Santa Cruz County
Jails Review

Background

There are seven detention facilities that comprise the jail system in Santa Cruz County. Six are operated by the Santa Cruz County; the seventh, Camp 45, is operated by the state:

1. Main Jail

2. Rountree Medium

3. Rountree Minimum

4. Juvenile Hall

5. Blaine Street

6. Court Holding

7. Camp 45

The Main Jail, Rountree facilities, Blaine Street and the Court Holding cells are operated by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff. Juvenile Hall is operated by the Probation Department. The budget for each of these facilities is under the control of the county Board of Supervisors. Camp 45 is operated by the California Department of Corrections, and its budget is under the control of the State of California.

Scope

The Grand Jury is mandated by California Penal Code § 919(b) to inspect and report on the conditions and management of the jail facilities within the county. To satisfy this mandate, the Criminal Justice Committee and other members of the Grand Jury: (1) inspected the Main Jail, Rountree facilities, Blaine Street, and Juvenile Hall; (2) spoke with management, staff, and inmates at each facility; (3) reviewed previous Grand Jury reports, paying particular attention to prior recommendations; and (4) reviewed California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation inspection reports for each facility.

Main Jail

The Santa Cruz Main Jail is located at 259 Water Street, across the street from the County Courthouse. Three visits were made. The first visit was during the afternoon and early evening on September 29, 2006, the second visit in the afternoon on Sept. 30, 2006, and the third visit in the evening on Feb. 2, 2007.

Main Jail Findings

  1. In 2006, the average daily number of inmates housed in the Main Jail was 340. On September 29 and 30, 2006, the total inmate population was 317. Approximately 10 percent of these inmates were female. On Feb. 2, 2007, the population was 321. Although there are a maximum of 424 beds available, the Main Jail’s rated capacity is 311. This capacity is set by the California Corrections Standards Authority, which inspects the jail every two years.
  2. The Sheriff’s 2007 report on overcrowding, presented to the County Board of Supervisors in February 2007, reported that, “Although jail bookings decreased by only 1 percent, the average monthly population at the Main Jail is down 10 percent compared to 2005. The average monthly Main Jail population in 2005 was 386 in comparison to 346 in 2006.”
  3. In April 2007, the Governor and California State Legislature approved a prison reform measure aimed at easing overcrowding at state prisons. The measure includes $1.2 billion in funding to increase the number of beds at county jails statewide by 13,000, with a requirement that counties receiving state funds match 25 percent of the state’s contribution. Counties that assist the state in providing re-entry facilities and mental health programs for state prison parolees will receive preference from the state for the local jail funding.
  4. The jail population consists of both male and female inmates who have cases pending, have been sentenced, or who are awaiting sentencing. Approximately 75 percent of inmates housed in the jail are repeat offenders. On Sept. 30, 2006, 80 percent were not yet sentenced.
  5. The jail population is segregated, with members of competing gangs housed in separate units, each with their own recreation room and exercise yard. Inmates with psychological problems, sex offenders and those who are violent are also segregated from the rest of the Main Jail population. Meals are served separately to eliminate contact. Jail inmates come into contact with inmates from other wings only during travel to court appearances.
  6. At least one bilingual officer is on duty during every shift. Corrections officers said the Sheriff’s Office neither actively encourages nor discourages officers to learn Spanish, a prevalent language of inmates at the jail.
  7. The Sheriff’s Office spent $99,000 in 2006 on remodeling and mildew removal in one of the shower facilities at the Main Jail.
  8. Arrestees who are drunk at the time of their arrest are put in the jail’s drunk tank for a minimum of five hours. The Sheriff’s Office collects  information on “serial inebriates,” those arrested at least four times within a 30-day period on suspicion of being drunk in public. The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s office uses the information as part of the implementation of Proposition 36, the statewide measure passed in 2000 that allows first- and second-time nonviolent, simple drug possession offenders the opportunity to receive substance abuse treatment instead of incarceration.
  9. Everyone who is admitted to the jail for 14 days or longer is examined by a doctor. The jail also offers limited dentistry (including pulling teeth, but not fillings or more extensive dental work). Testing of inmates for tuberculosis is now mandatory.
  10. There are two nurses on duty overnight, more during days.
  11. The entire corrections staff was retrained in the use of stun guns in fall 2006 following the death of an inmate in custody who had been subdued by a stun gun. Stun guns were reintroduced back into the jail in October 2006.
  12. Medical records during the September visits were found stored out in the open in a hallway, possibly in violation of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy requirements.  The records were stored properly in a storage room during the February visit.
  13. In November 2006, the Sheriff’s Office initiated regular one-hour Sunday tours of the Main Jail that are open to the public. Approximately 250 people had toured the Main Jail as of May 2007.
  14. Corrections officers work 12-hour shifts with no overlap of shifts.
  15. As of March 13, 2007, 12 corrections officer positions at the jails were unfilled.
  16. On busy nights, particularly Fridays and Saturdays, the jail cannot accept and process persons arrested as fast as they are brought to the jail. As a result, police cars from all the county’s law enforcement jurisdictions often queue up outside the jail, with police personnel forced to wait, sometimes more than an hour, for their turn. During this time, the officers are off the streets rather than patrolling.
  17. The Main Jail is scheduled to install a new fingerprinting system that will enable officers to scan a prisoner’s thumb print as soon as they drive into the intake port. This system will begin the process of identifying the prisoner, saving the officer time later into the intake process. The same fingerprinting system will also be used to scan prisoners before they are released from jail, providing positive identification and reducing the chance that an inmate will be released erroneously.
  18. The county’s only booking facility is in the Main Jail. Police working in the south part of the county must transport persons who are arrested to the Main Jail in Santa Cruz for booking.
  19. Creation of a new “prisoner classification system,” recommended by the National Institute of Corrections, is due to be completed this spring or summer. One of the expected benefits of the new system will be a more comprehensive analysis of new prisoners, possibly resulting in an increase in the number of inmates qualifying for rehabilitation programs rather than incarceration in the Main Jail. Also, as recommended by the National Institute of Corrections, a “Jail Population Control Officer” has been appointed temporarily to monitor jail overcrowding until the new classification system is completed, at which time a “classification team” of corrections officers will take over the task.
  20. Medical services at the Main Jail, as well as at the other corrections facilities in the county, are provided by the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency.
  21. In the majority of counties in California, medical services are contracted out by the county’s Sheriff’s Department to private companies. In most of the remaining counties, the Sheriff’s Department is responsible for providing medical care for inmates. The model used in Santa Cruz County with the county’s Health Services Agency responsible for providing medical care for inmates is unusual, though not unique.
  22. The California Code of Regulations establishes requirements for medical care in county jails. Title 15, Minimum Standards for Local Detention Facilities, Article 11, Medical/Mental Health Services, Sec. 1200, establishes that the Sheriff’s Office is ultimately responsible for the provision of health care within the jails. It states, “Responsibility for Health Care Services: (a) In Type I, II, III, and IV facilities, the facility administrator shall have the responsibility to ensure provision of emergency and basic health care services to all inmates.”
  23. Detention Medical Services is a small portion of the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency’s responsibilities and budget. The overall budget for the Health Services Agency is $135 million; the total budget for Detention Medical Services is $3 million. Of the 20 Health Services Agency’s Detention Medical Services positions, two-thirds are nurses. Four and a half positions in Detention Medical Services were vacant as of March 2007.
  24. The Health Services Agency is working toward computerization of all reports and paperwork, but computerization of jail reports for the handling of medications and tracking medical reports has been delayed.
  25. Nursing staff turnover at the jail has been high, partly attributable to the higher salaries nurses can earn both locally at private health institutions in the county, including the hospital, and in jails in other counties. There have been suggestions that the Detention Medical Services department, because it comprises only a fraction of the entire Health Services Agency’s mission, is not being given the attention or resources necessary to operate efficiently, and that Detention Medical Services is losing trained, experienced personnel, resulting in lost productivity and expertise and higher training costs. Salaries for detention medical services personnel are currently under review to determine their competitiveness with other similar positions. County administrators and labor representatives for nurses initiated negotiations for a new contract in spring, 2007.
  26. The Interim Director of Detention Medical Services is conducting an assessment of costs, staffing, issues involving who has authority over detention medical services staff, and state statutory guidelines for providing medical care to inmates. The goal of the assessment is to determine, 1) whether inmate care is best managed through the county’s Health Services Agency; 2) if the county would be better served by having the Sheriff’s Office manage Detention Medical Services itself; or 3) if the Sheriff’s Office should contract out to a private health provider. The report is projected to be completed sometime in 2008.

Main Jail Conclusions

  1. The facility is well-managed. Officers and staff conducted themselves in a professional manner during inspections, answered questions asked of them in a thorough and knowledgeable manner, promptly provided backup information when requested and exhibited a sense of pride in their work.
  2. Overcrowding at the Main Jail continues to be a problem. Although the Sheriff’s Office is actively working to find solutions, the state’s recently approved prison reform package may increase the number of prisoners serving their sentence in county jail who previously would have been incarcerated in a state prison.
  3. The institution of mandatory testing for tuberculosis has reduced the risk to staff and inmates of contracting this illness.
  4. The new program of public tours at the Main Jail is a positive step in developing stronger community relations between the Sheriff’s Office and the public.
  5. The Health Services Agency does a professional and adequate job of providing detention medical services for the Main Jail and other corrections facilities in Santa Cruz County, but it does not appear that this arrangement is the most effective and efficient for either the Health Services Agency or the Sheriff’s Office.
  6. Noncompetitive pay scales for both health services workers in the jail and corrections officers continue to make it difficult to attract and retain experienced employees.
  7. The lack of computerization in handling medications and tracking of medical reports exacerbates the difficult and time-consuming work that nurses must perform at the Main Jail.
  8. The lack of a booking facility in the southern portion of Santa Cruz County reduces the time officers are available in their own jurisdictions.

Main Jail Recommendations

  1. The Sheriff’s Office should implement its new prisoner classification system as soon as possible and continue to look for additional ways to reduce overcrowding.
  2. The Sheriff’s Office should aggressively pursue opening a second booking facility in the southern portion of the county, as well as additional methods of expediting the process for officers delivering arrestees to the jail.
  3. The Sheriff’s Office should continue to offer tours of the Main Jail to the public and consider extending the practice to its Rountree facilities in Watsonville.
  4. The Board of Supervisors should evaluate the compensation given to Sheriff’s Office corrections staff and the Health Services Agency’s Detention Medical Services staff to assure the parity of pay of those positions compared with similar jobs elsewhere.

    5.
  5. The Sheriff’s Office and Health Services Agency should expedite their review of the most effective and cost-efficient way to provide health services to the jails, including reviewing the possibility of contracting out some or all of the jails’ health care needs to a private company.
  6. The Sheriff’s Office should encourage Spanish language training for correctional officers.

Main Jail Commendation

Jail administrators and staff and Detention Medical Services staff should be commended for their professionalism.

Responses Required

Entity

Findings

Recommendations

Respond Within

Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors

14, 25, 26

4

60 Days

September 1, 2007

 

Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner

2, 3, 17, 19
16, 18
13
22, 25, 26
6

1
2
3
5
6

60 Days

September 1, 2007

 

Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency

22, 25, 26

5

60 Days

September 1, 2007

 



Rountree Medium and Minimum Security jails

Background

The Rountree Facility is located on Rountree Lane in Watsonville. The facility was built in 1993 on 11 acres and incorporates both medium and minimum security facilities for male inmates who have been sentenced. The medium security facility houses inmates who have been determined to not require the maximum segregation provided by the Main Jail, but who still require locked incarceration and/or segregation from other prisoners; the minimum security facility houses inmates who are determined not to pose a threat, qualify for work-release programs and do not have a high level of criminal sophistication. Both Rountree facilities house inmates who have been convicted and sentenced for up to one year in jail.

Rountree Findings

  1. The Grand Jury visited the Rountree facilities on Nov. 11, 2006. The maximum capacity of the Rountree medium security facility is 100 inmates; the population on Nov. 11 was 70. The minimum security facility has a maximum capacity of 280 inmates; the population on Nov. 11 was 90.
  2. There are at least five correctional officers on duty at any given time at the medium security facility. Three officers work the day shift at the minimum security facility, three work the swing shift, and two work the overnight shift.
  3. The living areas are dormitory style. A correctional officer is present in the dormitory at all times.
  4. The annual state inspection for Rountree, conducted on June 27, 2006, found the facility in substantial compliance with environmental health, nutritional, and medical/mental health policies. It noted, however, “the lack of any onsite medical records for use by medical staff raises concerns regarding the ability to make accurate diagnostic and treatment decisions onsite. Currently, the Main Jail staff must be contacted to receive any medical history, diagnoses, or treatment decisions. This degree of communication is intensive and occasionally results in lack of sufficient data being transmitted.”
  5. The dining halls in both the medium and minimum security facilities were clean, the floors mopped, tables wiped clean. Prisoners are served a sufficient quantity of food to meet state-mandated daily caloric requirements.
  6. A brick pathway on the south side of the medium security building is cracked and presents a trip hazard.
  7. A nurse is on site at the facility four days a week, Tuesday through Friday, for eight hours each day. Medications are distributed twice a day in marked bubble packs that help prevent the wrong medications from being distributed to inmates. If an inmate is injured when a nurse is not present, or the injury requires more extensive treatment, the inmate is taken to the Main Jail or Watsonville Medical Clinic.
  8. The SAFE (Substance Abuse Free Environment) Program, which involved counselors visiting the facility every day with voluntary programs for prisoners aimed at ending drug use, was cancelled as of June 30, 2006. Funding for the program, which had been court-ordered, was not renewed by the county. The Sheriff’s Office determined that the program was ineffective. Inmates who participated in the last SAFE Program offered at Rountree in 2006 before it was cancelled had already re-offended and been rearrested several months later.
  9. There is an automated external defibrillator (AED) at Rountree, but staff does not feel comfortable operating it.
  10. A program modeled after the minimum security facility requires prisoners to begin their day by sitting up and being active when they wake rather than simply lying in bed all day and sleeping and then being more disruptive at night. The program was initiated in the medium security facility in October 2006. On Monday through Friday, inmates are required after eating breakfast to make their beds and clean themselves up. They can go to classes, or if they choose, they can sit on their bunk, but they are not allowed to lie down and go back to sleep.
  11. The number of activities available to inmates in the medium security facility, including ping pong tables, weights, and additional educational opportunities, has been expanded to provide inmates with more incentive to be more active during the daytime.
  12. Spanish is the primary language for approximately half of the inmates in the medium-security facility. Seventy percent of the Rountree staff speaks Spanish and a Spanish-speaking officer is on duty most, but not all, of the time.
  13. Security cameras are being added above the guard watch stations in each unit in the medium security facility to increase officer safety and inmate monitoring at night.
  14. The Rountree medium security facility does not house women. There is presently no medium security detention facility in Santa Cruz County for women; they are either housed in the high security Main Jail, or if they have been sentenced and meet certain criteria, they are housed at the minimum security Blaine Street facility.
  15. Rountree does not house mentally unstable inmates who need frequent medical attention medication. It also does not house inmates with chronic medical conditions that require regular medical care. Those inmates are housed in the Main Jail facility.
  16. As noted in previous years’ Grand Jury reports, the lack of an on-site nurse precludes inmates who require cardiac, psychotropic drug combinations, or injectable medications from being placed in the medium or minimum security facility. The Health Services Agency, which is responsible for providing medical care for prisoners, is studying the possibility of expanding the availability of nursing care at Rountree to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The results of that study were due this past spring.
  17. Inmates at the minimum security facility, also known as “the farm,” are monitored by head counts taken three times each day.
  18. Between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, inmates at the farm are outside the facility at work on work crews or off-premises on work-release programs.
  19. The farm includes a well-equipped computer lab that provides basic computer skills and training, and an auto repair shop for learning basic automotive repair and body work skills.
  20. The population center of the county is shifting to the south and there is no booking and intake facility other than at the Main Jail in the city of Santa Cruz.

Rountree Conclusions

  1. The physical appearance of the facility, including the kitchen and living areas, is exemplary.
  2. Staff confidence in how to use the facility’s automated external defibrillator is not sufficient.
  3. Facility administrators have increased the number and variety of activities available to inmates in the medium security facility during the daytime. Concurrently, the program initiated to prevent inmates from sleeping or lying in bed all day helps redirect their energy, resulting in more productive days and less disruptive nights.
  4. Staffing is not adequate to ensure that at least one Spanish-speaking corrections officer is on duty at all times.
  5. The lack of a medium security facility that can house lower-risk female inmates and chronically ill inmates results in inmates who would qualify for such a facility continuing to serve sentences in the more severe environment of the Main Jail.
  6. Round-the-clock nursing staff would enable the Sheriff’s Office to shift some low-risk prisoners out of the overcrowded Main Jail and into the less-utilized medium security facility. It could also decrease costs related to transportation and treatment of inmates to the Main Jail or a local clinic when they are sick. It may or may not be cost-effective to expand the nursing staff at Rountree, given that it has not been determined how many inmates would benefit or what the transport costs would be.
  7. The minimum security facility continues to be a positive and productive alternative to more restrictive incarceration for low-risk inmates to serve their time productively and take advantage of educational opportunities that can decrease their potential to re-offend.
  8. Medical records for inmates are not kept onsite at the Rountree facility. However, the county’s Detention Medical Services utilizes a screening process that prevents inmates with medical conditions that necessitate a higher level of medical care from being transferred from the Main Jail to Rountree, minimizing the potential for diagnosis and treatment complications.
  9. Security and safety within the medium security units will be improved by the planned addition of cameras above the guard watch stations.
  10. Having a booking and intake facility at Rountree would reduce travel time for officers coming from South County.

Rountree Recommendations

  1. The Sheriff’s Office should provide guards with additional training in using the onsite automated external defibrillator.
  2. The Sheriff’s Office should encourage additional Spanish language training for corrections officers.
  3. The Sheriff’s Office should review the report from the Health Services Agency when completed to determine whether expanding nursing at Rountree is warranted.
  4. The Sheriff’s Office should aggressively pursue adding a booking and intake facility at Rountree.

 

Responses Required

Entity

Findings

Recommendations

Respond Within

Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors

9
12
20

1
2
3

60 Days

September 1, 2007

 

 

Santa Cruz County Probation Dept.

5, 13, 14

4 & 5

90 Days

October 1, 2007

 



Juvenile Hall

Background

Santa Cruz County Juvenile Hall, located at 3650 Graham Hill Road, was built in 1968. Undergoing several modifications over the years, the facility currently has a capacity level of 42 beds. The Juvenile Hall site also houses Juvenile Court and some of the Probation Departments' offices. About 25 of the county’s approximately 70 probation officers are dedicated to serving juveniles.

Santa Cruz County Juvenile Hall has been designated a model site for the Annie E. Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) — one of only four facilities in the nation. The objectives of JDAI are:

The Grand Jury visited on Oct. 21, 2006, and again on March 23, 2007. This year’s budget included an allocation of $175,000 to install new video monitoring cameras and new intercoms to communicate with inmates in their rooms; as of March 23rd, proposals for the work were being evaluated with installation anticipated to start in the next few weeks; the new cameras and intercoms will make staff feel safer and wards more comfortable.

Juvenile Hall Findings

Facilities

  1. Juvenile Hall has been rated to house 42 juveniles by the California Department of Corrections. The average daily population in October 2006 was 24 and in March 2007, it was 35. In recent years, Juvenile Hall regularly housed more than 50 juveniles at a time. The Santa Cruz County Probation Department has experienced considerable success at finding alternatives to incarceration for juveniles arrested or awaiting trial.
  2. Juveniles between the ages of 12 to 18 are housed in two different units: the “A” unit houses older, more sophisticated offenders who have committed more serious crimes, and the “B” unit houses girls and the younger and less sophisticated detainees. There have been no escapes during the past year.
  3. Juveniles who are sentenced are sent out of county to one of the facilities operated by the Department of Juvenile Justice to serve their sentence. There are no DJJ facilities in Santa Cruz County.
  4. The facility is over 30 years old but appears to be well maintained. It is clean and orderly. There is a modest capital investment made annually.
  5. The recreation yard is relatively small, uncovered and paved with asphalt and concrete. There is an attractive ball field, an asphalt volleyball court and grassy areas adjacent to the building. These areas are not currently used by the facility since they are not secured by necessary fencing. And, while less serious offenders could use the area without the secure fencing, Juvenile Hall does not have enough staff with the new level of credentials necessary to cover the inside and outside areas at the same time.
  6. An inspection of the kitchen and dining area found it clean and orderly. An evening meal ready for serving suggested that detainees are given food that is healthy, tastes good and meets nutritional guidelines set by the state.
  7. Each juvenile is provided with a secure living space; they double up in some rooms but there appeared to be ample space. The rooms contain a sink and drinking fountain. Recently, the doors to the rooms were replaced and modified to swing out into the hall rather than into the rooms, freeing up living area and increasing safety.

 

  1. The day rooms, classrooms and a library appeared to be clean, orderly and well stocked with reading materials, television, computers and video equipment (i.e., projector in classroom, video entertainment equipment in the day room).
  2. According to staff, Juvenile Hall does not have adequate heating and there is no air conditioning. Replacement of the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning system has been identified for future funding.

Operations

  1. The staff seemed genuinely concerned with the welfare of the youth brought to the facility. Their emphasis appeared to be on matching the needs of the juvenile to the appropriate community resource (versus detention and warehousing). Youth selected for detention are only those considered high-risk (e.g., danger to the community, unlikely to appear for court date) or those needing a place to stay while awaiting placement with parents, a social program or foster care.
  2. Juveniles brought to Juvenile Hall undergo two extensive risk assessments to determine who poses a threat to the public and who can be released to house arrest. The assessment includes determining drug use and thoughts of suicide. Detainees are given a complete physical, including testing for tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases. The exams are private and one detainee at a time.
  3. Two-thirds of the staff is bilingual; half speak Spanish.
  4. Hot breakfasts are no longer served due to funding limitations. Some juveniles don’t feel it is worth the effort to get up so early for cold cereal in the morning and expressed a desire to have hot meals reinstituted.
  5. Juveniles detained are given medical attention including checks for physical abuse, an annual physical and immunizations. Nursing staff is available on-site (not around the clock). All staff is trained in CPR, 24 hours of training mandated each year. There is no automated external defibrillator on site (but they want one, primarily for staff due to remoteness of location). 
  6. Santa Cruz County Juvenile Hall has child mental health services eight hours per day, seven days a week and drug and alcohol specialist services 40 hours a week.
  7. Juvenile Hall has its own community school for instruction provided in three school rooms through the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. Juveniles receive 180 minutes of schooling each day, the same as public schools; school is year-round; students rotate during the day to different rooms; teachers stay in the same room.
  8. A variety of programs are offered to youth, including those from Barrios Unidos, yoga, substance abuse counseling, writing, and poetry instruction. The poetry program is immensely popular among the wards and offers them instruction in the writing arts. It gives participants the opportunity to have their writing in a weekly newsletter published by Pacific News Service. This program provides a therapeutic opportunity and builds self-esteem.

Juvenile Hall Conclusions

  1. The facility continues to be well managed with staff who appear to listen to the juveniles and work to improve, as best they can, the lives of the youth they serve.
  2. Once the new video monitoring and intercom installation is completed, staff will be better able to communicate with inmates in their rooms and will make staff feel safer and the inmates more comfortable.
  3. Installation of the new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system would improve conditions for staff and wards.
  4. A covered (shaded) recreation yard would allow for greater outdoor physical activity during inclement weather.
  5. Programs that get the juveniles outdoors on a more regular basis are extremely limited.
  6. Securing the fencing around the upper field would allow the detainees to use the spacious grassy area, a basketball hoop and volleyball net and have access to a general open air feeling not found in the rest of the facility.
  7. Staff needs to work to attain the new level of credentials to monitor the inside and outside areas at the same time.
  8. Providing hot breakfasts, if only on weekends, would improve morale.
  9. Putting an automated external defibrillator on site would be desirable due to the remoteness of the Juvenile Hall site.
  10. Santa Cruz County can be proud that it is a model site of the Annie E. Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative.

Juvenile Hall Recommendations

  1. The Board of Supervisors should prioritize the fencing required to use the adjacent ball field, volleyball court and grassy courtyard to increase exercise opportunities for the juveniles.
  2. The Board of Supervisors should ensure that the money budgeted to upgrade the heating and ventilation system at Juvenile Hall be implemented.
  3. Sufficient money should be budgeted and allocated by the Board of Supervisors for the construction of a covering over the courtyard area, which would provide an outdoor exercise area during poor weather conditions.
  4. Additional programs that would get the juveniles outdoors and provide an educational experience, such as Life Lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz, should be considered.
  5. Hot breakfasts should be reinstituted, at least on weekends.
  6. Funds should be allocated for an automated external defibrillator.

Juvenile Hall Commendations

  1. The Board of Supervisors should commend the Probation Department and Juvenile Hall staff for their professionalism and their dedication to the community.
  2. The Board of Supervisors is to be commended for its continuing support for investment in capital improvements to Juvenile Hall, such as the funds authorized for new video monitoring cameras and new intercoms.

Responses Required

Entity

Findings

Recommendations

Respond Within

Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors

9,

1 – 3, 6 & 7

60 Days

September 1, 2007

 

Santa Cruz County Probation Dept.

5, 13, 14

4 & 5

90 Days

October 1, 2007

 

 

Blaine Street

Background

Blaine Street Women’s Minimum Security Jail is located at 144 Blaine St., Santa Cruz. It has been in operation since 1984. Female inmates who have been sentenced and rated minimum security are housed here. The jail facility, a converted residence, is located in a residential neighborhood behind the Main Jail. It has a maximum capacity of 36 inmates. Blaine Street is currently operated at less-than-full capacity due to screening criteria, which disqualifies many inmates from being accepted.

Blaine Street Findings

1.      To be housed at the Blaine Street facility, women must have no history of violence in jail and have not been charged with a violent crime.

2.      Six inmates walked away from the facility in 2006. Four were caught in 2006 and two were caught in February 2007. If a woman walks away, she is not chased; instead, a warrant is issued. When captured, the woman is returned to the Main Jail facility and charged with a felony.

3.      The average age is 20-30 years old, and the ethnic makeup mirrors the county population.

4.      The recidivism rate is estimated at approximately 40 percent. Currently no records are kept to track recidivism.

5.      Because there are no medical facilities at Blaine St. and a nurse only visits four times a week, women with mental health problems, with medical conditions such as diabetes, or those who are being treated with psychiatric medications are not housed at Blaine St. Inmates can be taken to the Main Jail next door or the classroom can be used when privacy is required, but in the event of a medical or safety emergency, it can take at least two minutes for emergency personnel to arrive from the Main Jail.

6.      All staff is trained in CPR and first aid, but there is no automated external defibrillator located at Blaine Street.

7.      All women housed in this facility at the time of the Grand Jury visits were incarcerated for drug and/or alcohol charges, and most are incarcerated for methamphetamine use. Some are charged with other crimes committed while under the influence of drugs.

8.      Women are urine tested on admission. If there are any drugs identified in their systems, they are sent to detoxification at the Main Jail.

9.      Inmates are allowed family visits of one two-hour visit per week. With supervision from Child Protective Services (CPS), they could have 2-3 visits per week. Visits usually take place in the dining and patio areas.

10.  Several programs and services are available to the inmates.

10.1          A program called New Direction works to reduce the risks of children who live in the county and whose parents are incarcerated. This service is provided by a partnership of the Santa Cruz County Probation Department, Sheriff’s Office, SAFE (Secure and Free Environment, a Residential Substance Abuse Treatment) Program and community-based, non-profit Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance.[1] 

10.2          Friends Outside is a program available to help lessen the trauma of incarceration for inmates and their families, to provide information that can lead to positive changes, and to assist ex-offenders with their re-entry into the community. [2]

10.3     In addition to work release programs, inmates are kept busy with numerous facility work programs. Job assignments available are cooking at Blaine St. and the Main Jail, cleaning the facility, yard work on the grounds, laundry and a mending service for inmate uniforms.

10.4     There is a classroom with computers at Blaine Street where word processing and other computer skills are taught by Adult Education.

10.5     Walnut Ave. Women’s Center offers inmates domestic violence services.

10.6     Religious programs are offered.

10.7     Voice Weavers comes quarterly to sing with the women.

10.8     Some of the in-house classes offered are GED, substance abuse education, Narcotics Anonymous, Alcohol Anonymous, positive parenting, yoga, crochet and knitting.

10.9     Gemma is a non-profit organization that has just started offering classes to Blaine St. inmates. Gemma is committed to helping women reunite with the community after incarceration. Their program is structured toward assisting inmates recover from drugs and alcohol as well as empowering them in the transformation of their lives.[3]

            At the time of the February Blaine St. review, six or seven inmates were taking classes in the new Gemma day program. These inmates were screened before being enrolled in the Gemma programs. 

            Some of the classes and services Gemma provides are: life skills; relapse prevention; anger management; assistance with career choices, job applications, resumes, job searches and resource directories; classes in reading, math, and GED preparation; domestic violence assistance and resources; help with obtaining birth certificates, California ID, and/or driver’s license; and court advocacy assistance.

11    The inmates the Grand Jury spoke to provided positive feedback.

11.1          Inmates were grateful they were at Blaine Street instead of the Main Jail.

11.2     Several inmates praised the staff, especially the supervisor, Minnie Rodriquez.

11.3     Many inmates felt they were being helped by the drug prevention programs. One person said that this was her first opportunity ever to go through a drug program. Most praised the support they were getting from the other women at the facility, and one said it felt like they were the family she never had.

12. Blaine Street staff hopes that the county could develop a new program to help them to reduce on-the-job stress. Exercise programs and gym memberships were suggested by staff members.

Blaine Street Conclusions

  1. The Blaine Street facility appeared to be well managed, orderly and exceptionally clean.
  2. Programs like Gemma, New Direction and Friends Outside are beneficial to the well-being of inmates and aid in rehabilitation.

Blaine Street Recommendations

1.      Because drug use crimes are consensual in nature, programs like Gemma, New Direction, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are crucial to rehabilitation. These types of programs should continue to be available to inmates, and inmates should be encouraged to participate.

2.      An automated external defibrillator should be installed at Blaine Street.

3.      A stress relief program should be developed for correctional officers.

4.      Specific records should be kept to track recidivism. This data could be used to develop programs to assist in reducing recidivism.

Blaine Street Commendations

  1. The Grand Jury would like to commend the Sheriff and the Blaine Street staff for their excellent attitude toward the inmates. Our escort’s manner toward the inmates was indistinguishable from her manner toward us. Deprivation of liberty is the court ordered punishment for inmates' offenses. Jail staff should not (and at Blaine Street does not) add to the punishment by their basic treatment of inmates.

Responses Required

Entity

Findings

Recommendations

Respond Within

Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner

10.1-10.9
6
12
4

1
2
3
4

60 Days

September 1, 2007

 

 



Court Holding Facility

Court Holding Facility

The Court Holding Facility is located in the basement of the Superior Court building located at 701 Ocean Street in Santa Cruz and is operated by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. Inmates are transported by vehicle from their custodial facility and held at this facility before and after their court appearances.

Court Holding Facility Findings

1.      The Court Holding Facility passed inspection June 26, 2006, by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

2.      The facility consists of five large concrete rooms for holding inmates. Three are for male inmates, one is for female inmates, and one is for juveniles and inmates who need to be segregated from others.

3.      Approximately 50 inmates per day are held in the court holding rooms.

4.      Inmates may change into personal clothing before appearance at a jury trial.

5.      Holding rooms are monitored by video surveillance.

6.      In the past year, the Sheriff’s Office has added video surveillance cameras outside the entrance to the facility and stairwell leading to courtrooms. However, the Sheriff’s Office does not possess the equipment needed to record the facility’s video surveillance.

7.      The facility was found to be clean and well maintained.

Court Holding Facility Conclusions

1.      The facility is well organized and operated in an efficient manner.

2.      Because the video surveillance at the Holding Facility is not recorded, there is no record of activity at the holding facility in the event of a problem.

Court Holding Facility Recommendation

1.      Video surveillance at the Holding Facility should be recorded to provide a record of activity at the holding facility in the event of a problem.

Responses Required

Entity

Findings

Recommendations

Respond Within

Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner

6

1

60 Days

September 1, 2007

 

 


[1] http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/prb/grants/newdirection.asp, New Direction.

[2] http://www.unitedwaysc.org/FriendsOutside.shtml, Friends Outside.

 

[3] http://www.gemmasantacruz.org/, Gemma.