Sonoma Probation (2023-2024 inspection cycle)

November 13, 2024 Vanessa Fuchs, Chief of Probation Sonoma County Probation Department 370 Administration Drive Santa Rosa, CA 95403 2023-2024 UNANNOUNCED INSPECTION, WELFARE & INSTITUTIONS CODE SECTIONS 209 & 885, SONOMA COUNTY PROBATION DEPARTMENT DETENTION FACILITIES Dear Chief Fuchs: An Unannounced Inspection of the Sonoma County Probation Department’s Juvenile Hall (SCJH) has been completed. The focus of the inspection was the facility’s compliance with Title 15 Regulations, Section 1354.5 Room Confinement and Section 1391 Discipline Process. An Unannounced inspection was conducted at the following facility on October 24, 2024: FACILITY NAME BSCC # FACILITY TYPE Sonoma County Juvenile Hall 7658 JH These inspections were conducted pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code Sections 209 and 885 to determine compliance with the Minimum Standards for Juvenile Detention Facilities as outlined in Titles 15 and 24, California Code of Regulations. INSPECTION RESULTS We identified no items of noncompliance with Title 15 Minimum Standards. An Exit Briefing with your staff was held on Thursday, October 24, 2024; BSCC staff presented an inspection overview and discussed technical assistance and best practice recommendations. * * * Please email me at forrest.coleman@bscc.ca.gov or call (916) 508-7559 if you have any questions. Sincerely, FORREST COLEMAN Vanessa Fuchs, Chief Probation Officer Page 2 Field Representative Facilities Standards and Operations Division Enclosures Cc: Presiding Judge, Sonoma County Juvenile Court* Chair, Juvenile Justice Commission, Sonoma County* Chair, Board of Supervisors, Sonoma County* County Administrator, Sonoma County* Kilee Wilson, Division Director II, Sonoma County Juvenile Hall *Copies of the inspection are available upon request or online at www.bscc.ca.gov. 7658 Sonoma Juvenile Hall Unannounced LTR 2024 JUVENILE HALLS, SPECIAL PURPOSE JUVENILE HALLS AND CAMPS Board of State and Community Corrections PROCEDURES CHECKLIST1 2 BSCC Code: 7658 FACILITY NAME: Sonoma County Juvenile Hall (SCJH) FACILITY TYPE: JH PERSON(S) INTERVIEWED: Kilee Willson, Division Director II, JH FIELD REPRESENTATIVE: Forrest Coleman DATE: October 24, 2024 TITLE 15 SECTION YES NO N/A P/P REFERENCE – COMMENTS 1354.5 ROOM CONFINEMENT 3.5.5 Placing Youth in Locked Rooms (RC) (a) The facility administrator shall develop and BSCC staff reviewed policy and procedure implement written policies and procedures addressing and room confinement documentation from the confinement of youth in their room that are consistent the prior August 29, 2024, BSCC Targeted ☒ ☐ ☐ with Welfare and Institutions Code Section 208.3. The inspection. There were two incidents placement of a youth in room confinement shall be involving room confinement. We also met accomplished in accordance with the following with the facility administration. guidelines: (1) Room confinement shall not be used before other, 3.5.5, 1-B Placing Youth in Locked Rooms less restrictive, options have been attempted and (RC) exhausted, unless attempting those options poses a threat to the safety or security of any youth or staff. The ‘In Room Tracking Form’ articulates the reason for youth in room confinement and the less restrictive alternatives attempted. In determining the need for continued room confinement, BSCC staff recommend that SCJH detention staff document youth ☒ ☐ ☐ behavior observed during assessment interval points of contact. This helps provide rationale related to continuing the room confinement for the youth. This will aid in eliminating potential or perceived biases by staff. The facility added language to the ‘In Room Tracking Form’, indicating that the youth rejoined the group once safe and emotionally regulated. 1 This document is intended for use as a tool during the inspection process; this worksheet may not contain each Title 15 regulation that is required. Additionally, many regulations on this worksheet are SUMMARIES of the regulation; the text on this worksheet may not contain the entire text of the actual regulation. Please refer to the complete California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Minimum Standards for Juvenile Facilities, Division 1, Chapter 1, Subchapter 5 for the complete list and text of regulations. 2 This is a modified version of the Procedures Checklist and is only intended for the 2024 Unannounced Inspection of the Sonoma Juvenile Hall. 7658 Sonoma Juvenile Hall Unannounced PRO 23-24 Page 1 of 4 A453 JUV PRO eff. 07.01.24 TITLE 15 SECTION YES NO N/A P/P REFERENCE – COMMENTS (2) Room confinement shall not be used for the 3.5.5, 1-A Placing Youth in Locked Rooms purposes of punishment, coercion, convenience, or (RC) retaliation by staff. BSCC staff observed that the facility made recommended adjustments to the Special ☒ ☐ ☐ Program (SP). The adjustments ensure that youth on SP are placed in their rooms for bedtime at the same time as other youth, who are not on SP and have also failed to earn the necessary points for a later bedtime. (3) Room confinement shall not be used to the extent 3.5.5, 1-C Placing Youth in Locked Rooms that it compromises the mental and physical health of (RC) ☒ ☐ ☐ the youth. (b) A youth may be held up to four hours in room 3.5.5, 3-F, i Placing Youth in Locked Rooms confinement. After the youth has been held in room (RC) confinement for a period of four hours, staff shall do one or more of the following: BSCC staff observed that SCJH staff will notify the on-duty supervisor and document the safety and security threat in an incident report. The facility utilizes an ‘In Room Tracking ☒ ☐ ☐ Form’ where a resident, due to safety concerns, is placed in a locked room with minimal or no contact with people other than staff or attorneys, and staff will fill out the ‘In- Room Tracking Form’, documenting the reason for this action. The facility also utilizes the form for youth who voluntarily request to remain in their respective rooms. 3.5.5, 3-E, i Placing Youth in Locked Rooms (1) Return the youth to general population. ☒ ☐ ☐ (RC) 3.5.5, 3-E, ii Placing Youth in Locked Rooms (2) Consult with mental health or medical staff. ☒ ☐ ☐ (RC) (3) Develop an individualized plan that includes the 3.5.5, 3-E, iii Placing Youth in Locked Rooms goals and objectives to be met in order to reintegrate (RC) the youth to general population. The Individualized Plan is a well-detailed ☒ ☐ ☐ document. Per policy, it is utilized either once the 4-hour mark has approached or if the time of room confinement has been determined to go beyond 4 hours. (4) If room confinement must be extended beyond 3.5.5, 3-F, i Placing Youth in Locked Rooms four hours, staff shall do each of the following: (RC) (A) Document the reasons for room confinement and the basis for the extension, the date and time There have been no reports of a youth being the youth was first placed in room confinement, held in room confinement beyond four hours. and when he or she is eventually released from ☒ ☐ ☐ room confinement. The facility uses the following documentation tools to help track and log room confinement including, but are not limited to: • Unit Logbook • In Room Tracking Form 7658 Sonoma Juvenile Hall Unannounced PRO 23-24 Page 2 of 4 A453 JUV PRO eff. 07.01.24 TITLE 15 SECTION YES NO N/A P/P REFERENCE – COMMENTS (B) Develop an individualized plan that includes 3.5.5, 3-F, ii Placing Youth in Locked Rooms the goals and objectives to be met in order to (RC) integrate the youth to general population. The Individualized Plan is identified as a type ☒ ☐ ☐ of reintegration plan. There is also a Time-out program that separates a youth from the group outside of his/her room. (C) Obtain documented authorization by the 3.5.5, 3-F, iii Placing Youth in Locked Rooms facility superintendent or his or her designee (RC) ☒ ☐ ☐ every four hours thereafter. (5) This section is not intended to limit the use of 3.5.5, 4-A and E Placing Youth in Locked single-person rooms or cells for the housing of youth Rooms (RC) in juvenile facilities and does not apply to normal ☒ ☐ ☐ sleeping hours. (6) This section does not apply to youth or wards in 3.5.5, 4-B Placing Youth in Locked Rooms court holding facilities or adult facilities. (RC) ☒ ☐ ☐ This facility is not either a Court Holding Facility or an Adult Facility. (7) Nothing in this section shall be construed to conflict with any law providing greater or additional ☒ ☐ ☐ protections to youth. (8) This section does not apply during an 3.5.5, 4-C Placing Youth in Locked Rooms extraordinary emergency circumstance that requires (RC) a significant departure from normal institutional operations, including a natural disaster or facility- wide threat that poses an imminent and substantial ☒ ☐ ☐ risk of harm to multiple staff or youth. This exception shall apply for the shortest amount of time needed to address this imminent and substantial risk of harm. (9) This section does not apply when a youth is 3.5.5, 4-D Placing Youth in Locked Rooms placed in a locked cell or sleeping room to treat and (RC) protect against the spread of a communicable disease for the shortest amount of time required to reduce the risk of infection, with the written approval of a licensed physician or nurse practitioner, when the youth is not required to be in an infirmary for an ☒ ☐ ☐ illness. Additionally, this section does not apply when a youth is placed in a locked cell or sleeping room for required extended care after medical treatment with the written approval of a licensed physician or nurse practitioner, when the youth is not required to be in an infirmary for illness. 1391 DISCIPLINE PROCESS 3.5.3 Due Process 3.5.2, 1-H Discipline The facility administrator shall develop and implement written policies and procedures for the administration of BSCC staff reviewed related policy and discipline which shall include, but not be limited to: ☒ ☐ ☐ procedure and reviewed updated discipline (a) designation of personnel authorized to impose process documentation that occurred discipline for violation of rules; following August 29, 2024 BSCC Targeted Inspection. (b) prohibiting discipline to be delegated to any youth; 3.5.2, 1-H, i Discipline ☒ ☐ ☐ 7658 Sonoma Juvenile Hall Unannounced PRO 23-24 Page 3 of 4 A453 JUV PRO eff. 07.01.24 TITLE 15 SECTION YES NO N/A P/P REFERENCE – COMMENTS (c) definition of major and minor rule violations and their 3.5.2, 2-A and B Discipline consequences, and due process requirements; This policy articulates that during the orientation process, the minor, moderate, and major rule violations, as well as sanctions and ☒ ☐ ☐ due process requirements, are explained to each youth. BSCC staff also observed that the rules posted were available to youth to review. (d) trauma-informed approaches and positive behavior 3.5.2, 1-F Discipline interventions; The agency’s policies and procedures ensure that detention staff make use of training that ensures developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed approaches to working with ☒ ☐ ☐ youths while implementing positive behavior intervention. In part, to implement positive behavior intervention, the facility options include, but are not limited to, the Special Program. (e) minor rule violations may be handled informally by 3.5.2, 3-B, iii-c and 1-E, Discipline counseling, advising the youth of expected conduct imposing a minor consequence. Discipline shall be To determine compliance, BSCC staff ☒ ☐ ☐ accompanied by written documentation and a policy of reviewed the policy, reviewed discipline review and appeal to a supervisor; and, sheets, and interviewed detention staff. (f) major rule violations and the discipline process shall 3.5.3, 1-B, 1 Due Process be documented and require the following: ☒ ☐ ☐ (1) written notice of violation prior to a hearing; (2) accommodations provided to youth with 3.5.3, 1-B, ii Due Process disabilities, limited literacy, and English language ☒ ☐ ☐ learners; (3) hearing by a person who is not a party to the 3.5.3, 1-B, iii Due Process incident; ☒ ☐ ☐ 3.5.3, 1-B, iv Due Process (4) opportunity for the youth to be heard, present BSCC staff observed that the facility evidence and testimony; ☒ ☐ ☐ documents that a youth is, in a timely manner, provided the opportunity to appeal a discipline being imposed. (5) provision for youth to be assisted by staff in the 3.5.3, 1-B, v Due Process hearing process; ☒ ☐ ☐ 3.5.3, 1-B, vi Due Process Youth are oriented and understand that major (6) provision for administrative review. rule violations are violations that directly ☒ ☐ ☐ affect the safety and security of the facility and/or disrupt the normal operation of the facility and programming. (g) violations that result in a removal from camp or The Juvenile facility is not a commitment commitment program, but not a return to court, will follow program or a Camp. ☒ ☐ ☐ the due process provisions in subsection (e) above. 7658 Sonoma Juvenile Hall Unannounced PRO 23-24 Page 4 of 4 A453 JUV PRO eff. 07.01.24