SUPERVISORS THROW TAXPAYER CASH AT JAIL 'FEELINGS CLASS' WHILE CRIME SOARS

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, in its infinite wisdom and boundless capacity for spending other people's money, has once again decided that the best way to tackle crime is by handing out half-million-dollar contracts to 'non-profits' for inmate 'services.' Their latest bureaucratic masterpiece, cloaked in the usual legalese, involves a $450,000 payout to 'Community Solutions, Inc.' for a year of what sounds suspiciously like group therapy and vague 'reentry planning' for the folks behind bars.

Now, don't get us wrong, we're all for rehabilitation – if it actually works. But while law-abiding citizens are watching their neighborhoods become less safe thanks to soft-on-crime policies, our Supervisors are busy approving expenditures for 'Sheriff’s Treatment Program curriculum delivery.' One has to wonder if these 'curriculums' involve lessons in 'how to avoid getting caught next time,' or perhaps 'the art of writing a heartfelt apology letter to the judge.' The original agenda item, bless its heart, even had to clarify that this administrative activity somehow wouldn't trigger the sacred California Environmental Quality Act, because apparently teaching inmates how to share their feelings could, in theory, disrupt a rare species of jailhouse dust bunny.

This isn't about solving crime; it's about signaling to their progressive base that they care, even if it means funneling more taxpayer cash into the pockets of politically connected organizations. The real 'solution' is robust law enforcement, secure facilities, and an end to the revolving door of 'justice' that lets repeat offenders back on the street too soon. But why focus on common sense when you can approve a chunky contract for 'independent contractors' to deliver 'services' instead?

Meanwhile, the residents who actually pay for all this are left to ponder what exactly $450,000 worth of 'reentry planning' looks like, and why it seems to achieve little beyond another line item on the county budget. Perhaps a better 'curriculum' would be one focused on how to make sure these individuals don't return to jail in the first place, rather than just helping them manage their feelings while they're there. But then, that might involve actually being tough on crime, and we can't have that, can we?