Morgan Hill – County officials received good news this week after a U.S. Department of Justice report found significant improvement in the treatment of young offenders in the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall.
“The report reflects the positive changes that have occurred since thevoters entrusted the County Board of Supervisors and the County Executive with the management of the Department of Probation,” said Supervisor Blanca Alvarado, chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Justice. “The Probation Department continues to refine its programs and services based on stakeholder and community feedback.”
In April of this year, Dr. Kelly Dedel, an expert consultant hired by the U.S. Department of Justice, inspected the County of Santa Clara Juvenile Hall to assess the conditions of confinement and to evaluate changes implemented after a previous visit during the spring of 2003.
The report’s highlights include:
Use of force: “The facility’s policies and training curriculum are in line with professional standards and overall force appears to be used appropriately. Staff uses only approved techniques and physical and mechanical restrains are used as last resorts.”
Incident documentation: Narratives describing the youth’s behavior and staff response were described as “superb, clear, specific, detailed.” The supervisory review of incidents involving the use of force has several levels and is timely.
Staff training: “Staff appears to be experienced, well trained individuals who care deeply about the well-being of youth.” The report added that staff is willing to work overtime, “in contrast to some jurisdictions where morale is so low that even the extra pay is not sufficient incentive.” All staff [members] are required to take an array of competency-based courses to prepare them to work in the juvenile justice setting. In particular, the “Write it Right Training” appears to have significantly elevated staff skills in incident report writing.
Protecting high risk youth from self-harm: All staff [members] were aware of the suicide precautions and took responsibilities seriously. Documentation revealed that staff made random, frequent, visual observations of youth on suicide precautions as required by policy.
“I am very pleased that the Department of Justice acknowledges what we in the Probation Department witness on a daily basis – how deeply our staff cares about the youth in our facilities,” said Chief Probation Officer Sheila Mitchell. “Our goal is to continue seeking feedback from juvenile justice experts in order to provide the highest quality of service to youth in our care.”
The report also recommended changes in due process procedures when offenders are confined to their cells for misbehavior, grievance system for filing complaints about their treatment and the county must improve its child abuse reporting procedures.
The county’s Probation Department is in the final stages of implementing a quality assurance program to ensure ongoing compliance with policies and procedures and continuous improvement at Juvenile Hall.
