5.2 Screening for the Risk of Sexual Abuse Pursuant to Section 1350.5

 

Chapter 5. Classification and Separation
Section 5.2
Subject Screening for the Risk of Sexual Abuse Pursuant to Section 1350.5
Effective Date 11/30/2023

The Juvenile Hall will implement the following written policies and procedures to reduce the risk of sexual abuse by or upon youth. Youth shall be assessed by the booking JSO, the on-duty nurse, and the on-duty Behavioral Health therapists within 24 hours of admission based on the following information:

  1. Prior sexual victimization or abusiveness;
  2. Gender nonconforming appearance or manner; or identification as lesbian, gay or bisexual, transgender, queer or intersex, and whether the youth may, therefore, be vulnerable to sexual abuse;
  3. Current charges and offense history;
  4. Age;
  5. Level of emotional and cognitive development;
  6. Physical size and stature;
  7. Mental illness or mental disabilities;
  8. Intellectual or developmental disabilities;
  9. Physical disabilities;
  10. The youth’s perception of vulnerability; and, 
  11. Any other specific information about the individual youth that may indicate heightened needs for supervision, additional safety precautions, or separation from certain other youth.
    • Staff shall ascertain this information through conversations with the youth during the admittance process, medical and behavioral health screenings; during classification assessments; and by reviewing court records, case files, facility behavioral records, and other relevant documentation from the youth’s files.   Officers and facility staff shall use the booking forms, SOGIE and CSEC assessments to gain insight to a youth’s risk of sexual abuse.  Facility staff and officers shall make Suspected Child Abuse Reports (SCAR) when necessary and in within 24 hours of learning to reportable information. The dissemination of information within the facility relative to responses received pursuant to this assessment in order to ensure that sensitive information is not exploited to the youth’s detriment by staff or other youth will be in adherence to Section 13.8 of this Policy and Procedures manual.