The 2021/22 Grand Jury
report on the El Dorado County jails and Juvenile Treatment Center (JTC) was
released Monday, and they found no major issues at any of the three facilities.
They conducted its annual
physical inspections of the sites in Placerville on January 5, 2022, and in
South Lake Tahoe on November 10, 2021, including interviews with staff. It had
been two years since a physical inspection was done as COVID-19 forced the
inspections to be virtual in 2020-2021.
The South Lake Tahoe Jail
was originally built in 1973 and modified in the 1980’s. It can house 158
inmates. At the time of inspection there were 102 inmates - 81 males and 21
females. Of the 102, 64 inmates were awaiting trial and 38 were convicted and
serving a sentence. Twenty-three of the convicted inmates have been housed
longer than one year.
Since the previous virtual
Grand Jury ins, one inmate committed suicide, and there were nine attempted
suicides. There were no deaths by other causes. An inmate awaiting trial
escaped in November 2021 and was captured in March 2022. It was noted during
the inspection that many of the inmate programs had not been operating due to
COVID and lack of staffing and volunteers. All the programs have resumed since
the inspection except for the Parenting Class due to no instructor.
Maximizing space is always
a challenge and an ongoing effort. Plans were explored to reconfigure the “old
side” of the jail, adding an eight-person housing unit and converting the “old
yard” into a more accessible recreation area, in accordance with the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA). The plans were not implemented as they were
considered cost-prohibitive, and the facility’s needs had changed.
The Grand Jury
recommendation is to get that position staffed so the class can resume.
The Placerville Jail was
built in 1988. The maximum capacity of the facility is 303 inmates. When
inspected, it housed 208 inmates. There were 159 inmates awaiting trial and 49
convicted and serving a sentence; 38 of those convicted have been housed longer
than one year.
Since the previous virtual
Grand Jury inspection, there were no escapes or deaths; however, there were
four attempted suicides.
It was noted during the
inspection that many of the inmate programs had not been operating due to COVID
and lack of staffing and volunteers. All the programs have resumed since the
inspection except for Moral Recognition Therapy classes due to no instructors.
A $25 million grant,
provided under California Senate Bill 844, has allocated funds for the jail’s
expansion. The expansion includes a separate housing unit for female inmates, a
new medical wing increasing beds to 14, construction of several ADA-compliant
cells, technical and programming spaces, and a computer lab.
The Grand Jury recommended
staff be hired so the Moral Recognition Therapy classes could resume.
The JTC in South Lake
Tahoe was built in 2003 and is a 40-bed facility. At the time of the
inspection, the JTC housed five male youths. The age range for youth placement
in the facility is 14 to 25 years old.
Since the previous virtual
Grand Jury inspection, there were no escapes or deaths; however, there were
eight attempted suicides. JTC staff work to meet the youths’ physical and
health needs. The facility contracts with Wellpath for medical care. An RN is
onsite in the morning, seven days a week, and a physician is at the facility
one day a week. On-call medical services are also available. In addition, a
mental health care program coordinator, therapist, psychiatrist, and other
medical staff provide mental health care.
Daily educational classes
continued without interruption during COVID, with online instruction via the
Internet. In-person classes have resumed at the facility. Visitations are
conducted in person and by Zoom.
The Grand Jury had no
recommendations for the JTC.
SouthTahoeNow.com
Paula
June 30, 2022
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