Joshua Sebold
Staff Writer
7/29/2009
This year’s Grand Jury Report continued the trend of the last three years with increasingly negative reviews of the state of the county jail.
All grand juries are required to review any jails in their area on an annual basis.
The report said the jurors conducted two inspections of the jail with supervisory and correctional staff. They also had one additional meeting with staff.
The report began with a short history of the jail, constructed in the 1970s for a maximum capacity of 37 inmates. The jail also housed the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office’s administrative headquarters at that time.
“In the 1980s Plumas County was sued by an inmate alleging unsafe conditions in the jail because of a lack of staff.
“Plumas County lost the lawsuit and under court order, brought staffing up to minimum standards.
“In the 1990s a separate administrative headquarters was purchased for the Sheriff’s Department. This allowed enlarging the jail capacity to 67 inmates.
“Unfortunately, staffing of the jail was not sufficiently increased even with the almost doubling of inmate population.”
The report specifically said the jail is in worse shape than last year’s report indicated.
The report said, “A new jail is not for the convenience of the inmates—it’s for the safety of our correctional and safety officers and the general public.
“After our tour of the jail, the grand jury found that correctional officers and the general public are in more danger than is realized.
“While the building of a new jail may be several years away, the process toward a solution to this problem should begin now.”
Specifically, the report indicated, “The jail is in very poor structural condition. Due to its outdated floor plan, poor radio communication in some areas and other serious concerns, it is unsafe for officers and inmates alike.
“In addition, the jail itself, as well as the maximum security exercise yard, abut the public road into the transfer facility—a road used by families in our community.”
The report said some of the county supervisors hadn’t toured the jail recently and recommended all supervisors tour the jail annually to keep apprised of conditions there.
The report went on to list more specific problems with the 35-year-old facility, one of the last linear-designed jails in California.
Because of the design and understaffing, corrections officers cannot easily observe inmates in some areas of the jail.
In addition, the jail is overcrowded throughout all security levels in the men’s and women’s areas.
The grand jury deemed the perimeter fencing insecure; personnel safety and jail security are compromised. The public, including children, can easily approach the perimeter and pass weapons, drugs or other contraband for inmates to retrieve later.
The jail’s plumbing, electrical wiring, kitchen and laundry facilities are inadequate. The control room and the medical rooms are not secure, and there is a lack of storage.
Because the jail pre-dates now mandatory computer systems, computers and surveillance cameras, with their required conduits and cables are wall-mounted and exposed to inmate access.
On the topic of acquiring a new jail the report suggested “The Board of Supervisors should actively engage in efforts to elevate Plumas County’s position on the list and secure the funding.
“In addition, the Board should challenge its state representatives to support funding of a new combined facility.”
The report said supervisors recently established a committee to meet with state representatives. The report suggested the supervisors also appoint a citizens advisory committee to research building costs, locations and financing for the new jail.
The report indicated the supervisors were agreeable, and the grand jury stressed it should be formed within the next three months.
The report also recommended the sheriff assign a task force within the sheriff’s office to provide “detailed documentation to support the need for a new jail facility.”
Immediate Future
In the meantime the grand jury suggested several steps be taken to make the jail safer in the short run.
“Additional fencing and signage need to be constructed to provide for an exclusion zone so that persons may not approach the inner, recreation yard fence.”
On the topic of staffing the grand jurors were concerned that only two officers worked evening and graveyard shifts. In the event of an emergency, the required control room officer would have to leave his station to come to the aid of the second officer.
The evening shift is especially critical: There are only two officers on duty. Special programs are taking place; inmates are not in their cells and the majority of new inmate books takes place.
The report went on to comment the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has found the jail is understaffed by at least five correctional officer positions.
The grand jury recommended the board fund civilian positions to staff the control room, leaving trained corrections staff free to work within the jail.
The report also recommended immediate installation of a hard-wired communications system, with repeaters in the jail. On the status of communications between the jail and dispatch, the report said “Internal repeaters with a hard-line system to the dispatch center or other adequate systems needs to be installed before an officer or inmate is injured or killed in an emergency.”
Conclusion
The report commended the correctional officers who work in these conditions, saying, “In spite of inadequate staffing and facilities, the staff of the Plumas County jail does an outstanding job in serving the citizens of Plumas County.”
It added, “Progress towards replacement of the jail needs to move forward and existing critical needs must be addressed.”
http://www.plumasnews.com/news_story.edi?sid=7718
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