Santa Barbara County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino says the county needs to expand the Northern Branch Jail, noting that previous boards did not approved expansions and now the county finds itself with a lack of space.
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino says the county needs to expand the Northern Branch Jail, noting that previous boards did not approved expansions and now the county finds itself with a lack of space. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo

The County of Santa Barbara reviewed its jail population demographics as it plans to expand the Northern Branch Jail, finding that 83% of people in custody have not been sentenced and 11% suffer from some form of serious mental illness.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors heard a report on Tuesday on the jail population and efforts by the Public Defender’s Office to safely reduce the number of people in custody.

The report comes after the supervisors approved expanding the Santa Maria-area jail due to rising costs of running two jail facilities, and leaders asked for more information about the population in custody.

The report found that the county’s jail population levels remained steady between 2024 and 2025, and that “most of the jail admissions were male, Hispanic, and aged 30-49.”

The average daily population in 2024 averaged 343 people at the Northern Branch Jail and 403 people at the Main Jail near Santa Barbara.

Of the total population, 87% were in custody due to felony charges, according to the report. It also found that 82% of people in the county’s jails had not been sentenced, an increase from 73% in 2024. That included people who had been accused of a crime but had not been to trial yet, and people who had been convicted or pleaded guilty but were not yet sentenced.

The average stay at the jail for an inmate is 58 days, and is due to violent crimes listed as felonies, according to the report.

The Board of Supervisors also heard about strategies to reduce the jail’s population by diverting low-level offenders out of custody.

One of the programs discussed was the Reentry, Early Access, and Diversion for You (READY) Program, which is operated by the Public Defender’s Office. The program provides people with early access to lawyers to help reduce the amount of time they remain in custody.

Karyn Milligan, probation research manager, says Santa Barbara County's READY Program has reduced the jail population in the North County. Advocates believe it could reduce the jail population in the South County by 10 people a day if expanded.
Karyn Milligan, probation research manager, says Santa Barbara County’s READY Program has reduced the jail population in the North County. Advocates believe it could reduce the jail population in the South County by 10 people a day if expanded. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo

“READY has already reduced the population of the Northern Branch Jail by 14 individuals,” said Karyn Milligan, probation research manager. “Expansion of the program to South County Jail is projected to reduce the jail population by an additional 10 individuals on the average day.”

Another proposal is decreasing the length of stays, which would reduce the daily population by 33 people and help the county save money.

The board voted to accept the report and asked the jail data analysis subcommittee to return in six months for an update on their efforts.

During public comment, speakers asked the board to expand the alternative programs instead of adding more beds to the Northern Branch Jail.

“The data is clear,” Maureen Earls said, speaking for CLUE Santa Barbara and the League of Women Voters. “Santa Barbara County can safely reduce the jail population and therefore can and must reduce the jail size and cost of the planned North Branch Jail expansion.”

Earls added that canceling the construction would save the county millions of dollars, and expanding the READY Program to the South County would help reduce the jail’s population.

The jail expansion, which was approved by the board in April, is expected to cost an estimated $179 million. The new construction would add 348 beds to the building, which opened in 2022.

Earls also claimed that the county’s Public Defender’s Office is underfunded, which increases the length of jail stays.

Maureen Earls, speaking on behalf of CLUE Santa Barbara and the League of Women Voters. asks the county Board of Supervisors to focus on alternative programs for inmates instead of expanding the Northern Branch Jail.
Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo

Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said he would like to add more public defenders, but noted that Santa Barbara County is facing a challenging economic future, according to its five-year forecast.

Lavagnino added that Santa Barbara County has made progress. He said the county has increased the number of full-time employees in its Public Defender’s Office and has decreased its jail population since 2011.  

He also defended the county’s plans to expand the Northern Branch Jail despite the high cost. A decade ago, the county supervisors decided not to build a larger facility for the Northern Branch Jail, and the county needs to address it now, he said.

State grants would have largely funded building a re-entry and treatment facility around the same time the county built the Northern Branch Jail, but a majority of supervisors at the time balked at the ongoing operating costs. Lavagnino was one of the supervisors who supported building the facility.

“We do have to right size our construction now,” Lavagnino said. “It’s going to put us in a financial pitch, but if we don’t … make a hard decision up here to do something, that’s really a tough pill to swallow. All we’re doing is kicking the can.”

— Noozhawk staff writer Daniel Green can be reached at dgreen@noozhawk.com.