2015 grand jury corrections report[1]

7/24/2019 2015 Grand Jury Corrections Report[1]

1/11

2015 Grand Jury

Report on Correctional

Facilities Located

in

Washington

County

I.

Introduction

Pursuant

to ORS

132.440, a

grand

jury

panel

was selected by the Circuit

Court

for

the

purpose

of

inspecting the

conditions

and

management

at

four

correctional

facilities

located in

Washington

County, Oregon: the Washington County

Jail

(WCJ),

the

Washington

County Community

Corrections

Center

(CCC),

Harkins

House

(HH),

and

Coffee

Creek Correctional

Facility

(CCCF).

We,

the Grand Jurors,

visited

each

facility. We were

given

an

orientation

by

management

at each facility followed by a

detailed

walking

tour. The management

of

each facility was aware

of the reason for the Grand Jury s

visit,

and offered

us

access to

any areas

we wished

to

examine.

The inspections

provided

the Grand Jury an adequate

overview of

the

physical conditions of

the

facilities.

The Grand Jury

did

not examine

audits,

budgetary

records,

management

policies,

detailed outside

inspection reports, nor

official

findings

aside

what

was

provided

at the

mentioned

orientation

sessions. We

believe our

review

of each facility

provided

a

realistic impression of the day-to-day

operations,

and allowed us

to

judge

the

overall

fitness

of

the

buildings,

the attitude of

staffand

security strategies in

practice,

The orientations and

walking

tours were

interactive

and the

grand

jurors

were able

to

ask

questions

through

each

review.

The

staff at

each facility

provided

additional

information

when

asked.

Though

time

constraints prevented

us

from examining

every

area

of

all

four institutions,

we are satisfied that we

observed

the

overall

structure

of each

facility

and had

access to

any

portion

of

the

facilities

we desired

to

see. As

such,

we feel that we

can

report

reliably

on the

general

physical

condition

and

relative fitness

of

the

facilities. It

should

be

noted that

each of

the

facilities

were

in

full operation at the

time

of

our

visits.

Senior

Deputy District Attomey Jeff Lesowski and

Deputy District Attorney Dan Hesson

of

the Washington

County

District Attorney s Office accompanied

us

on

all

the tours and

joined

in

asking

questions.

Despite

their

presence,

we stipulate that this

report

is the

Grand Jury s alone,

generated

after

the

jurors

met

behind

closed doors

for a

considerable

time

period

to

discuss our impressions and

findings.

1


2/11

II. Washington

County

Jail

(\ilCJ)

Conducted:

November

17,2015

Duration:

3 hours approx.

Grand

Jury Members

6 out

of

7

members

present

Accompanied

by

Senior Deputy District

Attorney

Jeff

Lesowski and

Deputy District Attorney

Dan

Hesson

Introduction:

Pat Ganett, Sheriff

Orientation and Tour:

Commander

Mike Lenahan,

Lieutenant Kim

Phillips,

Lieutenant Matt Frohnert, Corporal

Heather

Wiley

Orientation/Overview

Sheriff

Pat Garrett

personally

welcomed

the

jurors

and

gave

an

introduction of

the WCJ

to

the

Grand Jury,

including

an

overview

of the

relationship

between

the

three

county-run

institutions

that

were reviewed

(WCJ,

CCC,

HHH). Command

staff

provided

facts and

statistics

about

the

jail,

and

answered

all of

the

Grand

Jury's

questions.

The

presentation

prior

to

the

tour

was detailed

and

provided

a very

helpful overview of

the

facility. The

Grand Jury was

pleased

with

the

orientation.

The Grand Jury took

note

of

the

fact

that,

the Sheriff

and

his

staff talked about

not

only

what they

felt

was

good

about

the

jail,

but

also

candidly

discussed

goals

for

improvement.

The

tour

itself included

suggested areas encompassing

much

of

the

jail,

but it was

made

clear

to us

that any

part

of

the

facility was available

to

review.

Master Control

Master Control

is

the

oonerve

center of

the

jail.

The

Grand

Jury took note of the

fact that

the

Sheriff

s

Offlrce seemed

to

be

taking

necessary safety

precautions.

We were

impressed

by control

room workers' ability to

watch

all

screens.

It

was

noted that

a

current

remodeling

project

was

underway to

expand space

for

certain technology

needs.

Intake Area

The

Grand

Jury took

note

of

the

fact

that

the

Sheriff s

Office

needed to

access

two

different

computer

systems to

get

what

they

need, and they also

had

paper

charts.

This

process,

while seemingly

cumbersome,

appeared

very

organized,

efficient

and detailed.

The Grand Jury

took

note

of

the

inmate tracking

process,

with

inmate

photos.

The Grand

Jury

was

physically

present

in

the

intake

area

when

a

bus

brought outside

inmates

into

2


3/11

the

WCJ.

The

intake

process

appeared

to

be

quick

and

efficent.

The

Grand Jury was

made aware that the Sheriff s Office

hoped

to

obtain a

full

body

scanner

to

assist

in

conducting

searches of

inmates, specifically to

locate contraband

mainly

drugs)

which

unfortunately

can

be

occasionally

smuggled

via

bodily

orifices.

The Grand Jury believes

that a

full body

scanner

would contribute to the

safety

of

the deputies, the

staft

and

the

inmates,

and

we

hope

that this

option

is not

cost-prohibitive.

Medical

The Grand Jury

was made aware that

each

inmate

was

medically examined as

part

of

the

intake

process,

for

both

physical

and

mental

health

care.

Medications and outside

medical

providers

would

then

be

potentially

arranged.

The Grand Jury was

very

impressed with this

process

of

medical examination at

intake.

The Grand Jury

was

made

aware

that the WCJ

recently

switched

medical

service

providers

for inmates. The Grand Jury appreciated

the compassion that the

providers

appeared

to

have

for

the

inmates.

Regarding advancements

in

patient

care,

the Grand

Jury

took

note

that the

WCJ

has one

psychiatrist.

We believe that, given

the

amount

of

mental health

issues

present

in the inmate

population,

more mental health

staff

should

be

considered.

In

the

medical observation

housing unit

MOU),

we noted

that

each inmate must be

checked

frequently.

The

sole

deputy

on duty

seemed

to

be

quite

busy,

which

was

acceptable, but

we feel

that stafing of this

unit

should

be

monitored to

ensure

that

the

deputies are able

to

carry

out

all of their

responsibilities.

Maximum

Security Pod

This

pod

had

a broken

door,

which

appeared

to be an

issue.

If

it has not

been

already, we

encourage

that

it

be

repaired.

Inside the

control room

the

staff

seemed

very

experienced

and capable.

Forced

Releases

The

Grand Jury

was made aware that

in recent

years

there has been

a

marked

increase in

forced

releases

of

female inmates. There

are

many

possible

reasons

for

this. It is clear

that

the

WCJ needs

more space for women

inmates.

We

feel

that

it is

unacceptable

that

females

who

otherwise should be

incarcerated are being

released

into

the community

simply

due

to

lack of space.

Building

a

new

facility or wing

seems needed at

this

time.

The overall

decrease

in forced

releases

from

2014 was

positive.

Womenos

Pod

This

pod

seemed

to run

well.

Other than the

forced

release issue

mentioned

above, the

Grand

Jury took

note of no issues

which

needed

to

be addressed.

J


4/11

Laundry

The laundry

facility

was

neat

and

organized.

The Grand Jury

took

note

of

no

issues

which

needed

to

be addressed.

General

The Grand Jury was

made aware that the

WCJ

is

a smoke

free

facility, which

we applaud.

The

programs

available

to

the

inmates were

impressive. We noted that the outside

activity

areas

for

each

pod,

while

adequate,

are

relatively small,

and that

opportunities

for

physical

activity

for

inmates

are

limited. To

the extent

possible

we believe that organized

physical

activity

programs

should be

considered.

The Grand Jury was

impressed with

the

overall

security

of

the WCJ.

Kitchen

The

kitchen

facility was clean,

orderly

and appeared

efficient. Something

did

appear to

be

dripping

from

the

ceiling

(not

onto food) which

we assume

has

been addressed.

The

Grand Jury was

made aware

that

the

jail

kitchen

serves

as

a

central

kitchen for multiple

facilities

(V/CJ,

CCC,

and

Harkins House).

This

appears

to be cost efficient.

We

encourage

the

jail

to

continue

providing healthy meals to inmates, and to the extent

possible

working to

add

healthier

options

such as

healthy

fats

such as

Omega3s

in

tropical oils

instead

of

margarine,

and

to

include

more

whole fruits

instead

of sugary

foods

and

beverages.

Garden

The Grand Jury observed

that there

is

now a

modest

garden

in an outside area

near the

dock.

We

believe

that

having

a

garden

is a

great

idea

and

would

like

to see

it eventually

expanded.

The fact that

food from

the

garden

goes

to

the

Food

Bank

is

a

good

opportunity

for

inmates

to

give

to

give

back to the

community.

The Home

Depot

deserves

special thanks

for its

contributions

of

materials.

Overall

The entire

facility

was

clean,

safe, and appeared to be

very well-managed.

The

Grand

Jury was

impressed with

this

facility.

4


5/11

III.

Washington County

Communify

Corrections Center CCC)

Conducted:

November

24,2015

Duration:

3.5

hours

approx.)

Grand Jury

Members:

All members

were

present

Accompanied

by

Senior

Deputy District

Attorney

Jeff

Lesowski and

Deputy

District

Attorney

Dan

Hesson

Introduction: Director

Steve

Berger

and

Manager

Karleigh

Molihan

Orientation

and

Tour:

Director

Steve

Berger and

Manager Karleigh

Molihan


Director Steve

Berger and Manager

Karleigh

Molihan

personally

welcomed

the

jurors

upon

arrival

in

the

lobby.,

We were escorted

into

a

conference

room and

provided

an

introduction

and

overview

of the

CCC.

We

were

provided facts

and

statistics about

the

CCC,

and answers

to our

questions

were

provided,

The

presentation

prior

to

the

tour

was

helpful

and

informative. We

learned about

the

physical facility, its function and

purpose,

and

programs

available

for residents.

We

learned that

most of the

residents of the

CCC

are sentenced

inmates who

had once been

in

the

WCJ,

but whom

judges

have allowed

to

transfer to the

CCC

to

finish

their sentences.

The

grand

jury

was

made

aware

of

the

following

recent changes,

and

believes

that these

are

positive

changes:

o

GPS

monitoring

for

all

sexual offenders

and

domestic

violence

offenders

who

leave the

facility.

o

Alcohol

monitoring

technology.

o

Increased

waiting

period

before

eligibility

for

passes.

o

Peer

review.

o

Taking

advice

of the

2014

grandjury report

after

its

inspection

of

the

facility.

Remodel

Currently,

there

is no wall or

physical

barrier

separating

the entrance

lobby

from the

corridor

leading to the

interior

of

the CCC.

The Grand Jury

learned that there

is

a

5


6/11

planned

remodel

of

the

front

entry

area

of

the facility

in

the summer

of 2016.

This

should

help increase

security

of

the

facility

and will

be

beneficial.

Alert system

The

facility would

benefit from a

button

or similar

device

to summon the

attention of

staff in

case

of

an

emergency.

The

grand

jury

was

made aware

of

such

devices

in

its

tours

of

the

WCJ

and

the

Harkins

House facility

(see

Harkins

House

section

below).

Paying rent

The Grand Jury

was

made

aware

that,

if inmates

have

a

job,

they

have

to

pay

rent for

their stay at

the CCC.

The Grand Jury

believes

this

to be beneficial.

Staff

ratio

The Grand Jury

was made aware that

there

are

12

counselors which

seems

to be

a

good

amount

of staff

given

the

population.

Resume

/ application

/

job

search

assistance

The Grand Jury

applauds the

assistance

the

CCC

provides

to

inmates in the

area of

resume writing

and

job

searches.

The

general

policy

requiring

job

searches

of every

inmate

is

a

beneficial

policy.

More rigorous

resume / application

work during

the

initial

blackout

period

would be

beneficial.

Unauthorized

Departures

The

Grand Jury

was

made aware that

staff response to an

unauthorized departure

starts

after three

hours. We

believe

a

quicker

response

is merited. The response should

be

started after

one

hour

rather

than

three

hours. The

grand

jury

is mindful that while the

inmates are called

ooresidents

during

their stay,

they

are still serving

sentences

for

crimes,

and

their behavior

and

whereabouts

should

be closely

monitored.

Housing after

release

The Grand

Jury was

made aware that

the CCC

continually

works to

get

inmates

into

clean

and sober

housing after

release, and

has contracted

for

350

beds

in local

programs

for stable housing.

This ongoing

work is

a

positive

aspect

of

the

CCC's

attempt

to

transition

inmates

into

the

community.

Bye scans

The

Grand

Jury

believes the

facility

would

benefit from an

increased

use

of eye

scans,

especially

for those

convicted of

any

drug-related crimes,

those on

probation

with drug

conditions,

and those

retuming on

passes.

Maintaining

random eye scans

it

also

important.

The Grand

Jury

recommends that

the next

year's panel

ask to see

numbers

as

to

how

many

eye

scans are

performed,

how

many

of

those were

o'positive,

and

what type

of

penalties

are

given

for failed

drug

tests

when at the

CCC.

Physical

health

During our

visit,

large numbers of

inmates were

gathered

in

the

exercise

yard,

smoking

cigarettes.

While

we

understand

the reasons

for not completely banning tobacco,

it

6


7/11

would

be

beneficial

for

the CCC

to offer

a smoking

cessation

program, perhaps

with

incentives.

In

a similar

vein,

we believe

that it

would

be

beneficial

for

the

CCC

to

offer

a

sugar

cessation

or

reduction

program.

The Grand

Jury

would like to see more

opportunities

provided for

physical

activity

such

as

an

updated exercise

room, an

increase

in

exercise

equipment

in

the

dorms, or

opportunities

for organized

physical

activity.

Overall

The entire

CCC

facility

was clean and

appeared

to

be

well-maintained,

safe, and

well-

managed.

III. Harkins

House

HH)

Conducted

November

24,2015

Duration:

1.5

hours

approx.)

Grand Jury

Members:

All

members were

present

Accompanied by

Senior Deputy

District Attorney

Jeff

Lesowski

and

Deputy

District

Attorney

Dan

Hesson

Introduction:

LaRoy

Labonte,

Manager

Orientation and Tour:

LaRoy Labonte,

Manager,

and

Lynne

Schroeder,

Juvenile

Director


Harkins

House Manager

LaRoy

Labonte

personally

welcomed

the

jurors

upon

anival.

We

were

escorted

into a

room that seves as

a school classroom

and

were

provided

an

introduction

and

overview

of

Harkins

House.

We were

provided

facts

and

statistics

about

the

facility, and

answers to

our

questions

were

provided.

The

presentation prior

to

the

tour

was

helpful

and

informative. As with the

other

facilities,

we

leamed about the

physical

layout of the

building, the

function

and

purpose

of the

program,

as

well as

the

educational and

recreational

opporlunities

available

for

residents.

V/e

learned

that

most

of

the

youth

residents of

Harkins House

are

youths

who

are

awaiting

trial

in

Juvenile

Court, but

whom

a

judges

has

allowed to

reside

in

a

less-restrictive environment

than

Juvenile

Detention.

Outside

Exercise

Area

This

area

was

nice,

with a

nice

covered

court

for basketball

and

volleyball, along with

a

garden

and a

gazebo.

It appears

that residents

are able

to

engage

in

plenty

of

physical

activity.

7


8/11

Class

room

We learned

that each

youth

attends

school

for 3

hours

per

day, taught by

an instructor

from the Hillsboro School

District.

The Grand Jury

strongly

believes

it

would beneficial

to

have

a

full-time teacher because

of

the

significant

amount of academic catching

up

many

of

these

youth

have

to

do.

A

program

to

assist

the

youth to transition into

regular

school

would also be beneficial. A

positive

aspect of Harkins

House's

educational

program

was the

star

privilege program.

Overall,

we were

impressed

with the

efforts

that

are

being made

to

provide

education

for

the

residents,

but we again feel that

this

could be improved with

additional

instruction.

Other

services for

the

youth

The

Grand Jury was

impressed

with the efforts to which Harkins House

staff went to

provide

the

youth

with

special holiday meals

with

family,

certain outings

and

field

trips,

the art

program,

the

counselling

services,

both

group

and

individual,

the

community

service,

and

the

yoga

that was

available

for

the

youth.

Food service

The

Grand Jury was

impressed

with

the

ongoing efforts to

attempt

to

get

a

culinary

program

into Harkins House and believes such a

program

would

be extremely

beneficial

for the

youth.

The Grand

Jury strongly

recommends

that the

community

support

such

a

program,

and

specifically

support

helping

youth

obtain food handler's licenses.

If

a

culinary

program

could

combine

basic kitchen skills

along

with this food

handler's

licensing,

many

youth

would leave the

program

armed with the

tools

to obtain

employment.

Overall

The

environment

at

HH

was

very

positive.

The

facility

was clean, quiet,

and appeared

to

be well-managed

and safe.

There

are

few

behavioral incidents

that

occur,

which

is

commendable considering the background

of

many

of

the

residents.

The

Grand Jury

was

impressed with

this

facility.

8


9/11

IV.

Coffee

Creek

Correctional

Facility

CCCF)

Conducted:

December

l, 2015

Duration:

4 hours

approx.)

Grand

Jury

Members:

All members were

present

Accompanied

by

Senior

Deputy

District Attomey

Jeff

Lesowski and

Deputy

District

Attorney

Dan

Hesson

Introduction

Supervisor/PlO

Vicki

Reynolds, Lieutenant

Toby

Tooley,

Assistant Superintendent

Forrest Lyons

Orientation

and

Tour:

Supervisor/PIO

Vicki

Reynolds, Lieutenant

Toby

Tooley


Vicki

Reynolds

personally

welcomed

the

jurors

upon

arrival.

After

going

through a

rigorous security

process,

we were

escorted

upstairs

into a large conference

room. We

were

joined

by

Assistant

Superintendent

Forrest

Lyons

and

Lieutenant

Toby Tooley,

who

were

kind

enough

to

join

us on

what appeared

to

be

short

notice.

The

other

Superintendents

were unavailable

due to

a

surprise audit).

We were

given

general

information

about the

facility, and answers

to our

questions

were

provided.

The

orientation

prior

to the tour

was somewhat

helpful and

informative,

but we feel that this

orientation

process

could

be

improved

for

future

jury

panels, perhaps

with

more structure

as

well as

handouts.

We

did

leam the basics

regarding the

physical layout

and

function of

the

facility. V/e

leamed that

CCCF

is

the temporary

intake center

for all

Oregon

inmates sentenced to

prison

sentences,

as well

as

the

only

Oregon

prison

for

female

inmates.

We

learned

that

there

is

a

medium

security

portion

of

the

institution that

houses both

males

and

females

in

separate

sections)

as

well

as

a

minimum

security

section

which

houses

females only.

Employee

morale

The facility

has a wall which

recognizes

certain

employeeso

honors

and achievements.

This

is

a

great

reinforcement tool

for those

doing

a

good

job,

and

motivation for all

employees.

Securify

CCCF

is

in

the

process

of

purchasing

more

security

cameras,

which seem needed.

More

staff

is needed

at the

facility.

At

the

time

of

our

visit

the

security

gate

outside

the

front

door was

malfunctioning

and

needed to be

kept manned

until

repairs were

made. We

9


10/11

assume this

problem

has been fixed.

Overall,

the Grand

Jury thought the

facility had

good

security,

with

good procedures

and

attentive

staff.

Intake

The

grand

jury

observed

the area

where

inmates

arrive

at CCCF

from the different county

jails.

We observed

two

inmates

who

were

actively

engaged

in

the intake

process.

The

intake

process

appeared to

be efficient.

The

facility had

a

reliable system to

check on

inmates who

moved

from

building to

building.

The separate area

for inmates with

disabilities

was

a beneficial

component

of the

intake

unit.

Medium

Security Unit

The Grand Jury

toured

a

housing

unit in

the

side

that

houses

males

going

through

intake.

We

also

toured

multiple housing

units

on the

female

side of medium

security.

We

were

impressed with

the

overall

security and operation

of this

facility.

We

observed that

it

appears

to

be well

maintained

and

ran

efflrciently,

We

observed some

inmates

moving

about,

going

from

place

to

place

in the corridor,

and

other

inmates engaged

in work

tasks.

Intensive

management

unit

IMU)

The Grand Jury

toured a special classroom

in

this unit

and leamed about

new

programs

which

help

inmates

with

anger

management

and social skills.

We were

impressed with

the efforts

that

have to be

made

to

gather

even a

small

number of

IMU

and

disciplinary-

segregated

inmates

in

a

group

setting.

Faith Center

The

diversity of

spiritual

programs

and

the

spiritual

library available

to

inmates were

both

beneficial

to the

inmates

and

we commend

ihe efforts

that are made

to

provide

faith

and

cultural opportunities

to

inmates.

Kitchen

The

kitchen

facility appeared clean, well-maintained,

and

quite

busy

Programs

The

work

force

development

programs

such as

quilting,

shredding,

welding

and

DMV

employment

in medium security

are very

good

programs,

both

in

terms

of their

positive

impact on the

inmates and

in how it

provides

a

benefit to

the

community.

The

points

that

inmates

earn from these

programs

are available

to buy

items from

the

commissary.

The

Grand Jury

recommends that

some

of

those

points

be

used

to

pay

for

medical care and

medications. We

leamed about the

CCCF dog

program,

where

certain female inmates

work closely

to train

dogs

for specialty assistance

tasks. We were able to

see

some of the

dogs and directly

interact with some

of

the

inmate trainers. We conclude that

this

program

is

very

benefrcial

to

the

community

and

is

therapeutic

for

the

inmates,

The

Grand Jury

recommends

studying

to

see

whether

the

dog

program

could

be

expanded

to a

veterinary

tech

program.

We believe that

such training would

give

inmates

a

valuable

employment

skill upon

release.

Minimum security

10


11/11

The housing

units

in minimum

security

looked

overcrowded.

The

Grand Jury learned

that due to increasing numbers of female inmates, an additional row

of

bunks

has been

added

to

each

housing

unit

on the

minimum

side, and these added bunks

partially

impede

the

view of

the

corrections

offrcers.

We believe this

is

a

potential

security issue. It is

clear

that

CCCF is

full,

if

not

overcrowded, and that additional space for female inmates

is

needed.

Vy e

recommend that

this

issue be

addressed.

We

observed

that the

campus

of

CCCF

is

spacious

and there is

ample

room for

an addition

or

auxiliary building

to

be

added on the

minimum

side, and

it

is clear this

is

needed.

The

Grand Jury was

impressed

with

the eyeglass

program.

The

job

development

program

in in minimum

appears to be an excellent

program.

The Grand

Jury was

impressed with the spacious

garden

area

and

the fact that it is

actually

used

to

supply

food

for

inmates.

The

child

development center,

which allowed

inmates

to see their

children,

was

a

positive

aspect of

the facility. The

programs

building seemed spacious

and adequately outfitted, but it

was

noted

that there are

fewer

cameras

in

that area than

in

other

parts

of

the

facility.

We were

told

that

additional

cameras

were

going

to

be

installed.

We noted that most

programs

were

available

to only

available

to

inmates housed

in

that

particular

section

of

the institution.

We recommend that CCCF

explore the

feasibility

allowing

inmates

housed

on the

minimum side

be eligible to

participate

in

programs

offered in the medium

side.

Visiting rooms

There was

a

contrast

in

the visiting

rooms.

The medium

security visiting room

was

very

nice, bright

and

inviting,

while the visiting room in minimum

was not. Nevertheless,

both

seemed adequate.

Overall

The entire

CCCF

facility

was clean and appeared to be well-maintained,

safe,

and

well-

managed.

Dated:

January

*

,ZOrc

Juror

11

2015 grand jury corrections report[1]

Documents