County of Tuolumne Grand Jury 12855 Justice Center Drive

Note: Missing finding numbers detected: F3

Commendations 5

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  Discussion The maximum occupancy of the jail is 230. Current occupancy runs about 62%. Officials prefer to keep the population around 115 because of staffing shortages and Covid. The maximum sentence for California county jails used to be up to 1 year. To reduce prison overcrowding, the state went through a prison realignment. When Assembly Bill 109 was passed by California voters in 2011, some felons from state prisons who were lower-level offenders became eligible for county jail time. After the realignment, the maximum sentence can be extended to an indeterminate length of time due to inmate circumstances. Because the inmates may now have a lengthy stay at the jail, programs similar to those at the prison are being adopted. Prisoners may be enrolled in Medi-Cal and receive extensive medical and dental care. Education programs exist to enable inmates to earn a high school diploma. Motherlode Job Training also assists inmates. There is also dialog with Columbia College to create inmate education programs. Mental and behavioral health programs exist throughout the county. Volunteer programs also exist, such as Narcotics Anonymous & Alcoholics Anonymous and religious programs. The jail is spacious and has room to grow in both staff and inmate populations. The jail appears clean and well maintained. We first passed by several administration, conference, and training rooms. Staff have a dining room where two meals each day are served. We toured the inmate intake area where new arrivals are processed. There are two booking stations. Staff takes the inmates through a process that is intended to determine their mental and emotional state as well as their criminal history. Inmates proceed through identification process and a body scan. A Property Room stores inmates’ personal items. We learned that a transportation van takes inmates to the nearby courthouse; also, a low-risk inmate may be walked over. A single control room visually oversees all rooms and halls and controls the locks (excluding the cell pods). Most areas of the jail are under some kind of surveillance. During the tour we saw the kitchen, laundry, library, medical, and education areas. All areas were very clean and organized. 6
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  C1. We felt confident that the facility was safe, secure, and had staff interested in helping their residents. 7 CHAPTER 2: MOTHER LODE REGIONAL JUVENILE DETENTION FACILITY – DISCUSSION, FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND COMMENDATIONS
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  C2. We were impressed by the level of detail provided to us about services and the clear dedication to your residents and the Tuolumne County Community. 10 CHAPTER 3: SIERRA CONSERVATION CENTER- DISCUSSION, FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND
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  Discussion We first met with all department heads and other administrative staff, along with the captains and warden. After a question and answer session we went into the secure facility. Our first stop was the Plaza. There were some renovations going on and inmates were helping with the cement work. There was also an inmate painting a mural on the wall. The Canteen and clothing distribution, along with the chapel and Behavioral Health, are accessed from the Plaza. A building that stands in the middle of the Plaza serves as the center of operations for the prison’s secure facilities. From the Plaza, we passed through a gate into the “A” yard, which is also known as the “Level I Yard.” The A yard is comprised of dorms that house thirty-two inmates each. Each dorm has a small day room with a television, sixteen double bunks, toilets and showers. Inmates are free to come and go during open yard hours. The dorms are interconnected to form sections, a, b, and c (also known as a 270 design.) There is an upper and lower tier. An inmate's placement onto a Level I, II, III, or IV facility depends on various case and custodial factors. The following is a basic breakdown for the facilities (Levels I-III) provided by the Sierra Conservation Center1: Inmate Placement. Each inmate shall be assigned to a facility with a security level which corresponds to the following placement score ranges: (1) An inmate with a placement score of 0 through 18 shall be placed in a Level I facility. (2) An inmate with a placement score of 19 through 35 shall be placed in a Level II facility. (3) An inmate with a placement score of 36 through 59 shall be placed in a Level III facility. 1California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 15, Crime Prevention and Corrections. Division 3, Rules and Regulations of Adult Institutions, Programs, and Parole - Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Updated through June 1, 2023). 11 All are designated as Non-Designated Programming Facilities (NDPF), which means general population inmates and prior sensitive needs yard inmates are assigned and live together regardless of prior designations. Below is a breakdown of the security level, physical design and security as provided by the Sierra Conservation Center2: Each camp, facility, or area of a facility complex shall be designated at a security level based on its physical security and housing capability. Reception centers are not facilities of assignment and are exempt from the security level designations except for the assignment of permanent work crew inmates. The security levels are: (a) Level I facilities and camps consist primarily of open dormitories with a low security perimeter. (b) Level II facilities consist primarily of open dormitories with a secure perimeter, which may include armed coverage. (c) Level III facilities primarily have a secure perimeter with armed coverage and housing units with cells adjacent to exterior walls. (d) Level IV facilities have a secure perimeter with internal and external armed coverage and housing units described in Section 3377(c), or cellblock housing with cells non-adjacent to exterior walls. A Level IV 180-design facility utilizes housing units comprised of two wings; each wing is partitioned into three self-contained “pods”, each “pod” has its own dayroom and control room. Each wing is linked by a dining facility and ancillary functions. The design of the housing unit allows a 180-degree view of all cells and dayrooms from the control room. A Level IV 270-design facility utilizes housing units comprised of three connected sections and one dayroom. Portions of first and third sections extend back behind the blind side of the control room. The design of the housing unit places cells within a 270-degree circumference of a circle with the control room in the center of the circle. Towers are strategically placed around the yard and are manned by armed officers/guards. No lethal weapons are carried on the yards. Officers only carry Oleoresin capsicum (OC) or "pepper spray,” a baton, and handcuffs. The A and B yards are nearly identical except inverted. They are separated by an administrative building that houses the culinary, medical and education services. The B yard houses the level 2 inmates. Many level 1, and some level 2, inmates are eligible to join the firefighting training programs. Inmates can also get their GED, learn vocational trades: body/fender, auto mechanics, welding, masonry, carpentry, office services, electronics, and building maintenance. The Prison Industry Authority (PIA) teaches sewing. There are self-help groups and substance abuse disorder treatments. A relatively new program allows 2 California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 15, Crime Prevention and Corrections. Division 3, Rules and Regulations of Adult Institutions, Programs, and Parole - Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Updated through June 1, 2023). 12 inmates who qualify to keep and train dogs. The dog program is conducted in partnership with Friends of the Animal Community (FOAC), a local volunteer group. We visited several stations that handle the daily needs of the inmates. In addition to the kitchens and dining areas and the medical services areas, we toured the library, clothing distribution, education buildings, the Chapel, and the substance abuse counseling office. Once our tour of the A & B yard was completed, we left that secured area and walked over to the C yard; level 3 prison population. We went through the security building into the secure facility. Level 3 prisoners require different housing. There are five separate buildings around the yard. Each building has cells that typically house two inmates each. Building 2 houses inmates that are segregated from the rest of the population for a variety of reasons. Building 3 is currently utilized as a Covid-19 segregation unit. The other buildings house those considered general population inmates. The prison was quiet and there were no incidents during our tour. During our initial meeting with staff, we learned about all the services that the prison provides. The staff we interviewed would like the public to know that the prison is in need of both employees and volunteers for programs and services. The prison does outreach to the public to acquire personnel. Staff also wants the public to know that the prison does more than just house inmates. Rehabilitation of the incarcerated is part of their mission and one of their main concerns. All programs are meant to help the inmate rehabilitate himself into a productive member of society and abstain from criminal activity. Sierra Conservation Center Staff have programs that raise money for local community needs, such as aid to fire victims. Inmates also raise money for charities. 13
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  C3. The Grand Jury greatly appreciated your open discussion and level of transparency and the detailed and lengthy tour you hosted. We were also impressed by the cleanliness of the facilities and yards. 14 REQUESTED RESPONSES

Agency Responses 1

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No Responses Found 4

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