January 2024 Local Inquiry Team Case Blocks

Amarik K. Singh OIG OFFICE of the Inspector General INSPECTOR GENERAL Neil Robertson Chief Deputy Inspector General January 2024 Local Inquiry Team Case Blocks Independent Published in February 2024 Prison Oversight From January 1, 2024, through January 31, 2024, the OIG’s Local Inquiry Team monitored and closed four cases. This document presents all monitored and closed cases during this period. OIG Case Number Rating Assessment 23-0064483-INQ Satisfactory Case Summary On May 19, 2023, an officer allegedly falsely documented that he conducted an unclothed body search of an incarcerated person and located a mobile phone in the incarcerated person’s cell. A second officer allegedly failed to report the first officer’s misconduct. Case Disposition The hiring authority conducted an inquiry and found insufficient evidence to sustain the allegations. Overall Inquiry Assessment Overall, the department performed satisfactorily. OIG Case Number Rating Assessment 23-0058559-INQ Poor Case Summary On May 31, 2023, a nurse allegedly refused to properly rebandage an incarcerated person’s leg, which later that day caused the bandage to come off, the wound to reopen, and the incarcerated person to suffer pain. Case Disposition The hiring authority conducted an inquiry and found insufficient evidence to sustain the allegations. Overall Inquiry Assessment Overall, the department performed poorly. Although the investigator completed a thorough inquiry, the department unreasonably delayed the inquiry’s completion. Specifically, the investigator submitted the draft inquiry report to the Office of Internal Affairs’ Allegation Investigation Unit manager on August 28, 2023, but the manager did not complete a review of the report until October 4, 2023, 37 days thereafter. The California Correctional Health Care Systems’ Staff Misconduct Team then delayed Page 1 of 3 10111 Old Placerville Road, Suite 110, Sacramento, California 95827 5 Telephone: (916) 288-4233 5 www.oig.ca.gov Amarik K. Singh OIG OFFICE of the Inspector General INSPECTOR GENERAL Neil Robertson Chief Deputy Inspector General January 2024 Local Inquiry Team Case Blocks Independent Published in February 2024 Prison Oversight providing the inquiry report to the hiring authority until November 21, 2023, 48 days after the Office of Internal Affairs’ Allegation Investigation Unit manager approved the report. The hiring authority approved the inquiry report and rendered a decision for the allegation on November 29, 2023, however the California Correctional Health Care Systems’ Staff Misconduct Team failed to inform the OIG following the hiring authority’s determination on the allegation. Moreover, the department lost track of the inquiry, and the hiring authority failed to complete the inquiry and provide an inquiry response to the incarcerated person until January 23, 2024, 63 days after the hiring authority received the case for disposition and only after the OIG inquired to the California Correctional Health Care Systems’ Staff Misconduct Team about the inquiry’s status. Ultimately, the department took 229 days from the date the Centralized Screening Team received the complaint to the inquiry’s completion, 139 days beyond the department’s goal. OIG Case Number Rating Assessment 23-0062714-INQ Poor Case Summary On August 13, 2023, a nurse allegedly spoke aggressively to an incarcerated person and then falsely documented in a medical record that the incarcerated person failed to take medications as directed even though the incarcerated person followed instructions. Case Disposition The hiring authority conducted an inquiry and found insufficient evidence to sustain the allegations. Overall Inquiry Assessment Overall, the department performed poorly. Although the investigator completed a thorough inquiry, the department unreasonably delayed the inquiry’s completion. Specifically, the investigator submitted the draft inquiry report to the California Correctional Health Care Services’ Staff Misconduct Team on October 26, 2023, but the California Correctional Health Care Services’ Staff Misconduct Team did not submit the draft report to the Office of Internal Affairs’ Allegation Investigation Unit for a manager’s review until November 27, 2023, 32 days thereafter. The Office of Internal Affairs’ Allegation Investigation Unit manager approved the allegation inquiry report the following day, November 28, 2023, but the California Correctional Health Care Services’ Staff Misconduct Team then failed to submit the approved report to the hiring authority until January 24, 2023, 57 days thereafter. Ultimately, the department took 153 days from the date the Centralized Screening Team received the complaint on August 25, 2023, to the inquiry’s completion on January 25, 2024, 63 days beyond the department’s goal. Finally, the hiring authority initially made an inappropriate finding that the allegations were unfounded but later changed the findings to not sustained based on the OIG’s recommendation. Page 2 of 3 10111 Old Placerville Road, Suite 110, Sacramento, California 95827 5 Telephone: (916) 288-4233 5 www.oig.ca.gov Amarik K. Singh OIG OFFICE of the Inspector General INSPECTOR GENERAL Neil Robertson Chief Deputy Inspector General January 2024 Local Inquiry Team Case Blocks Independent Published in February 2024 Prison Oversight OIG Case Number Rating Assessment 23-0062702-INQ Poor Case Summary On August 17, 2023, an officer allegedly failed to inform an incarcerated person that he was not permitted to access the housing unit’s second tier which led the incarcerated person to slip and fall on the stairwell and break his leg. Case Disposition The hiring authority conducted in an inquiry and found insufficient evidence to sustain the allegation. Overall Inquiry Assessment Overall, the department performed poorly. The Centralized Screening Team received the complaint on August 25, 2023, and the hiring authority made its determination on December 26, 2023, 123 days thereafter, and 33 days beyond departmental goals. The Office of Grievances failed to inform the OIG when the hiring authority made its determination on the allegation, thereby preventing the OIG from conducting contemporaneous monitoring and providing real-time feedback. Page 3 of 3 10111 Old Placerville Road, Suite 110, Sacramento, California 95827 5 Telephone: (916) 288-4233 5 www.oig.ca.gov