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DOCUMENT: Custody and Corrections, and Other Humboldt County Facilities

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In its fourth report of the 2022-2023 session, the Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury this morning released its findings after inspecting the state-run Eel River Conservation Camp and seven county facilities, including the county jail, Sempervirens Psychiatric Health Facility and the Humboldt County Animal Shelter.

In the latter facility, jurors found “appalling and dangerous conditions,” including rusted and broken lampposts in the parking lot as well as outdated security cameras and overcrowding issues, with some animals housed in cages in the hallways.

But the report also has some good things to say about the place: “The animals are kept in pens that are clean and well supplied with water and warm blankets or cots,” it says. And later: “The staff of the Sheriff’s Animal Shelter are dedicated and work closely with animal rescue organizations in the county to house and adopt animals. They make a considerable effort to reunite lost pets with their owners.”

Elsewhere, the report commends staff for their hard work and dedication, but it notes problems with short-staffing and run-down buildings, with conditions such as “peeling paint, leaking ceilings, water stains on walls, and drafty and broken windows.”

The Civil Grand Jury, as you may recall, is an independent watchdog body of the Humboldt County Superior Court, its 19 members all volunteers from the community.

One of its only mandated tasks each year is to visit and evaluate the physical conditions and management of public prisons, though, of course, Humboldt County doesn’t have any prisons. It does, however, have Eel River Conservation Camp #31, which is operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

As with previous grand juries, this one commended the facility, saying it “maintains a successful rehabilitation program, which provides prisoners with fire-fighting and other valuable job skills, while assisting with the reduction of their imposed sentences.”

But the CDCR should build a fence to help deter the passing of contraband from Recology’s Redway Transfer Station, which shares a boundary and driveway with the prison camp.

Regarding short-staffing at county facilities, the Grand Jury says:

The number of unfilled allocated positions causes concern on many levels. Existing staff are overworked due to understaffing, causing some to face mandatory overtime on a regular basis. When there are staff shortages with overworked employees, client services suffer.  

Overall, this grand jury was “impressed with the services being provided by the staff given the parameters of tight budgets, understaffing, and the need for physical improvements to the facilities,” the report says, though it also notes, “We know Humboldt County can do better.”

The report lists 14 recommendations for improving the inspected facilities, mostly to do with maintenance and physical improvements. Responses to the report are required from the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff, and responses are requested from several other county departments as well as the California Department of Transportation.

Click the link at the top of this post to read the full report.

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Previous 2022-23 Grand Jury reports:

• ‘IT’S OK TO VOTE’: Grand Jury Issues Its First Report of This Cycle, Focused on Humboldt County Election Integrity
• In its Second Report of the Year, the Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury Tackles the ‘Dysfunctional’ State of Child Welfare Services in the County and the ‘Toxic’ Work Atmosphere Within the Department
• CITY of MCKINLEYVILLE? It’s Time for Real Talk About Incorporation, Grand Jury Sez