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Last modified by Ryan Larkin on 2021/11/10 17:14
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1 **Washington County Sheriff's Office**
2
3 **Corrections Division**
4
5 Policy Manual
6
7
8 Volume: AB
9
10 Services and Programs
11
12 Chapter: 07
13
14 Public Volunteers and Contract Staff
15
16
17 Replaces and/or Supersedes:
18
19 None
20
21 Published:
22
23 01/23/2011
24
25 Review Date:
26
27 11/10/2021
28
29
30 Sheriff Cory C. Pulsipher
31 Undersheriff Nate Brooksby
32
33
34 **__TABLE OF CONTENTS__**
35
36 AB 07_101 Definitions
37
38 AB 07_102 References
39
40 AB 07_103 General
41
42 AB 07_104 Access, Supervision, and Restrictions
43
44 AB 07_105 Rules and Orientation
45
46 AB 07_106 Compensation
47
48
49 **AB 07_101 __DEFINITIONS__**
50
51 1. WCSO:  Washington County Sheriff's Office
52 1. PCF: Purgatory Correctional Facility
53
54 **AB 07_102 __REFERENCES__**
55
56 1. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Standards: 2000-13.
57 1. Utah Sheriffs' Association Jail Standards:
58 11. J01.04.02: Volunteers and Contract Providers
59 11. J02.03.04: Utilizing Community Resources
60 11. J03.03.01: Staffing
61 11. J03.03.03: Utilizing Community Resources
62 11. J04.03.01: Staffing
63 11. J04.03.03: Utilizing Community Resources
64 11. J07.01.01: Written Volunteer Policies and Procedures Required
65 11. J07.01.02: Content
66 11. J07.02.01: Utilizing Community Resources
67 11. J07.02.02: Purpose and Role
68 11. J07.02.03: Working Arrangement
69 11. J07.03.01: Qualifications and Screening
70 11. J07.03.02: Rules and Orientation
71 11. J07.03.03: Restrictions
72 1. Utah Code Annotated 53-10-108
73
74 **AB 07_103 __GENERAL__**
75
76 1. Policy:
77 11. Volunteers and contract providers may be used to assist in providing services and programs. However, all outside staff shall work within the security, safety, operational, and policy requirements of the Sheriff's Office.
78 11. The Sheriff, or designee, should:
79 111. Evaluate the need for volunteers, contract staff, and community-based programs;
80 111. Inventory available community resources; and
81 111. Obtain the needed services, programs, volunteers, and/or contract staff.
82 11. Services and programs should include, but not be limited to:
83 111. Mental health services;
84 111. Medical services;
85 111. Religious services;
86 111. Legal assistance;
87 111. Library services;
88 111. Tutors;
89 111. Recreation programs;
90 111. Exercise programs;
91 111. Treatment programs;
92 111. Search and Rescue; and
93 111. Explorers.
94 1. Rationale:
95 11. All activities must be directed and controlled by Sheriff's Office staff to ensure that regulations and policy requirements are enforced, and to protect the Sheriff's Office's legitimate interests.
96 11. Unless sufficient staff time is available to facilitate inmate services and programs, opportunities may not be adequately provided (some may be required by law), and/or legitimate interests may be jeopardized.
97 11. Sheriff's Office officials should consider the use of volunteers, student interns, clergy, community-based programs, and other community resources to:
98 111. Provide otherwise unavailable services and programs; and
99 111. Reduce operating costs.
100
101 **AB 07_104 __ACCESS, SUPERVISION, AND RESTRICTIONS__**
102
103 1. Policy:
104 11. In accordance with Washington County policy (F): “Before a volunteer can donate service to the County, the volunteer and the service must be approved by both the Commission, (or a Commission Representative) and Human Resources.”
105 11. Volunteers and contract staff shall receive approval from the Sheriff, or designee, prior to being permitted to work.
106 11. Volunteers and contract staff shall be carefully supervised and controlled by those responsible for the operation and management of the Sheriff's Office.
107 11. The movement, access, and actions of volunteers and contract staff shall be restricted to that minimum level necessary to carry out authorized functions.
108 11. Sheriff's Office officials should establish qualifications for volunteers and contract staff and should screen candidates before they can be permitted to work. As a part of the minimum qualifications, persons should ordinarily be rejected if:
109 111. They have a felony record;
110 111. A relative or close friend is incarcerated in PCF;
111 111. There is reason to believe that the candidate would:
112 1111. Not obey the policy and rule requirements of the Sheriff's Office;
113 1111. Be vulnerable to intimidation or manipulation; or
114 1111. For philosophical, moral, or other reasons have difficulty strictly supporting and following security requirements; or
115 1111. Other justifications which may exist related to the legitimate interests of the Sheriff's Office operation.
116 11. Visitors, relatives, or friends of current PCF inmates are not allowed to serve as volunteers in PCF.
117 11. Volunteers shall sign a waiver of liability before entering a secure portion of the facility where inmates are present.
118 1. Rationale:
119 11. Access to and management of the Sheriff's Office, including the jail, is within the statutory authority of the Sheriff.
120 11. The services rendered by volunteers and contract staff are potentially of substantial benefit to the Sheriff's Office. There are, however, potential difficulties associated with allowing persons other than staff to work inside the jail. Volunteers and contract staff:
121 111. May not have had the benefit of corrections pre-service or in-service training;
122 111. May see the jail operation through the narrow view of their own mission in the jail, often viewing necessary jail safety and security regulations as unreasonable impediments to service delivery and unfair restrictions of the human rights of inmates;
123 111. Are vulnerable to being manipulated by inmates, even to the extent of violating rules and policy requirements; and
124 111. may engage in actions which they deem of minor consequence, but which will have a substantially adverse effect on safety, security, or other legitimate facility interests.
125 11. Careful supervision and control of volunteers and contract staff can greatly minimize the potential problems associated with their involvement in the jail facility. Providers who cannot support and adhere to rules become a liability to the security and safety of the facility.
126
127 **AB 07_105 __RULES AND ORIENTATION__**
128
129 1. Policy:
130 11. The Sheriff's Office should provide rules, regulations, and orientation training for volunteers and contract staff prior to allowing them to function as a volunteer.
131 11. Rules and regulations should include strict requirements concerning disclosure of information learned as a result of working for the Sheriff's Office.
132 1. Rationale:
133 11. Volunteers and contract staff, no matter how well-motivated and diligent, will not be able to avoid violating rules and policy requirements unless they have fair notice of those requirements.
134 11. Unauthorized disclosure or discussion of the information obtained from official records or as a result of observations and discussions may:
135 111. Violate GRAMA provisions or other state or federal law requirements;
136 111. Undermine safety or security;
137 111. Violate protected privacy interests;
138 111. Undermine community confidence in the Sheriff's Office operations;
139 111. Have a disruptive effect on the Sheriff's Office operations; and
140 111. Result in spreading inaccurate or misleading information based on the limited knowledge and experience of the person communicating the information.
141 11. Disclosure of criminal justice information may be a violation of state law and result in criminal prosecution.
142
143 **AB 07_106 __COMPENSATION__**
144
145 1. Policy:
146 11. Volunteers shall not be financially compensated.
147 11. Contract staff shall be compensated as specifically detailed by their contract with the Sheriff's Office.
148 1. Rationale:
149 11. Compensation should be regulated by the terms of a contract in order to avoid confusion and/or liability.