A highly anticipated meeting regarding Santa Barbara County's jails is set to take place on April 1 during which law enforcement, mental health representatives, and county supervisors will discuss — and the supervisors vote — on how to address the problem of overcrowding in the South and North County jails. Of the solutions offered in a number of reports, some call it jail expansion, while others say jail relocation.
Inmates have suffered inhumane conditions in the South County jail for many years; in the past, some convicted inmates had to sleep on the floor. A staff report from the County Executive Office proposes three options — all of which include increasing more beds at the jail in North County — by constructing one, one-and-a-half, or two additional housing units. Each unit holds 256 beds.
The Sheriff's View