Imagine you were arrested right now. Suddenly you’re in handcuffs, put in the back of a transport van, and booked in the Pinellas County Jail. Who is going to pick up your child from school? Who is going to feed your pets? Maybe your house needs to be locked up, or you need to give someone your debit card to pay the bills.

“If you were to get arrested right now, what would you need to do?” asked Social Worker Jessica Baraban. “We’re there to help pick up the pieces and minimize damage on the outside.”

“We have 10 social workers assigned to different areas of the jail,” said Social Worker Manny Wolfe. “Every inmate has access to a social worker.” Part of what they do is provide programs and classes. Some are court ordered, like anger management or active parenting. Others are victim-focused like the Batterer’s Intervention Program.

Support groups are available for inmates, such as Seeking Safety, a group for victims of trauma. Red Tent is a combination of support group and vocational training. While female inmates learn to sew, they are building emotional rapport with other inmates and social workers, and getting linked to services in an atmosphere that is comfortable and supportive.

Every single inmate in the jail is required to take the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) class, which is run by the social workers. Baraban is the PREA advocacy coordinator. If a PREA case happens, she meets with the victim to make sure they aren’t being retaliated against, finds out if they need any outside services, and works to get them some kind of therapy.

Social workers and the programs they offer help keep the jail safer. An inmate may be screaming and kicking their door, not responding to a deputy, but when the social worker shows up – a calming presence who isn’t wearing a uniform – the inmate might relax enough to tell her what’s wrong. And often, she can help. “By the time I walk away, the person isn’t kicking and screaming anymore,” Baraban said. “And the deputy doesn’t have a use of force.”

Baraban, who works primarily in the Healthcare building, says she works closely with the psych team. “We may get a call from family members saying I don’t know what happened, he was almost finishing college, and now his behavior is violent and erratic, what went wrong?” By talking to the family, she can get a baseline for previous behavior and work on pinpointing what happened.

Social workers can set up inmates for a smoother transition when they return to society, which sometimes includes a stay in Safe Harbor, an extension of the jail that is both a jail diversion program and an emergency homeless shelter. “A lot of times when people get released from jail, Safe Harbor becomes their home for the moment,” said Kathy Smith, one of five social workers assigned to Safe Harbor. “We try to link them with services. Some need a new ID or social security card, or they need a bus pass to complete their parole or probation requirements. We have a lot of elderly people there now who we try to get placed in nursing homes or ALFs.”

There’s a lot they can’t do while they’re incarcerated, but once they get into Safe Harbor the social workers can send them into the community to get all the referrals they need to start working or find a place to live in a transitional home. Smith helps a lot of people with mental health and substance abuse issues. “We’re a support system helping them get back into society without all of the hurdles they would have to face if they were sleeping on the streets.” In Safe Harbor they have showers, three meals a day, air conditioning, and a safe place to sleep.

A person may go to Safe Harbor after they are released from jail or prison. Or they may be homeless and charged with a minor crime, such as trespassing, and given the option to go to Safe Harbor instead of jail. Going to Safe Harbor is voluntary.

The social workers have some success stories – like the drug addicted sex worker who lost custody of her child, who had been part of a therapeutic community in the jail and is now an RN, married, with her child back in her custody and another child on the way. But not everyone is ready to receive the help that social workers offer them. People they’ve done everything possible to help still wind up getting arrested again, or overdosing. Smith says you can’t blame yourself or think about what else you could have done. A social worker has to meet them where they’re at and do what they can, but in the end it’s up to the client to follow through. 

It takes a special kind of person to be a social worker at the jail. “You have to love what you do in order to do this job,” Smith said. “If you don’t like people, if you don’t have compassion, if you’re judgmental, don’t bother. You’ll quit in 30 days.”

Wolfe adds that you can’t work with this population if you’re going to judge the people you’re working with. “It doesn’t mean you’re excusing their behavior; it means you’re able to suspend your emotions and your subjectivity while you’re making a professional decision.”

Other jails have educational programs, but Wolfe says the role of our social workers is pretty exceptional in correctional institutions. “It’s almost like an emergency, Red Cross catastrophe response to a person who has come into custody. This is highly unique. In my opinion, the Pinellas County Jail is one of the most compassionate jails that exists.”

After back-to-back hurricanes last year, Pinellas County is preparing for its first post-recovery Spring Break. Things may look a little different on the beaches this year, but they want you to know that the sunshine, sand, and sparkling water are still here and they’re open for visitors. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office will have a strong presence on the beaches to help keep you safe – and make sure you follow the rules that are designed to keep the beaches problem-free. Madeira Beach Community Policing Deputies Cory Snyder and Alex Siem shared information on their city’s progress since the storms, and some tips on how to navigate the local laws that can differ from beach to beach.

Alcohol is legal on the sand in Madeira Beach, but it can’t be in a glass container. Deputy Siem said that’s one of their most frequent violations. On a recent patrol he found someone with a glass bottle of beer, and someone drinking tea from a glass tumbler. He explained the danger of glass on the beach – if it breaks, it can be a lurking hazard for years, hidden in the sand and slicing feet. A few local beaches allow alcohol, but it is always a bad idea to have glass on any beach.

You can’t smoke anything on the sand in Madeira Beach (except for unfiltered cigars.) This local ordinance reduces litter – a first littering offense is $250, a second $500. Every morning the two deputies start patrolling the beaches, one starting north, the other south, to look for these and other violations. They’ll also let people know they can’t bring their dogs on the beach, and make sure visitors know if they dig a hole, they have to fill it before they leave.

“We usually just give them a warning,” said Deputy Siem. “But we’ll take their information in a quick report. If I’m off tomorrow and Deputy Snyder finds the same person with a glass bottle again, and they say they didn’t know it was against the law, he can see that the person already received a warning. It’s a $93 fine.”

Deputies on the beaches look out for your safety too. Currents can be strong near John’s Pass. “Sometimes I’ll park my cruiser and watch to make sure that nobody is showing any signs of distress.” The outgoing tide can create a rip current, while the longshore current can sweep kids far from their parents.

Deputy Snyder has been working in Madeira Beach since 2015, and said that aside from the loss of dunes, the beach is in good condition. The beach lost depth, but not width – there’s still a broad swath of pristine sand for sunbathers. He said that beach groins – structures that jut from the beach into the water – have kept the sand from shifting up and down the beach. On a recent visit, members of the U.S. Geological Survey were on the beach and offshore mapping how much sand had been swept away.

Like many businesses on the beaches, John’s Pass Village and Boardwalk is open and thriving. Some restaurants in the city haven’t been able to reopen yet, but there are still plenty to choose from.

“After the hurricanes the city really took care of the residents,” Deputy Snyder said. “They had shower facilities and laundry, they had food brought in for a couple of months. The city manager lost his house, and he was still helping the city. The city government is the most involved with its citizens of any place I’ve ever worked.”

Visitors might have to make a few modifications in deference to last year’s hurricanes. Some of the short-term rentals aren’t back in business yet, and parking is scarce. Madeira Beach lost two of its major public parking lots to storm damage, and until they are repaired, locals might consider carpooling or using a rideshare.

“I think a lot of people will still be coming out here even if they can’t stay here,” said Deputy Snyder. “

“This is my first spring break in Madeira Beach,” said Deputy Siem. “The city has worked so hard to bring it back to close to what it was like before the two hurricanes.”