Inspection of Orange County Detention Facilities, Part I-Adult*

R1

The Sheriff should place a high priority on upgrading video surveillance systems in the county jail system so that all units are protected by high quality digital monitoring systems providing maximum area coverage to improve the safety of inmate, staff, and visitors (F.1). Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future. The Orange County Sheriff's Department has planned for the installation of updated CCTV systems throughout many Orange County facilities. Updated systems that take advantage of existing digital technology are planned for installation and will remove legacy analog recording systems at the Theo Lacy Facility. The scullery areas of the Central Men's Jail 4th floor inmate dining hall have also been completed. Planning is currently underway to replace analog recording systems at the Intake/Release Center with new digital recording systems. Due to budgetary constraints, remaining repairs have not begun. Estimated time of completion is 1-3yrs.

R2

While the Grand Jury is aware that reduction of court- ordered calls lies within the sole discretion of the Court, the Grand Jury suggests that the Sheriff initiate a discussion with the presiding Judge, the District Attorney, and the Public Defender to explore ways to reduce the frequency of ordered authorization to make non-collect telephone calls or find a way to control the replacement of calls to reduce incidents of misuse (F.2). ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT GRAND JURY RESPONSE INSPECTION OF ORANGE COUNTY DETENTION FACILITIES Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented but will be implemented in the future. The Orange County Sheriff's Department, County Counsel, District Attorney, Public Defender's Office, and Presiding Judge are all aware of the security concerns as they relate to court ordered unmonitored non-collect phone calls. The Department will open a dialogue with the court to discuss these issues and seek means to mitigate their effects on the safety of our facilities. These discussions are an attempt to provide professional service to all parties within the inmate's current case, and stay within all areas of the law.

R3

The Sheriff should initiate a discussion with the Presiding Judge as to the possibility of locating a courtroom at Theo Lacy Facility to reduce transportation costs and risks (F.3). Response: The recommendation requires further analysis. Although the department recognizes the potential impact of an additional court room at Theo Lacy Facility, several areas need to be researched before implementation. Physical plant modifications, staffing, and funding sources, need to be considered prior to constructing a new courtroom. Discussions with the District Attorney, Public Defender's Office, and court personnel are ongoing.

R4

The Sheriff should give serious study and consideration to establishing a parallel career path for custody staff that would fully utilize non-sworn employees within the custody division and replace a higher number of sworn staff so that they might be reassigned to patrol duties (F.4). ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT GRAND JURY RESPONSE INSPECTION OF ORANGE COUNTY DETENTION FACILITIES Response: The recommendation will not be implemented. The Correctional Services Assistant (CSA) position was created to lessen the time sworn staff are assigned to custody operations. While this new position will reduce the amount of time Deputy Sheriffs spend in custody, it does not create a parallel career path for non-sworn personnel. Furthermore, there is a compelling need to maintain the current level of sworn custody staff for mutual aid and critical incident response in and out of our custody facilities. The implementation of the CSA position assignments is continuing but is currently limited by pending litigation.

R5

The Sheriff should review and clarify the OCSD policy related to the requirement of an "Escort Deputy" being immediately available at the IRC when an inmate is to be transferred to a medical facility (F.5). Response: The recommendation has been implemented. On August 11, 2011, the Jail Operations Manual was changed to ensure a staff member or Escort Deputy will be immediately available if an inmate has to be escorted or transferred to a medical facility. Jail Operations Manual Section 2200.3 reflects the current change to this policy.

R7

The Sheriff and the Board of Supervisors should aggressively pursue the jail expansion project at James A. Musick Facility to meet the expected population increase that will occur over the next three years (F.7). Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future. ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT GRAND JURY RESPONSE INSPECTION OF ORANGE COUNTY DETENTION FACILITIES AB900 Grant funds were recently secured for the James A. Musick Facility (JAMF) expansion. This expansion will add 512 new beds to JAMF. The next milestone for this project is approval of the Master Plan by the Board of Supervisor's. This approval is expected to occur in October of 2012. Additionally, The Sheriff's Department is currently analyzing alternatives to incarceration for pre-trial inmates like electronic monitoring, and we have expanded the Community Work Program to meet our growing population needs.

R8

The Sheriff should explore the use of video visiting within the various facilities as a way of improving security and reducing staff time to move and supervise inmates (F.8). Response: The recommendation requires further analysis. For the past few months, staff members have collected data and researched several companies' video visitation solutions. The analysis is ongoing. Once options have been reviewed, a detailed report will be submitted for project approval. The Department anticipates releasing a public Request for Proposal (RFP) for a video visitation system within the next six months. ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT GRAND JURY RESPONSE INSPECTION OF ORANGE COUNTY DETENTION FACILITIES

R9

The study of the Inmate Re-Entry program is currently underway and is scheduled to be completed in 2012. When completed, the study will be published and a copy will be forwarded to the Grand Jury (F.9). Response: The recommendation requires further analysis. The study of Inmate Re-entry program is due for completion and will be published in the next six months. )