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INTRO All Custody Division Personnel : Subject: Custody Division Policies and Procedures The Custody Division Policies and Procedures are designed to provide you with guidance as an employee of the Fresno County Sheriffs Department. The contents have been examined for legal interpretation and conformance to relevant statutes and court decisions as well as operational effectiveness. A clear understanding of the Policies and Procedures will not only improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of your efforts, but will also assist everyone in maintaining a workplace that is safety conscious and secure for all, including yourself and your co- workers. Every employee bears the personal responsibility for reading the policies,following the established procedures, and reviewing all revisions as they are issued. If there are any questions concerning any portion of the Custody Division Policies and Procedures, contact your immediate supervisor for clarification. Captain R. Duran, Jail Operations Bureau Captain J. Smith, Jail Medical & Services Bureau Director M. LeFors, Jail Administration &Support Bureau A Perspective on Corrections Corrections is a demanding business. Many of the offenders arrested and placed into custody are dangerous predators and purveyors of violence who have committed truly atrocious crimes against members of the community. Others are less dangerous, but also have been arrested or are convicted for behavior outside the scope of that permitted by society. Two key instruments of crime deterrence are the certainty and severity of incarceration as punishment for aberrant behavior. Logically, the number of people willing to commit crimes decreases as the danger of incarceration increases. Jail Facilities and staff fulfill a vital role in the prevention and reduction of crime by lawfully incarcerating those arrested or convicted for criminal behavior. These same offenders while incarcerated have to be controlled and cared for under "conditions of confinement" within a range of acceptable constitutional minima regardless of the offense committed. What constitutes acceptable "conditions of confinement" will continue to be debated within this community, statewide, and nationwide. The "conditions" are usually those dealing the "basic human needs" which in turn are commonly seen as including food, clothing, shelter, sanitation, medical care, and personal safety. At times the courts have viewed the conditions of confinement levels with an eye on whether the condition(s)was compatible with the "evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society". On other occasions,courts have held that only when the effect of conditions is so harsh as to inflict unnecessary or wanton pain will it fall below constitutional minima. I recognize that Corrections faces significant challenges dealing with conditions of confinement issues and effectively managing the inmate population at the same time. Deference by all parties concerning the operation of any correctional institution should be afforded to those who call corrections their profession not merely because the jail staff will, as a matter of fact in a particular case, have a better grasp of their domain than any reviewing party, based on professional expertise, expert judgment and informed discretion, but also because the operation of the jail facilities is particularly their province. In order to be accorded this deference, however, it is incumbent upon staff to diligently ensure compliance with constitutional, statutory, and administrative requirements designed to maintain or improve jail conditions. We recognize jails are inherently dangerous places and staff cannot be expected to prevent every fight or assault which may take place. Even so, staff has a duty to protect inmates under the Eighth Amendment which is violated when levels or circumstances of violence reach the point where it can be concluded staff is"deliberately indifferent"to the safety of inmates. Although there is no objective formula for deciding if violence levels have exceeded constitutional limitations, staff has a responsibility to insure a safe, secure, humane environment which enables offenders to leave the correctional facilities no worse physically, emotional or psychologically than they were when they entered custody. To do otherwise, will be an open invitation for interested third parties to institute court ordered reform programs on their own under the guise of "correcting conditions of confinement constituting cruel and unusual punishment". The fundamental purpose of the Custody Division is to securely incarcerate those lawfully committed to custody, secure the institutions against unauthorized access, maintain internal order and discipline, ensuring compliance at all times with constitutional, statutory, and administrative requirements for public, staff and inmates. Sound written policy, procedure and post orders are the foundation of good jail management, providing guidance and direction to staff so they may perform the duties necessary to fulfill these responsibilities. They are created and regularly updated for all facilities covering all operational areas. Practice, policy, procedure, and post orders will be formulated in a manner consistent with the U.S. Constitution, the Minimum Jail Standards as established by the Board of Corrections of the State of California, the California Penal Code, and pertinent case law. STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING The Department recognizes staff is its most important resource, requiring management to focus on human resource development in ways that permit the present and future challenges of Corrections to be met. The Department must recruit, train, re-train and retain the most qualified personnel available which understands and can carry out policy and procedures to cope with the problems inherent to jail operations. In order to increase job skills in these areas and broaden the base of knowledge of the business of Corrections, an annual training plan is developed which provides for the ongoing training needs of all staff. Ideas from all sources, particularly supervisory and line staff, is utilized to develop the plan. The Department continues to maintain training standards established by the Board of Corrections, Standards and Training for Corrections Program. Staff assigned to specialty tasks or functions receive designated training to enhance their skills and broaden their base of knowledge of the specialty. PUBLIC RELATIONS/MANAGEMENT OF THE FACILITIES Public relations has much to do with effective and efficient operations, especially in the amount of community support received. Public relations is defined as any contact with any segment of the community, regardless of whether jail-originated. It includes contact with (a) the news media - radio, newspapers, television; (b) visitors to the institution - visitors to inmates, official visitors, such as judges and attorneys and investigators, or unofficial visitors, such as members of civic groups, and (c ) volunteers who perform services at the jail. It also includes all contacts with the public by jail employees - telephone inquiries and even contacts made by jail staff off the job. When we are effective and efficient in managing and operating the jail, we have little to fear from permitting news media or various regulatory agencies ready access to inmates and vice versa. The important thing for staff to understand is that public relations is much more than dealing with newspapers, radio, and television. In truth, public relations is everything that the jail does, or its employees do, and it makes little difference whether it happens at or away from the jail. Little things add up. It is incumbent on each staff member to conduct themselves accordingly. CLASSIFICATION Another critical element in providing a safe yet humane atmosphere in the jail is the classification of inmates. It is essential there exist a classification system that objectively and fairly separates inmates by risk for escape and violence. To be safe, jail facilities need tight security and control. To be as humane as possible, jail facilities need as relaxed an environment as possible. The most practical way to meet both needs is to systematically categorize inmates by each of these needs and have available separate appropriate housing for each type inmate. CONCLUSION Corrections faces many challenges. Major community-wide elements need to co-exist and function together in order that the Custody Division fulfill its Mission. We have an obligation to function efficiently as an organization and to articulate what we need from the community in order that we function together effectively. The Jail Facilities and staff exist to serve the needs of this community in the area of Corrections. Working together with the community we can meet the present and future challenges of Corrections. HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL The Table of Contents lists all of the individual policies and procedures and post orders in the order which they appear in this manual. Each major section is divided with a labeled tab divider. Each policy and procedure or post order is assigned a document number (for example B-110). The letter indicates the tab section and the number following indicates the designated number for that document. Each policy is numbered separately(e.g., Pagel of 2, Page 2 of 2). This allows maximum flexibility in revising and adding new policies and procedures. The index in the final section of the manual provides an alphabetical list of topics and the section and FILE name where they may be located. The following page is an example of the format of each policy and procedure. The corresponding number, listed below, explains each section and the reason and/or purpose: #1 Indicates the type of document (either Policy and Procedure or Post Order). #2 Name of the document. #3 Tab section and the designated document number. #4 Computer FILE name for the document. #5 Date the policy became effective. #6 Dates of all revisions to the policy. #7 Name of the Captain who gave the document final approval and authorization. #8 Legal mandate(s) for the document. #9 Describes the purpose for having the policy. #10 Describes an overview of the policies. #11 Describes the actual procedural guidelines. #12 Page number within the document. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES (#1) TITLE: POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL (#2) NO: (#3) FILE: MANUAL (#4) EFFECTIVE DATE: 12-18-89 (#5) REVISED: 12-25-94 (#6) APPROVED BY: Captain R. Wiley (#7) AUTHORITY: P.C. 6030 and Title 15, Section 1029. (#8) PURPOSE: (#9) The purpose of this policies and procedures manual is to provide a common point of reference for all jail staff members, describing all aspects of the jail and its operations. The policy and procedures manual consolidates all written directives of the Fresno County Sheriffs Department Custody Division into one source. POLICY: (#10) It is the policy of the Fresno County Sheriffs Department Custody Division that each staff member shall be responsible to read and become familiar with the policies and procedures as they pertain to the Jail Facilities. If there are any questions concerning any portion of the policies and procedures, staff members are directed to contact their immediate supervisor. PROCEDURES: (#11) I. EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITY A. Each staff member is required to read and become familiar with the Custody Division's policies and procedures manual. B. If there are any questions concerning any portion of the policies and procedures manual, staff members are directed to contact their immediate supervisor. Page 1 of 1 (#12)