TREK FROM JAIL NOT ONLY LONG, BUT DANGEROUS

But Sheriff Plans To Add Shuttle For Those Who Can't Pay

The County Jail releases about 30 inmates every day. Yet release is not
always pleasant.

For those who can't find a ride, the four-mile walk back to San Luis Obispo
is one final, arduous hurdle to clear before returning to everyday life.

Lately for some, however, that trek has been not only long, but dangerous.

In the last two weeks, two inmates released after dark were struck by cars
on their trip home. A legally blind man from San Luis Obispo was struck and
killed on Highway 1 somewhere between the state prison and Cal Poly on Nov.
12. A Morro Bay woman was hit Sunday night, near the intersection of Kansas
Avenue and the highway. The woman, who sustained minor injuries, was under
the influence of alcohol at the scene of the accident, according to the
California Highway Patrol.

The Sheriff's Department has defended the jail's release procedures and the
transportation options available to inmates once they are set free.

In the next two weeks, however, the department said it will add a cab
shuttle for poor inmates. Sheriff Pat Hedges said the change is not a
direct result of the two recent accidents on Highway 1, but was under
consideration for several weeks before they occurred. The department also
is considering better ways to let inmates know about transportation
choices, such as a listing in the inmate handbook, Hedges said.

Transportation options are currently not posted at the jail.

Hedges said that all newly released inmates, including those who might have
physical problems, must ask for assistance if they need help getting home.

Scott W. Bennett did not ask for help before his fatal accident Nov. 12,
Hedges said. Bennett, listed as legally blind on the jail's booking log,
was reportedly walking down the middle of the highway when he was hit by a
Volkswagen van around 6:20 p.m.

"Mr. Bennett had options available to him. But he would have had to ask,"
Hedges said, adding later, "there were no requests nor were there any
problems on previous releases."

Inmates can avail themselves of a ride from friends, a $15 cab, or a bus
that costs less than $2 which passes the jail four times every day. The
company that runs the bus, CCAT, said it only stops near the jail if
someone calls ahead of time. The bus wouldn't have been available to either
of the two accident victims, because it doesn't run after 6 p.m. or on
Sundays.

For Constance Hamilton, the inmate hit by a car Sunday night, none of the
available options worked. Hamilton said she tried to reach a friend and a
taxi service in San Luis Obispo.

"I tried to call a cab," the 55-year-old Morro Bay resident said Tuesday
night. "I had $27. I couldn't get through. I don't see why they can't call
a taxicab for you when you have the money to pay for it. That's a long haul
out there on Santa Rosa."

Hamilton was released around 6 p.m. She could not say how she spent the
next two hours, but, at about 8 p.m., she tried to cross the highway. The
California Highway Patrol said Hamilton walked directly in front of an
oncoming Honda. Highway Patrol officials said a breathalyzer indicated
Hamilton had a blood alcohol level of more than .08, the legal limit for
driving. Highway Patrol officials would not release Hamilton’s specific
test results, because she was not arrested.

Hamilton said she thinks the jail erred by allowing her to leave.

"I was drunk," she said. "They released me too soon."

Hedges said the jail holds all inmates for a minimum of four hours. Inmates
held in the detoxification unit are not released, he said, until they pass
certain objective tests of sobriety: orientation, mobility, attitude and
speech. Hedges said Hamilton was picked up for public intoxication at
around 12:50 p.m. and not released until 6:10 p.m. He said a supervisor had
checked Hamilton out of the facility based on those requirements.

"She did not appear, based on her objective symptoms, to be intoxicated to
the point of not being able to care for her own safety," Hedges said.

Hedges added that it is the jail's policy to allow a free phone call to
anyone who has trouble with the pay phone.

That did not seem to be the case for David, a 19-year-old from Oceano,
released from County Jail Wednesday morning. David, who would not disclose
his last name, was walking along Kansas Avenue toward the highway around
noon. David said he planned to walk the four miles back to San Luis Obispo
to catch a ride to Oceano with his brother. He was hoping to make it to
town before his brother's shift at a fast-food restaurant ended. David said
he had wanted to call a taxi.

"I got $20," he said. "But what's so good about that if you don't have 35
cents? They won't give me change. They said, 'No, that this isn’t a store.'"

Hedges said that a sign near the front counter that reads "No Change,"
intended for the public, might mislead inmates. Hedges said the jail is
going to either change the sign or begin to inform inmates that they may
have change for a phone call.

The Board of Corrections, which oversees all the state jails, said jails
located in rural areas are under no obligation to provide transportation to
new releases. It could not estimate how many of about 500 jails throughout
California were located in rural areas, as opposed to being built in town.

One jail, the Monroe Detentional Facility in Yolo County, said it issues
free bus tickets to poor inmates facing a two-mile walk back to the closest
town, Woodland. Monroe is about 18 miles from Sacramento.

The Monroe jail tends to keep intoxicated inmates overnight, according to a
sergeant with the jail.

"If someone is really well blitzed, we tend to keep them all night," said
Sgt. Tom Crayne. "Our philosophy is to wait until daylight. Otherwise, they
might get out on the highway in front of a car."

Crayne said the facility arranges rides for disabled inmates.

Hedges said that the jail should be able to return accountability back to
an inmate upon his or her release.

"At some point," he said, "they need to assume the role to care for their
own safety."

The California Highway Patrol, which responded to both incidents, said the
stretch of highway near the jail does not have a history of similar
accidents. The Highway Patrol is not considering additional signs or
lighting in the area.