I hate paying bills. I can’t stand to see my paycheck go toward something as mundane as the electric or water bill when I’d much rather know that I worked hard and earned the money to buy myself a little something nice. When paying utilities all I can think is: “Two hours in that staff meeting, and all I get in return is a month of gas.”
Of course nobody likes to see their hard-won money going to something they need rather than want. Certainly the county doesn’t like it, that’s why I applaud their decision to do the responsible thing and fund a desperately needed jail.
Sure, it was a hard pill to swallow. The jail is estimated to cost nearly $15 million more than was originally expected. Oops.
In fact, when the board voted at a May 23 special meeting, 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr couldn’t bring herself to support it. She said the costs have already increased significantly and construction hasn’t even begun.
She may have been the lone dissent on the dais but she wasn’t the only one in the room opposed to moving forward with the project.
A few members of the public also argued that the cost was too high, and they criticized incarceration rates.
The fact is, pointing fingers and laying blame doesn’t do anything to fix the problem of jail overcrowding and inadequate facilities.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Chief Custody Deputy Vincent Wasilewski, wrote a letter in the Sun (“End the discussion and begin work on a new jail,” May 19), saying that the county is failing in its mission to rehabilitate inmates because of inappropriate facilities.
“The offenders who are released from our jail are, for the most part, no better prepared to be successful in the community than when we booked them. The ones who are most at risk to re-offend, the mentally ill and the addicted, are the most adversely effected,” he said in his letter. “This is simply because we do not have either the physical plant or the staffing resources required to deliver modern and effective custody services.”
There is also current litigation because of overcrowding, and Wasilewski warned that if that litigation moved to federal court, the county would have to do something about it despite its inability to pay. So the board’s decision at the meeting was a proactive one in that respect.
Recently, Todd Johnson, vice president of the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff’s Association told the Sun that overcrowding has resulted in injuries to staff, including two physical assaults just this month.
Though it’s a countywide issue, it strongly affects North County. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said most inmates come from North County. North County leaders should support these efforts, not just for the sake of the inmates, but for the safety of our law enforcement deputies.
This issue has been discussed for several years now; it’s time to pay up. Let’s keep the pressure on to make sure it moves forward.
The Canary would love any budgeting advice. Send tips to [email protected].
