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Extracted from Consolidated Report

This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.

Yuba County Grand Jury • 2009-2010

Citizen Bond Oversight Committee

10 pages
View PDF View Full Original

Findings 4 findings

F1 Page 34
The Committee found some maintenance issues that may result in safety concerns including: water on the floor in the SHU, inadequate camera coverage, and wards not wearing safety goggles while doing woodworking.
F2 Page 40
It appears that the procedures for the personnel (staff and inmates) working in the laundry facility are not being followed. Training for inmates working in this area needs to be improved. The following problems were observed by this committee: a. Laundry inmate workers were observed eating in the laundry room. b. Laundry inmate workers were not wearing gloves or aprons (though they were available) while processing the laundry. c. Inmates were locked in the laundry room while working. d. Inmates are still not offered Hepatitis B vaccinations as required by OSHA Regulation (29 CFR, § 1910.1030) and Cal OSHA (Title 8, § 5193.) These issues were raised by the 2008-2009 Grand Jury who received the following response from the Sheriff: “The County Health Officer was already in the process of getting free Hepatitis B/Hepatitis A vaccine for all of our inmates.” This Grand Jury believes that the same conditions appear to still exist and still present safety concerns.
F3 Page 41
The laundry area was built for a smaller jail. Though it meets CCR Title 15 requirements, it requires extended shifts to ensure clean laundry is provided to all inmates. These issues were raised by the 2008-2009 Grand Jury with the following response by received from the Sheriff, “We partially disagree with this finding. The laundry area was moved to its current location during the jail expansion in 1994/1995. The laundry was previously located in the part of the space currently occupied by the jail kitchen, which was also expended in 1994/1995.” It is noted that the duct work in the laundry room has large holes, which could result in chemical inhalation by inmate workers. The laundry room also has exposed electrical wiring, an unsafe condition. These conditions raise safety concerns that need to be addressed.
F4 Page 41
Female inmates are not offered vocational training in electrical or carpentry, nor are they offered to work in the kitchen. The male inmates are not offered life-skills training or offered to work in the laundry area. These issues were raised by the 2008-2009 Grand Jury with the following response received from the Sheriff: “Part of the Jail’s mission is to prepare prisoners mentally and physically for their successful reintegration into the community. Optional vocational training is offered to inmates. It is not feasible operationally or financially to expand programs and offer equal training to both male and female inmates. There is no requirement to do so.” These issues still remain and are a concern to the 2009-2010 Grand Jury.

Recommendations 4