SNAIL JAIL

The Board of Supervisors this week polished and approved the
Sheriff’s response to a Grand Jury report that called for the
construction of a new jail in the North County, starting with a
timeline and fundraising. The Grand Jury’s findings showed what the
Sheriff and supervisors have known for a long time: Inmates are
sleeping on floors (actually on mattresses placed on cell floors),
and violence has increased partly because nonviolent offenders are
released early if they are jailed at all. The county’s response to
the recommendation that property should be purchased was that it
has conducted a land appraisal of the Laguna County Sanitation
District property and drafted an Environmental Impact Report for
that site, to be released at the end of this month. It has also
drafted architectural plans and earmarked $2 million toward the
estimated $153 million cost of a new jail. The county reported that
it completed a timeline years ago, but is behind schedule.