Environmental Health

The facility was extremely clean, including all holding cells. They were adequate in size and easily accessible. The facility's prisoner capacity is 244. As of May 27, 2003, the facility was holding 208 prisoners.

The officers introduced to the Grand Jury were pleasant and cooperative.

Through video imaging, the Control Tower monitors all prisoners, doors, pods and personnel. They control the opening of all security doors

The facility has one full-time employee and one part-time volunteer working on the ventilating system. Prisoners from the male dorms help with the maintenance and filter service. The filters are checked once a month and changed every 90 days.

The lunch provided the Grand Jury was the same as served to the prisoners. The Grand Jury visited the kitchen and talked with the Kitchen Manager. She was very proud of the fact they have the lowest food cost per person of any county correctional facility. Two of their ovens were inoperable, however, with proper funding, new ones are forthcoming. Those particular ovens were bought second-hand several years ago. When the ovens are operational the kitchen staff make their own bread.

After leaving the facility, the Grand Jury met with the Transportation Officer. She stated that the bus was out of operation due to lack of personnel and money. The bus has since been fixed and is operational.

The food is prepared at the Jail and delivered daily. Meals are served at 7:20 a.m. (7:30 on the weekends), noon, and 5 p.m., and at least 20 minutes is allowed to eat. About 10% of the wards eat in their room at any given time. One hot meal is supposed to be served per day, but that food is not always the proper temperature by the time it arrives. Approximately 2700-2800 calories/ day are provided. The menu is planned one month in advance. The dining room seats 24, so eating must be done in two shifts. The floor was just resurfaced. The kitchen at Juvenile Hall remains closed for daily meal preparation, although the range is used during Christmas. The refrigerator, sinks, microwave, and coffee pot can also be used. The staff prepares special snacks for the wards around the holidays, which are enjoyable for both staff and wards. The staff also provide periodic barbecues. Families are not permitted to bring food. Working in the garden growing vegetables is a privilege to be earned.

Recreational activities are limited. Only seasonal arts and crafts are available. The school did provide them, but cannot do so now because of the split-shift schedule. Some kilns are still functional. The school runs one hour of PE from 11 a.m. to noon, and the Hall runs the PE program from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Board and card games, medicine ball, and ping-pong are available in the Rec. Room. Some of the casinos donate cards. Reading is encouraged. One-hour of TV is permitted at night, and some videos are permitted. Monies from the Inmate Trust Fund, generated by a percentage of the very expensive telephone calls made on pay phones, are used to buy games. Video games are a special privilege. There is no commissary, but part of the behavior modification employed by staff includes provision of “goodies” for half an hour on Saturday nights.

Work programs are limited to laundry, KP, and cleanup/maintenance, although the recently- initiated Youths-for-Seniors Program, directed by Dottie Bremmer, would allow seniors, through their Senior Centers, to request yard clean-ups. The wards are in charge of laundry, which provides the benefits of being up later and receiving extra food. Each ward is given a packet of hygiene items during intake.

Discipline is progressive, and all Special Programs - intended to fit the child and the crime and taking repetition into account - have to be reviewed by the Director. Upon arrival, each ward is given a “contract program.” Graffiti is an ongoing problem and is often carved with rocks.

One substantial problem is the deficiency in Mental Health services provided by the County. The younger wards seem to have more emotional problems. The Director observed that even if a child is seen by a counselor only once a week, fewer crisis situations arise.

The Director was pleased to impart that the County had approved purchase of a module that would be placed behind Juvenile Hall. Two classrooms, measuring 20 x 20 feet, would be provided, and the back section could be converted to office space. http://www.co.lake.ca.us/generalinformation/grandjury/report0203/juvhall.html (3 of 5)4/17/2007 3:08:00 PM County of Lake - 2002/2003 Grand Jury Report -Juvenile Hall, Department of Probation

The school principal and staff explained that students from seven school districts were attending the Renaissance Court School, with abilities ranging from non-reading to college-prep. Only 20 students can be accommodated at one time, so older wards attend in the mornings and younger wards in the afternoons. Due to insufficient Juvenile Hall officers, wards not in school are usually locked in their rooms. All students are administered the Wide-Range Achievement Test upon arrival to permit assessment of skill levels. The staffs of the School and the Hall meet every school day to share information on the students. Instruction is self-paced, and a 90% mastery level must be achieved before the next assignment is scheduled. A Special Education teacher comes once or twice a week. Few electives are available, particularly on multicultural subjects. State reviewers last year asked why no art programs were available. Ninth graders are required by the State to take PE. Diplomas can be awarded by the Renaissance School, and all graduating students will have to pass the same “exit exams” as regular high school students. If students are paroled during the school year, they may enter a transitional school instead of returning mid-term to their home high school. The principal was gratified that more counselors and principals from the home high schools were visiting and that communications regarding the students were improving. The School was in the process of obtaining a grant to permit upgrading of computers and purchase of additional TV/VCR combos.

The salary scale for Probation Department teachers is the highest in the County. Unfortunately, the principal noted, despite the imminent availability of the module with two classrooms, he would be unable to hire a second teacher unless the number of students reached 40, at which point he could bring in a substitute teacher. Juvenile Hall cannot operate at capacity (40 wards) because it cannot retain its staff. The maximum number of students in school last year was 29 and was 30 this year. Over a 20-year period, daily attendance has averaged 16 students. Reasons why students might not be in school include their being on bed rest for medical reasons, having been suspended, awaiting placement elsewhere, and having already graduated (although this latter group may attend if they wish). Asked about recidivism, he related that of the 199 different students who passed through the School last year, 57 were returnees, some more than once.

Specific programs the principal would like to make available would focus on job skills and crisis intervention. He would also like more videotapes on career training. Most of all, he would welcome greater community involvement with Juvenile Hall, so that all the children could be kept busy all day. FINDINGS: