Personnel assigned to handle inmate requests or grievances shall make a determination of an appropriate disposition based on information available and/or established through their investigative efforts.
Once the results of a grievance investigation have been determined, the assigned sergeant shall complete the "Disposition" section in CARTS. Grievances against staff shall require the review of a watch commander, or other facility lieutenant. Dispositions for grievances against staff shall not be provided to aggrieved inmates prior to their approval by the concerned unit commander. Refer to 8-03/040.00, "Grievances Against Staff."
In accordance with the California Code of Regulations, Minimum Standards for Local Detention Facilities, Title 15, Section 1073, "Inmate Grievance Procedure," a printed Notification of Disposition form and an advisory of the right to appeal, generated in CARTS, shall be delivered to the inmate for any approval or denial of a grievance within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date the grievance was received by the Sheriff’s Department, absent exceptional circumstances. The Notification of Disposition form provided to the inmate shall include the disposition and the reason(s) for the decision when the relief to be provided is "Granted in Part," "Denied," or "Relief Unavailable."
Inmates shall sign the printed Notification of Disposition form to document receipt of the written response. However, if the grievance was previously addressed as the result of a court order or other governmental referral, it is not mandatory to summon the inmate for his or her signature. The signed Notification of Disposition form shall be placed into the Unit Inmate Grievance Coordinator's in-box for further processing. The Inmate Unit Grievance Coordinator shall ensure the receipt of the written response is properly entered in CARTS.
For grievances relating to inmates who have been released after the submission of a grievance, the assigned sergeant shall note in the “Disposition” section in CARTS that the inmate has been released. A copy of the disposition should be forwarded to the released inmate’s listed mailing address, when available. A notation shall be made in CARTS when attempts to contact the inmate have been exhausted or if the inmate has no noted home address.
In cases where the investigation cannot be completed within the established time frame due to other exceptional circumstances, the supervisor may extend the requisite response time by initiating an extension in CARTS, documenting the reason for the extension, and providing the concerned inmate with an Extension Notification within fifteen (15) calendar days of the Department’s receipt of the grievance. Refer to 8-04/040.05, "Extensions."
An Interim Status Notification form generated in CARTS shall be used to notify the aggrieved inmate when the investigation cannot be completed within fifteen (15) calendar days because the grievance resulted in the initiation of an alleged force investigation, administrative investigation, or when the grievance was referred to another unit or bureau within the Department. The Interim Status Notification shall be provided to the concerned inmate within fifteen (15) calendar days of the Department's receipt of the grievance or prior to the expiration of a previously-issued Extension Notification.
With the exception of grievances that result in the initiation of an administrative investigation, all grievances against staff not completed within their assigned time frame must be tracked in the electronic Line Operations Tracking System (e-LOTS) under Project Type "Inmate Complaints – Ongoing." Grievances that result in administrative investigations shall be tracked under Project Type "Admin Investigations." If the grievance concerns an allegation of force, it shall be tracked under Project Type "Alleged Use of Force." Unit Inmate Grievance Coordinators shall monitor inmate grievances with interim status responses to ensure they are being addressed and resolved.
An interim status response is not a disposition and not subject to appeal.
Upon completing an inmate grievance investigation, the handling supervisor shall ensure the inmate is notified of the disposition.
If the Department fails to notify the inmate of the disposition or status of a grievance within the requisite response time, the inmate may consider the grievance as denied and may request an appeal form for submission to the next level of review.
Specific details resulting in an investigation pertaining to an inmate grievance against personnel shall not be disclosed to an aggrieved inmate. The handling sergeant shall advise the inmate, in writing, of the disposition of a grievance against any personnel or any results of inquiries pertaining to personnel conduct within ten (10) calendar days of the Department's adjudication of the grievance.
The information disclosed to the inmate shall include an acknowledgement of the grievance, a statement that the investigation was completed, and the reason for the disposition. Any circumstances which warrant the need to provide the inmate with additional information shall require the approval of the reviewing lieutenant. Documentation provided to the inmate shall include the following standardized responses associated with each of the appropriate dispositions for grievances against staff:
"Your grievance has been thoroughly investigated. Appropriate administrative action has been taken."
"Your grievance has been thoroughly investigated; however, we were unable to substantiate that the described employee(s) violated any of our Department policies and procedures."
"Your grievance has been thoroughly investigated; however, based on the information established in the investigation, we could not reach a determination."
"Your grievance has been resolved through conflict resolution."