Report 2016-131 Recommendation 6 Responses

Report 2016-131: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: It Must Increase Its Efforts to Prevent and Respond to Inmate Suicides (Release Date: August 2017)

Recommendation #6 To: Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of

To ensure that prisons document the privileges, such as yard time, that inmates receive while in a crisis bed, Corrections should immediately require prisons to develop and formalize policies to record on their treatment plans the privileges inmates are allowed and receive while in a crisis bed.

1-Year Agency Response

The Mental Health Compliance Team Lieutenants review the 114s during regional tours. This item is included in the Continuous Quality Improvement Tool.

Completion Date: May 2018
Response Date: August 2018

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

The "114s" that Corrections refers to in its response are "Inmate Segregation Records." While Corrections did not address the recommendation as written, the actions it is taking to monitor and ensure compliance with its existing policies regarding inmate privileges would be sufficient to address the issue we discuss in the report; however, additional audit work would be required to determine whether Corrections' monitoring is effective over time. Nevertheless, we will report this recommendation as fully implemented.

6-Month Agency Response

Per the CDCR memorandum dated February 14, 2017, titled "Mental Health Crisis Bed Privileges Revision" privileges and out-of-cell activities are provided to all inmate-patients (IP) admitted to the Mental Health Crisis Bed's (MHCB). The Interdisciplinary Treatment Team (IDTT) shall review and update privileges at every IDTT and document restrictions within the treatment plan. When an IP receives or participates in a privilege or out-of-cell activity, custody staff shall notate the occurrence on the CDC Form 114-A, Inmate Segregation Record. The IP's 114-A will be discussed during each IDTT and documented within the treatment plan.

The Mental Health Compliance Team Lieutenants review the 114's during regional tours. This item is included in the Continuous Quality Improvement Tool (CQIT). The Mental Health regional teams will be auditing the IDTT reviews privileges and out-of-cell activities received.

By March 2018, institutions with MHCB's and regional teams will be provided training regarding the need to review the 114's in IDTT to ensure privileges are being granted consistent with the IDTT recommendations.

The CDCR memorandum dated February 14, 207 titled "Mental Health Crisis Bed Privileges Revision" was provided with the 60-day response. The CQIT additional audit item language and a copy of training materials will be provided once complete.

Estimated Completion Date: March 2018
Response Date: February 2018

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

The Mental Health Compliance Team Lieutenants review the 114's during regional tours. This item will be included in the Continuous Quality Improvement Tool (CQIT) by January 2018. The Mental Health regional teams will be auditing if the IDTT reviews privileges and out-of-cell activities received.

See attached CDCR memorandum dated February 14, 2017 titled "Mental Health Crisis Bed Privileges Revision." The CQIT additional audit item language and a copy of training materials will be provided once complete.

Estimated Completion Date: March 2018
Response Date: October 2017

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2016-131

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.