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By Malea Martin
On Dec. 1, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors held its third hearing on criminal justice system changes since June, when the item was first introduced following the death of George Floyd and the protests that followed.
PUSHING FOR MORE
The Sheriff’s Office, which runs the Santa Barbara County Jail (pictured), has been at the center of locals’ recent calls for more accountability and oversight.
FILE PHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLER
“The impacts of systemic racism can have dramatic consequences,” 2nd District Supervisor Gregg Hart said as he introduced the item. “In our county, this looks like Black and Latino residents being arrested and incarcerated at higher rates, Latino residents and other people of color testing positive for COVID-19 at higher rates, and generational inequities fueling achievement gaps that exist in many of our local schools.”