07-095/05 Laundry Issue and Exchange

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

PURPOSE OF ORDER:    

The purpose of this order is to establish procedures for the issuance and exchange of

laundry-related items.

SCOPE OF ORDER:         

This order applies to all personnel assigned to and/or working at the North County

Correctional Facility (NCCF).

ORDER:

GENERAL INFORMATION

The central clothing, linen, and bedding supply area (laundry warehouse) at NCCF is located inside [REDACTED TEXT], adjacent to the main warehouse. There are two (2) laundry work crews:   

• AM SHIFT:     35-40 inmate workers
• PM SHIFT:     35-40 inmate workers

These inmate work crews are supervised by laundry personnel.

Laundry personnel shall consist of one deputy and three additional personnel (i.e., custody assistants [CA] or civilian laundry workers) on AM and PM shifts. The laundry deputy shall provide security for laundry personnel, assist with processing laundry-related articles, and act as a liaison between NCCF and Pitchess Detention Center (PDC) South Facility personnel who operate the PDC laundry. The custody assistants and civilian laundry workers shall divide the inmates assigned to the laundry into different crews who assist in the supply, storage, and exchange process of all laundry-related articles (i.e., clothing, linen, and bedding supplies).  

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Laundry Lieutenant

The NCCF lieutenant with the laundry collateral duty has overall responsibility for ensuring adequate supplies of laundry items (i.e., clothing, linen, mattresses, and shoes) are maintained.

Laundry Sergeant

The Title-15 sergeant shall be responsible for overseeing the NCCF laundry operation and shall report to the laundry lieutenant.

Laundry Supervising Line Deputy

The Title-15 supervising line deputy shall be responsible for directly overseeing the NCCF laundry operation and shall report to the laundry sergeant and laundry lieutenant. This shall include directly supervising all laundry personnel and ensuring laundry exchanges are completed in accordance with unit and Division policy.

Laundry Deputy

The laundry deputy shall be responsible for maintaining the daily operation of NCCF laundry, supervision of inmate workers, and reporting to the NCCF laundry supervising line deputy and laundry sergeant.

Laundry Custody Assistants/Civilian Workers

The custody assistant and civilian worker are responsible for maintaining the daily operations of NCCF laundry, supervision of inmate workers, and maintaining all required documentation of laundry.

LAUNDRY EXCHANGE

A "Laundry Exchange Schedule” (calendar) has been established to comply with Title-15/Department laundry mandates. This schedule accommodates the entire facility through the distribution of laundry items on both AM and PM shifts. The schedule shall be maintained by the laundry sergeant and disseminated to each building via email.

The laundry crews assigned to each shift, consisting of laundry personnel and inmate laundry workers, shall distribute laundry items and shall be responsible for maintaining a neat and orderly working environment in all laundry work areas and storage rooms.

The weekly, minimum required clothing/linen issued to each inmate consists of:

• One (1) towel
• One (1) inmate uniform (shirt and pants)
• One (1) set of thermal undergarments (shirt and pants)
• Two (2) undershirts (or one undershirt exchanged twice per week)
• Two (2) pairs of socks (or one pair of socks exchanged twice per week)
• Two (2) underpants (or one underpants exchanged twice per week)
• One (1) sheet
  • NOTE: Pre-disciplinary and disciplinary housing areas
                 shall not receive sheets

Each inmate shall initially receive one blanket. If a top sheet is not issued, blankets shall be exchanged at least once a month or more often if necessary. If a top sheet is issued, blankets shall be exchanged at least every three (3) months.

Laundry personnel shall distribute laundry as follows:

• Through the dorm security bars, or

• Through a dorm search for excess linen.

During the distribution of laundry through the dorm security bars, inmates shall line up with all their dirty clothing/linen and exchange them for clean clothing/linen.

During a dorm search for excess linen, all inmates assigned to the dorm shall be escorted out of the dorm by laundry personnel and placed into a building dayroom and/or recreation yard. All inmates shall exit wearing one undershirt, one underpants, one pair of socks, and County issued shoes. All additional dirty clothing/linen shall be left behind in the dorm. Laundry personnel shall conduct a routine dorm search for excess linen and damaged mattresses in the housing area of the dorm. At the conclusion of the dorm search, all inmates shall be escorted back to their assigned dorm and shall be issued the weekly required clean clothing/linen as mandated by Title-15/Department.

Laundry personnel shall document all exchanges and refusals into the e-UDAL and submit a “laundry assessment” to the laundry sergeant.

The following additional shall be considered when determining laundry needs within NCCF:

• Inmate Processing Area (IPA) – laundry personnel shall issue one full cart of clothing and one full cart of clean linen three times a week to the IPA.
• Each new inmate arrival is issued two underpants, two undershirts, two pair of socks, one towel, one sheet, one blanket and one fish kit. Shoes shall also be exchanged for any inmate wearing unserviceable shoes.
• Building 900 (discipline) – laundry personnel shall stock the intake and release area twice a week. Inmate areas shall be stocked with approximately 40 intake discipline uniforms and 40 release uniforms (general population) in addition to the required linen consisting of: two underpants, two undershirts, two pair of socks, one towel, one sheet, one blanket.
• When any inmate who is assigned to the dorm is absent (e.g., court, visit, etc.) during laundry exchange, laundry personnel shall leave the required clothing/linen at the staff station and instruct staff station personnel to issue the inmate their required clothing/linen upon return. Laundry personnel shall document the absence of any inmate and the linen/clothing left at the staff station in the e-UDAL.
• If a lockdown or any other incident occurs that would cause limited movement due to temporary shortages of personnel, all efforts shall be made to complete the regular daily laundry exchange immediately after normal operations resume. If it is not possible to finish the laundry exchange on the scheduled day, the exchange shall occur during the next regularly scheduled workday.

MATTRESSESS

All inmates shall be issued one mattress with a plastic cover when transferred to the facility.

If an inmate is transferred within the facility, the inmate shall leave the mattress at their prior housing location and shall be issued a mattress with a plastic cover at the new housing area.

Laundry personnel shall be responsible for maintaining a daily minimum of 20 new mattresses in each building for new inmate arrivals and increasing the minimum to 35 new mattresses in each building for the weekend.

Mattresses shall be free of holes and tears. Mattresses with holes, tears, or that lack sufficient padding shall be replaced when observed by personnel (e.g., housing newly arrived inmates, Title 15 inmate safety checks, upon notification by the inmate, etc.).

INMATE SHOES

Inmates shall be issued one pair of jail-issued shoes when they receive their initial inmate uniform at the Inmate Reception Center (IRC). When inmate shoes become worn and unserviceable, they shall be exchanged for serviceable shoes.

Personnel working housing areas and in the IPA shall ensure inmates with unserviceable or ill-fitting shoes are exchanged for serviceable shoes.

Supplies of inmate shoes shall be maintained in all housing areas and the IPA for this purpose. Additional inmate shoes shall be maintained in the NCCF laundry warehouse.

REUSABLE (CLOTH) FACIAL MASKS

Laundry personnel shall conduct distribution of reusable facial masks once a month to all inmates housed in the facility during clothing exchange. Laundry personnel shall distribute and retrieve all dirty reusable facial masks during clothing exchange and/or routine dorm searches for linen. Laundry personnel shall document the total amount of dirty reusable facial masks and send them to PDC laundry for cleaning and return for future distribution.

Additionally, laundry personnel shall issue approximately 100 reusable facial masks to each staff station, infirmary, IPA, and inmate services once a month for distribution to inmates in need of a reusable facial mask.

Laundry personnel shall maintain all inventory of reusable facial masks within the NCCF laundry warehouse.  

CONTAMINATED ARTICLES

All clothing and bedding items that have been infested (e.g., lice, crabs, etc.) or used by an inmate who has been identified as having Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) shall be placed in a plastic bag and replaced with clean clothing and bedding items. The bag shall be sealed and labeled “CONTAMINATED ARTICLES.”

This bag shall be stored in the main laundry dock area pending transport to the PDC laundry for specific cleaning (refer to NCCF unit order 07-170/20, “Infestation” for additional information regarding infestation).

MAIN LAUNDRY AREA AND LOADING DOCK

Laundry personnel shall supervise the loading of soiled/exchanged clothing/linen and unloading of clean clothing/linen from the PDC laundry trailer. All clean clothing/linen carts unloaded from the PDC laundry trailer shall be taken to the NCCF laundry warehouse for sorting and distribution. 

All soiled/dirty linen shall be sorted by articles of clothing (e.g., socks, undershirts, underpants, etc.) and placed in the “NCCF – wash and return” carts. All laundry carts leaving the secured areas of the facility shall be searched by personnel escorting the inmates onto the loading dock, ensuring that no inmate has concealed themselves inside one of the carts.  

Laundry personnel escorting the inmate laundry workers onto the loading dock and supervising the unloading/loading of the trailer shall verify all inmate laundry workers are accounted for prior to escorting them off the dock and back inside the main laundry area.

If a laundry delivery or pickup by the PDC laundry is being conducted during the working hours of the inmate laundry crews, inmate laundry workers shall remain within the secured area of the facility in the main laundry area.

SEARCHING OF INMATE LAUNDRY WORKERS

Inmate laundry workers shall be thoroughly searched when they report for work at the main laundry and again before they are allowed to return to their housing areas when they have finished working.