El Dorado County Grand Jury • 2017-2018 • Agency Response

Serving El Dorado County Since 1850*

Published: July 26, 2018 4 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 7 findings

F1 Page 1
Stained ceiling tiles were observed in both County Jails. The Sheriff agrees with the finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Page 2
Stained ceiling tiles should be replaced immediately after leak repairs are accomplished. The recommendation has been implemented. Both jails are aging facilities with heavy 24 hour use. These stains can occur through leaks in various systems, but also occur from inmate abuse. Recently most stained ceiling panels were replaced and continued replacement will be coordinated with county facilities staff.
F2 Page 1
Graffiti and chipped paint was observed on interior County Jail walls, in visiting booths and other surfaces. The Sheriff agrees with the finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Page 2
Graffiti removal and repainting of chipped paint should occur on a continuous basis. The recommendation has been implemented. The facilities sustain heavy 24 hours usage and inmate abuse. Periodic painting occurs. Currently both jails are going through full facility repainting. This is primarily completed with inmate labor.
F3 Page 1
The full body metal detector in Placerville Receiving and Release was not working. The Sheriff disagrees wholly with the finding. The full body metal detector is functioning properly and is used to screen all intakes and inmates returning to the facility from outside court and medical appointments. When the Grand Jury inspected the facility, the machine had been unplugged to be reset. This has to be done periodically. "Serving El Dorado County Since 1850" HEADQUARTERS- 300 FAIR LANE, PLACERVILLE, CA 95667 JAIL DIVISION- 300 FORNI ROAD, PLACERVILLE, CA 95667 TAHOE JAIL- 1051 AL TAHOE BLVD., SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA 96150 TAHOE PATROL- 1360 JOHNSON BLVD., SUITE 100, SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA 96150
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Page 3
In the Placerville Jail Receiving and Release, the full body scanner should be operational and used during inmate intake. The recommendation has been implemented. The full body metal detector is functioning properly and is used to screen all intakes and inmates returning to the facility from outside court and medical appointments. There is also hand held metal detectors available should the full body metal detector be unavailable.
F4 Page 2
The culinary program is the only vocational program available in either jail. The Sheriff disagrees wholly with the finding. The Grand Jury was advised we offer employment success courses and have put several inmates through a waste water treatment operator program. One inmate just received his high school diploma and is currently enrolled in the waste water treatment operator program. Space and inmate classification issues create a challenge to holding additional programs, but we are always exploring options to expand. Additional expansion of these programs will occur with the recently awarded $25 Million grant under SB844 to address medical, mental health, programing and educational needs. The jail will be expanded to include additional programming and classroom space.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Page 3
The jails should institute life skills and vocational programs. The recommendation has been implemented. The jails offer several different life skills programs. These include GED, high school diploma, employment success, parenting and other life skills programs. The jails offer the culinary and waste water treatment operator programs. The jails have partnered with Lake Tahoe Community College to bring the culinary program to both facilities and are in the process of exploring additional programs. The jails recently deployed a tablet program where inmates get online access to educational and life skills classes through tablets they can use in their housing units and cells. This allows access to educational services without needing classroom space. Additional expansion of these programs will occur with the recently awarded $25 Million grant under SB844 to address medical, mental health, programing and educational needs. The jail will be expanded to include additional programming and classroom space.
F5 Page 2
Female inmates cannot participate in the culinary programs at both jails. The Sheriff agrees with the finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Page 3
The culinary program should allow both male and female inmates to participate. The recommendation has been implemented. When there are enough qualifying female inmates available, the Tahoe Jail is used to offer the culinary program to female inmates. Inmates are transferred from Placerville to Tahoe to get enough qualifying inmates to run and operate the kitchen. Inmate classification and availability of staff determine when the program can be offered to females.
F6 Page 2
The Vanir Report has inconsistent numbers for attempted suicides in both jails from 2011 to 2016. They are inaccurate and do not correlate with County numbers. The Sheriff agrees with the finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Page 4
Jail staff should be trained to better classify and document attempted suicide for more accurate record keeping. The recommendation has been implemented. The jails have implemented improved methods of tracking and classifying suicide attempts and have changed policies to clearly define suicide attempts. Jail staff participates in online and classroom training in mental health and suicide prevention. /al_D:20<br>8/6/18
F7 Page 2
Assembly Bill AB 109 has created a hardship to County Jails. The Sheriff agrees with the finding. Sheriff's Response to Specific Recommendations GJ Case 17-03 El Dorado <b>County Jails Inspections</b>
No recommendations for this finding

* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.