Tuolumne County Grand Jury • 2022-2023 • Agency Response
Response to: 2022-2023 Jail and Prison Facilities Final Report

Response to Grand Jury Report - Dambacher Detention Center Facility and Mother Lode Regional*

Published: August 15, 2023 2 pages
View Original PDF

Findings and Recommendations 5 findings

F1 Page 1
The Jail is currently short-staffed. Not all programs are functioning at their full capacity. Response: Agree. In January of this year, to combat the staffing shortages, the County instituted a pay increase along with a signing bonus. This has increased our ability to recruit and retain staff. Since the implementation of the pay increase and the signing bonus. We have hired 10 Custody Deputies and have an additional 2 conditional job offers out. The increase in staffing will allow the facility to rebuild programs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Page 2
Continue the dialogue with the Board of Supervisors to ensure competitive wages and benefits for the staff. [F1-F2] Response: Agree. The Board of Supervisors made compensation adjustments for public safety a priority with this year's salary adjustments. The County has made great strides in ensuring staffing. The Sheriff's Office will continue the dialogue to ensure continued competitive wages for staff.
F2 Page 1
Due to the staffing shortage, there are no longer inmate work crews. The work program contributed to a significant reduction in recidivism and tracking shows 72% of those enrolled in work programs don't come back. Response: Agree. Referencing back to the pay increase, and bonuses, (which have allowed for an increase in staffing) our increase in staffing will allow the facility to rebuild programs and should allow for inmate work crews by the end of this year.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Page 2
Share updates proactively with the local press and social media to help increase awareness of the benefits the institution provides to the community. [F3] Response: Agree. We will continue to use our social media platforms to increase awareness and actively push to expand our outreach on those platforms. We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the above findings and recommendations. Sincerely, Whaff Bill Pooley Bill Pooley (Aug 17, 2023 15:39 PDT) Kathleen K. Haff, Bill Pooley, Daniel Hawks, Sheriff-Coroner Chief Probation Officer Board Chair ATTEST: Heather Ryan Heather Ryan, Sr. Board Clerk Clerk of the Board of Supervisors I hereby certify that according to the provisions of Government Code Section 25103, delivery of this document has been made. Heather Ryan Sr. Board Clerk By: Heather Ryan DDC & MLRJDF - Grand Jury Response | 2
F3 Page 1
The report requests a required response from the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff-Coroner. However, there is no finding #3 for the County to respond to.
No recommendations for this finding
F4 Page 1
It is the shared opinion of the Grand Jury that the Tuolumne County Juvenile Detention Facility is a valuable and effective institution that is staffed by qualified and competent personnel. It DDC & MLRJDF - Grand Jury Response | 2 350 - was evident that staff are dedicated to helping the Youth exit the system successfully and build skills needed for successful lives outside the system. Response: Agree. We believe the MLRJDF is a model detention facility for youth within the State, and a significant component of our success is due to the dedication, competence, and perseverance of our facility staff. This is outside the purview of the Sheriff's Office.
No recommendations for this finding
F5 Page 2
The detention center also benefits on a grand scale from its indispensable volunteer workforce. Response: Agree. The MLRJDF is enriched by the numerous volunteers who selflessly give back to the community by assisting our youth while they are at a critical juncture in their lives. We are grateful to live in a community with so many volunteers supporting the rehabilitative efforts of our youth. This is outside the purview of the Sheriff's Office.
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.