Santa Barbara Jail in Lockdown
April 5, 2010
When you think Santa Barbara you likely think of it’s beautiful beaches, but this week, the city makes a different headline – the Santa Barbara Jail spent the weekend in lockdown after the third violent incident in the past month; this time a stabbing. The attack occurred in the early hours of this past Good Friday morning and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff is still investigating.
The stabbing left the victim with serious injuries that required a hospital visit and stitches. It also resulted in a facility-wide weekend lockdown for the rest of the inmates. Authorities do not know who was behind the stabbing or why it occurred. They have not recovered the weapon.
During the weekend lockdown, the entire jail was searched for 14 hours on both days. Jailors also conducted inmate strip searches. They found a variety of makeshift weapons, but not the one used in the stabbing.
The number of assaults in this jail has remained pretty consistent over the years, but according to department spokesperson Drew Sugars, their severity is on the rise. This is due to the type of individual incarcerated in recent years and the jail’s overcrowding – a problem rampant in the California penal system. Due to new release policies many misdemeanor defendants are being set free, leaving the jails full of inmates who are serving time for serious offenses, many of them repeat offenders. Sadly, around 10 percent of the jail’s population, which translates into 1000s of prisoners state-wide, are violent offenders currently facing murder or attempted murder charges.
April 6th, 2010 at 9:06 am
That is scary to think that 1 out of every 10 people detained there has the tendency to inflict bodily harm on another so easily.
April 6th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
You know, Matt, when I tell families I would not leave a loved one in jail, I mean it. All the County jails are hardcore, in my opinion.
April 6th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
I have parents always say they want to leave them in jail for a day or two. I try my hardest to tell them it’s a bad idea without worrying them too much.