Santa Barbara County leaders plan to expand the Northern Branch Jail and decommission most of the Main Jail facility, pictured here, and are expected to hear a report on the plan in December.
Santa Barbara County leaders plan to expand the Northern Branch Jail and decommission most of the Main Jail facility, pictured here, and are expected to hear a report on the plan in December. Credit: Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk file photo

After years of operating two jails, Santa Barbara County leaders will move forward on a decommissioning plan for the Main Jail in the South County.

During a meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, staff said they expect to bring a report on consolidating jail operations in December.

The report will include a plan to downsize the number of beds at the Main Jail and limiting the facility to intake services. The news was shared by staff who detailed the county’s response to a Grand Jury report on overtime in the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

Santa Barbara County operates the Main Jail near Santa Barbara and the Northern Branch Jail near Santa Maria, and the high cost of operating two facilities has contributed to overtime costs, the Grand Jury stated. The Sheriff’s Office has exceeded its overtime budget repeatedly during the past decade.

Nicole Parmelee, a criminal justice principal analyst for the county, said that staff agreed with the Grand Jury on that part of its report and are working on a plan for the jail.

“County stakeholders are currently creating a transition plan for consolidation of jail operations to include decommissioning the South County jail, and staff anticipate bringing this plan to your board for approval in December,” Parmelee told the board Tuesday.

The county plans to retain an Inmate Reception Center at the Main Jail to book suspects and hold inmates for court appearances, but the majority of the building would be decommissioned.

The center will hold a maximum of 120 beds. The Main Branch currently holds 751 beds, including 48 Behavioral Health Unit beds.

The Northern Branch Jail was built after decades of overcrowding and allegations of poor conditions at the Main Jail, which has operated since the 1970s.

A class-action lawsuit in 2017 argued that inmates were held in dangerous and unconstitutional conditions at the Main Jail, and the settlement led to a remedial plan to address conditions.

Due to the high costs of fixing the Main Jail, the county decided to build more beds to the Northern Branch Jail, which officially opened in 2022.

The Board of Supervisors approved the construction of 1.5 housing units for the Northern Branch Jail, which will add 384 new beds. The beds will be separated among six pods with 64 beds each.

County staff held meetings in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara last week where they met with community members for input on the Northern Branch Jail expansion plans.

Kelsey Gerckens Buttitta, a spokeswoman for the county, said the meeting topics ranged from the design of the new buildings to what programs staff should offer and ways to improve the facilities.  

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