Yolo County Detention Facilities Correctional Officer staffing challenges are ongoing No one truly knows a nation until

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• While the Yolo County application process for correctional officers has recently been updated and streamlined, the 2024-25 Grand Jury suggests finding more ways to speed up the process, including but not limited to, offering the written exam more frequently than every six weeks. • Utilizing eSoph for more background searches and tasks could be another potential way to speed up the hiring process. • If candidates apply for a correctional officer position at other California agencies that use eSoph, consider sharing the background data to avoid replicating the search for the same data.

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• While the Yolo County application process for correctional officers has recently been updated and streamlined, the 2024-25 Grand Jury suggests finding more ways to speed up the process, including but not limited to, offering the written exam more frequently than every six weeks. • Utilizing eSoph for more background searches and tasks could be another potential way to speed up the hiring process. • If candidates apply for a correctional officer position at other California agencies that use eSoph, consider sharing the background data to avoid replicating the search for the same data.

R1

• While the Yolo County application process for correctional officers has recently been updated and streamlined, the 2024-25 Grand Jury suggests finding more ways to speed up the process, including but not limited to, offering the written exam more frequently than every six weeks. • Utilizing eSoph for more background searches and tasks could be another potential way to speed up the hiring process. • If candidates apply for a correctional officer position at other California agencies that use eSoph, consider sharing the background data to avoid replicating the search for the same data.

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• The Grand Jury recommends that there are some safeguards put in place for releases that occur during the middle of the night or early morning when no public transportation is available, such as establishing a network of community volunteers who are willing to be on call to assist the individual with transportation to their destination. • Additionally, the Grand Jury suggests establishing a safe place for releasees to wait inside or outside the MDF, especially when the release occurs in the middle of the night or early morning and when public transportation is not available. REQUIRED RESPONSES Pursuant to Penal Code sections 933 and 933.05, the Grand Jury requests responses for the following Findings and Recommendations : • Yolo County Board of Supervisors F-1 through F-9 and R-1 and R-2 • Yolo County Sheriff’s Office F-1 through F-9 and R-1 and R-2 COMMENDATIONS Monroe Detention Facility: The facility is clean and orderly, and the care of the incarcerated persons appears humane and thoughtful. MDF staff is doing a good job despite the staffing challenges. The Grand Jury found that the programs director is passionate about his role and works tirelessly to provide incarcerated persons access to education and enrichment. The food the Grand Jury sampled was great. This is also the opinion of the incarcerated persons the Grand Jury talked to. The Yolo County recruitment website for correctional officers - https://joinycso.com/correctional- officer/ - is vibrant and informative. Updates made to the recruitment and hiring process of MDF correctional officers since the initial December 9, 2024, jail tour are commendable and will hopefully result in a quicker turnaround of qualified correctional officers going forward. Juvenile Detention Center: A commendation for the excellent educational opportunities that are provided – both high school and college curriculum. Grand Jury members learned that some of the wards are graduating from high school and college. The JDC staffing levels are good, especially with the low number of wards.