Edhat Staff
By edhat staff
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors discussed additional ways to decrease the jail population with diversion programs during a special meeting on criminal justice and racial equity Thursday.
Last month, the Board held a hearing on racial equity and the county’s criminal justice system due to protests and discussions supported by local residents.
County CEO Mona Miyasato and her team worked with local criminal justice department directors and provided the Board with information on efforts to reduce the County’s Average Daily Population (ADP) within the jail system as a response to the COVID-19 emergency.
The presentation also included programs and efforts that were already in progress prior to the pandemic and provided options to make the ADP reduction more permanent. As well as information on existing and proposed efforts to further racial equity within the County organizational culture.
Supervisors Gregg Hart, Das Williams, and Joan Hartmann approved the plan to: receive a report on actions to lower the ADP, racial equity and diversity initiatives, direction for allocation and use of equity funds, and to examine expanding the misdemeanor diversion programs while adding new felony diversion programs using restorative justice programs.
Supervisor Peter Adam abstained from voting and Supervisor Steve Lavagnino did not vote as he had to leave early to tend to a sick relative.
“We are having yet another discussion in the aftermath of another tragedy and it feels as so, perhaps, that this might be a moment where we can move in a different direction and make some changes that are long overdue. We tend to focus, I think, on the actions of individuals as opposed to focusing on the impacts of our systems,” said Barney Melekian, former Santa Barbara County Undersheriff and current Assistant County CEO.
Melekian stated the efforts have been underway for some time to divert people from the county jail to mental health and substance abuse programs. From 2016 to 2019 there was a steady 16% decline in the average daily jail population with projections it would reach a 26% decline by 2025.
The challenge with diversion programs, Melekian stated, is the balance between lowering the jail population and maintaining public safety and the overall impact on public safety is less clear.
Sheriff Bill Brown stated in July 2007, the ADP was 1,268 inmates. In July of 2019, it was 898 inmates. Within the first two weeks of this month, there are 578 inmates.
Brown stated the Sheriff’s office supports the recommendations to reduce the jail population “at least in concept,” but feels the current zero bail order should be modified so repeat offenders are not released. In the past three months during the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown reports a reoffense rate of 12% stating this is not a good number.
Santa Barbara County Public Defender Tracy Macuga disagreed.
“The argument I’ve heard today is that it’s far too soon to know the impact of zero bail. Instead, we should focus on and be scared of the small percentage of individuals who have reoffended and ignore the evidence of success. By the Sheriff’s own statistics, 88% of the individuals released on zero bail have not reoffended,” said Macuga. “The only reason those individuals, at 88%, were in jail, all pre-trial, presumed innocent, charged with low-level offenses, and awaiting their day in court, separated from their families, isolated from their community and support network, and their jobs, was because they were too poor to post bail.”
Director of the Department of Behavioral Wellness Dr. Alice Gleghorn reported that every year it’s approximately 60% of people in the county jail had contact with Behavioral Wellness in the past, compared to the national average of approximately 33%.
The board also directed the county staff to ask for relief from the AB 900 Jail Financing Program in which state funds are accepted for maintaining a minimum number of beds in the North County jail.
“At this time we have a once in a generation opportunity to reimagine the ways in which we respond to harm that is caused in our community. The significant reduction in the jail population that has occurred in response to COVID-19 is starting to demonstrate our county’s ability to reduce incarceration without compromising public safety,” said Supervisor Hart.
Over 40 public speakers expressed their support to reduce the jail population and provide alternative options for those in need of mental health and addiction services, while some criticized law enforcement.
“When sheriff Brown talks about the need for more data, he certainly doesn’t have a problem using data that fear-mongers our community to increase the budget based on things that are not really happening. I want to name the fact that there have been endless lawsuits around the cruel and unusual and inhumane conditions in the jail. Somehow Sheriff Brown has used that as an impetus to use our community dollars to build another jail,” said Chelsea Lancaster during public comment.
George Eskin, a retired judge, also called in for public comment and advocated for reform of the criminal justice system stating threatening people with punitive consequences has proven to be a failure and extremely costly adding to the largest prison population and highest recidivism rate in the world.
