearly cost of running the county jail system was reported to be $90.5 million in 2023.
The Northern Branch at 2301 Black Road in Santa Maria was originally built to alleviate overcrowding at the Main Jail in Santa Barbara.
The county also plans to downsize the Main Jail and use it only for booking and pre-arraignment.
One of the reasons given for this plan was the cost of renovating the aging Main Jail, which was more than adding to the Northern Branch location.
After the presentation, the county took questions from the public about the jail’s design.
A representative from the League of Women Voters asked whether the jail’s designers had considered how to integrate inmates back into society, and whether the process would include family visitation.
Sullivan acknowledged that one of the issues that deputies had at the Main Jail was connecting inmates with services for medical or mental health.
“What we’re really focusing on is really increasing the access, both in the facility for in-person visitation for community providers, as well as (…) family members that want to reintegrate with (…) their loved ones when they’re incarcerated,” Sullivan said.
He added that the jail is working to increase access to visitation and services through video and other means.
The northern jail will allow inmates will have more freedom to access services from the recreation area. Sullivan stated that at the Main Jail inmates had to be escorted by guards to a different location for appointments.
The northern jail is also designed to feel more natural to the inmates. Lorenzo Lopez, a senior planner from Nacht and Lewis Architects, Inc., said one of the firm’s goals was to make the building less “angular.”
“It’s really about normative environments, and there’s a big push for making those environments appear more normal and less institutional,” Lopez said.
What Santa Barbara is really doing is buying beds to pay off a doner of elected officials.