Santa Clara County Sheriff candidates weigh in on plans for jail reform
SAN JOSE -- Pastor Sonny Lara has spent most of his adult life, trying to keep San Jose's young men and women out of gangs, jail, and the morgue.
"All they know is how to run the streets and belong to someone else," Pastor Lara said.
As a younger man, Pastor Sonny spent time in county jail and state prison for drug dealing. He now runs Firehouse, a San Jose non-profit that offers gang preventions services.
He says time behind bars has only gotten harder for those incarcerated, and fixing the jails should be the top priority for the new incoming sheriff.
"It would be nice for our next Sheriff to come in and bring some reforming programs inside to the institution. That way when the men and women leave that place, they leave with hope," Pastor Lara said.
Jail reform is one of the key issues in the Sheriff's race, pitting former Palo Alto Police Chief Bob Jonsen against former Sheriff's Captain Kevin Jensen.
Management of the jails was rocked by scandal and tragedy under outgoing Sheriff Laurie Smith after the in-custody death of mentally ill inmate Michael Tyree in 2015. The murder convictions of three correctional officers were overturned by an appeals court, after a change in state law this past August.
"We have to make sure we have the accountability measures in. We have to make sure we have the appropriate response protocols in place," said Jonsen.
The police veteran says he has a multi-point plan that also includes getting more mental health services to inmates.
"One of the things I've spoken a lot about in this campaign is the need to really enhance the intern program. I think by having a maybe 5-to-1 ratio of interns versus trained clinicians, it will dramatically increase that access to care, when someone needs to talk to somebody," Jonsen said.
Candidate Jensen said jail reform is high on his priority list.
"My father was incarcerated. My wife's father was incarcerated," Jensen said.
Jensen — who retired after a career in the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office that included experience managing the jails — said he'll hold the correctional officers accountable.
"I want to bring back the accountability. I have 97 percent of the employees who are backing me who want accountability. If I hadn't run on reform and transparency, then I don't think I would have deserved that trust. But because I was there, I know what they want. They want accountability from someone who's actually practicing it," Jensen said.
The two candidates have also sparred over ethics questions, with Jensen accusing Jonsen of being too close to Sheriff Smith, who is under a civil grand jury indictment.
"Laurie Smith has been backing him behind the scenes. She couldn't do it publicly, because her name right now isn't doing very well," Jensen said.
Jonsen accused Jensen of offering a plum assignment to primary candidate Christine Nagaye in exchange for her endorsement.
"If he really wants to reform the organization, he needs to start fresh," Jonsen said.
For Pastor Sonny, the consequences of inaction to reform the jails could have an impact on everyday crime.
"You're in there and you're just being warehoused. You come out and what do you think their attitude is going to be like? They're mad and angry. They come out worse than when they went in," he said.
