A new Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report says despite overcrowding issues, jails in the county are doing a good job of running and maintaining facilities in the county.
Grand Juries have blasted the county for decades over jail overcrowding. The county’s facilities are rated for just over 800 inmates, but usually have around 1100 on a daily basis. But, work is underway on a new main jail facility in Santa Maria which is expected to ease the crunch.
The report notes that a number of facilities issues with the Coroner’s Bureau are finally being addressed with a remodeling project underway this month.
The Grand Jury says there are some minor problems. It says there is a shortage of custody deputies, and more need to be hired. The Grand Jury also says not all custody deputies know the proper and safe use of prisoner restraint systems, and that training needs to take place.
