Friday, May 29, 2015

[Yolo County] Grand jury says Monroe Detention Center is adapting


The latest Yolo County Grand Jury report on the state of the county’s jail indicates the officers and staff “are adjusting well to political changes” brought on by legislation which calls for closing the revolving door of incarcerating “low-level” inmates.
The latest Yolo County Grand Jury report on the state of the county’s jail indicates the officers and staff “are adjusting well to political changes” brought on by legislation which calls for closing the revolving door of incarcerating “low-level” inmates.
The report was released early Tuesday morning and is generally favorable to the county as well as the staffs at the Monroe Detention and Leinberger Memorial centers in Woodland.
“The Grand Jury determined that with three years of experience under AB 109, officers are more familiar the needs and challenges of working with more criminally sophisticated inmates” states the report’s summary.
Further, “After voter approval of Prop. 47 last November decreasing inmate population, command staff has been able to use the freed space to give more inmates access to programs which can help with recidivism rates.”
Yet, the Grand Jury notes, “Even with the added experience and population adjustments, officers are still operating with fewer than ideal staffing numbers.”
AB 109, approved in 2011 by Gov. Jerry Brown, was historic legislation designed to reduce the number of inmates going into the state’s 33 prisons. It was approved after a three-judge court ruled the high numbers of inmates violated Constitutional provisions about cruel and unusual punishments. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that decision.
And despite the relatively positive report, the Yolo County Grand Jury did have a series of four recommendations:
•By Jan. 1, the Board of Supervisors, as the governing entity of the Detention Center, shall tour the facility to view the areas to be renovated and observe the workload of the staff. As funds become available, strong consideration shall be made to increase the current staff to strengthen the safety of staff and inmates.
•By June 1, the Detention Commander, in conjunction with the Chief Probation Officer, shall develop and implement a plan to track the effectiveness of discharge planning and in-house programs as they apply to inmates who successfully complete probation.
•The County Administrator, in conjunction with the Detention Commander, shall meet prior to the start of renovations to ensure that all areas originally planned to be in-house program space shall remain as such.
•By Jan. 1, the Detention Commander shall identify any deficiencies in the surveillance systems and, in conjunction with the Board of Supervisors, take the necessary steps to remedy the deficiencies.
The Monroe Detention Center is a medium/maximum security facility and is rated to house prisoners with several different security classifications. It has 313 available beds, 251 beds for male inmates and 62 beds in a separate area for female inmates.
While the Leinberger Memorial Center can be used as an overflow facility for Monroe, it is primarily used to house lower level sentenced inmates who are approved to work at various state and local agencies to reduce their jail time. A sentenced inmate can be transferred to Leinberger after undergoing a screening process to determine if they meet the necessary criteria to ensure public safety. Leinberger has 142 beds bringing the total available beds for both facilities to 455.
In preparing its report, the Grand Jury noted Yolo County had received a $36 million grant for the purpose of renovating the centers, both of which are considered old. “Officers are optimistic that the upgrades will, not only improve inmate living and staff working conditions, but also allow for more programs to help keep inmates engaged in their own betterment.
“The Grand Jury found that there is a need for this program space and recommends that all of the designated program areas planned in the upcoming renovation remain as such,” the report goes on to state.
The Grand Jury looked into the operation of the Monroe and Leinberger centers as part of its obligation to follow up on a 2014 Biennial Inspection Report of the facilities by the Board of State and Community Corrections for California
On the day of its visit, the Grand Jury observed that the facilities are “generally clean and well-maintained.”
Under a Superior Court consent decree, adopted in 1990 then amended in 2002, to limit the inmate population to 90 percent of the total beds in the facility, the jail’s maximum capacity is 409.
In some cases, detainees brought in for a minor offense are processed and released on the same day to prevent overcrowding. In-home custody is encouraged for those inmates who are considered low level offenders. Typically, between 60 and 80 inmates are living at home with ankle monitors.
The effects of AB 109 as well as Prop. 47 have made it more difficult for corrections officers in a couple of respects, the Grand Jury found. By transferring state prisoners to county detention facilities new type of inmate has materialized.
 “The jail facilities were designed to house un-sentenced inmates preparing for court dates and inmates sentenced up to one year for minor crimes,” states the report. But officers and staff “must now work with inmates serving sentences up to several years, who are more criminally sophisticated than traditional county inmates.
“These inmates tend to have a better understanding of prison politics and are more demanding resulting in an increase in acts of non-compliance,” according to the Grand Jury. “In response to these challenges, officers and staff have used training and experience to improve the inmate classification process helping to enhance inmate and officer safety.
Such adaptations have also occurred in the kitchen, which now provides meals that are kosher, vegetarian, and halal.
“Using programs, such as GED classes and drug education, as well as work details, an effort is made to keep the inmates engaged and invested in their own betterment,” according to the Grand Jury. “As of February 2015, there were 105 AB 109 Yolo County inmates, of which, 34 were out on electronic monitoring.”
One of the challenges to staff and corrections officers is that the facilities are aging (Monroe opened in 1988 and Leinberger in 1991) and while security is unaffected, Grand Jury members noticed on their visits, that there were visible water stains on floors and ceilings, and some floors looked in need of resurfacing.
Indeed, an Environmental Health Report issued, in January 2015, noted water leaks from the ceilings in Pod A and the Kitchen Facility. The report also noted a number of needed corrections mostly involving damaged bedding and plugged ventilation.
“In March of 2014, Yolo County was awarded a grant of $36,295,000 from California Board of State and Community Corrections to help renovate the facility,” the Grand Jury noted. “Officers questioned were optimistic, some even excited, about the upcoming renovations. There are plans to upgrade laundry, kitchen and intake areas as well as to expand the medical and mental health areas. A new building will be built to house the kitchen and laundry areas. The larger space will double the amount of laundry that can be processed. Plans for the new kitchen include a classroom that can be used to add a culinary program for inmates. The areas vacated by existing kitchen and laundry will house an expanded medical and mental health unit.
 “Currently, there are only three beds available in the medical area. The renovated medical and mental health unit will contain approximately 24 beds, divided into a dormitory area, four-bed cells, and single-bed cells,” the Grand Jury noted. “A larger in-custody area will be added with four classrooms, allowing for more program space. The intake area will be renovated to facilitate a smoother custodial transition between outside agencies and the jail and lessen contact between in-coming and out-going inmates.
Although the work has yet to be contracted, ground breaking is scheduled for the middle of 2016 with a planned completion by late fall of 2018.
May 26, 2015
Woodland Daily Democrat
By Jim Smith

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