State Recommends S.B. Receive $38.9 Million in New Jail Funding
Money Would Be Put Toward Anti-Recidivism Housing, Programs at North County Facility
Santa Barbara’s proposed North County Jail — projected to be up and running by the first half of 2018 — is one step closer to getting the $38.9 million in funding it needs for an additional wing dedicated to recidivism-reducing programs. On Thursday, a state committee recommended that the county receive the grant; the final decision will be announced on January 16.
Santa Barbara County qualified for the grant under SB 1022, a state bill passed to provide money for jails to create space for custodial housing, reentry programs, and mental-health treatment. In October, Sheriff Bill Brown successfully made his case to the Board of Supervisors — who had to approve the application and agree to match the grant money by 10 percent — for why the Sheriff’s Office should move forward with the bid.
“Today’s news is huge for Santa Barbara County on several different levels,” Brown said in a statement released by the Sheriff’s Office on Thursday. “The additional $38.9 million in funding will be added to our previous $80 million award and will allow us to design and build a properly sized jail in our North County. It will be a model for safely housing criminal offenders, but also for delivering rehabilitative services that will change lives and ultimately reduce recidivism.”
