Yuba County Jail

Longer periods of incarceration, due to the Realignment transfer of state prisoners to local facilities (Public Safety Realignment, 2013: http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/realignment/) and the extended stay of ICE prisoners (Your Complete Guide to Obama’s Immigration Executive Action, web site: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/11/19/your-complete- guide-to-obamas-immigration-order/#economy) , have increased the medical and mental health needs of inmates. The Mental Health Professional (psychiatrist) although available by phone, is on site only one day per week mainly to evaluate incoming inmates and update prescriptions. There are no non-emergency or on- going mental health services available to the inmates. Inmates diagnosed as needing treatment at a state mental hospital wait for months to transfer. Suicidal inmates can stay in padded cells, with little or no comforts, for weeks. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation advised: “Where there are options, however, it is recommended that there be a limit to the length of time an inmate can be housed in a safety cell. Title 15 requires medical and mental health checks and regular review by a watch commander for retention in a safety cell. Additionally several large counties have established internal policies in this regard, saying that after 24 hours, the person must be removed either through a 5150 process or by placement somewhere else in the jail. Of course, extensive housing in a safety cell or sobering cell should be avoided to the greatest extent possible for mentally ill inmates as well as for all others.” (Jails and Mentally Ill: Issues and Analysis, a briefing paper developed by The California Corrections Standards Authority (CSA), pg. 26. http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/COMIO/docs/MENTALLY_ILL_IN_JAI LS_PAPER.pdf ) 2014-2015 Yuba County Grand Jury Final Report Yuba County Jail Additionally a Human Rights Watch Report states: “Yet most independent psychiatric experts, and even correctional mental health staff, believe that prolonged confinement in conditions of social isolation, idleness, and reduced mental stimulation is psychologically destructive. How destructive depends on each prisoner’s prior psychological strengths and weaknesses, the extent of the social isolation imposed, the absence of activities and stimulation, and the duration of confinement.” (Human Rights Watch report - Ill Equipped: U.S. Prisons and Offenders with Mental Illness, §VII paragraph http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/usa1003/1.htm) Female inmates have a higher rate of mental health problems than the males: 75% of female inmates v. 63% of male inmates (Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates, Highlights, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, from: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mhppji.pdf).

As reported by the substance abuse counselor, in-house support groups, which were beneficial to inmates’ mental health, were suspended two years ago, and there are limited funds for referring released inmates to recovery programs.

The Consent Decree (Consent Decree, 1978; Derril Hedrick, et al. v James Grant, et al., US District Court for the Eastern District of California, CIVIL S-76-162 TJM) mandates a licensed Registered Nurse (RN) on site at least 15 hours per week; however, there is not a RN currently on staff. This is a violation of the Consent Decree §V A1, pg. 11. The need for a RN is even more vital with the extended stays caused by Realignment (Realignment – The Bottom Line by Board of State and Community Corrections, 2013, http://www.bscc.ca.gov/s_californiapublicsafetyrealignment.php) as well as the change in housing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees (Your Complete Guide to Obama’s Immigration Executive Action, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/11/19/your-complete- guide-to-obamas-immigration-order/#economy). 2014-2015 Yuba County Grand Jury Final Report Yuba County Jail The Executive Assistant in medical services advised that YCJ are considering several persons that have Physician Assistant (PA) credentials which will more than meet the requirement. However, a PA may not necessarily have nursing experience (A Patients Guide to the Physician Assistant, http://www.pg2pa.org/PA_NP.html); therefore, unless the PA also has RN certification, the PA will not satisfy the mandate listed in the Consent Decree for a RN. YCJ is also considering hiring a Nurse Practitioner, which would more than meet the requirements of the Consent Decree.

Several of the Medical Assistants (MA) and one contracted crisis counselor do not have the appropriate credentials and is in violation of Yuba County Human Resources Job Classification for Medical Assistants.

The Executive Assistant in medical services does not have a degree, although his job description requires a two-year degree (Job Classification: Executive Assistant, Human Resources Department of Yuba County; http://www.co.yuba.ca.us/departments/personnel/documents/Specifications/E/Exe cutive%20Assistant%20December%202013.pdf). There is a disparity between the Consent Decree (1978), the Yuba County Human Resources and the Yuba County Jail policies in regards to the licensing/credentialing requirements.

The medical unit staff does not participate in fire drills, nor understand the procedure for emergency evacuation. The supervisor conducting the tour was unable to explain the procedure to the Grand Jury members on the tour.

A copy of the Consent Decree has not been provided to the Grand Jury for an undetermined number of years, and was not provided to this year’s Grand Jury until the Grand Jury discovered the omission through a news report. This is in violation of the Consent Decree, §XV, Paragraph 4, pg. 49. The Consent Decree §XV (1978) holds the Law Enforcement Committee of each Grand Jury as responsible for monitoring jail compliance of the Consent Decree. There has been a failure of the parties to the Consent Decree to provide the Grand Jury with a copy of the Consent Decree as mandated by the Consent Decree. 2014-2015 Yuba County Grand Jury Final Report Yuba County Jail The Grand Jury was unable to find a recent record of prior Grand Juries having been informed of the Consent Decree. “The members of the Yuba County Grand Jury who serve on the Court and Law Enforcement Committee shall be provided each year with a copy of the Consent Decree so that they will know the minimum legal standards for conditions of confinement in the Jail. The Grand Jury shall be requested to do an analysis of whether the Jail is in conformity with all provisions of the Consent Decree and include that analysis in its yearly report.” (Consent Decree, 1978; Derril Hedrick, et al. v. James Grant, et al., US District Court for the Eastern District of California, CIVIL S- 76-162 TJM §XV, paragraph 4, pg. 49)

The medical unit is housed in cramped quarters below street level as observed during the Grand Jury YCJ tour. Until the upstairs administrative staff is moved to a remodeled facility expansion plans for the medical unit are on hold.

As observed during the Grand Jury’s tours of the jail, the physical layout of the jail raises safety issues for the staff and the inmates, most notably the section built in 1962 known by staff and inmates as the “dungeon”.

A copy of a summary of the Consent Decree is provided to the inmates upon booking; however, it is not identified as a “Consent Decree”, as a mandate for the jail to follow, nor does it explain that a full copy can be obtained in writing (Yuba County Inmate Handbook). The Consent Decree (1978) states it is to be posted in the ‘Libraries and the Women’s Tank’. The Undersheriff advised that the Consent Decree is posted in the ‘Law Library’ and that the information is available in the Inmate Handbook.