By Jessica Roy

In the days since Stephen Hawking's death, obituaries have described him as being "confined" or "chained" to a wheelchair, as someone who "overcame" his disability and succeeded in spite of it.

None of those things are true. Stephen Hawking had a disability, and Stephen Hawking used a wheelchair. His work was possible because of those things, not in spite of them.

In fact, Hawking — a tireless advocate for disability rights when he wasn't busy unlocking the secrets of the universe — viewed those things as a positive...

Several documents, including medical and mental health care reports on the Santa Barbara County Jail, were filed in court on March 6 as part of a federal class action lawsuit against Santa Barbara County and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, which oversees the jail...

A 60-year-old man died in County Jail last week after spending nine months behind bars for allegedly stealing cash from Radio Shack. He had prior offenses, according to the District Attorney’s Office, and his bail was set at $70,000...

By Kelsey Brugger

A criminal justice advocacy group released a damning report last week about medical care for inmates in the Santa Barbara County Jail. The group, Disability Rights California, is suing the county in an attempt to improve medical practices in the jail.

It has been well established that the main jail located off Calle Real is a structural nightmare. The building is a maze, haphazardly renovated multiple times in recent decades. The report describes a restrictive environment for inmates: They are forced to spend most of the time in their cell except for a daily shower and twice-a-week recreation time...