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Version 1.1 by Ryan Larkin on 2016/09/09 18:30
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1 **Washington County Sheriff's Office**
2
3 **CORRECTIONS DIVISION**
4
5 Policy Manual
6
7
8 Volume: CC
9
10 Security
11
12 Chapter: 08
13
14 Inmate Surveillance and Supervision
15
16
17 Replaces and/or Supersedes:
18
19 CC 08 05/03/2010, Review 08/09/2011
20
21 Published:
22
23 08/09/2011
24
25 Date Reviewed:
26
27 10/26/2015
28
29
30 Sheriff Cory C. Pulsipher
31
32 Chief Deputy Jake Schultz
33
34
35 **__TABLE OF CONTENTS__**
36
37 CC 08_101 Distribution
38
39 CC 08_102 Definitions
40
41 CC 08_103 References
42
43 CC 08_104 Head Counts
44
45 CC 08_105 Irreconcilable Head Count
46
47 CC 08_106 Inmate Checks
48
49 CC 08_107 Cross-Gender Supervision
50
51 CC 08_108 Inmate Movement
52
53 CC 08_109 Video Surveillance
54
55
56 **CC 08_101 __DISTRIBUTION__**
57
58 Standard.
59
60
61 **CC 08_102 __DEFINITIONS__**
62
63 1. WCSO: Washington County Sheriff's Office
64 1. PCF: Purgatory Correctional Facility
65 1. Daytime Hours: When the housing unit lights are all on for daytime use.
66 1. Nighttime Hours: When the housing unit lights are dimmed for inmate sleeping.
67 1. Formal Head Count: A count of inmates currently housed which requires direct visual confirmation of skin and an identification verification. Inmates will be restricted to their current location at the beginning of the formal head count until it is complete.
68 1. Informal Head Count: A count of inmates currently housed.
69 1. Suicide Watch: An inmate housing status generally assigned only to inmates believed to be suicidal or to have self-harming tendencies. An inmate may only be released from Suicide Watch by the Medical Director, Chief Deputy, or higher-ranking WCSO official.
70 1. Jail Disturbance: Any event that disrupts the normal flow of jail operations.
71 1. Exigent: A situation requiring immediate action, assistance, or resolution; something arising suddenly out of current events; pressing need or demand.
72
73
74 **CC 08_103 __REFERENCES__**
75
76 1. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Standards:
77 11. 7
78 11. 11
79 11. 20.V.B.1
80 11. 20.V.B.6
81 11. 20.V.D.3.
82 1. Utah Sheriff's Association Jail Standards:
83 11. F02.01.01: Written Surveillance and Supervision Policies and Procedures Required
84 11. F02.01.02: Content: Surveillance and Supervision
85 11. F02.02.02: Living Area Checks
86 11. F02.02.03: Cross-Gender Surveillance
87 11. F02.03.01: Frequency of Counts
88 11. F02.03.02: Reconciling Counts
89 11. F02.04.01: General Use of CCTV
90 11. K01.01.01: Written Prisoner Surveillance Policies and Procedures Required
91 11. K01.01.02: Content
92 11. K01.02.02: Operational Requirements
93 11. N01.03.01: General
94 11. N01.03.02: Female Prisoners
95 11. N02.01.01: Written Cross-Gender Searches and Supervision Policies and Procedures Required
96 11. N02.01.02: Content
97 11. N02.03.01: General
98
99
100 **CC 08_104 __HEAD COUNTS__**
101
102 1. Policy:
103 11. Inmate head counts shall be completed at least once each shift (at the beginning of each shift). However, formal inmate head counts should be conducted according to the following schedule:
104 111. 0600 hours;
105 111. 1200 hours;
106 111. 1800 hours; and
107 111. 2300 hours.
108 11. Jail staff shall reconcile the count against the total number of inmates who are currently on the jail roster.
109 11. Formal head counts shall be completed with direct visual confirmation (video surveillance equipment may not be used).
110 11. Photo identification shall be required for each inmate during formal head counts.
111 11. A formal inmate head count in progress shall not be interrupted; except by exigent circumstances.
112 11. Informal head counts shall be completed and documented at least once every hour between 0000 hours and 0600 hours.
113 11. Inmate head counts should be completed by the staff assigned to the respective areas.
114 11. The supervisor on duty shall ensure that all inmate head counts are completed accurately and timely.
115 11. The supervisor on duty may require a head count to be completed at any time and may require multiple head counts to be conducted during a single shift, formal or informal.
116 11. All individual area head counts shall be documented in the jail computer system.
117 11. All formal head counts shall be reported to West Control for reconciliation.
118 11. West Control staff shall announce, via radio, the reconciled completion of all formal head counts.
119 11. Formal head counts shall be completed after a:
120 111. Major jail disturbance;
121 111. Power outage;
122 111. Suspected escape or verified escape; and/or
123 111. Computer system down time exceeding two hours.
124 11. Jail areas:
125 111. Shall individually maintain, and display in the control center, a current head count of each housing block for that area;
126 111. Shall maintain a current inmate photo book containing a photo with identification number of every inmate housed in the area;
127 111. Include:
128 1111. Booking;
129 1111. East Control;
130 1111. West Control; and
131 1111. Community Release.
132 1. Rationale:
133 11. Inmate head counts are required to ensure that all inmates who are supposed to be incarcerated are currently in custody.
134
135
136 **CC 08_105 __IRRECONCILABLE HEAD COUNT__**
137
138 1. In the event that an inmate head count cannot be reconciled, staff shall:
139 11. Lockdown all inmates and fully secure the jail and the jail's security perimeter;
140 11. Initiate a new head count with each inmate being counted at his/her bunk;
141 11. Re-check out-count logs to determine if any inmates not accounted for are in court, at a medical facility, or at other authorized off-site locations.
142 1. If an inmate cannot be located, the following shall be notified with descriptions and photographs of the missing inmates, as directed:
143 11. On-duty supervisor;
144 11. Corrections Lieutenants;
145 11. Corrections Chief Deputy;
146 11. Undersheriff;
147 11. Sheriff;
148 11. Local dispatch;
149 11. Contracting agency; if applicable.
150 11. News media; with specific approval from the Sheriff;
151 1. Reference policy: CY 02 Escape.
152
153
154 **CC 08_106 __INMATE CHECKS__**
155
156 1. Policy:
157 11. Inmates shall be individually and directly observed in their living areas (video surveillance equipment may not be used to meet this requirement):
158 111. At least once each hour;
159 111. At least once every thirty minutes for inmates in Booking;
160 111. Continual for inmates on suicide watch. Documentation of suicide watch checks shall be at least every fifteen minutes.
161 11. Inmate checks should be made on an irregular basis.
162 11. Housing unit inmate checks (documented as Cell Checks) should be completed by at least two deputies during daytime hours and nighttime hours. At least one of the deputies must be Corrections certified.
163 11. When a Cell Check is completed by only one deputy, the deputy must remain under close visual observation by another staff member (directly or via video surveillance equipment).
164 11. Classroom or programming session inmate checks (documented as Area Security Checks) should be completed continuously by a Corrections certified deputy directly or via video surveillance equipment.
165 11. Inmate checks for inmates located in areas other than housing units (including programming areas) shall be completed directly by a Corrections certified deputy and documented at least once every hour.
166 11. Inmate checks for inmates located in off-site locations shall be reported to West Control at least once every hour; when possible. For circumstances where communication is not possible every hour, staff shall not exceed four hours before reporting to West Control.
167 11. Inmate checks should include, but not be limited to:
168 111. Verifying the presence and apparent well-being of inmates;
169 111. Looking for evidence of previous misconduct (i.e., fighting, damage to the facility, contraband);
170 111. Discovering potential security problems.
171 11. Inmate checks should be documented in the jail computer system and should identify the jail staff who completed the check.
172 11. Documentation should include details from the individual deputy's observations and/or interactions.
173 11. Staff should know the locations and activities of the inmates under their assigned supervision.
174 1. Rationale:
175 11. Frequent, irregularly scheduled inmate checks make it more difficult for inmates to freely engage in actions which violate the law or jail regulations. Diligent officers may be able to catch inmates who are engaged in prohibited actions and/or observe the results of their actions.
176 11. A failure of jail officers to make timely inmate checks could result in an increased liability.
177 11. Inmate checks should be made on an irregular basis to make it more difficult for inmates to predict visits and exploit that predictability.
178
179
180 **CC 08_107 __CROSS-GENDER SUPERVISION__**
181
182 1. Policy:
183 11. Cross-gender supervision is allowed; however:
184 111. Staff should not be assigned to posts or assignments which could result in routine, close observation of inmates of the opposite gender while in the shower or using the toilet;
185 111. Viewing of unclothed inmates of the opposite gender should be:
186 1111. Inadvertent; and
187 1111. Occasional or infrequent; and/or
188 1111. At a distance.
189 11. Cross-gender supervision shall be balanced with the equal employment interests of women against the sexual privacy interests of inmates:
190 111. Jail staff should make a reasonable effort to minimize the degree of sexual privacy intrusions which occur as a result of cross-gender supervision.
191 111. Jail staff should make a reasonable and diligent effort to protect female inmates from unwarranted sexual privacy intrusions.
192 111. Inmates’ sexual privacy interests do not exceed the legitimate penological interests of safety, security, order, and discipline.
193 11. Staff of either gender may be assigned to Booking, East Control, and West Control posts.
194 11. Fair notice to inmates shall be limited to notifying inmates in the Inmate Orientation Packet that all staff posts and positions may be filled by officers of either gender.
195 11. Fair notice to inmates shall not include shouting a warning prior to the start of an officer of the opposite gender beginning a security round.
196 11. Inmates who purposely expose themselves to officers are subject to disciplinary and/or criminal action.
197 1. Rationale:
198 11. Cross-gender supervision is necessary to meet the requirements of Title VII. "If a state is required to hire women as guards in its male prisons, it reasonably seems to follow that it must be allowed to utilize female guards to the fullest extent possible." [Smith v. Fairman, 678 F.2d 52, 54 (CA7 1982). Also see Michenfelder v. Sumner, 624 F.Supp. 457, 462 (D.Nev. 1985)("A prohibition against female corrections officers being assigned to posts where they may view naked male prisoners not only would lessen the chance for women to be hired for prison work, but also would dampen their chances for advancement if they were hired."); Griffin v. Michigan Department of Corrections, 654 F.Supp. 690 (E.D.Mich. 1982)(refusing to allow female staff to patrol the housing units of male prisons violation of Title VII)]. The mere possibility of seeing an inmate nude or using the toilet is not a sexual privacy violation. That does not mean that officers may intrude on the sexual privacy of inmates of the opposite gender in a totally unrestricted manner. As a general rule, violation of inmates' rights to privacy occurs when staff regularly or routinely watch inmates of the opposite sex who are engaged in personal activities such as undressing, using toilet facilities, or showering.
199 11. Equal employment opportunities for female officers and candidates for employment are required by federal law. It is unlawful for an employer to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge anyone or to discriminate with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, on the basis of gender. Applicants or employees shall not be deprived of employment opportunities, nor shall their employment status be adversely affected as a result of gender. The courts have ruled that women must be permitted to work in corrections, even with male inmates, on virtually the same basis as male staff members. Granting male inmates complete sexual privacy from female officers would seriously reduce the number of women who could work in corrections, because approximately 95% of all inmates in the United States are male [George M. and Camille Camp, The Corrections Yearbook, 1993 (New Salem: Criminal Justice Institute), p.4. (94.4%, U.S.; 95.9%, Utah)]. To meet the equal employment opportunities for women demanded by federal law and protect the county from discrimination claims, jail administrators have a strong interest and a responsibility to open employment to women, even if at the cost of some infringement of male prisoners' privacy interests. The courts have not found clearly established rights to sexual privacy for inmates. Male inmates, in particular, have had their sexually privacy interests limited due to a greater interest in creating equal employment opportunities for female staff. Approximately 95 percent of inmates are male. The heavy imbalance of male and female inmates means that complying with the requirement of Title VII to ensure that hiring is essentially gender neutral will inevitably result in female officers being assigned to posts and positions formerly held by men. If women are to be able to achieve employment parity with male officers it is necessary that they can function on a similar basis. Many of the tasks which must be handled by females in those positions will necessarily intrude on the sexual privacy of male inmates. With the infusion of female officers into the system doing the same jobs as male officers and working among male inmates, the sexual privacy interests of male inmates have diminished. Since the vast majority of inmates are male, male staff are not limited in the jobs, functions, and tasks they can perform. Thus, the need to use males to manage and supervise female inmates is limited. Female inmates are also seen as more vulnerable to sexual harassment, intimidation, and assault by male staff. For these and other reasons courts are substantially more protective of the privacy interests of female inmates than they are of male inmates.
200 11. Warnings given prior to the start of a security round defeat the very purpose of random, unplanned, and expeditious surveillance checks (e.g., discovering escape attempts, use of drugs, sexual activity).
201
202
203 **CC 08_108 __INMATE MOVEMENT__**
204
205 1. Policy:
206 11. Inmate movement from one area to another shall be supervised and regulated according to current inmate housing and classification assignments. Increased supervision and restrictions may be used when deemed appropriate by staff.
207 11. Level-1A inmates:
208 111. Shall be handcuffed before being allowed out of their housing cell;
209 111. Shall be placed in full shackles (with leg irons and waist chain) before being allowed out of their housing unit;
210 111. May be allowed allowed out of their cell without restraints if:
211 1111. The housing unit is secure to prevent the inmate from leaving the housing unit; and
212 1111. There are no other people, including officers, in the housing unit.
213 11. Level-1 inmates:
214 111. May be allowed out of their cell without restraints if:
215 1111. The housing unit is secure to prevent the inmate from leaving the housing unit; and
216 1111. There are no other people in the unit, excluding officers or other Level-1 inmates.
217 111. Shall be handcuffed, with their hands behind their back, before being allowed out of their housing unit.
218 11. Level-2 and above inmates may be allowed out of their cell and housing unit without restraints.
219 11. Level-3 and above inmates may be allowed to hold interior jobs.
220 11. Level-5 inmates may be allowed to hold exterior jobs.
221 11. Only specifically approved inmates may enter the food service areas (Kitchen, Commissary, Staff Break Room). ICE detainees shall not be allowed in food service areas.
222 1. Rationale:
223 11. Inmates should be managed according to their classification assignments in order to:
224 11. Safely manage higher risk inmates; and
225 11. Avoid unnecessary restrictions of lower risk inmates.
226
227
228 **CC 08_109 __VIDEO SURVEILLANCE__**
229
230 1. Policy:
231 11. Video surveillance equipment should be used primarily as a means of monitoring and controlling doors, hallways, points of ingress and egress from one security zone to another, and restricted access areas.
232 11. Video surveillance equipment shall not replace direct/personal required inmate checks.
233 1. Rationale:
234 11. Video surveillance equipment can be an effective tool. However, if there is an overreliance on video surveillance equipment, it may become a substitute for personal surveillance. Anything which diminishes personal surveillance will negatively impact security and safety. Video surveillance equipment tends to create a false sense of security, and ends up being used as a poor substitute for personal supervision of inmates in their living areas. Monitors cannot smell the environment (for smoke, sanitation problems, drugs, etc.), detect the subtle changes in inmates' actions which occur when staff members appear, see areas outside of the camera's view, or clearly hear and distinguish sounds.