Vigil at Santa Barbara County Courthouse, movement calls for change at county jails
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. -- The League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara (LWVSB) said it will sponsor a vigil on Saturday evening to highlight "the urgent need for jails that are safe and humane".
The vigil will take place at the front entrance of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
LWVSB said it will co-sponsor this vigil with 15 other organizations including the Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE).
"We want to shine a light on the January 12, 2022 death in the jail of a man recently arrested and incarcerated, as well as on the unhealthful conditions and unjust treatment of incarcerated individuals in our local jail," said Pam Flynt Tambo, League Vice President of Programs. "Dramatic change is needed to address not only the jail’s out-of-control spread of COVID-19, but also the shortcomings in the entire system from intake and evaluation of individuals to their treatment and release from custody."
Event sponsors said the involved organizations call for immediate changes that include:
- Safely reducing the number of jail inmates
- Ensuring alternative placements to address mental health needs
- Making full-assessment teams available around the clock to evaluate every individual entering the jail following arrest, to determine whether incarceration, treatment, or release is the warranted action
- Supporting our community with discharge planning for each incarcerated person, to provide a path for successful release and re-entry
For more on this event and the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara, click here.
KEYT News Channel 3-12 reached out to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office regarding the vigil but has yet to receive a response.
