Pubdate: Sun, 05 Dec 1999 Source: San Luis Obispo County Tribune (CA) Copyright: 1999 The Tribune Contact: P.O. Box 112, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406-0112 Fax: 805.781.7905 Website: http://www.thetribunenews.com/ JAIL INMATES WILL GET A LIFT Sheriff Pat Hedges is taking steps to provide transportation for poor inmates from jail into town after their release. He is in the final stages of working out a voucher system for inmates who can't afford to pay the $15 cab fare. This is a commendable move, spurred after Scott Bennett, a legally blind inmate, was released from jail at night Nov. 12 and wound up being hit by a car and killed on Highway 1. Hedges said that even before the accident, he had been seeking a solution to the transportation problem, but it wasn't until four days after the event that he requested $1,500 from the county to fund the program. The Tribune wass critical of the department's failure to provide a ride for Bennett because, being blind, he was a special case that needed to be treated in a special way. Our essential point was that Bennett, because of his special sight condition, should have been and could have been given a ride to his destination by somebody in the jail. To send him on his way on foot was a bad error in judgement. Said the sheriff: "I think it would be safe to say that what happened to Scott Bennett moved this particular issue up on our priority list. I mean, we're not going to turn our back on it." Past mistakes or oversights at the jail should now be set aside and the sheriff should receive full support for his efforts to remedy the situation. But the tragedy should not be forgotten. It should serve as a constant reminder that special circumstances require special handling for jail inmates who have been released and are on their way home. We are convinced that Sheriff Hedges is determined to prevent such an incident from happening again. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D