Our Public Defender, Tracy Macuga, and Probation Chief, Tanja Heitman, propose funding a new 2022-23 Realignment Budget Position: “Jail Assessment, Case Planning, Reentry Coordinator”. This leadership position would build a team across the criminal justice system , government agencies, and community organizations to ensure individuals entering the jail a safe, successful release at the earliest possible stage. This successful model in LA County’s Rapid Diversion Program reduced returns to jail by 12.2% in just two years! (attach) Probation would facilitate the SB model. State realignment funding for the Community Correction Partnership (CCP) is dedicated to reducing returns to jail and is proposed to fund this position. Currently, the county lacks leadership to coordinate the departments of Probation, Public Defender, Sheriff, DA and Behavior Wellness to divert those with non- violent misdemeanors into community resources. Diversion worked in SB in 2020 when COVID requirements resulted in jail diversion reductions of approximately 37% (400). No data indicated increased harm.
We thank all of you who joined the 50 community supporters who signed letters in our February Call to Action, advocating for SB County Supervisors and criminal justice leaders to reduce the jail population and support the new diversion position.
February 2 CEO Mona Miyasato and her team, met with CLUE SB Criminal Justice Workgroup and League of Women Voters to discuss the South County Jail remodel design. We advocated for a reduced population design, resulting from interventions like the proposed CCP position.
February 4 CLUE SB Criminal Justice Workgroup met with Ryan Cruz of the Independent newspaper reporting on this key proposed jail intervention. At the CCP Budget Meeting on February 4 CLUE Criminal Justice Workgroup/LWV supported the position with Probation leadership in public comment. The public defender noted the public comment and asked for CCP approval. Sheriff Brown stated he did not understand the position. The vote was delayed until the position was further clarified.
February 17 The Independent published New Position May Change the Way We Treat Jail Population in Santa Barbara, in which Probation Chief Heitman describes the need for the new CCP position and the importance of keeping the jail population low through system changes. The article states the Sheriff is pushing to keep the system under his jurisdiction and “has not been receptive to suggestions that the jail population should remain closer to where it was earlier in the pandemic– closer to 550.”
February 23 The CCP Workgroup met to clarify the new position with a written job description, following an earlier meeting between Probation and the Sheriff. CLUE SB Criminal Justice Workgroup supported each section of the written job description in public comment. Chief Wasilewski, speaking for the Sheriff, said the description was still unclear and not supported. Decision on the proposed budget position was delayed again until the final CCP budget meeting in April.
CLUE SB Criminal Justice Workgroup will continue to join our partner, League of Women Voters, in organizing for growing community action. The CCP Budget 2022-23 needs to fund the transformative collaborative diversion facilitator position under Probation leadership. Like the LA model, Santa Barbara needs this leadership to safely reduce our jail population.
