STOCKTON, Calif. — In a 13-page report, the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury says some jails in the county are not complying with the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003.
The report targeted the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office's Jail, the San Joaquin County Probation Department's Juvenile Hall, and the City of Lodi's Jail.
The grand jury's investigation into the San Joaquin County Juvenile Hall led to the most findings in the report, noting seven areas where the detention center is out of compliance.
The seven findings included a lack of mandatory audits of the detention center, missing policies regarding confidentiality when reporting sexual assault or harassment and a lack of training for educators, third-party contractors and volunteers.
At the San Joaquin County Jail, the grand jury found the Sheriff's Office has never completed a Prison Rape Elimination Act audit required every three years, lacks some required posters and written materials, does not give adequate means to confidentially report sexual abuse or harassment, and has not installed audio or video recorders in interrogation rooms.
In a statement, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office said the department has already made some of the changes called for in the report.
"We appreciate the Grand Jury identifying areas where we can improve our services to the individuals placed in our care," the statement says. "We are pleased to report that most of the concerns addressed by the Grand Jury have already been rectified, and the final remaining area - contracting with a DOJ-approved auditor - is actively being investigated and addressed by County Purchasing."
At Lodi's jail, grand jury members said the Lodi Police Department lacked required posters and written materials explaining inmate rights.
Neither the City of Lodi nor the San Joaquin County Probation Department responded to requests for comment Friday.
The grand jury began investigating the custodial facilities after seeing reports in the media over the past three years about sexual abuse at San Joaquin County jails and after complaints surfaced of sexual and physical abuse at county facilities.
The investigation included tours of each facility, five interviews, presentations by the Sheriff’s Office and the Probation Office and reviewing federal documents, media reports, jail websites and detainee complaints.
Each agency mentioned in the report is required to respond to the presiding judge within 60 days.
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