Tuolumne County 2007-2008 - California Grand Jury Reports

June 17, 2008 — 2007-2008 Grand Jury Report

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F18: Since participating in the SAP, his life has taken a new direction. He now looks forward to achieving a GED and more advanced degrees. Ultimately this inmate would like to become a SAP counselor working with the SAP program. All educational, vocational and substance abuse programs are designed to give inmates a chance to better themselves while incarcerated. Statewide, as many as 70% of general population inmates return to prison. This is compared to 60% of academically educated inmates and 58% of vocationally trained inmates. The return rate for inmates in the Conservation Camp program and the SAP is only 30%. This supports the administration’s belief that in order to rehabilitate an inmate you must give him a sense of purpose and a feeling of self worth. 2007/2008 Tuolumne County Grand Jury Report SIERRA CONSERVATION CENTER Inspection of the Level III kitchen area revealed the following health and safety issues: § Broken faucet in a three-compartment sink in the pan washing area § Rust on the underside of a three-compartment sink § Running water from a broken faucet in the inmate bathroom in the kitchen area § An unpleasant odor coming from a clogged drain in front of a refrigerator unit These issues were brought to the attention of the administration.

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R1: Increase the recycling of household waste. This would help to offset any reduction in the recycling of agricultural/industrial waste.

R2: Research and implement a proven effective household waste-recycling program to replace the current ineffective blue-bag program. There are many varied successful household waste recycling programs in use in other counties.

R3: Emphasis should be placed on having an accident free workplace by involving employees in the process. When accidents occur, safety procedures should be reviewed with department employees by the department’s safety coordinator/manager to raise safety awareness.

R4: Implement a countywide safety incentive program that rewards reductions in injury and illness incidence rates.

R5: Implement monthly safety inspections by department. This would help reduce potential safety hazards and increase safety awareness. COMMENDATION The jury concluded that the Return-to-Work Program has proven to be highly effective in minimizing lost workdays by county employees.

R6: Add secure anchor restraints in the booking area to which prisoners could be handcuffed if holding cells are not available.

R7: Install a panic button type alarm system in the booking area, the exercise area, and in other areas of the jail to summon help in the event of a fight or other disorderly conduct. 2007/2008 Tuolumne County Grand Jury Report TUOLUMNE COUNTY JAIL

R8: Develop plans to improve the hiring process. Expedite background checks.

R9: Provide telephone service at a lower cost to prisoners and their families. GRAND JURY REPORT 2007-2008 CALIFORNIA TUOLUMNE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT The Tuolumne County Fire Department’s Mono Village Fire Stat ion # 51. Photo Courtesy: Trace Wedel Copyright ©2008 SUMMARY The Tuolumne County Fire Department (TCFD) was last investigated by the Grand Jury in 2001. The jury was interested in understanding the working relationship between TCFD and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). The jury visited TCFD facilities, interviewed personnel, obtained documentation, and researched county and fire department statistics. TCFD is a combination paid and volunteer fire protection agency. TCFD contracts with CAL FIRE to administer the county’s life and property fire protection program.1 TCFD has always been dependent on volunteer firefighters. While county population has grown, volunteerism has sharply declined and paid personnel levels have remained unchanged since 1982. INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND The Tuolumne County Fire Department (TCFD) had not been investigated since 2001. In 1974, Tuolumne County entered into a cooperative agreement with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to provide fire protection and emergency medical response.2 The jury was interested in the cooperative efforts of CAL FIRE and TCFD. 22000077//22000088 TTuuoolluummnnee CCoouunnttyy GGrraanndd JJuurryy RReeppoorrtt TUOLUMNE COTUUNOTLYU FMIRNEE DCEOPUANRTTYM JEANILT

R20-27: students. All classes are mandated by the state to be ethnically balanced. Classes are offered in morning and afternoon sessions, doubling the amount of students enrolled at one time. Instructors have access to computers and educational software. Students have access to computers without the Inmates at Sierra Conservation Center attend Pre-Release instruction. Classes are Internet. SCC offers English taught by credentialed teachers. Photo used by permission of SCC. Copyright as a Second Language ©2008 (ESL) even though, according to the principal, some inmates are reluctant to learn English. All teaching positions at SCC are currently filled with fully accredited teachers. Volunteers complement the full-time academic teaching staff. The CDCR is adopting the use of standardized courses throughout the entire prison system. A standardized system allows transferred inmates to continue their studies without being reevaluated. Inmates may enroll in seven vocational programs, providing they have a minimum of a 9th grade equivalency on the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE). All vocational classes are filled with 27 inmates per class, each with a long waiting list. The vocational programs held in well-equipped shops include auto mechanics, auto body, carpentry, landscaping, masonry, cabinet making and welding. The instructors are certified in their respective fields and, by the state, as instructors. Inmates in the vocational training program do many repairs and maintenance of prison facilities. 2007/2008 Tuolumne County Grand Jury Report SIERRA CONSERVATION CENTER The SAP is an important part of the educational programs at SCC. This program is used to educate and reform inmates who have histories of drug, alcohol, and/or anger management issues. Inmates with six months remaining on their sentence are eligible to participate in the SAP. The SAP is based on a therapeutic-community model where the abuser himself affects changes. Participants in this program are required to attend daily peer meetings with a counselor. The program uses positive reinforcement for good behavior by giving inmates extra phone time or " first-in-line privileges" at meals. A holistic approach focuses on positive behavior, thinking and values, stressing that it is the inmate who has the problem and must be the one who changes. SCC utilizes Centerpoint, Inc., an independent contractor, to administer the SAP program. Participation in the SAP is strictly voluntary. Inmates in the SAP must remain drug free, maintain high standards of civility, and have no disciplinary offenses. Upon release from prison, SAP participants must spend six months living in a halfway house to assist them in assimilating back into society. The Level I yard has a “Freedom and Choice” program, which is primarily run by inmate participants with oversight by prison staff. This voluntary program allows inmates to live in dorms with other participants relatively free from the peer pressure of gangs and disruptive groups. Freedom and Choice was conceived and developed by one of SCC’s Correctional Sergeants. The program has Inmates who participate in “Freedom & Choice” live in separate dorms from other inmates. Photo used by expanded and there are pilot programs at permission of SCC. Copyright ©2008 other institutions with more to be implemented. The Conservation Camps also offer educational and vocational opportunities. Commonly known as fire camps, the main goal is to train inmates to perform a wide Inmates on the Level I and II prison yards conduct physical fitness training (PFT) as part of the joint CDCR – CAL FIRE Firefighter Training program. More than half of California's 3800 full-time wildland firefighters are prison inmates.2 Photos used by permission of SCC. Copyright ©2008 2007/2008 Tuolumne County Grand Jury Report SIERRA CONSERVATION CENTER range of emergency services and respond to natural disasters. During fire season, they help CAL FIRE control and extinguish vegetation fires. During the non-fire season, inmate crews abate poison oak, clear fire lines, cut trails and brush, and perform other community services. This provides substantial savings to local communities. The camps provide savings, as it is approximately 50% less costly to house inmates in a camp versus a prison. The Baseline camp houses 134 inmates. Criteria for any camp placement include no violent offenses, minimum custody status, and less than three years left to serve. All Baseline eligible inmates attend SAP meetings. All camp inmates are required to act with dignity and respect both in camp and in the community. The Food Service Department is responsible for the nutritional needs of the inmates. There are two dining halls located on each of the three yards. Inmates are given a bag lunch and two hot meals a day in the cafeterias. The total cost of feeding each inmate is approximately $2.60 per day. Inside the dayroom of a Level III housing unit. There are over 1000 inmates on SCC’s Level III yard. Photo used by permission of SCC. Copyright ©2008 A typical two-man cell. Photo used by permission of SCC Copyright ©2008 FINDINGS After touring SCC, the jury found it to be a generally well run facility. The Level I and II dorms originally designed to house 12, now house up to 36 inmates. There are two toilets, two sinks and one shower per dorm. All dorms have a dayroom with a television. The jury noted that there were leaky showers in the G-Dorm. The administration is aware of these leaks and plans to repair them. Level III inmates are housed two per cell, 2007/2008 Tuolumne County Grand Jury Report SIERRA CONSERVATION CENTER with additional bunk beds placed throughout the day room areas. Despite overcrowding, all of the employees the jury encountered were professional. The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) gave an overview of the medical facilities and informed the jury that all inmates have a constitutional right to medical care. The CMO stated that SCC was the only prison in California 100% in compliance with court requirements under the Plata decision 3. The prison healthcare system is dealing with the medical demands of an older inmate population, 33% of whom are 50 years of age or older. Many of these inmates came into the system with poor health. Other problems include communicable diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. An estimated 70% of inmates have Hepatitis C. The pharmacy that provides all medications for inmates is secure. Inmates line up outside a receiving window and get their medications under the observation of officers. Diabetic prisoners are monitored regularly and given insulin as needed. After receiving medication, inmate’s mouths are inspected to prevent them from selling it or saving it for later use. SCC offers a wide variety of educational and vocational opportunities to its inmates. The jury found this to be a busy, active area of the prison. Most of the classrooms were filled with inmates taking part in some form of schooling. Despite the cost of higher education programs to the inmates, there is widespread interest due to the prestige inmates receive for accomplishing this level of education. The teachers that the jury interviewed had no misgivings about teaching inmates and preferred this setting to that of a regular school based on the inmates’ desire to learn. Although volunteers supplement the SCC teaching staff, more volunteers are needed. Upon completing the vocational programs, and being released from prison, many inmates with a letter of recommendation from their instructors can enroll in union apprenticeship programs. Although the SAP building was overcrowded, Centerpoint and SAP directors firmly believe that their work makes a difference by providing inmates an opportunity to change their lives. The jury interviewed a 26-year-old inmate incarcerated since he was 18. Since participating in the SAP, his life has taken a new direction. He now looks forward to achieving a GED and more advanced degrees. Ultimately this inmate would like to become a SAP counselor working with the SAP program. All educational, vocational and substance abuse programs are designed to give inmates a chance to better themselves while incarcerated. Statewide, as many as 70% of general population inmates return to prison. This is compared to 60% of academically educated inmates and 58% of vocationally trained inmates. The return rate for inmates in the Conservation Camp program and the SAP is only 30%. This supports the administration’s belief that in order to rehabilitate an inmate you must give him a sense of purpose and a feeling of self worth. 2007/2008 Tuolumne County Grand Jury Report SIERRA CONSERVATION CENTER Inspection of the Level III kitchen area revealed the following health and safety issues: § Broken faucet in a three-compartment sink in the pan washing area § Rust on the underside of a three-compartment sink § Running water from a broken faucet in the inmate bathroom in the kitchen area § An unpleasant odor coming from a clogged drain in front of a refrigerator unit These issues were brought to the attention of the administration. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Adding evening and weekend class times to allow more inmates to participate in the educational programs. 2. Recruit additional volunteers to tutor and mentor inmates in education, vocation and substance abuse programs. 3. Expand the SAP and Freedom and Choice to include inmates on all three Levels at SCC. Some inmates may not be aware of these programs. 4. Ensure health and safety issues observed in food service areas have been resolved. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1 http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/News/2007_Press_Releases/October_22.html 2 Plata v. Schwarzenegger: Allegations that California Department of Corrections officials provided inadequate medical services, including: sick call, triage, emergency care, nurses, urgent care, chronic care, specialty referrals, medical screenings, follow-up care, examinations, medications, diets, terminal care, health education, and dental care. Under this court decision, the CDCR was ordered to provide equal access to care for inmates. For more information, go to: http://clearinghouse.wustl.edu/detail.php?id=589 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK GRAND JURY REPORT 2007-2008 CALIFORNIA TUOLUMNE NARCOTICS TEAM (TNT)