Custody
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Custody
Division is responsible for the care and custody
of inmates in two Jail Facilities: The South Lake
Tahoe Facility which can house up to 158
inmates, and the Placerville Facility which
currently has a capacity of 303 inmates, and 8
out-patient medical beds.
Both Jails must comply with California Title 15
and Title 24 requirements for Local Detention
Facilities and maintain a meticulous schedule to
this end. Title 15 regulates the conditions of
confinement relating to food, medical treatment,
housing and discipline. Title 24 regulates the
minimum standards for the design and
construction of the jail buildings. These
standards are unwavering even with the
introduction of new laws and regulations,
making efforts in Custody a continuous
adaptation.
Custody’s Current Challenges
Since AB 109, Custody needs are changing as the national focus has been on recidivism reduction and special programs, while still actively shouldering the consequences of Proposition 47.
The biggest challenges are the management and housing of the growing mental health, female and geriatric populations. In facilities originally designed to house pre-trial and short term sentenced inmates, the space needs are continually being assessed as inmates are now being sentenced into our custody for upwards of 11 years.
This provides great strain for both the facility and the inmates in our care. Every effort is being made to keep the facility up to date with program, medical and housing needs.
AB-109 and The Prison Realignment Act continue to add to the challenges of the Custody Division. County jails were never built to hold long term inmates who require more complex medical, mental health and housing options. Jail staff are tasked with providing required services to low-level county jail inmates awaiting trial, or serving a short sentence, and now must also be concerned with offering protection to the low-level offenders from the more criminally sophisticated and dangerous inmates. The different classifications of inmates prevent both jails from utilizing all 469 beds.
Inmate Services
While incarcerated, inmates are provided many programs and services for re-entry and self-improvement. Although given this opportunity, inmates must have the will to succeed. It is important that our programs are structured to meet the basic needs of a diverse inmate population.
The successes of these programs are based on the volunteers and instructors that teach and counsel the inmates. If administered correctly, Correctional Education can be a very effective tool to aid in changing offender behavior.
Corrections
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