During his 23-year career with the San Benito County Sheriff’s
Office, Undersheriff Pat Turturici said he has seen entire family
trees grow, wither and die in county jails.
During his 23-year career with the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office, Undersheriff Pat Turturici said he has seen entire family trees grow, wither and die in county jails.
He said without better crime education and rehabilitation programs, people born into families where crime is the norm are often doomed to the same fate of the generations before them.
But San Benito County’s crowded jails and spartan rehab programs may get a much-needed boost from a slice of the massive $7.2 billion budget put up by the state of California to add space and education to a prison and jail system bursting at the seams.
“I’ve seen grandparents, parents and now their children going in and out of jail for years,” Turturici said. “When kids are born into families that only know crime, families without a parental structure, they turn to gangs and crime for a sense of security. We need to start educating these kids early. Like fifth and sixth grade. Because often, by the time they are any older, it’s too late and they’ve already joined gangs.”
Turturici said the sherrif’s office submitted its request for their part of the state budget and is asking for 60 new beds along with added funds for education programs covering parenting, job skills, mechanical labor and cooking. He said the county already has programs for graduation education development, substance abuse, anger management, religious studies and sexual education.
California has the worst recidivism rate in the country at 70 percent. There are more than 170,000 inmates in California and only 155,000 beds.
The lack of space has helped 235,000 convicted criminals avoid prison and jail sentences, according to the California Correction Standards Authority.
The law, ASB 900, makes it possible for San Benito County to fund their jail expansion efforts with 75 percent state funds. This percentage could increase if the county proves it is willing to spend much of the money on re-entry and rehabilitation programs and not just added space.
Turturici said his office has been working with San Luis Obispo on a partnership that would allow certain San Benito County inmates to be housed there while re-entry efforts are performed.
“We want our inmates to get off drugs and learn how to live in the outside world,” Turturici said. “So when they get out they have a much better chance of getting along in society.”
