Golding Considers Taking Jails Away From Sheriff Duffy : Government: Chairwoman of Board of Supervisors cites concern about reported abuse of inmates and Duffy’s extended absences from the county as reasons for establishing a special department of corrections.

Concerned with problems in the San Diego County jails and Sheriff John Duffy’s management style, the chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors said Thursday that she is giving serious consideration to a proposal to take the jails away from the sheriff, but wants to see a public vote on the matter before creating a special department of corrections.

Susan Golding said that, although in the past she has believed the idea was premature, she now believes recent revelations about abuses of inmates by jail guards and questions about Duffy’s extended absences from San Diego County are good arguments for establishing an independent management of the county’s jail system.

She said the county auditor is studying the feasibility of switching to an independent corrections department. She said she and other supervisors plan to visit Santa Clara County next month, where a corrections department has been created.

And she said she hopes to have a ballot initiative before San Diego County voters by November of next year so the electorate can advise the Board of Supervisors on whether a civilian-run corrections department, rather than the Sheriff’s Department, should operate the jails.

“I am concerned about anything that detracts from competent management of the jail,” Golding said, referring to a grand jury report this year that criticized Duffy’s management style and recent reports that the sheriff is spending much time traveling outside the county.

“The bottom line for the Board of Supervisors is that we want the jail facilities run as efficiently, as humanely and as cost-effectively as possible.

“Whatever has to be done to turn that situation around, has to be done. And, if that means a department of corrections, then we will have to do that.”

Asked about the proposal, Duffy dared Golding or any other politician to try to wrest control of the jail system from him.

“I don’t care if they want to do that,” he said. “But I don’t think it would be in their best interest to do it. Politically, I think it’s a dumb move.”

He denied that his outside consulting activities and other travels are taking him away from managing the county detention facilities. “I hardly think that’s causing me a problem in managing my own jails,” Duffy said.

The sheriff has been under intense scrutiny this week because of reports that he has spent time away from the county to work on private consulting jobs, earning extra income that he never publicly disclosed.

Earlier this year, the sheriff’s office was rocked by the grand jury report, which confirmed that jail inmates were being harassed by deputies and that Duffy and his top management did nothing to stop the abuses.

Golding said she is worried about Duffy’s extended absences from the county--be they for county business, vacations or private consulting work.

“If you spend too much time away, you can’t possibly do the job you’re supposed to do,” she said.

But the board chairwoman cautioned that she has not given her full support to the idea of a department of corrections.

“I haven’t made a final decision yet, but I have told the other supervisors that I will definitely consider it now,” she said. “So I have changed my position in that regard. And there are other supervisors who will support it.”

Supervisor George Bailey in 1987 proposed consideration of the switch to a civilian-managed Department of Corrections, but the idea never gained support.

With Golding’s statement that the jails might be better served under a department that answers to the Board of Supervisors, some of her colleagues also are rethinking the idea.

Supervisor Brian Bilbray said Thursday that he also believes that “it’s a serious consideration we have to look at.”

“There are problems that need to be addressed, and we ought to be looking at all of our options, rather than ignoring possibilities,” he said. “Under the existing chaotic situations in the jail, we have to look at other options. We can’t continue to plug along.

“So, if there’s a better system we can put into effect with or without the players we have today, then we should consider it. “

Supervisor Leon Williams said he is “open to the idea.”

“There are, of course, cost implications, and a significant potential for reduced costs,” he said. “This is a big county now. The Sheriff’s Department is big, and there’s enough capacity to function very well without having the jails as a part of it.”

Golding said she believes the board has the authority now to strip Duffy of the jails and create a separate department. But she said she would want to await the results of a public advisory vote in November, 1990.

“Because it is a major change in the authority of an elected official, all of us would like to see what the public thinks first,” she said.

She said she also is eager to tour the Santa Clara County jail facilities, now run by a corrections department.

But Duffy said Santa Clara County is having major problems. He said that, by law, inmates are remanded to the custody of the sheriff, meaning that the Santa Clara County sheriff must deputize civilian correctional officers never selected, trained or hired by the sheriff.

“I wouldn’t have done it,” Duffy said. “And if they do it here, I will not do it.”