Care and Custody
There were many upgrades completed on both the Placerville and South Lake Tahoe jail facilities in 2018. Among these are several which improve communication between the inmate and their families, as well as enhance the educational experience for inmates.
In July, a new innovative telecommunications
package was implemented. This includes
public kiosks in the jail lobbies for money
deposits, an advanced telephone system,
electronic kiosks in the inmate housing areas,
and tablets. The tablets and kiosks use a
cloud-based technology designed specifically
for the corrections industry. Inmates can send
and receive emails and text messages in the
digital mail room. Jail staff closely monitor and
review incoming and outgoing messages for
safety and security concerns.
The technology also allows for video visitations
so friends and family can visit from anywhere
from their cellphones or laptops. Family
members schedule a time for the video session
to take place and the inmate joins from the
kiosk located in the housing unit. All video
visits are monitored by staff for safety concerns
and violations of jail policy or criminal law.
Along with communication, the tablets are
used for educational and vocational
programing. Inmates can earn credits to take part in entertainment aspects of the tablets by completing programs on a “learn to earn” basis.
The Milestone Program has continued to be a benefit to both the inmates and the community. Pursuant to Penal Code 4019.4, Milestones are credits earned by inmates who choose to participate in educational and vocational programs offered while in custody. Milestone credits are applied to the inmate's sentence, reducing the amount of time spent in custody.
This program is focused on rehabilitation and reintegration into the community. It also allows for rehabilitated inmates the opportunity to be released early and allow bed space for other inmates to remain in custody who have not completed their full sentence or are ready for rehabilitation.
Alternative sentencing is a court approved program
to allow convicted persons to flexibly serve their
sentences. With court approval, the person is able to
serve either on the Weekender or Work Programs.
These programs are designed to allow people to
serve their sentence and also maintain their
employment or schooling. This has been shown to
reduce recidivism of first time offenders.
Work Program allows convicted persons to give back to the community by doing mostly manual labor at various approved work locations around the area. The Weekender Program allows offenders to serve their jail commitment on weekends or similar periods of time during the week. For each of these programs, the person pays a daily fee and is subject to all the same rules and regulations of a straight commitment inmate.
Alternative Sentencing
Custody
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