Napa County Juvenile Hall Report

Conclusions 1

• CL1 Page 7
  During our facility inspection in October 2015, the 2015-2016 Grand Jury enquired regarding "Findings and Recommendations" from both the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 Grand Jury 7 investigations. Both previous Grand Juries found and recommended that outdated video surveillance cameras, which produced poor quality and uneven sequencing of images, be replaced. These Grand Juries also found that some areas of NCJH were not covered adequately by camera surveillance, thus creating "blind spots". During our investigation and interviews the 2015-2016 Grand Jury learned that, in spite of previous recommendations, video equipment had not been replaced and additional cameras were not installed to address the blind spots. In the fall of 2015, the Grand Jury was told that funding for the video camera upgrade continued to be delayed due to the strain on the Napa County Budget as a result of the August 2014, earthquake. The Grand Jury was assured by Juvenile Hall management that camera upgrades were scheduled to be made in late 2015 or early 2016. In addition, the Grand Jury learned that two way radios used by staff had poor quality sound and that there were "dead spots" in a few areas with no reception. In early 2016, new radios were purchased to improve radio communication throughout Juvenile Hall. The Grand Jury was also advised that as of spring 2016, NCJH was in the process of purchasing new camera equipment, but that installation would take time since a decision had been made to update the entire video surveillance system at Juvenile Hall. No completion date for the camera installation and system update was available as of the writing of this report. The 2015-2016 Grand Jury is satisfied that inconsistent radio communication at Juvenile Hall was addressed in early 2016. However, the Grand Jury is concerned that video surveillance cameras have needed updating for the past several years and, although recommended by the two Grand Juries, upgrades still have not been completed. This issue continues to pose a possible safety risk to both staff and youths at Juvenile Hall.

Commendations 1

• CM1 Page 9
  The 2015-2016 Napa County Grand Jury commends the Napa County Chief Probation Officer, the superintendent, assistant superintendent, supervisors, and counselors for their courtesy and professionalism, and for their dedication to successful rehabilitation of the youths at Napa County Juvenile Hall. DISCLAIMER Reports issued by the Grand Jury do not identify individuals interviewed. Penal Code section 929 requires that reports of the Grand Jury not contain the name of any person or facts leading to the identity of any person who provides information to the Grand Jury. 9

No Responses Found 2

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.