Probation Department Policy/Procedure Manual

1.24 Transportation of a Severely Mentally Ill (SMI) Offenders upon release from County Jail at the Request of Jail Sgt. or Higher-Ranking Officer

Location Division Wide
Section N/A
Subject 1.24 Transportation of a Severely Mentally Ill (SMI) Offenders upon release from County Jail at the Request of Jail Sgt. or Higher-Ranking Officer
Purpose Protocol for the transport of Mentally Ill Offenders deemed Severely Mentally Ill (SMI) who fall under the jurisdiction of the Probation Department from County Jail to community resource at release
Effective Date 7/1/2022
Previous Effective Date

 

Background:       On occasion, the San Luis Obispo County Jail may request assistance with transporting an SMI offender who is under the jurisdiction of the Probation Department and is released from the jail to a resource provider in the community (i.e. homeless shelter, day center, sober living environment, etc.). These transports will be primarily completed by the Jail Programs Unit (JPU) Deputy Probation Officer (DPO). However, these transports may include any DPO from an Adult Field Supervision Unit if the JPU DPO is unable to provide the transportation. All requests for such transports will be made by email from the JPU Sergeant to the JPU DPO’s Supervising Deputy Probation Officer and will include the JPU DPO and the Adult Division Chief Deputy Probation Officer.

Pre-Transport: Prior to transporting SMI Offenders from the jail, the JPU DPO will do the following:

  1. Review the defendant’s charges and behavior history in custody to determine whether they will need another officer to accompany them.  (Examples:  2 man move in custody, PC243(d)history, PC69 history)
  2. Confirm with someone at Well Path that the offender is mentally stable to leave the Jail, has all prescribed medication, and is taking their medication as prescribed.
  3. Secure a caged vehicle from Juvenile Services Center (JSC). The officer will contact a Juvenile Division SDPO to confirm vehicle availability. If a caged vehicle is unavailable at JSC, the officer will contact an Adult Division Supervisor to secure a caged vehicle.
  4. Log with dispatch or through the MDC as a 10-14(transport) including:
  • Officers on transport
  • Start and End location
  • Start and ending Mileage
  1. Meet the defendant prior to transport to review their terms and conditions (if they are available), provide them monthly report forms, and immediate reporting instructions.

Arrival at Destination: Upon arriving to the designated location with the defendant, the officer will:

  1. Accompany them to meet the resource provider.
  2. Determine if the resource provider has any additional questions.
  3. In the event resources are unavailable or the defendant decides not to take advantage of the resources, the officer is not required to remain with the probationer.

Post-Transport: Upon completion of the transport and clearing the location, the officer will:

  1. Notify Dispatch via radio or MDC transport is complete with ending mileage
  2. Return caged vehicle to its designated location
  3. Enter Journal Notes into Monitor for the offender including:
  • Review of terms and conditions
  • Reporting instructions
  • Any other information which would aide in the ongoing supervision of the case
  1. Report any issues to their assigned SDPO