(Napa County) Grand jury critical of jail’s mental health services

KERANA TODOROV | Posted: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 12:00 am |


The Napa County jail is ill-equipped to care for Napa State Hospital patients who are accused of committing felonies, the Napa County grand jury reported.

Caring for these patients not only places a financial burden on the county, but the jail doesn’t have adequate mental health resources to serve this difficult population, the grand jury said.

The county spends “significantly” more on Napa State patients than the $77 per day it spends on other inmates, the grand jury said. In a typical year, the jail houses 23 Napa State patients who stay an average of 83 days each, the report said.

Jail staff wants a better method for holding inmates with mental health issues, particularly from Napa State Hospital, according to the grand jury.

“These inmates use more staff time, require frequent observation and supervision,” the report stated, continuing, “When these individuals refuse to take their medication, there is an increased risk of injury to themselves, other inmates and (jail) staff.”

The jail holds suspects from the community who have mental health issues as well as Napa State inmates who have been accused of a serious crime and await court proceedings, yet its treatment facilities are meager, the grand jurors reported.

According to the report, the county assigns one mental health worker to the jail who is available 40 hours per week during regular business hours. If an after-hours emergency occurs, the county dispatches medical staff from the county’s Crisis Center.

The jail offers three hours of contact time per week with a psychiatrist, but therapy sessions occur over closed circuit television, with the psychiatrist located in Monterey, the grand jury said.

“The mental health needs of this population may not be best served by psychiatric services via closed circuit television, versus face-to-face counseling where the psychiatrist can see how the inmate interacts with the (correction officers), other inmates and the medical personnel,” the report said.

As an example of how costly a Napa State patient can be, the grand jury cited the case of a Napa State transfer who set himself on fire in March.

As of the time the grand jury’s report was written, the cost of medical treatment for this burned inmate had reached $1.6 million, with the county responsible for about $400,000, the grand jury said.

The grand jury noted that the jail, a facility built in 1975 for 264 inmates, has an annual operating cost of $3.9 million. The jail employs 55 correction officers.

“The grand jury inspection found the facility well maintained and managed, although the older portion of the jail shows considerable wear and tear,” the report said.

The grand jury recommended:

• That jail staff review safety measures to protect the staff from Napa State Hospital patients incarcerated at the jail;

• That the Napa County Board of Supervisors encourage state Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, to amend SB 60, her bill to boost security at Napa State Hospital by requiring patient risk assessments, to include payment to Napa County for the time Napa State Hospital patients are held in the county jail;

• That the jail director evaluate the feasibility, cost savings and benefits of having the Napa County Department of Corrections reorganize under the Napa County Sheriff’s Department.

Napa is one of only two counties in the state where the jail is not run by the sheriff.

The county has identified the need for a larger jail as part of its facilities master plan, but ran into public opposition after unveiling plans to keep the facility downtown. Plans to expand county facilities in the downtown area have been put on hold for the time being, county officials have said.

Elizabeth Emmett, the county’s spokesperson, declined to comment on the grand jury report until a response is prepared for adoption by the Board of Supervisors. Public agencies are required to respond to grand jury reports within 60 days.

Read more: http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/grand-jury-critical-of-jail-s-mental-health-services/article_5d143202-ac35-11e0-a590-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1SDhFRYGk