This was an off site meeting at the Humboldt County jail. Lunch menu: Boxed lunches were provided by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s office. The meeting was called to order by President Gregg Gardiner at 12:15pm.
The pledge of allegiance was led by Ziggy. The invocation was led by Greg Pierson. Announcements: Jaimie is fundraising with a goal to attend the annual meeting in Brazil in June. She is offering Valentunes at $40 a singing which includes a rose. Please contact her if you are interested in signing up. J Bahner reminded us that the Annual Fundraiser is coming up on Valentine’s Day. He still needs auction items. Please contact him if you can help. PROGRAM: Undersheriff William Honsai III noted that Sheriff Downey unfortunately (fortunately for Sheriff Downey) is in Hawaii and was unable to attend today’s meeting. This is the first tour the jail has offered since the initial opening tours. Undersheriff Honsai noted that our lunch was being served in one of three dormitories at the jail. They are hoping that our visit today will help to disrupt any pre-conceived notions we may have about the jail. This dormitory sleeps up to 75 inmates who are managed by one corrections officer. Sgt. Christiansen was introduced. An almost 20 year veteran of the jail, Sgt. Christiansen talked about her experiences, the 12 hour shifts officers work, with 1 supervisor and 18 officers for up to 470 inmates. Jail is different now than it used to be. The inmates have options. For example in the morning they can get up and do some calisthenics, taking advantage of opportunities to study, etc. or they can decide to sleep. Corporal Ross, a 13 year employee, said that while managing behavior is a big part of the job so is providing tools for success, plans for the future, helping inmates stop the cycle of problems. The average population at the jail is 368. He talked about how much easier it is to manage the inmate population when they are in a dormitory setting versus locked up in an individual cell. While inmates are locked up in individual cells if they refuse to obey the rules or are a danger to others, the preference is to keep everybody in a dormitory setting if possible. It’s a healthier atmosphere for the inmates with less suicides, less attacks, etc. The officer’s role is to listen, provide authority, act as an activity director, and provide constant supervision. He emphasized that the inmates, once they are clear of drugs and alcohol, are normal people just like the people in this room but they need help to move forward. Some of the options available to inmates today include taking GED courses, college level courses, knitting and crocheting lessons, mental health services, veteran’s aftercare and treatment. In 2014 a total of 10,057 people were booked into the jail. The average population at the jail was 348 and the average number days of incarceration were 14. Since proposition 47 passed the population has decreased significantly, shrinking to 242 today. Today’s jail has not been designed for long–term stays, (no open fields to run in, etc.), but changes at the state level have meant that some inmates have been housed for a long time. Teen Challenge is currently applying for permits to provide transitional housing for inmates as they leave jail. The Sheriff’s office is excited about the potential for help that this means for the inmate population. We then separated into small groups for a tour of the jail. Meeting adjourned at 1:25pm. Respectfully submitted, Alicia Cox.
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