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Grand Jury Calls for Changes at County Jail |
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By Melinda Burns
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Tuesday, May 15 2007 |
In two new reports, the County Grand Jury takes aim at the health care for inmates in the county jail and procedures for releasing undocumented inmates who are serving time there.
The jury is critical of the county's practice of housing mentally ill inmates together with the general jail population, sometimes for several months, until they can be transferred to a court-ordered state institution.
About 120 inmates out of an average 725 in the main jail on Calle Real receive medication for mental illness, or more than 15 percent of the jail population, the jury report states.
"It was a surprise to see so many mentally ill in jail," said Albert Mercado, the grand jury foreman. "They have to wait their turn until there's enough room in the mental facility where they have to go."
In addition, the jury says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have not been providing sufficient follow-up to help cut down on the number of undocumented immigrants serving time. Inmates without proper visas make up between 10 and 20 percent of the jail population, and they are often released to the street because no federal agents are present when they leave, the jury said.
"They could go back to jail and be recycled several times," Mercado said. "The problem is that ICE is not present on a continuous basis at the main jail."
The Sheriff's Department declined to comment on the specifics of the reports Monday, saying that a working group would be set up to respond to the recommendations within 60 days.
Sgt. Erik Raney, a department spokesman, noted that ICE officials have been present at the jail every day for the past three months. The agents investigate the legal status of inmates. Those who are here without papers may be deported after serving their time.
"We went through a period where the agents weren't here as often," Raney said. "They would go weeks without coming in. We took issue with that and told them we needed somebody stationed at the jail every day."
Health care in the county jail is provided by a contractor, Prison Health Services. There is a doctor on duty Monday through Friday, and nurses on duty 24 hours a day. The county's mental health assessment team provides 24-hour crisis intervention and evaluation.
Dr. Earl Lynch, the county's medical director, said he oversees the performance of Prison Health Service employees at the county jail by reviewing the inmates' medical charts.
"They've been very receptive to things I've asked for that might make improvements," he said. "They know they're under scrutiny all the time. They're very attentive to that."
In its report, the jury recommended removing the mentally ill from the general jail population. And jail officials should consult with Prison Health Services or the county's mental health services, before an inmate is released, the jury said.
A medical officer who was quoted in the jury report said that "in many cases with early and unpredictable releases, it is impossible to coordinate a release for many mentally ill clients. Consequently, they end up on the streets with very limited resources."
Dr. Lynch conceded that after-hours release of inmates was a problem.
"We're trying to expand our hours, but it's not as easy as one would like," he said. "It's hard to man an agency for one person. We have evening hours, but it's not easy to maintain those hours of work."
The jury recommended that a trained health care professional be present at every booking. Inmates with a contagious disease should be kept in isolation, the jury said.
Dr. Lynch agreed, but said it is sometimes hard to know who may be infectious.
"Confined populations are always at risk," he said.
Finally, the jurors said that the present ombudsman for the jail, a volunteer from the American Civil Liberties Union, should be replaced with a court-appointed ombudsman.
The volunteer listens to inmate complaints, but "there appears to be a lack of follow-through that might result in positive change," the jurors said. "... The ombudsman has no authority to resolve issues."
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