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Logo Created By VSPW Graphic Arts Program
"Thank You Ladies"
VALLEY STATE PRISON FOR WOMEN
INMATE FAMILY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Friday, February 2, 2007
Warden's Conference Room
Logo Created By VSPW Graphic Arts Program
"Thank You Ladies"
VALLEY STATE PRISON FOR WOMEN
INMATE FAMILY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Friday, February 2, 2007
Warden's Conference Room
MEMBERS / ALTERNATES PRESENT
Victoria Doran, Chairwoman
Vic Abrunzo, Vice Chairman
John Videen, Secretary
Mark Hanna
Sherrie Green
James Erb
Dwight and Carolyn Dorsey
Gilbert Olmos
William Reedy
Elizabeth Muniz
MEMBERS / ALTERNATES ABSENT
Louisa C.
Regina Thompson
STAFF PRESENT
Tina Hornbeck, Warden (A)
Lt. Tim Scott, Administrative Assistant
Gen Freede
Sara Malone
Sgt. D. Kincheloe
M. Connally
David Rock
K. Freede
H. Evans
R. Rosalez
C. Calllahan
Lt. B. McCraw
The meeting was called to order by outgoing IFC Chairman John Videen at 1:02 PM and the first order of business was to announce the new officers elected to the IFC: Victoria Doran as Chairwoman, Vic Abrunzo as Vice Chairman and John Videen as Secretary. The meeting was turned over to the new Chairwoman. John Videen recorded minutes.
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Items Discussed:
1. IFC ByLaws: The adoption of new IFC Bylaws introduced last December remain under review by the Ombudsman and approval will be tabled until the next meeting.
2. Statewide Family Council: 2. Statewide Family Council: A report of the activities of the Statewide Family Council by Vic Abrunzo was provided. It was noted that IFCs throught the state share a commonality of agenda items indicating similar concerns across prison family populations.Several items were reviewed at the meeting but not discussed in detail including Excused Time Off (ETO) changes, the Friends Committee on Legislation of Clifornia, CDCR Fact Sheet contaninting the Governor's Prison Reform proposals and budget, and recent JPAY changes. The Statewide Family Council meets quarterly and it was discussed that our local IFC has no representation on this committee. Access to issues that one would like addressed are to be directed through the Assemblyman in your local district.
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Victoria Doran, Chairwoman
Vic Abrunzo, Vice Chairman
John Videen, Secretary
Mark Hanna
Sherrie Green
James Erb
Dwight and Carolyn Dorsey
Gilbert Olmos
William Reedy
Elizabeth Muniz
MEMBERS / ALTERNATES ABSENT
Louisa C.
Regina Thompson
STAFF PRESENT
Tina Hornbeck, Warden (A)
Lt. Tim Scott, Administrative Assistant
Gen Freede
Sara Malone
Sgt. D. Kincheloe
M. Connally
David Rock
K. Freede
H. Evans
R. Rosalez
C. Calllahan
Lt. B. McCraw
The meeting was called to order by outgoing IFC Chairman John Videen at 1:02 PM and the first order of business was to announce the new officers elected to the IFC: Victoria Doran as Chairwoman, Vic Abrunzo as Vice Chairman and John Videen as Secretary. The meeting was turned over to the new Chairwoman. John Videen recorded minutes.
Return to Top
Items Discussed:
1. IFC ByLaws: The adoption of new IFC Bylaws introduced last December remain under review by the Ombudsman and approval will be tabled until the next meeting.
2. Statewide Family Council: 2. Statewide Family Council: A report of the activities of the Statewide Family Council by Vic Abrunzo was provided. It was noted that IFCs throught the state share a commonality of agenda items indicating similar concerns across prison family populations.Several items were reviewed at the meeting but not discussed in detail including Excused Time Off (ETO) changes, the Friends Committee on Legislation of Clifornia, CDCR Fact Sheet contaninting the Governor's Prison Reform proposals and budget, and recent JPAY changes. The Statewide Family Council meets quarterly and it was discussed that our local IFC has no representation on this committee. Access to issues that one would like addressed are to be directed through the Assemblyman in your local district.
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Visiting Items
3. Children's Visiting Room Upgrade: Plans for the Children's Room in visiting were discussed by Lt. McCraw. It was announced that PIA awarded the Warden $5000 as recognition for her service and she in turn was planning to donate this to Visiting projects. Other donations from the IFC (thanks to Regina Thompson and Gilbert Olmos) and Crossroads were mentioned. Sample murals painted by Inmate K. Ingraham were circulated and plans to proceed with an ocean life theme were discussed.
4. Strollers: A proposal for strollers in visiting was again addressed. Lieutenant McCraw stated there were significant issues to overcome with institutional liability in their use. Warden Hornbeck stated she would keep the issue in mind and that it was not necessarily dead. No other institution is using strollers.
5. Visiting Donations Still Needed: 5. Donations: Donations to the visiting room in the form of cards, Board games, dominos, etc. remain welcome and are handled by Lt. McCraw
6. Family Visits - Food, Absences: Family visiting issues were addressed by Lt. McCraw who stated green envelopes will be circulated with the visiting packets to more rapidly identify money destined for the cashier in an effort to speed processing. New furnishings were discussed and roll away beds will be obtained for use as needed. Food choices will be reviewed by the Warden. Absences for family visits were estimated at a few per month. A standby system to fill in absences on short notice was discussed as well as a system to provide the inmate with a couple of dates to choose from. This will be reviewed and discussed by staff.
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7. Earned Time Off (ETO) and Visiting Time: Explaination of Earned Time Off days was provided to the IFC. Eight hours off are earned for a 30 day work period to be used for special occasions such as weddings or visiting. Instances where this is a problem are few. The Inmate is responsible for knowing how much time off she has available for visiting. Staggering weekend work assignment schedules was brought up as a possibility to allow for inmates assigned to permanent weekend duty to allow more visiting days. This will be discussed by Staff.
8. Stinger Warrantees & Testing: A report on Stingers in commissary was provided by Mr. Rock. They are purchased from two vendors neither of whom provide warranties. The prison has, in the past, refunded stingers but suffered numerous refund requests, and have discontinued this practice. WAC has requested the return of stingers. Meanwhile the sale of any remaining stingers in Canteen must be accepted for purchase on an "as-is" basis. Testing of the product at the time of sale was discussed and it was felt to result in lengthy delays in the canteen line. That would be useless given the sale is without any warranty basis.
9. Vendor Catalogs in Visiting: Vendor catalogs and order forms are available in the Visiting Rooms, and the porters will help you find them.
10. Mail -- Recent mail increase, PO Box Review & Addressing Suggestions: An update on the mailroom was provided by Sgt. Kincheloe. He noted the delays in mail delivery are due to record breaking delivery of mail, extending beyond the seasonal upsurge. He noted 5600 pieces of mail were delivered on January 22 and the seven mailroom staff presently expect to spend the next three days processing this day's mail alone. In order to speed processing, the Mr. Kinchloe reviewed the four P.O. BOXES available. Box 92 is for general inmate mail such as letters. Box 94 is dedicated for money orders and is processed separately. Box 96 is for legal mail. Box 99 is for VSPW Staff correspondence, such as letters to the Warden. Proper addressing was reviewed and placement the proper housing unit and CDC number on the envelope is important. Staples and paperclips affixing photos and stamps to letters are encouraged. This keeps them from possibly being separated from the letter and getting lost. It is also suggested that family write the inmate name, CDC number and housing address on stamps and photos, in case these items fall out of the letters during the search and scan process. If there is some doubt about the inmate's correct housing unit, Sgt. Kincheloe will provide this over the phone if the caller identifies the name and CDCR number. The Warden plans to compose a letter to the general population to remind them of proper address form.
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11. Educational Video Lecture Access: Access to video lectures for college level classes was discussed as a problem for the growing number of students at VSPW. This problem was brought up by IFC members, and staff will address the problem.
12. Chowchilla Family Express: The Chowchilla Family Express will begin operating March 11th, and will continue every Sunday. This bus will deliver visitors from various cities to allow more visiting opportunities for needy families. There will be a delay in general visiting processing on the first day as a large media even it expected. Continuation of the first come - first served processing policy on subsequent Sundays will be reinstituted. The number of visitors expected is unknown.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:40 PM.
Next Meeting: Friday, April 6, 2006 at 1:00 PM in the Warden's Conference Room.
Adenda Items are due by March 15th.
3. Children's Visiting Room Upgrade: Plans for the Children's Room in visiting were discussed by Lt. McCraw. It was announced that PIA awarded the Warden $5000 as recognition for her service and she in turn was planning to donate this to Visiting projects. Other donations from the IFC (thanks to Regina Thompson and Gilbert Olmos) and Crossroads were mentioned. Sample murals painted by Inmate K. Ingraham were circulated and plans to proceed with an ocean life theme were discussed.
4. Strollers: A proposal for strollers in visiting was again addressed. Lieutenant McCraw stated there were significant issues to overcome with institutional liability in their use. Warden Hornbeck stated she would keep the issue in mind and that it was not necessarily dead. No other institution is using strollers.
5. Visiting Donations Still Needed: 5. Donations: Donations to the visiting room in the form of cards, Board games, dominos, etc. remain welcome and are handled by Lt. McCraw
6. Family Visits - Food, Absences: Family visiting issues were addressed by Lt. McCraw who stated green envelopes will be circulated with the visiting packets to more rapidly identify money destined for the cashier in an effort to speed processing. New furnishings were discussed and roll away beds will be obtained for use as needed. Food choices will be reviewed by the Warden. Absences for family visits were estimated at a few per month. A standby system to fill in absences on short notice was discussed as well as a system to provide the inmate with a couple of dates to choose from. This will be reviewed and discussed by staff.
Return to Top
7. Earned Time Off (ETO) and Visiting Time: Explaination of Earned Time Off days was provided to the IFC. Eight hours off are earned for a 30 day work period to be used for special occasions such as weddings or visiting. Instances where this is a problem are few. The Inmate is responsible for knowing how much time off she has available for visiting. Staggering weekend work assignment schedules was brought up as a possibility to allow for inmates assigned to permanent weekend duty to allow more visiting days. This will be discussed by Staff.
8. Stinger Warrantees & Testing: A report on Stingers in commissary was provided by Mr. Rock. They are purchased from two vendors neither of whom provide warranties. The prison has, in the past, refunded stingers but suffered numerous refund requests, and have discontinued this practice. WAC has requested the return of stingers. Meanwhile the sale of any remaining stingers in Canteen must be accepted for purchase on an "as-is" basis. Testing of the product at the time of sale was discussed and it was felt to result in lengthy delays in the canteen line. That would be useless given the sale is without any warranty basis.
9. Vendor Catalogs in Visiting: Vendor catalogs and order forms are available in the Visiting Rooms, and the porters will help you find them.
10. Mail -- Recent mail increase, PO Box Review & Addressing Suggestions: An update on the mailroom was provided by Sgt. Kincheloe. He noted the delays in mail delivery are due to record breaking delivery of mail, extending beyond the seasonal upsurge. He noted 5600 pieces of mail were delivered on January 22 and the seven mailroom staff presently expect to spend the next three days processing this day's mail alone. In order to speed processing, the Mr. Kinchloe reviewed the four P.O. BOXES available. Box 92 is for general inmate mail such as letters. Box 94 is dedicated for money orders and is processed separately. Box 96 is for legal mail. Box 99 is for VSPW Staff correspondence, such as letters to the Warden. Proper addressing was reviewed and placement the proper housing unit and CDC number on the envelope is important. Staples and paperclips affixing photos and stamps to letters are encouraged. This keeps them from possibly being separated from the letter and getting lost. It is also suggested that family write the inmate name, CDC number and housing address on stamps and photos, in case these items fall out of the letters during the search and scan process. If there is some doubt about the inmate's correct housing unit, Sgt. Kincheloe will provide this over the phone if the caller identifies the name and CDCR number. The Warden plans to compose a letter to the general population to remind them of proper address form.
Return to Top
11. Educational Video Lecture Access: Access to video lectures for college level classes was discussed as a problem for the growing number of students at VSPW. This problem was brought up by IFC members, and staff will address the problem.
12. Chowchilla Family Express: The Chowchilla Family Express will begin operating March 11th, and will continue every Sunday. This bus will deliver visitors from various cities to allow more visiting opportunities for needy families. There will be a delay in general visiting processing on the first day as a large media even it expected. Continuation of the first come - first served processing policy on subsequent Sundays will be reinstituted. The number of visitors expected is unknown.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:40 PM.
Next Meeting: Friday, April 6, 2006 at 1:00 PM in the Warden's Conference Room.
Adenda Items are due by March 15th.
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