07-085/05 Vending Machine Procedures

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

PURPOSE OF ORDER:

The purpose of this unit order is to establish procedures to ensure all inmates housed in Buildings [REDACTED TEXT] have access to inmate vending machines on a weekly basis.

SCOPE OF ORDER: 

This order applies to all personnel assigned to and/or working at the North County Correctional Facility (NCCF).

ORDER:

Permitting inmates access to the vending machines shall be done on a weekly basis unless pre-empted by a facility emergency or the building supervising line deputy or sergeant’s approval. Pre-empted and/or completed vending availability shall be documented in the electronic Uniform Daily Activity Log (e-UDAL) at each staff station.

Staff station personnel, with the assistance of Rover 2 (if Rover 2 is unavailable, Rovers 1 or 3 will assist), shall ensure a verbal vending announcement is made and allow inmates wishing to use the vending machines an adequate and reasonable amount of time to prepare themselves for vending. Day shift personnel shall be responsible for conducting upper floor vending and PM shift personnel shall be responsible for conducting lower floor vending at minimum once per week.

A log entry sheet shall be posted inside of each building next to the vending area. The date, time of day, and which dorms were allowed access to vending, along with the number of inmates participating from each dorm shall be documented on the sheet. Any unusual events such as theft, vandalism, or a malfunctioning machine shall also be documented.

Every Friday during dayshift, Rover 1 shall check the log sheet and confirm that each dorm within that building location was offered vending. If a dorm for that week was not accommodated, it shall be done so that shift.

If a vending machine sustains any vandalism or theft, an Incident Report (SH-R-49) shall be completed, and an entry shall be made in the e-UDAL documenting the time the vending contractor was telephonically notified regarding the incident [REDACTED TEXT]. If a machine is out of product or malfunctioning, the vending contractor shall be telephonically notified as soon as possible and an e-UDAL entry shall be made.

Inmates may purchase up to two cards per week from commissary with a value of $20.00 each. These cards shall be marked with the inmate’s name and booking number. An inmate shall not possess more than two debit cards at any time and shall not possess any card originally sold to another inmate. Inmates shall be responsible for maintaining their cards in good condition, free from damage or misuse.

Inmates shall make their own purchases from the vending machines and shall not be limited to the number of items they may purchase as long as they use only two vending cards. The use of inmate workers or other inmates to make purchases for inmates is prohibited.

Purchase amounts will automatically be deducted from the card after each use.

 Random checks by personnel are encouraged to deter inmates from possessing cards belonging to other inmates or from possessing more than the maximum amount of two cards.