The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Northern Branch Jail has received its first residents.
On Saturday, 244 inmates were transferred from the Main Jail to the Northern Branch Jail near Santa Maria.
“Seeing the Northern Branch Jail finally occupied is like watching a ship being launched from dry dock,” Sheriff Bill Brown said. “There have been many challenges and delays during the construction process and due to the pandemic, but because of the efforts of many people, the vessel is finally underway.”
The 376-bed jail facility, at 2301 Black Road west of Santa Maria, reached completion in the fall, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held in November, but it had not been cleared for occupancy until Saturday.
“The agency’s Custody Division has populated the Northern Branch Jail as an additional step to safeguard the well-being of inmates and staff while we continually work to mitigate the spread of COVID,” according to a press release issued Saturday. “Towards the beginning of the current COVID outbreak in the Main Jail, the Sheriff’s Office recognized that the opening of the NBJ would offer a much-needed opportunity to decompress the population in the Main Jail and control the spread of COVID.”
Before transport, each of the inmates was tested for COVID-19 and furnished with an N95 mask.
“A team of teams” united to expedite the final items that were needed for approval to occupy the facility.
“Our communities will be safer, and the lives of many offenders will be changed for the better, as a result of this state-of-the-art facility,” Brown said. “My thanks to everyone inside and outside the Sheriff’s Office who worked so hard to make this day possible, and to those who will now work within the facility providing care, safety and hope to others.”
Local law enforcement agencies reportedly weren’t yet booking new arrestees at the facility.
Friends and family members of incarcerated individuals are encouraged to check the SBSheriff.org “Who’s In Custody” link, available by clicking here, to determine whether their friend or family member has been moved to the Northern Branch Jail.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions, inmate visitation has been suspended indefinitely at both jail facilities.
Construction on the jail began in 2016 with assorted factors delaying the completion beyond the original finish date.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.