Yuba County sheriff questions grand jury findings

Yuba County Sheriff Steve Durfor has taken issue with findings by the 2014-15 grand jury on his department, saying in a letter the report doesn't jive with information provided to the panel.

In a 13-page letter to Yuba County Superior Court Judge Julia Scrogin, Durfor said the document released earlier this month contains "inaccuracies in the body of the report."

"The final report is not indicative of the meetings we shared in that it appears one or more of the authors attempted to malign the operation with several of the findings and recommendations as opposed (to) making meaningful recommendations to improve facility operations," Durfor wrote.

Durfor, in the letter, thanks the grand jury "for their dedication and professional approach to their duties."

But he also said it was disappointing to read findings and recommendations "since many of them are factually inaccurate."

The grand jury report on the jail focuses on a laundry list of issues ranging from overcrowding as a result of prisoner realignment to medical and mental health services provide to inmates. Government agencies are under no obligation to follow grand jury recommendations, but must file formal responses within 60 days.

Durfor, at the time the report was released, said he disagreed with it, but preferred to wait until the formal response to address his concerns.

His letter outlines numerous instances which he said reflected inaccurate information on which recommendations are based.

The jury alleges the county violated a court-ordered consent decree and its own job descriptions in the operation of the jail. The 1978 consent decree stems from a 1976 class-action lawsuit on behalf of jail inmates against the county.

Among inaccuracies pointed out by Durfor is a reference that the consent decree and the county's human resources department both specify certification of medical assistants. He said there is no mention of medical assistants in the consent decree.

Durfor's letter also notes the jury report states a physician who regularly visits the jail did not respond to a grand jury letter nor messages requesting a meeting.

The physician said he never received such a letter or messages.

It also refers to a passage in which the report states inmates are held in padded safety cells for weeks. Durfor states in the letter "this is simply not true."

It also takes issue with claims in the jury report that crisis counselors and "several" medical assistants don't have appropriate credentials, that mental health professionals are on site only one day a week and that an executive assistant in medical services does not meet minimum qualifications.

For the latter, the jury refers to a requirement for a two-year college associates degree, but Durfor's letter notes that "candidates with strong experience who lack the degree" also qualify.

"We do this not to discredit the grand jurors," Durfor's letter states. "But failing to highlight the errors then makes readers assume the information to be factual when it is not."

June 23, 2015

Appeal-Democrat

By Eric Vodden