JUVENILE INMATES D-120 FRESNO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
JAIL DIVISION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
TITLE: JUVENILE INMATES NO: D-120
FILE: JUVENILE INMATES
EFFECTIVE DATE: 04-29-91 REVISED: 12-25-94, 08-03-95, 09-01-99, 11-01-12
AUTHORITY: Sheriff M. Mims APPROVED BY: Assistant Sheriff T. Gattie
REFERENCE: Welfare and Institutions Code Sections 207.1 and 208; 42 U.S.C.
5601 (Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act); and
California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Sections 1100 et seq.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this policy is to establish a consistent method for handling inmates who are
identified or suspected of being juveniles housed in the adult population.
POLICY:
It is the policy of the Fresno County Sheriffs Office Jail Division thatjuveniles charged with
a crime shall not be accepted for booking, fingerprinting, photographing, or housing by the
Jail Division, except by order of the Juvenile Court, in agreement with the Sheriff.
It is the policy of the Fresno County Sheriffs Office Jail Division that when it is suspected
that an inmate housed in the adult population is a juvenile, or when an inmate housed in
the adult population claims to be a juvenile, an immediate investigation shall be conducted
in order to substantiate the age of the inmate.
It is the policy of the Fresno County Sheriffs Office Jail Division that inmates who are
housed in the adult population and later discovered to be juveniles shall be immediately
isolated and provided with sight and sound separation from all adult inmates in custody.
The arresting agency shall then be contacted to transport the juvenile inmate to the
Juvenile Justice Campus.
PROCEDURES:
I. DEFINITION
SIGHT AND SOUND CONTACT—means any physical or sustained sign or sound
contact between juveniles in detention and incarcerated adults. Sight contact
is clear visual contact between adult inmates and juveniles within close
proximity to each other. Sound contact is direct oral communication between
adult inmates and juvenile offenders.
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FRESNO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
JAIL DIVISION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
TITLE: JUVENILE INMATES NO: D-120
FILE: JUVENILE INMATES
II. JUVENILE INMATE PROCESSING
Juveniles shall not knowingly be accepted or allowed into any jail facility for
booking, fingerprinting, photographing, or housing, except by order of the
Juvenile Court, in agreement with the Sheriff.
III. INMATE HOUSED IN ADULT POPULATION SUSPECTED OF BEING A
JUVENILE
A. Whenever information is obtained which indicates that an inmate who is
housed in the adult population may be a juvenile, the following shall
occur:
1. The inmate shall be immediately isolated to a single cell in the
booking area, kept under frequent observation and provided with
sight and sound separation from all adult inmates pending the
completion of the investigation into their correct age.
2. The Watch Commander shall be notified.
3. An investigation in order to establish the correct age of the inmate
shall be initiated.
4. The investigation may include:
a. Contacting relatives or friends of the inmate for information
and/or documentation of their age.
b. Reviewing any personal papers in the possession of the inmate
at the time they were booked.
c. Contacting Juvenile Hall for any arrest history.
d. Reviewing criminal or motor vehicle records accessible to the
Sheriffs Office.
B. As determined by the Watch Commander, if it appears likely that the
inmate is a juvenile, the arresting agency shall be contacted to transport
the inmate to the Juvenile Justice Campus.
C. If the inmate claims to be a juvenile but the investigation fails to verify
the claim, the inmate shall remain isolated in a single cell and kept away
from the adult inmate population until a final determination as to their
age can be made by the Bureau Commander or their designee.
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FRESNO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
JAIL DIVISION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
TITLE: JUVENILE INMATES NO: D-120
FILE: JUVENILE INMATES
D. If the inmate does not claim to be a juvenile and the investigation fails to
verify that they are in fact a juvenile, the inmate shall be treated as an
adult.
IV. LAWFUL DETENTION OF MINORS
A. Minors lawfully held in an adult detention facility shall be subject to the
regulations and statutes governing those facilities found in the Jail
Minimum Standards (Title 15, Section 1000 et seq.)
B. Minors shall be housed separately from adults and not be allowed to
come or remain in contact with adults except during supervised group
therapy or other supervised treatment activities. In situations where
brief or accidental contact may occur (e.g., booking or facility
movement), an officer shall maintain a constant side-by-side presence
with the minor or adult to prevent sustained contact.
C. Safety checks shall be performed no less than once every thirty (30)
minutes on an irregular schedule. The safety checks shall include the
direct visual observation of movement and/or skin.
D. Minors requiring disciplinary confinement shall be housed only in living
areas designated for the detention of minors.
1. Access to visitation and recreation shall be restricted only after a
second level review by a supervisor, and shall not extend beyond
five (5) days without subsequent review.
2. A status review shall be conducted no less than every twenty-four
(24) hours.
3. The adult disciplinary isolation diet is prohibited as a disciplinary
measure.
E. Education programs (including health education and disease
prevention) shall be provided as required by Education Code 48200.
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