We Can Do Better with Our Jails!

Conclusions 20

• CL1 Page 50
  The failure of Wellpath, the medical provider contracted by the Sheriff to provide data from required Health Service Audits, has adversely affected inmate health and resulted in poor health care and lack of pharmaceutical services for inmates.
• CL2 Page 50
  The failure of Wellpath to implement a comprehensive discharge plan causes inmates to be released without community connection to medical treatment and medication.
• CL3 Page 50
  The failure of the Sheriff”s jail staff to properly address inmates' mental illness crises has caused mentally disabled inmates to be held in Safety Cells for excessively long periods.
• CL4 Page 50
  The improper use of Safety Cells by the Sheriff’s jail staff to isolate inmates who are greatly in need of mental health care and/or have made suicidal statements causes a violation of required procedure.
• CL5 Page 50
  The use of Safety Cells for punishment has resulted in violations of Title 15 section 1055 and the Sheriff’s Policy and Procedures Manual policy 516.2. This may expose the Sheriff’s department to lawsuits.
• CL6 Page 50
  The practice of excluding mentally ill patients from 5150 hold and transfer until discharge results in a violation of both Title 15 and Sheriff’s Policies and Procedures manual policy 516.2.
• CL7 Page 51
  The failure of Jail administrators to transfer inmates with suicidal ideation or in a mental health crisis to an out-of-county LPS facility adversely impacts inmate mental health care.
• CL8 Page 51
  The failure of the Crisis Intervention Team to issue a 5150 hold and transfer before an inmate is discharged adversely impacts inmate mental health care.
• CL9 Page 51
  The practice of placement in Administrative Separation (solitary confinement) causes inmates to suffer mental health problems including, but not limited to, anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, aggression, and depression.
• CL10 Page 51
  The failure of Jail administrators to transfer Inmates who are suffering from mental health crises symptoms to an LPS Facility adversely impacts inmate mental health care.
• CL11 Page 51
  Opening the closed unit at Rountree and increasing the number of re-entry programs would result in better conditions for inmates and less stress for the correctional officers.
• CL12 Page 51
  Increasing the number of programs that focus on rehabilitation, education, and restorative justice to prepare for reentry would show positive improvement to public safety and a reduction in recidivism for reentering inmates.
• CL13 Page 52
  Jail programs like “Stepping Up” steers the mentally ill to community-based mental health care, reducing the number of mentally ill inmates in jail.
• CL14 Page 52
  The current practice of reviewing inmate classification monthly is too long of an interval and may endanger inmates suffering from mentally illness.
• CL15 Page 52
  The failure of Wellpath to recruit and retain adequate staff adversely impacts the overall effectiveness of the mental health services provided to inmates.
• CL16 Page 52
  The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury was not permitted to interview inmates serving sentences at the Rountree Rehabilitation and Reentry Facility as required by the Bureau of State Community and Corrections. Speaking to some inmates about their experiences and opinions of the programs would have greatly enhanced the Jail investigation and report.
• CL17 Page 49
  As reflected in this report’s Findings and Recommendations, the Grand Jury is deeply concerned with the poor mental health treatment provided to our inmate population. This extends to the treatment of inmates living with or developing mental health challenges, through jail time and post release. This abiding concern is abundantly detailed in this report. The treatments described, such as solitary confinement, are inflicted on people that are still presumed innocent. But not everything about our jail system is dark and foreboding. The Grand Jury investigation brought to light the many positive reentry programs available while a person is in custody. Then once released, many of these programs are available and continued in the community. It is a testament to our compassionate community that so many institutions exist to help people who have served their sentence and now need a helping hand in their return to society. Not only does it make us safer, it reduces the chances of reincarceration. The Grand Jury strongly urges the continued development of these programs in and out of custody. The Grand Jury believes that better inmate mental health treatment and positive reentry programming, as suggested in this report, will enhance inmate wellness and create a better community for all of us. We Can Do Better With Our Jails! published June 11, 2024 Page 21 of 45
• CL18 Page 50
  44 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury Findings and Recommendations Group 1: State Standards (Title 15) Compliance Issues F1. The failure of Wellpath, the medical provider contracted by the Sheriff to provide data from required Health Service Audits, has adversely affected inmate health and resulted in poor health care and lack of pharmaceutical services for inmates. R1. By the end of calendar year 2024, the Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff instruct Wellpath to begin the Health Service Audits. (F1) F2. The failure of Wellpath to implement a comprehensive discharge plan causes inmates to be released without community connection to medical treatment and medication. R2. By the end of calendar year 2024, the Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff instruct Wellpath to improve the medical discharge processes for better continuity of care. (F1, F2) F3. The failure of the Sheriff”s jail staff to properly address inmates' mental illness crises has caused mentally disabled inmates to be held in Safety Cells for excessively long periods. F4. The improper use of Safety Cells by the Sheriff’s jail staff to isolate inmates who are greatly in need of mental health care and/or have made suicidal statements causes a violation of required procedure. F5. The use of Safety Cells for punishment has resulted in violations of Title 15 section 1055 and the Sheriff’s Policy and Procedures Manual policy 516.2. This may expose the Sheriff’s department to lawsuits. R3. By the end of calendar year 2024, the Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff retrain staff about the proper use of Safety Cells according to Title 15 section 1055 and the Sheriff’s policy and procedures manual. (F3, F4, F5) F6. The practice of excluding mentally ill patients from 5150 hold and transfer until discharge results in a violation of both Title 15 and Sheriff’s Policies and Procedures manual policy 516.2. R4. By the end of calendar year 2024, the Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff retrain staff with the proper use of a 5150 hold and the transfer of inmates to a mental health facility according to Title 15 and the Sheriff’s policy and procedures manual. (F6) We Can Do Better With Our Jails! published June 11, 2024 Page 22 of 45
• CL19 Page 51
  2023–2024 Consolidated Final Report 45 F7. The failure of Jail administrators to transfer inmates with suicidal ideation or in a mental health crisis to an out-of-county LPS facility adversely impacts inmate mental health care. R5. By the end of the calendar year 2024, the Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff train staff on how to transfer suicidal inmates to an LPS facility for mental health care. (F7) F8. The failure of the Crisis Intervention Team to issue a 5150 hold and transfer before an inmate is discharged adversely impacts inmate mental health care. R6. By the end of calendar year 2024, the Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff direct the CIT team to not withhold a 5150 hold and make a transfer until release because this is not proper or best practice for inmates in need of mental health care. (F8) F9. The practice of placement in Administrative Separation (solitary confinement) causes inmates to suffer mental health problems including, but not limited to, anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, aggression, and depression. F10. The failure of Jail administrators to transfer Inmates who are suffering from mental health crises symptoms to an LPS Facility adversely impacts inmate mental health care. R7. By the end of calendar year 2024, the Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff develop a plan to transfer all inmates in mental health crises to LPS facilities and budget the extra cost of transferring patients out of the county. (F9, F10) Group 2: Better Jail Conditions, Rehabilitation and Reentry Preparation F11. Opening the closed unit at Rountree and increasing the number of re-entry programs would result in better conditions for inmates and less stress for the correctional officers. R8. By the end of calendar year 2024, the Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff reopen closed units and move all qualified inmates to Rountree Medium Security and the Minimum Security Rehabilitation and Reentry unit. (F11) F12. Increasing the number of programs that focus on rehabilitation, education, and restorative justice to prepare for reentry would show positive improvement to public safety and a reduction in recidivism for reentering inmates. R9. By the end of calendar year 2024, the Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff develop a comprehensive plan to increase the number of programs that steer inmates towards reentry into the community with new job skills development, education, work release and transitional programs. (F12) We Can Do Better With Our Jails! published June 11, 2024 Page 23 of 45
• CL20 Page 52
  46 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury F13. Jail programs like “Stepping Up” steers the mentally ill to community-based mental health care, reducing the number of mentally ill inmates in jail. R10. By the end of fiscal year 2024-2025, the Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff develop a plan to implement more Jail diversion programs (like Stepping Up) that steer the Mentally Ill away from jail and to the help they need. (F13) F14. The current practice of reviewing inmate classification monthly is too long of an interval and may endanger inmates suffering from mentally illness. R11. By the end of calendar year 2024, the Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff change the Reclassification examination of mentally ill inmates from a monthly basis to a weekly basis to prevent misclassified inmates from suffering needlessly. (F14) F15. The failure of Wellpath to recruit and retain adequate staff adversely impacts the overall effectiveness of the mental health services provided to inmates. R12. By the end of the calendar year 2024, the Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff conduct an analysis of the effectiveness of Wellpath in regards to all mental health services of incarcerated persons. (F15) R13. By the end of calendar year 2024, the Grand Jury recommends the Wellpath be directed to provide round-the-clock medical and mental health care availability to the Jails. (F15) Group 3: Access to Inmate Interviews and Rehabilitation Programs F16. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury was not permitted to interview inmates serving sentences at the Rountree Rehabilitation and Reentry Facility as required by the Bureau of State Community and Corrections. Speaking to some inmates about their experiences and opinions of the programs would have greatly enhanced the Jail investigation and report. R14. The Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff begin to allow the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury interviews of inmates per Penal Code 916 including observing inmate classes and programs within 90 days. (F16)

Commendations 2

• CM1 Page 52
  C1. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury believes CalAim is an excellent program expanding health coverage to the incarcerated in Jail because it will enroll inmates in Medi-Cal for their medical care and support them as they reintegrate back into the community. We Can Do Better With Our Jails! published June 11, 2024 Page 24 of 45
• CM2 Page 53
  2023–2024 Consolidated Final Report 47 C2. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury found numerous County funded programs and services in and outside of the Jail that help inmates to prepare for reentry into the community and reduce recidivism rates. C3. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury found the Jail staff are truly concerned about the well-being of inmates and this concern was well expressed with their motto “Reentry begins at Booking.”

No Responses Found 1

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.