Female Inmates at Santa Barbara County Jails Making Better Choices

Conclusions 4

• CL1
  Women inmates are receptive to therapy and self-improvement groups. While the Sheriff's Treatment Program is available at both of the County's jails, the activities provided by community organizations—such as yoga, book clubs, and mutual-support recovery groups—vary between the two facilities.
• CL2
  To their detriment, female inmates have fewer work opportunities than male inmates in preparing them for life outside jail.
• CL3
  College classes are not available at the Main Jail to the same extent that they are available at the Northern Branch Jail, depriving women at the Main Jail of equivalent educational opportunities.
• CL4
  Meeting with female inmates and hearing them express themselves was an experience that should be shared with administrative staff at the County’s jails, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, and the public. Paying attention to requests for more positive experiences in the jails, such as vocational and educational opportunities, could help these female inmates reach that awakening that we hope every inmate can have. The women at the County’s jails want to be heard and want to maintain their dignity. The Jury learned that female inmates want to improve some conditions that are bothersome, but, at the same time, that they want to assure staff and volunteers that their contributions are working. 2024-2025 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury 8 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Finding 1: To their detriment, female inmates have fewer work opportunities than male inmates in preparing them for life outside jail. Recommendation 1: The Grand Jury recommends that the Sheriff’s Office provide work detail opportunities to female inmates at both of the County's jails in crews that allow for a more flexible number of women. To be implemented by January 1, 2026. Finding 2: College classes are not available at the Main Jail to the same extent that they are available at the Northern Branch Jail, depriving women at the Main Jail of equivalent educational opportunities. Recommendation 2: The Grand Jury recommends that the Sheriff's Office expand current educational and vocational course offerings at the Main Jail in cooperation with local colleges. To be implemented by January 1, 2026. Finding 3: Women inmates are receptive to therapy and self-improvement groups. While the Sheriff's Treatment Program is available at both of the County's jails, the activities provided by community organizations—such as yoga, book clubs, and mutual-support recovery groups—vary between the two facilities. Recommendation 3: The Grand Jury recommends that the Sheriff’s Office expand its efforts to make more community-provided self-improvement and therapy programs available to educate and motivate inmates at both jails, including the women. REQUIREMENTS FOR RESPONSES Pursuant to California Penal Code §933 and §933.05, the Grand Jury requests each entity or individual named below to respond to the findings and recommendations within the specified statutory time limit. Responses to Findings shall be either: - Agree - Disagree with an explanation - Disagree partially with an explanation Responses to Recommendations shall be one of the following: - Has been implemented, with a summary of the implementation actions taken - Will be implemented, with an implementation schedule 2024-2025 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury 9 - Requires further analysis, with an analysis completion date of fewer than 6 months after the issuance of the report - It will not be implemented with an explanation of why Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office – 60 days Findings 1, 2, 3 Recommendations 1, 2, 3 2024-2025 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury 10

Observations 1

• OB1
  The Female Inmate Perspective on Living Conditions The female inmates have common concerns and common complaints that vary only somewhat between the two facilities. The complaints ranged from choices for the little things in daily living to options for life-enhancing activities. One such concern was that men can join work crews and prepare meals in the kitchen, do the laundry, do maintenance, or clean the facility. There are enough men to fill a work crew, and if someone is sick, a replacement can be found. Women, on the other hand, are fewer in number. So, when a female inmate is sick, or does not feel like working, which can happen often, there are not enough women available to fill the crew. The result is that women have few work detail opportunities in the jails at this time. This loss of work opportunities affects the women in several ways. First, they lose the ability to do something, to be active. Some women are said to be so bored that they sleep all day. Additionally, they do not feel productive, which reduces their self-esteem. Women at both jails described this as a true lack of opportunity. Moreover, the loss of not being able to work is that they are not learning or practicing skills that they could use outside the jail to look for a job. Many do not have a strong support system, and leaving the jail without a job skill or recent experience worried them. Without a family, a social group, or a system to keep them afloat, the women were anxious about being released. The Sheriff’s Office is reconsidering the minimum number of women required for work crews in recognition of their ability and willingness to work. Custody management is looking into allowing fewer women to make a team for some tasks such as cleaning, and are also discussing how to incorporate women into work crews. 2024-2025 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury 4 Classes in jail can also prepare inmates for release, especially if the classes train for some sort of job. At the NBJ, classes in installing solar panels are in demand. But the females could not join them, again because of not enough female inmates to reach the minimum of ten people to fill a class. The women are cut off from the one job skill preparation class that does exist. The Sheriff’s Office is discussing lowering the minimum required to eight people rather than ten. Other job training in the jail is not available at this time with the exception of a program offered at both jails, known as SERVSAFE, which trains for a Safe Food Handling certificate. At this time, however, only male inmates can practice this skill in the jail kitchen duty. Female inmates also directed the Jury’s attention to the commissary. The commissary vendor has reduced the number of options for women. As stated in the April 1, 2025, letter to the Board of Supervisors concerning the new contract for the vendor, the Sheriff’s Office wrote: Commissary services play a crucial role in the proper management of incarcerated individuals by providing access to items that can improve quality of life, such as snacks, better hygiene products, and other personal care items. Having the ability to choose and buy items helps mimic the out-side world’s consumer choices and can contribute to a sense of normalcy among inmates. The current vendor has reduced the number of options to one kind each for such basic items as shampoo and soap. As a result, shampoo and soap products favor the much larger male population. The vendor is further seen as providing additional items for men only such as aftershave, shaving gel, and shaving cream. For hair conditioner and body lotion, there is only a generic brand in small travel-sized bottles. There is no other choice as there had been with the previous vendor, which had a “feminine package” that included brands more used by women. Since they do not have these options, the women inmates feel robbed of their dignity. This vendor has a one-year contract, and the female inmates hope that the next vendor will provide them with more options. In addition, the Jury found that, in general, the women were frustrated by the lack of food choices. They were enthusiastic about a new food vendor last fall, but disappointment grew as food offerings became more limited. The initial welcome came with the addition of fruit and fresh vegetables with the new vendor. Unfortunately for the NBJ, while some of the women invented small pies with the fresh fruit, some men saw fruit as an opportunity to make homemade alcohol, causing the vendor to remove fruit from their offerings to both men and women. Women at the Main Jail complained less about the food as they still received fruit. This situation has been remedied, but then the main dinner course offering was reduced to beans and rice for a time, which female inmates criticized for lack of variety. The nutritional value of the food is questioned especially by women who want to keep their weight down, a difficult ambition given the lack of food variety and the lack of exercise available. 2024-2025 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury 5 A prior disparity between men and women was mentioned for clothing. For a time, men were allowed to wear shorts; the women were not. When the men began to cut off their pants to make them shorts at the Main Jail, once again jail management had to disallow shorts for everyone. Also, there was some confusion over women not being allowed to wear their sweatshirts to classes at NBJ, but the men could. This was eventually resolved in the women’s favor, and they can wear the sweatshirts when they leave their unit for another activity. However, women at the Main Jail will have to wait indefinitely for a different disparity to be resolved: television. Only one channel can be shown at a time across all the televisions in the technologically-challenged Main Jail. Female inmates therefore “watch a lot of soccer” because the Deputies program what the male inmates want to watch. At NBJ, the women’s units can select their own choices in television shows and movies. When inmates have a complaint or a suggestion, the process requires them to file a grievance and get signatures of other inmates. Grand Jurors did not find an example of female inmates petitioning for change. However, when women convey a problem to the custody deputies, they quickly respond to fix it. “They’re cool,’ one inmate said; “They help.” How Women Benefit from Incarceration There are educational classes at NBJ provided by Allan Hancock College that have greatly uplifted the inmates, and the female inmates seem particularly aware of the personal growth attained. Hancock College typically teaches three to four credit classes per semester. In fact, the women at NBJ asked for more general education credit classes and expressed a desire to continue studying at the college once released. They are encouraged by Hancock’s Rising Scholar program that assists former justice-involved inmates with fitting in, giving them supplies, mentoring, and even loaner laptops. In June 2025, Allan Hancock College awarded certificates of completion to 55 inmates at NBJ; six of these were women. Additionally, the jurors learned of one woman who continued classes until she received a college degree. Allan Hancock College will also start computer classes for credit at the NBJ later in 2025. Educational offerings at the Main Jail in Santa Barbara have not come back to the pre-Covid level of offerings. Currently, two classes are offered by Santa Barbara City College on alternating semesters at the Main Jail, a stress management class and a “College Ready Study Skills” class. At one time, computer literacy classes were offered at the Main Jail, but now these classes will exist only at NBJ. The return of computer classes at the Main Jail would offer educational and vocational enrichment to this population that is so appreciative of opportunities to change. Classes are available on the personal tablets issued to each woman at the jails, but these classes are not always free. It would benefit the women at the jail to also have the stimulation of contact with teachers and other students. 2024-2025 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury 6 The Public Defender’s Office has staff that meet with inmates as they enter the jail. Their intention is to get to know the inmate, find out what their needs are, and help expedite solutions for their release. The Public Defender’s holistic defense program is not as well developed in South County as it is in North County, so there exist fewer Public Defender staff members to direct female inmates to support programs in South County. The female inmates in the Main Jail expressed understanding: “Oh, they’re so overworked.” The Jury learned that the Sheriff’s Office is hoping to arrange a one-year pilot program to boost the Public Defender’s program in South County. If this effort succeeds, it will be an important step towards supporting female inmates after their release. The Sheriff’s Treatment Program (STP) has been a successful program for decades. Classes center around personal development and interpersonal skills. Especially noted are the STP classes in drug and alcohol education, criminal and addictive thinking, and anger management. The female inmates mentioned this program and its role in helping them endure incarceration. There are also occasional counseling groups and therapy sessions with volunteers outside the jail that the inmates can attend. In addition to the Sheriff’s Treatment Program, each jail has different opportunities provided by different community organizations: at NBJ women meet with Planned Parenthood and yoga groups, and the acclaimed Freedom to Choose program will begin. At the Main Jail, there is a book group for women, and one organization in particular was praised: GOGI, Getting Out by Going In. The emphasis on a better future life by knowing oneself encouraged the female inmates to look ahead, giving them a will to change behavior. Well known organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) also help the inmates. At the moment, NA is not meeting in the Main Jail. The women at both jails appreciated their access to mental health services. They could request a visit from a mental health counselor, and one would come with no long delay. Counselors help them to help themselves. The Jury learned that one female inmate, who had attended required group counseling at another jail, stated that having to go to group sessions helped her and other inmates and gave them something to do. Medical care was less praised. The female inmates had to put in a lot of “kites,” or call slips, to see someone, and if it was a specialty doctor, there was a long wait time. There is only one full time doctor and only one dentist at the moment who spend their time helping incarcerated individuals. Thus, a request for care can seem to go unanswered for a long time. However, the women affirmed that health issues specific to women were not neglected. Santa Barbara County's new contract (signed April 1, 2025) with the existing healthcare provider at the jails adds more nurses and mental health aides to the jail, which will help to some degree, as there are many inmates inside the jails who need medical care. 2024-2025 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury 7 Overall, what should be noted is that the female inmates see the jail staff as helping and see themselves as getting help. There are disadvantages that are inherent in being incarcerated. When asked what is bad about being in jail, one woman answered, “You are in jail.” All agreed. They also shared the opinion that the hardest aspect of that was being away from their family. There are annoyances such as not enough products for women in the commissary, the mail being extremely slow, and not being able to go outside often enough, but these facts are part of living within the cement walls of a detention facility. Some are grateful to have a bed, food, a shower, and shelter. The women who would be homeless outside the jail were especially relieved. As one said, “It’s humbling, but it’s a safe place.” Female inmates understand that they are there for a reason. The female inmates also seem to know that they are there for a purpose and recognize that they can change. The benefits of incarceration mentioned by these women were:  Getting healthier  Getting into a routine  Being off drugs and alcohol  Connecting with your higher power  Building a foundation  Learning patience and anger management  Having time to think  Getting to know yourself  Being with the girls While the women in jail can be frustrated by limited choices in daily living, they know that they can make better choices in life.

Agency Responses 1

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.