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Humboldt County’s week-long effort to crack open its criminal justice system and discuss how it can be improved continues with guest speakers at the county jail.

“We’re currently at max capacity in our jail,” said Humboldt County Correctional Facility operations manager Marco Luna. “So we have to find successful ways of reintegrating people that are incarcerated so that they can have productive lives in our community.”

The jail staff, local police agencies and the probation department all took part in a criminal justice dialogue led by former gang member and current activist for criminal justice reform, Hector Verdugo. He’s the associate executive director of Homeboy Industries out of Los Angeles. The organization provides hope, training and job skills to the formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated.

Verdugo gave his personal testimony about life in a gang, reasons why people join, his experience with the law, and how he’s seen Homeboy Industries help people turn their lives around. This was an important discourse because the Humboldt County Correctional Facility has seen a rise in gang prevalence and “it’s becoming more and more of a problem,” said Luna. The jail even has a Gang Resource Intelligence Team known as GRIT, which works on gang prevention and provides training to staff and other local agencies.

Verdugo believes that sometimes crime is just a cry for help, and that if law enforcement can find the opportunity to humanize criminals, barriers can be broken.

“So if we can change the lens to compassion and understanding,” he says. “Who am I, why am I making the choices I’m making, and then give me some true help.”

And although the purpose of incarceration is punishment and public safety, rehabilitation does continue to earn support as a integral part of the correctional process. The Humboldt County jail is currently working on various programs to help inmates rehabilitate and prepare for a successful release.

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