INMATE REQUESTS FOR SERVICE/GRIEVANCES
Each unit commander of a Type I facility (station jail), shall develop written procedures whereby any inmate may file a grievance, submit a request for service, and appeal grievances relating to any conditions of confinement, included but not limited to:
- Healthcare
- Classification actions
- Disciplinary actions
- Program participation
- Telephone, mail, and visiting procedures
- Food, clothing, and bedding
Any inmate desiring to request a service, obtain information, or file a grievance regarding an issue related to his or her confinement shall be permitted, and instructed as necessary, to initiate an Inmate Request Form (SH-J-437), Inmate Grievance Form (SH-J-420), and/or appeal to the next level of review.
Additionally, the established procedures for handling inmate requests/grievances shall conform, as applicable, to the Custody Division Manual, Volume 8, “Inmate Grievance Policy.” The following is a guide for handling requests and grievances:
Requests:
- An inmate wishing to file a request shall advise the station jailer
- The station jailer shall provide the inmate with an Inmate Request Form (SH-J-437) for completion
- The station jailer shall collect and review the completed form
- When feasible, an inmate request shall be handled during the shift in which it was received
- A Notification of Disposition form shall be completed and given to the inmate for all requests
- Inmates who are not satisfied with the disposition, or with the action(s) taken to address a request may complete and submit an Inmate Grievance Form. The completion of an Inmate Request form is not a prerequisite for the submission of an Inmate Grievance Form.
Grievances:
- An inmate wishing to file a grievance shall advise the station jailer The station jailer shall provide the inmate with an Inmate Grievance Form (SH-J-420) for completion
- All grievances shall be immediately forwarded to the watch sergeant
- All grievances shall be handled and responded to within 15 calendar days from the date they are received by the Sheriff’s Department, absent exceptional circumstances
- A Notification of Disposition form shall be completed and given to the inmate for all grievances
- Inmates who are not satisfied with the disposition, or with the action(s) taken to address a grievance must be given the opportunity to appeal to the next level of review, which may be the level of a supervising Lieutenant, Watch Commander, or other level as deemed appropriate by the adopted written procedures of the facility at issue
- An appeal shall be submitted on the appropriate appeal form, which shall be provided by any personnel making the required notification to an inmate of any disposition of a grievance or appeal
- An unresolved grievance or appeal shall be forwarded to the shift watch commander for resolution's level shall be forwarded to the unit commander or his/her designee for resolution
DISCIPLINARY PENALTIES
Pre-arraigned Inmates
- Inmates who create disturbances and/or destroy jail property shall be transferred to IRC
Sentenced Inmates
- Inmate workers who become disciplinary problems shall be subject to transfer to IRC and possibly be re-classified
An Inmate Incident Report (SH-J-213) or an Inmate Discipline Report on the Inmate Report Tracking System (IRTS) and, if applicable, an Incident Report (SH-R-49) shall be written before transfer to IRC/CRDF. Discipline is not administered at the station level.