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Logo Created By VSPW Graphic Arts Program
"Thank You Ladies"
VSPW INMATE FAMILY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Friday, February 6, 2004
EXECUTIVE OUTLINE
|
Dental
Handicap Housing IFC items Minor Visiting Restrictions Pillows |
Special Purchase TV's
Vendor Quarterly Pkgs Visiting Times Visitor Waiting WAC |
Logo Created By VSPW Graphic Arts Program
"Thank You Ladies"
VSPW INMATE FAMILY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Friday, February 6, 2004
EXECUTIVE OUTLINE
A. IFC Housekeeping
1. Officer elections, resignations, promotions, meeting schedules, membership drive, WAC & CAC contact.
B. Old Business
1. Pillows to be provided soon.
2. Medical Issues Question & Answer session to be posted with today’s minutes.
C. New Business
1. Vendor Box update
2. Special Purchases/TV problems
3. Smoking Ban update
4. Visiting and Visiting Hours update
5. Mail/JC Penney Catalogues
6. Wheelchair & Handicap housing report
7. Dental Services report by Dr. Baker, Chief Dental Officer
8. Information on restrictions of visits by minors to inmates - how to appeal.
D. Addendum - MEDICAL ISSUES FROM DECEMBER 5, 2003 -- Q&A from December 5, 2003 meeting, Plata Case Notes, dated February 2, 2004, and ‘Medical Issues’ Memo dated January 12, 2004.
1. Officer elections, resignations, promotions, meeting schedules, membership drive, WAC & CAC contact.
B. Old Business
1. Pillows to be provided soon.
2. Medical Issues Question & Answer session to be posted with today’s minutes.
C. New Business
1. Vendor Box update
2. Special Purchases/TV problems
3. Smoking Ban update
4. Visiting and Visiting Hours update
5. Mail/JC Penney Catalogues
6. Wheelchair & Handicap housing report
7. Dental Services report by Dr. Baker, Chief Dental Officer
8. Information on restrictions of visits by minors to inmates - how to appeal.
D. Addendum - MEDICAL ISSUES FROM DECEMBER 5, 2003 -- Q&A from December 5, 2003 meeting, Plata Case Notes, dated February 2, 2004, and ‘Medical Issues’ Memo dated January 12, 2004.
VALLEY STATE PRISON FOR WOMEN
INMATE FAMILY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Friday, February 6, 2004
Warden’s Conference Room
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Marvin Coolbaugh
Elizabeth Muniz
Louisa Camorlinga
Nancy Rubinstein
Tammy Rust
Ruby Lockett
MEMBERS/ALTERNATES ABSENT:
Wanda Patton
Dr. John Videen
Jim Gilmore
John Errante
STAFF PRESENT:
Gloria A. Henry, Warden
Javier Cavazos, Administrative Assistant
L. Donaldson, Custody Captain
M.S. McCullough, Facility C Captain
Raymond E. Baker, Chief Dental Officer
INMATE FAMILY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Friday, February 6, 2004
Warden’s Conference Room
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Marvin Coolbaugh
Elizabeth Muniz
Louisa Camorlinga
Nancy Rubinstein
Tammy Rust
Ruby Lockett
MEMBERS/ALTERNATES ABSENT:
Wanda Patton
Dr. John Videen
Jim Gilmore
John Errante
STAFF PRESENT:
Gloria A. Henry, Warden
Javier Cavazos, Administrative Assistant
L. Donaldson, Custody Captain
M.S. McCullough, Facility C Captain
Raymond E. Baker, Chief Dental Officer
The meeting was called to order at 1:06 P.M.
A. COUNCIL HOUSEKEEPING
1) OFFICER ELECTIONS: Nominations from the previous meeting for Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary were presented. The nominations were unanimous with Marvin Coolbaugh as Chair, Dr. John Videen as Vice-Chair, and Nancy Rubinstein as Secretary. A vote was taken, and the nominations were approved unanimously.
2) MEMBER RESIGNATION: A written resignation has been submitted by Maureen Burgess. She has been taken from the roster, and the resignation was filed with Javier Cavazos.
3) ALTERNATE PROMOTION: Ruby Lockett is currently our only alternate, but does not wish to be instated as a full member, due to changes in Visiting Days.
4) FRIDAY / SATURDAY IFC MEETINGS: We discussed changing the IFC meeting day from Friday to Saturday, due to changes in the Visiting Days. It might be possible for the Administrator of the Day to attend a meeting early Saturday mornings, but that would have to be discussed with the individual AODs scheduled for those weekends. For now, the meetings will remain scheduled on Fridays.
5) IFC MEMBERSHIP DRIVE: Our IFC group needs to do a membership drive. Applications for new members takes about a month. We would like to put up 11”x17” posters on the bathroom doors in Visitor Processing and Visiting. Gloria says we may design posters and send them in to have them posted. We also need to keep fliers by the Suggestion Box in Visitor Processing. It was asked if we could send out fliers with the Visitor Applications that go out to inmate families. Captain McCullough explained that the WAC is responsible for putting together the Visiting Application materials, and that we would have to ask WAC if they would be willing to staple an IFC flier to the application.
ACTION ITEM: NANCY RUBINSTEIN WILL DESIGN FLIERS AND POSTERS AND GET THEM APPROVED FOR POSTING AND DISTRIBUTION.
6) GETTING IN TOUCH WITH WAC, CAC: Nancy asked to be put in touch with the WAC, so we can work on issues like IFC membership, visiting, etc. Captain McCullough will pass along Nancy’s address to the Chair of WAC. Nancy will also contact the Chair of the Community Advisory Committee, Patty Mandrell, to work on communication between advisory groups.
ACTION ITEMS: CAPTAIN McCULLOUGH WILL GIVE NANCY’S NAME AND ADDRESS TO ELLEN RICHARDSON, THE WAC CHAIRPERSON. NANCY WILL CONTACT PATTY MANDRELL, CHAIR OF CAC.
B. OLD BUSINESS
1) PILLOWS: Captain McCullough reported that we have a shortage of pillows right now, and are in the process of developing a better procedure for pillow accountability. New pillows haven’t been issued yet, because the administration hasn’t ordered them yet; the warden is waiting for a final count from Mr. Eichenberger, who has been out. The prison went through and inventoried pillows in 2001, and purchased around 1,200 pillows then. It appears that they will need to buy approximately 1,200 new pillows this time. Warden Henry says that they will be buying the pillows and issuing them by our next meeting. The pillows will be distributed with a record that makes the inmate responsible for her pillow, and she must return it in good condition when leaving the prison.
ACTION ITEM: THE WARDEN WILL CHECK ON THE STATUS OF THE PILLOW COUNT.
2) MEDICAL ISSUES NOTES FROM LAST MEETING: The memo from the Medical Staff came in after our last meeting, and the minutes were changed to leave a lot of the medical discussion out. Will this be posted now? Also, can we post the notes of our interview with Prison Law Office about the Plata case?
C. NEW BUSINESS
1) VENDOR BOXES
a) D&D lists and catalogues are available in Captain Donaldson’s office. D&D sent 4,000 order forms and a large number of catalogues. They’ve been distributed to WAC, who have delivered 2 catalogues to each room and an order form for each inmate. There is no street address for D&D, but Captain Donaldson has a few extra catalogues and order forms that he can give IFC members during Visiting this afternoon.
b) Marvin brought up concerns about prices in the Walkenhorst catalog not being the same as the price given over the phone during ordering. One item cost $10 more than in the catalog. The warden asked us to notify the staff if the vendor changes prices on the list items without warning. The prison does not have a contract with either Walkenhorst or D&D, so customer satisfaction is the only way to control the vendor’s behavior. And customers will not be satisfied if prices are changed unannounced!
c) Inmates should know that there will be an additional 10% administrative fee attached to the cost of their vendor box purchase if they make their purchase through their own trust funds. This will not apply to purchased made by the families from outside the prison.
d) Nancy Rubinstein is the only IFC member that has ordered a quarterly package so far, and it has not been sent yet. It was ordered from Walkenhorst. She will report back on how satisfactory the service was. Captain McCullough will talk to the WAC to see if there’s some feedback on either vendor.
e) The administration reports that some packages have already arrived, and that processing time has been cut in half. We were told that there is no more dumping of bottled items. The boxed goods still need to be logged in, so the process for receiving a box is still similar to the previous process, but it is much quicker now. The administration also reports that there have been no known problems with deliveries.
ACTION ITEMS: CAPTAIN McCULLOUGH WILL GET FEEDBACK FROM WAC ON VENDOR BOX PROGRAM FOR OUR NEXT MEETING. NANCY RUBINSTEIN WILL REPORT ON HER EXPERIENCE WITH WALKENHORST AT THE NEXT MEETING.
2) SPECIAL PURCHASES/TVs: Of the vendors approved for Special Purchases, it appears that only Walkenhorst has 1 TV that is approved, while Access and JC Penney no longer offer TVs that are approved by VSPW. Penneys originally had 2 or 3 that were allowed. Are there any other choices that inmates currently have available for TVs, other than the single Walkenhorst choice? Captain Donaldson said he would look into it.
ACTION ITEM: CAPTAIN DONALDSON WILL CHECK WITH THE SPECIAL PURCHASE VENDORS AND SEE WHAT TVS ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON THE APPROVED VSPW LIST. HE WILL REPORT BACK TO US ON THIS.
3) SMOKING BAN: Smoking is not allowed in the Visiting areas by inmates or families. The guards may smoke, but they must smoke at least 20 feet away from any door in the buildings. The IFC has concerns about a black market developing for cigarettes, as it has in Colorado and Oregon. The warden says that the reason legislation was created for no smoking has to do with rising health care costs for smokers in prison. She also said that any guards caught using cigarettes as contraband will have action taken against them. The bill is only in the Assembly so far, and it hasn’t yet gone through, so no one knows yet when it will come into effect.
4) VISITING AND VISITING HOURS
a) May we be on campus at 8:15 or at 8:30 AM? The DOM says that the campus should be open 45 minutes before visiting hours begin. Lately, visitors haven’t been allowed on-campus until 8:30. One of the guards stated that this was the warden’s idea. Warden Henry was not aware of this problem. However, the local DOM supplement may override the DOM, and that may have a limitation. This can be checked on.
ACTION ITEM: MARVIN WILL CHECK TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY INFORMATION (SUPPLEMENTAL DOM) THAT RESTRICTS ON-CAMPUS FOR VISITING TO AFTER 8:30. IF THERE ISN’T, IFC WILL PETITION FOR VISITORS TO BE ALLOWED ON CAMPUS AT 8:15.
b) Limits on visiting are a concern, now that we’re going to a 2-day only schedule. These limits include stoppage of visit processing for counts, crowding and possible terminations of visits, and slower processing/longer wait times. We were told that there is not a count on the weekends, except for Close A inmates, who are counted from 10 AM to 12 PM. Crowding may also be a concern, and the administration hopes to be able to open both Visiting Rooms after the morning rush and after Ad Seg visiting closes. The officers that are freed up after this can be transferred to the second Visiting Room. Captain Donaldson also reported that the Administrator of the Day reports on visiting problems after every weekend, and they focus on problems to reduce them the next weekend. This process will continue. We discussed some minor changes that might help speed up processing, like having the family members fill out their visiting slips while they are waiting for their number to be called, instead of having it handed to them at the desk when they get called up. This can be implemented immediately, and the warden will check into it. Captain Donaldson also says that it shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes from the time a number is called to the time the family goes through the door.
ACTION ITEM: THE STAFF WILL SEE ABOUT PASSING OUT THE VISITING SLIPS ALONG WITH THE NUMBERS, SO VISITORS CAN FILL THEM OUT AHEAD OF TIME.
c) Ruby brought up concerns about some staff in Visiting not knowing procedures. Captain Donaldson told us that Sgt. Fuller is no longer in charge of Visiting, and that Sgt. King is new to the position, as well as some staff. Also, on days when staff is short, non-visiting staff may be called in to cover. They aren’t as fully trained in procedures as regular staff, and may make mistakes. We were encouraged to draw problems to their attention, whenever possible.
d) Some prisons are making changes to the color of clothes visitors can wear. We asked if VSPW will be making any changes in allowed colors. Warden Henry said that there are no plans to change. VSPW will stay with the state requirements.
5) MAIL
a) Captain Donaldson reports that the mail is caught up to 2 days behind.
b) A member wanted to know if we could purchase JC Penney catalogues and have them sent in to individual inmates. The catalogues that are passed around the units get destroyed before many of the inmates can get to use them. It was asked if the catalog could be treated like a book purchase (it costs $5 to order one and have it mailed). The Warden said that she will ask to see if there would be any problem with that, and will let us know.
ACTION ITEM: THE WARDEN WILL CHECK AND SEE IF WE CAN SEND JC PENNEY CATALOGUES INTO INMATES, AND HAVE IT TREATED LIKE A BOOK ORDER.
6) WHEELCHAIR AND HANDICAP HOUSING: A member asked if the prison has rooms for disabled prisoners who are designated as “limited mobility” (wheelchair use). Warden Henry had this checked for us during the meeting, and was able to report that there are 8 cells that have been retrofitted to accommodate 32 inmates with wheelchairs, with the cells modified to include 4 inmates rather than the standard 8 inmates. These rooms also include grab rails for the shower and the toilet. These retrofitted cells are all in the B-1 Unit. There are 32 rooms in B-1, so there are also some non-retrofitted limited mobility rooms in B-1. Inmates are assigned to the special rooms when they are designated “limited mobility” or “permanent wheelchair” by the medical department.
Warden Henry told us that if we are aware of individual cases where someone may have been incorrectly assigned, we should bring these cases up directly with the administration, and they will take care of it. Anyone with a problem may get in touch with an Inmate Family Council member, and we would be happy to pass this information along.
7) CHIEF DENTAL OFFICER REPORT, by DR. BAKER
a) Procedure to see dentist: There are three ways to see the dentist. 1) An inmate may put in a GA-22 , a “Request for an Interview”. 2) An inmate may put in a CDC 7362 Co-Pay “Request to See Dental”. 3) Staff may discover an inmate problem, and make a direct staff request for the dental staff to see an inmate.
b) Tracking dental activities at VSPW: The computer program that tracks dental activities has been in place two years now. Each yard has their own separate dental clinic and computer files. The computer is able to make reports, including statistics of how many people are seen, how timely their service is, etc. Dr. Baker says that there are 3700 women on the yards, and approximately 950 patients per dental team. For example, B Yard has 936 inmates. They have had 365 requests for a treatment plan since the current computer system has been installed. They have seen everyone that has requested treatment. Dr. Baker said that they try to see emergencies within 3 days.
c) Dental staffing and current dental staff levels: Normal staffing includes a team of 1 dentist and 1 Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) on each yard, and one team in the Infirmary. There is currently a vacant dentist position in the Infirmary. Dr. Baker and Warden Henry assured us that they have a new dentist already selected to replace the missing dentist, and are just waiting for the paperwork to come back from Sacramento. They’re shooting for the position to be filled by March 1st. The current dentist on A Yard is currently doubling for the Infirmary AND for the A Yard until the new dentist comes on.
d) Waiting time to get dentures: At VSPW, it can take 10 months for an inmate who has had all her teeth pulled to get her dentures. Dr. Baker explained that the dentists under him use the “conventional” method of dental replacement. The teeth are pulled, and the patient is given a long recovery and healing period of around 6 months. The impressions are then taken, and it can take 2 or more months to get the dentures made and sent in. The dentures are made at CCWF.
Dentists on the outside like to use the “Immediate” method, which means they are fitted for dentures immediately after having their teeth pulled. Dr. Baker stated that waiting 6 months means there will be fewer adjustments once the dentures are fitted. This saves the state money in terms of re-visits by patients for adjustments of their dentures. We asked Dr. Baker if such a long wait to get teeth could cause any bone damage. He said no.
Denture and dental services are not a regulated standard by the state, and each prison can follow individual plans when providing dentures for their inmates.
It was asked if the long wait for dentures could possibly have something to do with the inmate’s lack of funds, since inmates at VSPW are required to pay for their dentures. Dr. Baker was not sure if this was a factor, and this question was tabled for now.
ACTION ITEM: MARVIN AND NANCY WILL RESEARCH TO FIND OUT IF LACK OF MONEY IS DELAYING THE FITTING OF DENTURES FOR INMATES, AND PREPARE SUGGESTIONS TO HELP DEAL WITH LACK OF FUNDING FOR INMATES WHO NEED DENTURES, IF THIS IS A FACTOR THAT SLOWS DOWN THE FITTING OF DENTURES FOR INMATES.
e) Information on how to get dental help: Dr. Baker was at the recent Health Fair, and handed out over 300 brochures. He only received about 15-20 requests for a treatment plan following the fair. Perhaps there are inmates on the Yards that do not know what to do to get dental help. They are all encouraged to file the requests to be seen (the GA-22, or the CDC 7362), or to ask for help from the WAC, an Inmate Family Council member, or a staff person. If they have a problem with being seen, they are encouraged to file a 602 appeal.
8) RESTRICTIONS ON INMATES VISITS WITH MINORS: A question was asked about the recently placed restrictions of visits from minors for inmates who have Section 3172, 3173, or 3177 penal code violations on their records. Captain Donaldson explained that the counselors are going through inmate records back 20 years to see if those particular violations are in that inmate’s file. If so, the inmate file is reviewed by a committee at the prison, and the inmate is notified that there is a future restriction on visiting.
Once the visiting restriction is placed, an inmate can either ask for an appeal to the committee, or go back to court and ask for a court order addressing the visiting issue. A family member may also take the issue to court.
The inmate has a 30-day time limit to file an appeal on the committee decision after the written “chrono” is received. Sometimes the chrono is not received until a month or two after the committee makes their decision and notifies the inmate. Some inmates may not yet have received their chronos, and may still appeal for 30 days after receiving it. The appeal is automatically a Level 2 Appeal.
The committee action is at the local level, and the committee may review the file more carefully and make a local decision, based on the merits of the individual case. Individual factors include the type of crime, when it was committed, who the children were, who the visiting children are, etc. For instance, the penal code talks about “child endangerment”, but the committee may not consider this a restriction in certain cases, where the inmate had no actual personal involvement.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:10 PM.
NEXT MEETING:
Friday, April 2, 2004
1:00 PM
VSPW Warden’s Conference Room
Minutes prepared by Nancy Rubinstein
Agenda Items for next meeting due by March 17, 2004.
To read the ADDENDUM on MEDICAL ISSUES please click here... MEDICAL ISSUES ADDENDUM
1) OFFICER ELECTIONS: Nominations from the previous meeting for Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary were presented. The nominations were unanimous with Marvin Coolbaugh as Chair, Dr. John Videen as Vice-Chair, and Nancy Rubinstein as Secretary. A vote was taken, and the nominations were approved unanimously.
2) MEMBER RESIGNATION: A written resignation has been submitted by Maureen Burgess. She has been taken from the roster, and the resignation was filed with Javier Cavazos.
3) ALTERNATE PROMOTION: Ruby Lockett is currently our only alternate, but does not wish to be instated as a full member, due to changes in Visiting Days.
4) FRIDAY / SATURDAY IFC MEETINGS: We discussed changing the IFC meeting day from Friday to Saturday, due to changes in the Visiting Days. It might be possible for the Administrator of the Day to attend a meeting early Saturday mornings, but that would have to be discussed with the individual AODs scheduled for those weekends. For now, the meetings will remain scheduled on Fridays.
5) IFC MEMBERSHIP DRIVE: Our IFC group needs to do a membership drive. Applications for new members takes about a month. We would like to put up 11”x17” posters on the bathroom doors in Visitor Processing and Visiting. Gloria says we may design posters and send them in to have them posted. We also need to keep fliers by the Suggestion Box in Visitor Processing. It was asked if we could send out fliers with the Visitor Applications that go out to inmate families. Captain McCullough explained that the WAC is responsible for putting together the Visiting Application materials, and that we would have to ask WAC if they would be willing to staple an IFC flier to the application.
ACTION ITEM: NANCY RUBINSTEIN WILL DESIGN FLIERS AND POSTERS AND GET THEM APPROVED FOR POSTING AND DISTRIBUTION.
6) GETTING IN TOUCH WITH WAC, CAC: Nancy asked to be put in touch with the WAC, so we can work on issues like IFC membership, visiting, etc. Captain McCullough will pass along Nancy’s address to the Chair of WAC. Nancy will also contact the Chair of the Community Advisory Committee, Patty Mandrell, to work on communication between advisory groups.
ACTION ITEMS: CAPTAIN McCULLOUGH WILL GIVE NANCY’S NAME AND ADDRESS TO ELLEN RICHARDSON, THE WAC CHAIRPERSON. NANCY WILL CONTACT PATTY MANDRELL, CHAIR OF CAC.
B. OLD BUSINESS
1) PILLOWS: Captain McCullough reported that we have a shortage of pillows right now, and are in the process of developing a better procedure for pillow accountability. New pillows haven’t been issued yet, because the administration hasn’t ordered them yet; the warden is waiting for a final count from Mr. Eichenberger, who has been out. The prison went through and inventoried pillows in 2001, and purchased around 1,200 pillows then. It appears that they will need to buy approximately 1,200 new pillows this time. Warden Henry says that they will be buying the pillows and issuing them by our next meeting. The pillows will be distributed with a record that makes the inmate responsible for her pillow, and she must return it in good condition when leaving the prison.
ACTION ITEM: THE WARDEN WILL CHECK ON THE STATUS OF THE PILLOW COUNT.
2) MEDICAL ISSUES NOTES FROM LAST MEETING: The memo from the Medical Staff came in after our last meeting, and the minutes were changed to leave a lot of the medical discussion out. Will this be posted now? Also, can we post the notes of our interview with Prison Law Office about the Plata case?
C. NEW BUSINESS
1) VENDOR BOXES
a) D&D lists and catalogues are available in Captain Donaldson’s office. D&D sent 4,000 order forms and a large number of catalogues. They’ve been distributed to WAC, who have delivered 2 catalogues to each room and an order form for each inmate. There is no street address for D&D, but Captain Donaldson has a few extra catalogues and order forms that he can give IFC members during Visiting this afternoon.
b) Marvin brought up concerns about prices in the Walkenhorst catalog not being the same as the price given over the phone during ordering. One item cost $10 more than in the catalog. The warden asked us to notify the staff if the vendor changes prices on the list items without warning. The prison does not have a contract with either Walkenhorst or D&D, so customer satisfaction is the only way to control the vendor’s behavior. And customers will not be satisfied if prices are changed unannounced!
c) Inmates should know that there will be an additional 10% administrative fee attached to the cost of their vendor box purchase if they make their purchase through their own trust funds. This will not apply to purchased made by the families from outside the prison.
d) Nancy Rubinstein is the only IFC member that has ordered a quarterly package so far, and it has not been sent yet. It was ordered from Walkenhorst. She will report back on how satisfactory the service was. Captain McCullough will talk to the WAC to see if there’s some feedback on either vendor.
e) The administration reports that some packages have already arrived, and that processing time has been cut in half. We were told that there is no more dumping of bottled items. The boxed goods still need to be logged in, so the process for receiving a box is still similar to the previous process, but it is much quicker now. The administration also reports that there have been no known problems with deliveries.
ACTION ITEMS: CAPTAIN McCULLOUGH WILL GET FEEDBACK FROM WAC ON VENDOR BOX PROGRAM FOR OUR NEXT MEETING. NANCY RUBINSTEIN WILL REPORT ON HER EXPERIENCE WITH WALKENHORST AT THE NEXT MEETING.
2) SPECIAL PURCHASES/TVs: Of the vendors approved for Special Purchases, it appears that only Walkenhorst has 1 TV that is approved, while Access and JC Penney no longer offer TVs that are approved by VSPW. Penneys originally had 2 or 3 that were allowed. Are there any other choices that inmates currently have available for TVs, other than the single Walkenhorst choice? Captain Donaldson said he would look into it.
ACTION ITEM: CAPTAIN DONALDSON WILL CHECK WITH THE SPECIAL PURCHASE VENDORS AND SEE WHAT TVS ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON THE APPROVED VSPW LIST. HE WILL REPORT BACK TO US ON THIS.
3) SMOKING BAN: Smoking is not allowed in the Visiting areas by inmates or families. The guards may smoke, but they must smoke at least 20 feet away from any door in the buildings. The IFC has concerns about a black market developing for cigarettes, as it has in Colorado and Oregon. The warden says that the reason legislation was created for no smoking has to do with rising health care costs for smokers in prison. She also said that any guards caught using cigarettes as contraband will have action taken against them. The bill is only in the Assembly so far, and it hasn’t yet gone through, so no one knows yet when it will come into effect.
4) VISITING AND VISITING HOURS
a) May we be on campus at 8:15 or at 8:30 AM? The DOM says that the campus should be open 45 minutes before visiting hours begin. Lately, visitors haven’t been allowed on-campus until 8:30. One of the guards stated that this was the warden’s idea. Warden Henry was not aware of this problem. However, the local DOM supplement may override the DOM, and that may have a limitation. This can be checked on.
ACTION ITEM: MARVIN WILL CHECK TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY INFORMATION (SUPPLEMENTAL DOM) THAT RESTRICTS ON-CAMPUS FOR VISITING TO AFTER 8:30. IF THERE ISN’T, IFC WILL PETITION FOR VISITORS TO BE ALLOWED ON CAMPUS AT 8:15.
b) Limits on visiting are a concern, now that we’re going to a 2-day only schedule. These limits include stoppage of visit processing for counts, crowding and possible terminations of visits, and slower processing/longer wait times. We were told that there is not a count on the weekends, except for Close A inmates, who are counted from 10 AM to 12 PM. Crowding may also be a concern, and the administration hopes to be able to open both Visiting Rooms after the morning rush and after Ad Seg visiting closes. The officers that are freed up after this can be transferred to the second Visiting Room. Captain Donaldson also reported that the Administrator of the Day reports on visiting problems after every weekend, and they focus on problems to reduce them the next weekend. This process will continue. We discussed some minor changes that might help speed up processing, like having the family members fill out their visiting slips while they are waiting for their number to be called, instead of having it handed to them at the desk when they get called up. This can be implemented immediately, and the warden will check into it. Captain Donaldson also says that it shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes from the time a number is called to the time the family goes through the door.
ACTION ITEM: THE STAFF WILL SEE ABOUT PASSING OUT THE VISITING SLIPS ALONG WITH THE NUMBERS, SO VISITORS CAN FILL THEM OUT AHEAD OF TIME.
c) Ruby brought up concerns about some staff in Visiting not knowing procedures. Captain Donaldson told us that Sgt. Fuller is no longer in charge of Visiting, and that Sgt. King is new to the position, as well as some staff. Also, on days when staff is short, non-visiting staff may be called in to cover. They aren’t as fully trained in procedures as regular staff, and may make mistakes. We were encouraged to draw problems to their attention, whenever possible.
d) Some prisons are making changes to the color of clothes visitors can wear. We asked if VSPW will be making any changes in allowed colors. Warden Henry said that there are no plans to change. VSPW will stay with the state requirements.
5) MAIL
a) Captain Donaldson reports that the mail is caught up to 2 days behind.
b) A member wanted to know if we could purchase JC Penney catalogues and have them sent in to individual inmates. The catalogues that are passed around the units get destroyed before many of the inmates can get to use them. It was asked if the catalog could be treated like a book purchase (it costs $5 to order one and have it mailed). The Warden said that she will ask to see if there would be any problem with that, and will let us know.
ACTION ITEM: THE WARDEN WILL CHECK AND SEE IF WE CAN SEND JC PENNEY CATALOGUES INTO INMATES, AND HAVE IT TREATED LIKE A BOOK ORDER.
6) WHEELCHAIR AND HANDICAP HOUSING: A member asked if the prison has rooms for disabled prisoners who are designated as “limited mobility” (wheelchair use). Warden Henry had this checked for us during the meeting, and was able to report that there are 8 cells that have been retrofitted to accommodate 32 inmates with wheelchairs, with the cells modified to include 4 inmates rather than the standard 8 inmates. These rooms also include grab rails for the shower and the toilet. These retrofitted cells are all in the B-1 Unit. There are 32 rooms in B-1, so there are also some non-retrofitted limited mobility rooms in B-1. Inmates are assigned to the special rooms when they are designated “limited mobility” or “permanent wheelchair” by the medical department.
Warden Henry told us that if we are aware of individual cases where someone may have been incorrectly assigned, we should bring these cases up directly with the administration, and they will take care of it. Anyone with a problem may get in touch with an Inmate Family Council member, and we would be happy to pass this information along.
7) CHIEF DENTAL OFFICER REPORT, by DR. BAKER
a) Procedure to see dentist: There are three ways to see the dentist. 1) An inmate may put in a GA-22 , a “Request for an Interview”. 2) An inmate may put in a CDC 7362 Co-Pay “Request to See Dental”. 3) Staff may discover an inmate problem, and make a direct staff request for the dental staff to see an inmate.
b) Tracking dental activities at VSPW: The computer program that tracks dental activities has been in place two years now. Each yard has their own separate dental clinic and computer files. The computer is able to make reports, including statistics of how many people are seen, how timely their service is, etc. Dr. Baker says that there are 3700 women on the yards, and approximately 950 patients per dental team. For example, B Yard has 936 inmates. They have had 365 requests for a treatment plan since the current computer system has been installed. They have seen everyone that has requested treatment. Dr. Baker said that they try to see emergencies within 3 days.
c) Dental staffing and current dental staff levels: Normal staffing includes a team of 1 dentist and 1 Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) on each yard, and one team in the Infirmary. There is currently a vacant dentist position in the Infirmary. Dr. Baker and Warden Henry assured us that they have a new dentist already selected to replace the missing dentist, and are just waiting for the paperwork to come back from Sacramento. They’re shooting for the position to be filled by March 1st. The current dentist on A Yard is currently doubling for the Infirmary AND for the A Yard until the new dentist comes on.
d) Waiting time to get dentures: At VSPW, it can take 10 months for an inmate who has had all her teeth pulled to get her dentures. Dr. Baker explained that the dentists under him use the “conventional” method of dental replacement. The teeth are pulled, and the patient is given a long recovery and healing period of around 6 months. The impressions are then taken, and it can take 2 or more months to get the dentures made and sent in. The dentures are made at CCWF.
Dentists on the outside like to use the “Immediate” method, which means they are fitted for dentures immediately after having their teeth pulled. Dr. Baker stated that waiting 6 months means there will be fewer adjustments once the dentures are fitted. This saves the state money in terms of re-visits by patients for adjustments of their dentures. We asked Dr. Baker if such a long wait to get teeth could cause any bone damage. He said no.
Denture and dental services are not a regulated standard by the state, and each prison can follow individual plans when providing dentures for their inmates.
It was asked if the long wait for dentures could possibly have something to do with the inmate’s lack of funds, since inmates at VSPW are required to pay for their dentures. Dr. Baker was not sure if this was a factor, and this question was tabled for now.
ACTION ITEM: MARVIN AND NANCY WILL RESEARCH TO FIND OUT IF LACK OF MONEY IS DELAYING THE FITTING OF DENTURES FOR INMATES, AND PREPARE SUGGESTIONS TO HELP DEAL WITH LACK OF FUNDING FOR INMATES WHO NEED DENTURES, IF THIS IS A FACTOR THAT SLOWS DOWN THE FITTING OF DENTURES FOR INMATES.
e) Information on how to get dental help: Dr. Baker was at the recent Health Fair, and handed out over 300 brochures. He only received about 15-20 requests for a treatment plan following the fair. Perhaps there are inmates on the Yards that do not know what to do to get dental help. They are all encouraged to file the requests to be seen (the GA-22, or the CDC 7362), or to ask for help from the WAC, an Inmate Family Council member, or a staff person. If they have a problem with being seen, they are encouraged to file a 602 appeal.
8) RESTRICTIONS ON INMATES VISITS WITH MINORS: A question was asked about the recently placed restrictions of visits from minors for inmates who have Section 3172, 3173, or 3177 penal code violations on their records. Captain Donaldson explained that the counselors are going through inmate records back 20 years to see if those particular violations are in that inmate’s file. If so, the inmate file is reviewed by a committee at the prison, and the inmate is notified that there is a future restriction on visiting.
Once the visiting restriction is placed, an inmate can either ask for an appeal to the committee, or go back to court and ask for a court order addressing the visiting issue. A family member may also take the issue to court.
The inmate has a 30-day time limit to file an appeal on the committee decision after the written “chrono” is received. Sometimes the chrono is not received until a month or two after the committee makes their decision and notifies the inmate. Some inmates may not yet have received their chronos, and may still appeal for 30 days after receiving it. The appeal is automatically a Level 2 Appeal.
The committee action is at the local level, and the committee may review the file more carefully and make a local decision, based on the merits of the individual case. Individual factors include the type of crime, when it was committed, who the children were, who the visiting children are, etc. For instance, the penal code talks about “child endangerment”, but the committee may not consider this a restriction in certain cases, where the inmate had no actual personal involvement.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:10 PM.
NEXT MEETING:
Friday, April 2, 2004
1:00 PM
VSPW Warden’s Conference Room
Minutes prepared by Nancy Rubinstein
Agenda Items for next meeting due by March 17, 2004.
To read the ADDENDUM on MEDICAL ISSUES please click here... MEDICAL ISSUES ADDENDUM
Medical Issues
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