Mariposa County Grand Jury
2018-2019
From the annual report
The consolidated year-end volume. The individual investigations it contains are listed separately below.
📑 Year-End Report
The full consolidated volume; individual reports are listed below.
Individual reports (2)
Findings & Recommendations
9 findings
F1:
Night staffing is down to 1 CDC officer. This is not adequate should safety and security issues arise.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
Finish the renovations of the booking area by completing professional install of cameras, where wires are not hanging from ceiling.
F2:
The ducting and ventilation system has some logistical challenges, due to the size of the facility, and varying sizes of rooms that are serviced by the system. In both hot and cold weather, adequate temperature control is not successful. Attempts have been made to fix and redirect the air flow by blocking off some lesser used vents, as well as upgrading the ducting system.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
Complete upgrading of ducting for the heating and cooling system. Where ducting upgrades are not effective, install individual ductless systems, such as a 'Fujitsu' type, energy efficient models.
F3:
The Staff break area is quite small and inadequate for the number of personnel utilizing the facility. The locker / changing / shower area is congested in one section of the break area, making it difficult to use one without interfering with the other. It was not possible to access the shower without walking over boots, or around jackets hanging on the wall hooks.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
Reorganize the locker / changing / shower area to be a more adequately used by personnel.
F4:
Due to State regulations, the inmate population for the jail is now subject to much longer sentencing than when the facility was built, which brings the difficulty of addressing long term rehabilitation challenges. The GED program, work program, Art and Poetry classes are all good programs to help assist inmates in broadening their horizons when they return to the general population. However, once released, it is an obvious challenge for those returning to society to find gainful employment. The Solar Certification program that is being tried at other detention facilities and being considered here is an admirable attempt at not only giving viable job skills, and certifications, but setting the individuals up to become a productive member in society.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4:
Pursue implementation of the Solar Certification program or other viable work skill certification programs into the facilities rehabilitation process.
F5:
The library facility does not yet have computers available for inmate access to educational opportunities.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5:
Add/update computer system(s) in the Library location to allow access to those inmates who would like to further their education.
F6:
The visitation area is far too small for families to visit inmates. RECOMMENDATIONS:
Related Recommendations (1)
R6:
As much as possible re-arrange visitation area to have at least one space for families Mt Bullion Conservation Camp On April 29th, members from the Grand Jury visited the Mt Bullion Conservation Camp. We would like to thank the staff there for their time and professionalism in giving us a tour and answering our questions. We would also like to thank the kitchen staff for a wonderful meal. Below are some topics covered during our visit: The Mount Bullion Conservation Camp is a minimum-security detention center operated by the California Department of Corrections in concert with Cal-Fire. Inmates are regularly assigned to work as road crews, clean-up crews etc. They are closely supervised and are given the opportunity to earn a small income. When fighting fires, they earn $1.00 per hour. During time spent at the camp when there are no active fires to fight, inmates earn $2.00 per day for working at the facility. All inmates have less than five years of time to be served for non-violent crimes and are determined to be a low security risk. The grand jury was given a tour of all facilities and given the opportunity to ask any questions. The facility includes a large outside exercise area, sports field, weightlifting area, wood craft/hobby shop, metal shop and welding shop. These shops are used for inmates who earn "good" time credits to use for hobby work. The shops are also used by inmates to work in for purposes of the facilities repairs. There were 86 inmates at the time of the visit. Capacity is 110. In general, the inmates recognize that the camp is a privilege to be housed at and show respect toward all staff. There is one Fire chief, ten Fire Captains and 4 other staff at the Cal-Fire division of the camp and nine CDC security staff for the inmates The buildings could use some upgrades and repairs but operate satisfactory as they are now. Inmates were doing upgrades during our visit, including mixing and pouring cement for new sidewalks. The roof over the sleeping area does not leak but there are panels of the ceiling that are missing. The ceiling has been left this way by the CDC to help prevent contraband from being hidden in the ceiling. All repairs at the facility are taken care of when needed and most work is performed by the inmates. The facilities show age but are adequate for now. Volunteers do counseling. There are no professional services for inmate mental health needs. Night staffing is down to one CDC officer. Because of this, there have been cases where inmates will have the opportunity to run up the hill to the road and pick up contraband that has been left by friends and family. Contraband is usually cell phones, drugs, tobacco and alcohol. The cost for three meals a day for inmates adds up to $3.10 per inmate. The kitchen also cooks more elaborate and expensive meals for firefighting crews and are covered by Cal-fire. Findings F1: Night staffing is down to 1 CDC officer. This is not adequate should safety and security issues arise. Recommendations
F7:
Building Condition-Inside. Tears in carpet mended with duct tape. • Photo copier sitting on plywood with protruding square corners. Staff express concern that the plywood is to support the weight of the machine on the weak floor Black Mold visible in the front office. • Crack in wall at rear of building. • HVAC system not adequate. Example: one side of the office is hot, the other cool. If • windows are opened it throws conditions off for the whole office. Staff report the average temperature in the office on a summer day is 80 degrees. Staff reports increased incidents of illnesses and headaches.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7:
Mariposa County should maintain this property to the standard building code. Replace carpet throughout the building to eliminate trip hazards to staff and clients. To assure no trip hazards exist, as well as address possible structural integrity issues of • the flooring, have the area inspected by the Building Department and follow recommendations for reinforcing area under copy machine. Have office inspected for Black Mold. If found, remediate all areas affected Black Mold • from the office. Offer employees the opportunity to be tested for any potential Black Mold illnesses. Inspect and repair cracks in the interior wall (near the copier). • Replace current HVAC system with energy efficient ductless 'Fujitsu' type units. Repair or Replace roof ٠ Repair/replace outside window screens and frames. • Repair or re-grout the crack in the exterior wall: After it has been inspected for proper • integrity. Repair or renovate exterior sidewalk to prevent flooding into conference room. • Repair all cracked and chipped sidewalks to eliminate trip hazards and potential injuries ٠ to employees and public. Due to the obvious moisture issues in the basements, all records should be kept in
F8:
Building Condition-Outside. Roof condition is extremely poor. • Outside window casing and screens are falling apart, and off the building. Crack in outside stone wall which matches the crack on the same inside wall. • Concrete slab and stairway retaining wall are separating. . Sidewalk outside the conference room is above floor level which requires the use of . sandbags during rain events to prevent water from getting into the building. Sidewalks: They are cracked/broken which has led to injuries to employees. •
Related Recommendations (1)
R8:
waterproof containers until they can be digitized. Basement doors need to be renovated to fit properly to keep out water and rodents. (Photos can be made available upon request) Building and Planning Department Grand Jury members visited the Building and Planning Department on April 17th, 2019. Thank you, Michael Kinslow, for your time and willingness to meet with us. During our visit we discussed the following: Michael Kinslow, the Department Head, has been with the department for 9 years. The Building Department issues permits and enforces the safety laws of structures. Mariposa County is one of the cheaper counties. The Planning, Building and Environmental Health department are all located next to each other. It also works with Public Works department for roads. Archives need to be scanned. Staffing of the Building Department consists of three employees at the front counter, three development service technicians, two inspectors, one extra help and department head, Michael Kinslow. There are informational handouts located in the lobby area as well as the Mariposa County Website for fees and other information. Someone can typically get a permit within 30 days, 7-10 days if fully staffed. Findings
F9:
Basements: Well-lit and files are off the floor on metal shelving. The smell of mold is very evident. • The outside access door does not seal well. There is "day light" visible around the door. Evidence of dried water/mud on the floor. Also, there is evidence of rodents of some kind. There were piles of shells and other matter in the basement. Strong smell of mold and evidence of flooding. Both basement doors have sandbags to ٠ prevent water from entering. Records are kept on wooden shelves. There is a back area in this basement which is reached by a crawl hole opened in the stone wall. Pallets have been placed here for record boxes. Recommendations: Mariposa County should maintain this property to the standard building code.
Findings & Recommendations
9 findings
F1:
Night staffing is down to 1 CDC officer. This is not adequate should safety and security issues arise.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
Finish the renovations of the booking area by completing professional install of cameras, where wires are not hanging from ceiling.
F2:
The ducting and ventilation system has some logistical challenges, due to the size of the facility, and varying sizes of rooms that are serviced by the system. In both hot and cold weather, adequate temperature control is not successful. Attempts have been made to fix and redirect the air flow by blocking off some lesser used vents, as well as upgrading the ducting system.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
Complete upgrading of ducting for the heating and cooling system. Where ducting upgrades are not effective, install individual ductless systems, such as a 'Fujitsu' type, energy efficient models.
F3:
The Staff break area is quite small and inadequate for the number of personnel utilizing the facility. The locker / changing / shower area is congested in one section of the break area, making it difficult to use one without interfering with the other. It was not possible to access the shower without walking over boots, or around jackets hanging on the wall hooks.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
Reorganize the locker / changing / shower area to be a more adequately used by personnel.
F4:
Due to State regulations, the inmate population for the jail is now subject to much longer sentencing than when the facility was built, which brings the difficulty of addressing long term rehabilitation challenges. The GED program, work program, Art and Poetry classes are all good programs to help assist inmates in broadening their horizons when they return to the general population. However, once released, it is an obvious challenge for those returning to society to find gainful employment. The Solar Certification program that is being tried at other detention facilities and being considered here is an admirable attempt at not only giving viable job skills, and certifications, but setting the individuals up to become a productive member in society.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4:
Pursue implementation of the Solar Certification program or other viable work skill certification programs into the facilities rehabilitation process.
F5:
The library facility does not yet have computers available for inmate access to educational opportunities.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5:
Add/update computer system(s) in the Library location to allow access to those inmates who would like to further their education.
F6:
The visitation area is far too small for families to visit inmates. RECOMMENDATIONS:
Related Recommendations (1)
R6:
As much as possible re-arrange visitation area to have at least one space for families Mt Bullion Conservation Camp On April 29th, members from the Grand Jury visited the Mt Bullion Conservation Camp. We would like to thank the staff there for their time and professionalism in giving us a tour and answering our questions. We would also like to thank the kitchen staff for a wonderful meal. Below are some topics covered during our visit: The Mount Bullion Conservation Camp is a minimum-security detention center operated by the California Department of Corrections in concert with Cal-Fire. Inmates are regularly assigned to work as road crews, clean-up crews etc. They are closely supervised and are given the opportunity to earn a small income. When fighting fires, they earn $1.00 per hour. During time spent at the camp when there are no active fires to fight, inmates earn $2.00 per day for working at the facility. All inmates have less than five years of time to be served for non-violent crimes and are determined to be a low security risk. The grand jury was given a tour of all facilities and given the opportunity to ask any questions. The facility includes a large outside exercise area, sports field, weightlifting area, wood craft/hobby shop, metal shop and welding shop. These shops are used for inmates who earn "good" time credits to use for hobby work. The shops are also used by inmates to work in for purposes of the facilities repairs. There were 86 inmates at the time of the visit. Capacity is 110. In general, the inmates recognize that the camp is a privilege to be housed at and show respect toward all staff. There is one Fire chief, ten Fire Captains and 4 other staff at the Cal-Fire division of the camp and nine CDC security staff for the inmates The buildings could use some upgrades and repairs but operate satisfactory as they are now. Inmates were doing upgrades during our visit, including mixing and pouring cement for new sidewalks. The roof over the sleeping area does not leak but there are panels of the ceiling that are missing. The ceiling has been left this way by the CDC to help prevent contraband from being hidden in the ceiling. All repairs at the facility are taken care of when needed and most work is performed by the inmates. The facilities show age but are adequate for now. Volunteers do counseling. There are no professional services for inmate mental health needs. Night staffing is down to one CDC officer. Because of this, there have been cases where inmates will have the opportunity to run up the hill to the road and pick up contraband that has been left by friends and family. Contraband is usually cell phones, drugs, tobacco and alcohol. The cost for three meals a day for inmates adds up to $3.10 per inmate. The kitchen also cooks more elaborate and expensive meals for firefighting crews and are covered by Cal-fire. Findings F1: Night staffing is down to 1 CDC officer. This is not adequate should safety and security issues arise. Recommendations
F7:
Building Condition-Inside. Tears in carpet mended with duct tape. • Photo copier sitting on plywood with protruding square corners. Staff express concern that the plywood is to support the weight of the machine on the weak floor Black Mold visible in the front office. • Crack in wall at rear of building. • HVAC system not adequate. Example: one side of the office is hot, the other cool. If • windows are opened it throws conditions off for the whole office. Staff report the average temperature in the office on a summer day is 80 degrees. Staff reports increased incidents of illnesses and headaches.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7:
Mariposa County should maintain this property to the standard building code. Replace carpet throughout the building to eliminate trip hazards to staff and clients. To assure no trip hazards exist, as well as address possible structural integrity issues of • the flooring, have the area inspected by the Building Department and follow recommendations for reinforcing area under copy machine. Have office inspected for Black Mold. If found, remediate all areas affected Black Mold • from the office. Offer employees the opportunity to be tested for any potential Black Mold illnesses. Inspect and repair cracks in the interior wall (near the copier). • Replace current HVAC system with energy efficient ductless 'Fujitsu' type units. Repair or Replace roof ٠ Repair/replace outside window screens and frames. • Repair or re-grout the crack in the exterior wall: After it has been inspected for proper • integrity. Repair or renovate exterior sidewalk to prevent flooding into conference room. • Repair all cracked and chipped sidewalks to eliminate trip hazards and potential injuries ٠ to employees and public. Due to the obvious moisture issues in the basements, all records should be kept in
F8:
Building Condition-Outside. Roof condition is extremely poor. • Outside window casing and screens are falling apart, and off the building. Crack in outside stone wall which matches the crack on the same inside wall. • Concrete slab and stairway retaining wall are separating. . Sidewalk outside the conference room is above floor level which requires the use of . sandbags during rain events to prevent water from getting into the building. Sidewalks: They are cracked/broken which has led to injuries to employees. •
Related Recommendations (1)
R8:
waterproof containers until they can be digitized. Basement doors need to be renovated to fit properly to keep out water and rodents. (Photos can be made available upon request) Building and Planning Department Grand Jury members visited the Building and Planning Department on April 17th, 2019. Thank you, Michael Kinslow, for your time and willingness to meet with us. During our visit we discussed the following: Michael Kinslow, the Department Head, has been with the department for 9 years. The Building Department issues permits and enforces the safety laws of structures. Mariposa County is one of the cheaper counties. The Planning, Building and Environmental Health department are all located next to each other. It also works with Public Works department for roads. Archives need to be scanned. Staffing of the Building Department consists of three employees at the front counter, three development service technicians, two inspectors, one extra help and department head, Michael Kinslow. There are informational handouts located in the lobby area as well as the Mariposa County Website for fees and other information. Someone can typically get a permit within 30 days, 7-10 days if fully staffed. Findings
F9:
Basements: Well-lit and files are off the floor on metal shelving. The smell of mold is very evident. • The outside access door does not seal well. There is "day light" visible around the door. Evidence of dried water/mud on the floor. Also, there is evidence of rodents of some kind. There were piles of shells and other matter in the basement. Strong smell of mold and evidence of flooding. Both basement doors have sandbags to ٠ prevent water from entering. Records are kept on wooden shelves. There is a back area in this basement which is reached by a crawl hole opened in the stone wall. Pallets have been placed here for record boxes. Recommendations: Mariposa County should maintain this property to the standard building code.
* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.