Construction of the new jail in Santa Maria is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
<figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-162021">KSBY NewsAt 134,000 square feet, the new building will bring about one hundred new jobs to the area. The majority of those jobs will be custody deputies. The jail is also hiring counselors, utility workers and administrative staff.
“Overcrowding in Santa Barbara [jails] has been an issue since the 1980’s,” said Santa Barbara Sheriffs’ commander Thomas Jenkins. “We’re still overcrowded on a daily basis.”
The new jail will have 376 beds from the inmates to add to Santa Barbara county jail’s current 850 beds.
Jenkins also says the new jail will be a “direct supervision” jail to alleviate recidivism, which means its staff will assist inmates from becoming repeat offenders. The inmate behavior management program is a new tool for inmate discipline to be used in both jails.
The total cost to build the new jail is $110 million dollars. The jail is planned to open in January 2020.
The jail is located on Black Road and Betteravia Road in Santa Maria. For more information on the jail project click here.
