At any given time, only about 11-12 percent of the people behind bars in Santa Barbara County’s two jails are women; typically, 63 percent of the female inmates are there only one day or less; only 8 percent are there 10 days or more. This population disparity skews the range of opportunities available to women inside the county jails, the Santa Barbara Grand Jury recently concluded.
The in-jail opportunities afforded female inmates by classes and work crews are less than those afforded male inmates. That’s in part because the numbers required to fill a work detail are less statistically achievable for female inmates because there are relatively so few of them.
In the Northern Branch Jail, this is especially problematic, the jury found, when it concerns classes for the installation of solar panels, a more desirable job skill given the pay involved. (The class is not offered in South County’s Main Jail on Calle Real.) The numbers required to populate a full work crew for the kitchen, for example, are harder for female inmates to reliably achieve.
Sleeping cells in the Main Jail were described as small, allowing only a small amount of natural light, “leaving the unit cold, dim, and hard,” the Grand Jury concluded. In the newer Northern Branch Jail, by contrast, the windows in the sleeping cells are more expansive and overlook the central area.
“Large windows can let in more light, but they can be problematic when male guards make their rounds,” the jury found. “Some sleeping units have paper taped to the windows for some privacy when male deputies patrol.”
Each jail is assigned nine female custody officers. That’s not enough to cover all the shifts, so male deputies are needed to fill the breach. That requires special training.
As part of its mission and mandate, the Grand Jury is charged with oversight of the county jails. This look was a different slant on the juries’ typical jail reports. Because of their relative numbers, the commissary has little incentive to cater to the consumer preferences of female inmates, resulting in a diminished selection, for example, when it comes to shampoos and soap products. When it comes to TV time, the preferences of female inmates play second fiddle with some female inmates reporting they wind up watching a lot more soccer.
When it came to medical treatment, female inmates told the grand jurors they had to put in a lot of call slips — or “kites” — to be seen; if specialty doctors were involved, it was typically a long wait. There was only one full-time doctor and one dentist at the time.
The female inmates interviewed by the Grand Jury expressed appreciation for the vocational and educational opportunities offered by the jail but wanted more.
“Paying attention to requests for more positive experiences in the jails could help these female inmates reach that awakening that we hope every inmate can have,” the Grand Jury concluded. “The women at the County’s jails want to be heard and want to maintain their dignity.”
