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Findings and Recommendations 22 findings
F01
Ventura County Jails housed approximately 1,680 inmates as of October 2008. • Main Jail 822 • Todd Road Jail 833 • East Valley Jail 25
No recommendations for this finding
F02
An inmate grievance procedure is mandated by Title 15, § 1073 of the California Code of Regulations. (Att-01)
No recommendations for this finding
F03
The Ventura County grievance procedures are outlined in the VCSD Pre- Trial Detention Facility Policy and Procedures Manual, Chapter 9-8, and the Todd Road Jail Policy and Procedure Manual, Chapter 7, Section 2. (Att-02, Att-03)
No recommendations for this finding
F04
The grievance procedure is explained to all inmates at their intake processing orientation and is delineated in the handbook given to inmates at the time of detention. (Att-04)
No recommendations for this finding
F05
The grievance procedure within the jail system is two-tiered with an informal system of request/complaints followed by a formal grievance process.
No recommendations for this finding
F06
The Inmate Request for Information or Service (Form SO-1012), commonly known as a kite, is the form used in the informal request/complaint process. (Att-05)
No recommendations for this finding
F07
Kites are made available to all inmates. At the Main Jail, they can be requested from an HSD, are available on a table in the common area of each cell block, and/or are in a container outside individual cells. At the Todd Road Jail, they must be requested from an HSD. Kites are ______________________________________________________________________________ 2 Inmate Grievance Procedure provided at the time of intake processing and are distributed weekly with sanitary supplies.
No recommendations for this finding
F08
Kites are filled out by inmates and placed outside their cells or in common areas of the cell blocks where they are collected several times a day by HSDs.
No recommendations for this finding
F09
Routine kites are typically processed and handled directly by the HSD. Kites which require special responses, or which cannot be handled at this first level, are referred to the appropriate level for disposition.
No recommendations for this finding
F10
Kites come in three colors depending on the type of request: • white is for clothes, food, treatment, and/or housing condition • blue is for medical • green is for court-related
No recommendations for this finding
F11
There are approximately 8,500 kites received monthly and most are settled informally at the first level.
No recommendations for this finding
F12
Inmates may request the multi-copy Grievance Form (Form SO-1011) if they are not satisfied with the resolution of their kites. (Att-06)
No recommendations for this finding
F13
Requests for a Grievance Form are made using a kite.
No recommendations for this finding
F14
Formal inmate grievances may be filed in all matters except legal decisions handed down by the courts. (Att-02, Att-03)
No recommendations for this finding
F15
About 250 grievances are filed monthly within the three jails. All grievances are entered into a computer system and tracked by the VCSD. (Att-02, Att-03)
No recommendations for this finding
F16
Grievance Forms are reviewed by succeeding levels of authority in the jails, starting with the HSD, unless resolved to the satisfaction of the inmate. The final review is performed by the Custody Commander, the highest ranking official within each jail. (Att-02, Att-03)
No recommendations for this finding
F17
The Custody Commander’s decision is the final step in which to resolve a grievance. Relief or satisfaction beyond this step requires the inmate to pursue relief through the courts by way of a Writ of Habeas Corpus. (Att-02, Att-03)
No recommendations for this finding
F18
Each level must respond in writing to an inmate’s grievance within these specified time limits: (Att-02, Att-03) Level I HSD or SST 24 hours (within 24 hours of receipt) Level II Senior Deputy 24 hours (within 24 hours of receipt) Level III Facility Sergeant Three days (not counting weekends/holidays) Level IV Facility Manager Seven days (not counting weekends/holidays) Level V Custody Commander Ten days (not counting weekends/holidays) ___________________________________________________________________________ Inmate Grievance Procedure 3
No recommendations for this finding
F19
Besides routine inmate grievances, there are: • Medical Grievances • Classification Grievances • Food Service Grievances • Discipline Grievances These specialized grievances do not have to follow the normal steps in the grievance procedure, but are expedited to the resolution authority. (Att-02, Att-03)
No recommendations for this finding
F20
Jail commanders state that information gleaned from grievances is used to determine trends within the jail and to possibly identify individual employees for discipline and retraining.
No recommendations for this finding
F21
Chapter 9-8 of the VCSD’s Pre-Trial Detention Facility Policy and Procedure Manual was last updated February 26, 2003. At the Todd Road Jail, the Inmate Grievance Procedure, Chapter 7, Section 2 was reviewed in January 2009.
Related Recommendations (1)
R01
The VCSD should review grievance procedures on a regular basis or as necessary for compliance with Title 15. (C-01, C-03, C-05)
F22
VCSD officials state that they are currently reviewing the grievance procedure at both facilities and intend to merge both facilities’ policies into a single consolidated document. Conclusions C-01. The VCSD is in compliance with: • Title 15, § 1073 • the VCSD Todd Road Jail Inmate Grievance Procedure, Chapter 7, Section 2 • the VCSD Pre-Trial Detention Facility Policy and Procedures Manual, Chapter 9-8 All of the above are intended to allow inmates to grieve their conditions of confinement. (F-02 through F-07, F-11, F-12, F-14 through F-17) C-02. Allowing inmates to file kites and grievances permits them to voice their complaints and obtain a measure of input concerning their incarceration. (F-04 through F-16) C-03. The VCSD management is able to use the grievance process to monitor conditions within the jails through its attention to and tracking of grievances. (F-13 through F-20) C-04. The ability of inmates to obtain kites differs from facility to facility. (F-07) C-05. The current grievance procedure at the Main Jail has been in effect since 2003. There is no evidence that the procedure was updated since that date and the policy is due for review and updating. (F-02, F-03, F-21) ______________________________________________________________________________ 4 Inmate Grievance Procedure Recommendations
No recommendations for this finding
Conclusions 2
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CL1 Page 6the VCSD Todd Road Jail Inmate Grievance Procedure, Chapter 7, Section 2
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CL2 Page 6the VCSD Pre-Trial Detention Facility Policy and Procedures Manual, Chapter 9-8 All of the above are intended to allow inmates to grieve their conditions of confinement. (F-02 through F-07, F-11, F-12, F-14 through F-17) C-02. Allowing inmates to file kites and grievances permits them to voice their complaints and obtain a measure of input concerning their incarceration. (F-04 through F-16) C-03. The VCSD management is able to use the grievance process to monitor conditions within the jails through its attention to and tracking of grievances. (F-13 through F-20) C-04. The ability of inmates to obtain kites differs from facility to facility. (F-07) C-05. The current grievance procedure at the Main Jail has been in effect since 2003. There is no evidence that the procedure was updated since that date and the policy is due for review and updating. (F-02, F-03, F-21) ______________________________________________________________________________ 4 Inmate Grievance Procedure
Commendations 1
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CM1 Page 7The Grand Jury commends the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department on its effective and efficient management of the Jail Grievance Procedure. To review overall conditions within the jail system, see the report titled “Detention Facilities: Condition and Management” issued by the 2008-2009 Grand Jury.
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
Ventura County Sheriff
Elected County Office