Score: 0
(0/14/0)
Santa Cruz County Grand Jury
• 2017-2018
Jails in Santa Cruz County Getting Ahead of the Curve
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 11 findings
F1
Inmates are kept at Water Street Jail for medical reasons alone when they are otherwise eligible for the increased services and programming at Rountree. This denies programming to an otherwise-eligible inmate that may increase their ability to succeed upon community reentry.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
The Sheriff’s Office should make the necessary changes to allow inmates with chronic medical problems to be housed at Rountree. (F1)
F2
The Crisis Intervention Team keeps notes in inmate records, but not minutes of meetings or a summary of daily record changes. Without a meeting summary, there is no documentation of continuum of care and context for decision making.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
The Crisis Intervention Team should produce and review minutes of their meetings. (F2)
F3
The Sheriff’s Custody Manual includes a general description of a safety cell’s allowable use. This results in the inappropriate housing of inmates in cell O13.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
The Sheriff’s Custody Manual Policy sections 517.1 and 517.2 should be modified to avoid inappropriate housing of inmates in detox or medically at risk. (F3)
F4
Long term inmates at Water Street may suffer from Vitamin D deficiencies due to lack of exposure to natural sunlight. Medical staff have not tested inmates for possible Vitamin D deficiencies.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The Sheriff’s Office should test whether any long-term or at-risk inmates at Water Street are Vitamin D deficient. (F4)
F5
Water Street, a maximum security facility, has no means of detecting non-metal contraband other than physically searching an inmate. This increases the chance of dangerous items being brought into the facility.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The Sheriff’s Office should review and implement current technology available for contraband detection. (F5)
F6
The empty Blaine Street facility indicates a lack of long-range facility planning and coordination.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
The Sheriff’s Office should create a strategic long-range facilities management plan, including management of multiple funding sources. (F6)
F7
When asked about program effectiveness and measurements of success locally, staff were unable to provide scorecards, analytics, or follow-up information on recidivism or success. This impacts their programs and future funding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
Law enforcement should create, use, and publish scorecards to measure the local success of inmate programs. (F7)
F8
AB109 prison realignment is making it difficult to maintain adequate firefighting crews at Ben Lomond Conservation Camp.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
The Sheriff needs to be proactive with placing Boarders, qualified inmates from the county jail system, at the fire camp when appropriate. (F8, F9)
F9
The county “Boarder Program” at the Ben Lomond Conservation Camp is less costly to the county than housing inmates in the county jail system.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
The Sheriff needs to be proactive with placing Boarders, qualified inmates from the county jail system, at the fire camp when appropriate. (F8, F9)
F10
There is significantly less programming at Ben Lomond Conservation Camp than in the other facilities that we visited, which may impact inmates’ post-release success.
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
CDCR should provide in-person help with GED studies to benefit Ben Lomond Fire Camp inmates. (F10)
F11
The remote location of the Ben Lomond Conservation Camp impacts emergency medical services for inmates and staff. Current county medical protocol does not allow staff on site to store or administer Narcan or Epinephrine.
Related Recommendations (1)
R10
Narcan nasal spray and epinephrine auto-injectors should be available, along with training on when and how to use them. (F11)
Commendations 1
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CM1 Page 14C1. The Sheriff’s Office application for Prop 47 funding for the Health and Justice Diversion Center shows progressive and compassionate thinking. C2. Rountree delivers an impressive offering of programs for eligible inmates; we commend them for opening it to female inmates. C3. We commend the Main Jail staff for intervening and preventing 13 suicides since July 2016.
Agency Responses 1
Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.
No Responses Found 1
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Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office