"The Juvenile Hall shall not be in, or connected with, any jail or prison, and shall not be deemed to be nor treated as a penal institution. It shall be conducted in all respects as nearly as a home as possible".
-Welfare and Institutions Code 841-
The Sonoma County Grand Jury received a written complaint citing changes
in procedure at Juvenile Hall. Additional complaints were voiced by staff
members who questioned the changes and the effect they have had on residents
of the Hall.
Sonoma County Juvenile Hall is located on Highway 12 and Pythian Road
and is part of the Los Guilucos area. This complex covers 265 acres and
is owned by the County of Sonoma. Juvenile Hall is operated by the Probation
Department and provides secure detention for over 2,000 youthful offenders
each year. The Hall, now housing juvenile offenders in three units (buildings),
has a maximum occupancy of 88 beds. The facility has a gymnasium, swimming
pool, dining hall, portable classrooms, kitchen and laundry. The offices
of the Superior Court Commissioner, Deputy Public Defender, Probation Officer
and a courtroom are also located at Juvenile Hall.
Interviews and information were obtained from the following individuals
and departmental staff:
1. Male and female offenders are housed together; there is no separation
by gender within the units during the day.
2. New arrivals to Juvenile Hall are housed in the maximum security unit
during the intake process.
3. Drug and/or alcohol abusers constitute 65 to 70 % of the residents
in Juvenile Hall.
4. Juveniles with severe emotional disorders or mental illness are counseled
and medicated within their unit. Medical assessments are conducted within
the unit in a non-clinical setting, and without the benefit of privacy.
5. Medications, including psychotropic drugs, are dispensed by any available
staff member.
6. On-site medical staff consists of a licensed psychologist for 24 hours
per week and a registered nurse for 37-1/2 hours per week. Juvenile Hall
operates on a 24 hours per day basis.
7. Juveniles are served all their meals within their particular unit;
the dining hall is not used for food service for juveniles.
8. Juveniles receive all classroom instruction within their units; the
portable classrooms are currently used for storage.
9. The Fire Marshal has closed two of the five original units for failure
to meet fire code.
10. The heating and ventilation systems are inadequate. There is no air
conditioning.
11. There is a lack of security in the public areas. Court personnel
have expressed concern for their own safety because they are accessible
to all visitors.
12. Law enforcement agencies are no longer requested to respond to incidents
within Juvenile Hall. Incident reports are maintained internally.
13. There is no computer system to integrate the information of the Courts,
District Attorney and Probation Department.
14. There are several volunteer programs that juvenile offenders are
encouraged to attend. Parental consent must be obtained to attend the Association
for Better Living and Education (ABLE) program. This particular program
occurs under the auspices of the religious movement of Scientology.
15. A new Behavior Management System was introduced in the fall of 1994
with the appointment of the current Juvenile Hall Director. Behavior management
is based upon residents earning points by cooperation and compliance with
basic program requirements. Ostensibly, the Resident Orientation packet
explaining this system is given to each juvenile once they have been admitted.
(See appendix for a reprint of the Resident Orientation Packet.)
1. Privacy issues are a major concern when males and females are housed
together. Each room has a window in the door and the juvenile can be viewed
by all those who pass in the hall. Complicated scheduling of traffic flow
is currently in effect to give female juveniles privacy for toilet/shower
needs and clothing changes.
2. New arrivals are not placed in the general population but are placed
in the maximum security unit for at least 24 hours. The first time detainee
is exposed to youths who have committed more serious offenses or are repeat
offenders. All socializing, schooling, meals, recreation and exercise are
done in their units.
3. Juvenile Hall currently must serve as a detoxification center. Juveniles
with alcohol and/or drug dependency problems must wait in the Hall for an
opening in a residential treatment center. While certain self-help and counseling
programs are offered at the Hall, the detainee with a drug and/or alcohol
problem needs to be segregated and offered intensive treatment.
4. The increase in the number of juveniles with mental illness, emotional
problems and exposure to communicable diseases is making unprecedented demands
on the staff.
5. Unqualified personnel are dispensing medications and psychotropic
drugs.
6. There is no evidence that past usage of the dining hall or portable
classrooms had caused security problems.
7. The Hall is showing the effects of its maximum utilization. Repair
and maintenance in the past years have not kept up with the deterioration
of the aging facility. Heating, air conditioning/ventilation should be a
top priority. At the present time, windows must be kept open for ventilation.
This causes security problems.
8. Court personnel must be separated from the public. As it is, this
staff is highly accessible and therefore very vulnerable.
9. A computer system linking the Courts, District Attorney, Probation
and Sheriff's Department would significantly increase the effective processing
of juveniles by providing :
10. The new Behavior Management System has not been in use long enough
at Juvenile Hall to determine its benefits to either staff or Hall residents.
11. The facility can not meet the demands of the community and no longer
has the capacity to house the juveniles that have to be detained. This may
well raise the question whether decisions are sometimes made not for what
is best for the juveniles but what is best for the juvenile justice system.
1. Separate housing with bathroom facilities must be provided for females.
A female staff member must be available at all times.
2. The intake procedure for new arrivals take place in another unit and
that the time spent in the maximum security unit be of the shortest duration
possible.
3. A treatment center for juvenile offenders with substance abuse problems
be created and maintained by the County.
4. On-site qualified medical care be provided 24 hours a day.
5. The dining hall be used for all meals, affording juveniles time away
from their unit.
6. Juvenile Hall needs the following major improvements:
7. Immediate installation of a wall or barrier for the safety of court
personnel.
8. A computer system linking the Courts, District Attorney, Probation
Department and Sheriff/Police Departments.
9. The Juvenile Justice Commission initiate a system to review all internal
incident reports.
10. Future Grand Juries monitor the effectiveness of the Behavior Management
System.
Board of Supervisors 3,6,7,8
Sonoma County Probation Department 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Juvenile Hall Director 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Juvenile Justice Commission 9
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pj 6/16/97