SUMMARY
In order to ensure the safety and security of citizens in confinement facilities, the 2011-2012 Ventura County Grand Jury (Grand Jury) in its role as the civil watchdog for Ventura County (County) must annually inspect all places of incarceration in the County, which includes all temporary holding facilities and jails.
Penal Code section 919(b) states that, “The grand jury shall inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county.” Penal Code section 921 states that, “The grand jury is entitled to free access, at all reasonable times, to the public prisons, and to the examination, without charge, of all public records within the county.”

The Grand Jury observed the physical cells, gathered information from officers, and read Policies and Procedures (P&Ps) of the fourteen places of incarceration in the County. The Police Departments (PD) in the Cities of Camarillo (Camarillo), Fillmore (Fillmore), Moorpark (Moorpark), Ojai (Ojai), Oxnard (Oxnard), Port Hueneme (Port Hueneme), Santa Paula (Santa Paula), Simi Valley (Simi Valley), and San Buenaventura (Ventura) are responsible for the holding cells in their respective jurisdictions. The Ventura County Sheriff (Sheriff) is responsible for the operation of the East Valley Sheriff’s Station (East Valley), the Main Jail, and the Todd Road Jail (Todd Road). The Ventura County Probation Department (Probation) is responsible for the Juvenile Justice Complex (JJC) and the Work Furlough/Work Release facility (Work Furlough).

Prior Grand Juries did not produce reports if no negative observations were made. It is the intention of this Grand Jury to take a more systematic approach, collecting data from checklists, analyzing the data, and drawing conclusions based on the data irrespective of positive or negative observations.

In the areas the Grand Jury chose to inspect, all places of incarceration met the minimum standards of the Corrections Standards Authority (CSA), found in Titles 15 and 24 of the California Code of Regulations. The Grand Jury noted several areas for improvement: Oxnard did not provide mattresses, bunks, or other off-the-ground seating for arrestees; Santa Paula and Oxnard lacked visible and/or availability of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs); and Port Hueneme did not stock non-perishable food for arrestees, opting instead to have the arresting officer make “fast-food runs.”

The Grand Jury found that officers, both out on patrol and in the facilities, are doing an excellent job in the area of parental involvement and confinement of all juveniles in Ventura County.

The Grand Jury recommends that the Cities, the Sheriff, and Probation continue to operate and maintain their cognizant incarceration facilities at least at the current level. The Grand Jury further recommends that Oxnard, Santa Paula, and Port Hueneme review and consider improvements in the areas noted above.

Go to the Grand Jury website to review the entire report http://grandjury.countyofventura.org