The classes at the Department’s Jail Academy are mostly about safety and security. The exception is the  Inmate Programs Class facilitated by managers of the Inmate Services Division. This class spells out for new deputies what must be done to afford inmates what they are entitled to by law.

“Title 15 is the state code that governs the rights of inmates and it must be obeyed by Department staff,” said Tracy Zuber, Administrative Manager with the Inmate Services Division. 

“These are the inmate rights, accept them, they are not going to go away,” said Administrator Zuber. She said her goal is to see to it that inmates get what they are entitled to without compromising the safety of the jail staff or the security of the facility.

She started the class by instilling in the Deputies the seriousness of what she and Administrative Manager Don Wightman were about to teach them.

“Some Deputies look at this as inmate “fluff and fold”, but you need to recognize the importance of Title 15,” said Administrator Zuber.  She told the new Deputies to not assume that she is a bleeding heart out to expand the cause of inmate comfort. She wanted to be a Deputy but dropped out of the Academy due to an injury. She is married to a Department Investigator.  

In the Orange County Jail system, Inmate Services is responsible for three areas of inmate care: Commissary, Food Services, and Correctional Programs.

Commissary allows inmates to purchase necessities such as soap and toothpaste and luxuries such as candy and popcorn.  The James Musick Facility even has a soda machine, which allows inmates to purchase soda with the use of special cards they purchase. Inmates are not permitted to have money in their possession but they have money “on the books” which can be used to purchase items from Commissary.

Discussion of the inmate books drew a question from one of the 22 deputies in the class.

“Where do inmates get money?” the deputy asked. [more]

“Usually the family puts money on the inmate’s books,” said Administrator Wightman. He added that many inmates have nobody to put money on the books for them.  “It’s like a bank account, they have money deposited in, and they withdraw by making purchases from Commissary,” he said. 

Inmates can have up to $500 on their books.

“Inmates can also arrange to send See’s candy gift certificates and greeting cards to friends and family through the Department Commissary but there are some limits,” said Administrator Wightman.

“We don’t let them send “Wish You Were Here” cards,” along with other greetings inappropriate to the circumstances of an incarcerated person,” he added.

Food and Commissary is coordinated for all Department Correctional facilities through a warehouse in Anaheim. The warehouse keeps a 3-week supply of necessary supplies on hand at all times. The use of a central warehouse helps security by allowing deliveries to the three correctional facility sites by Department employees rather than by truck drivers hired by vendors.

The Commissary is stocked with name brand items at prices similar to those posted at 7-Eleven or AM-PM stores.

“We don’t gouge our inmates,” Administrator Wightman said.

The Commissary is run through the Inmate Welfare Fund, with any profits going to Inmate Programs aimed at reducing recidivism. The principle is to have the Commissary profits going to help the inmates.

“What if the inmates want to eat healthy?” asked one Deputy after hearing their favorite food items were Top Ramen and Jalapeno Popcorn.

“We try things, like tuna,” Administrator Wightman said. “If the items are popular, it is kept on as a choice. If nobody buys it, it is dropped. The biggest trouble with the tuna is that it causes an odor after the open pouches are thrown in the garbage.”

For indigent inmates, the county provides Welfare Packs, containing some essentials like soap, toothpaste, stationary, a pencil, and a stamp. If the inmate later has money put on his books, $1 is charged for each Welfare Pack. Between 1,000 and 1,200 Welfare Packs are distributed each week.

One of the items discussed at length was the razors sold to the inmates. They have no long handle that can be fashioned into a shank. The trouble is that it does not provide the best shave and some inmates find it nearly impossible to be clean shaven. Inmate workers are required to be clean shaven.

The Deputies were instructed that the Commissary belongs to the inmates and that staff should do nothing to damage the goods. 

Administrator Wightman advised the Deputies that Commissary is important to the inmates.

“Commissary makes inmates happy, a happy inmate is a quiet inmate,” he explained.

The Commissary operation is based on scan sheets filled out by inmates. The computerization of the Commissary orders has improved reliability so that currently more than 99 percent of inmate orders are filled correctly.

The Food Service Program in the jails is one of the best anywhere.

“I’d prefer to eat at one of our jails than at most restaurants,” said Administrator Zuber.

She said the monitoring of inmates by staff and by each other keeps inmate workers from contaminating the food.

“The inmates in our jails eat better than your kids eat at school,” she added. The jail has a Resident Public Health Nutritionist who coordinates menus to insure a balanced diet.

Many of the kitchen supervisors are former military cooks and the jail has several accredited Sous Chefs, ranked just below executive chefs in the culinary world.  They can typically make $70 an hour at restaurants but work for the county because the job is steadier and the benefits are better.

She added that Title 15 allows inmates 15 minutes to eat and that hurrying the inmates any faster will create a timing problem in the kitchen.

She warned Deputies to refrain from eating food meant for inmates. 

The jail kitchens serve 22,000 meals a day in 5 kitchen facilities. About 1,000 sack lunches are prepared for inmates due in court and inmates are provided with seven different types of diet, based on health and nutrition needs. The facilities also prepare 77,000 meals a year for the homeless, purchased at cost by the St. Vincent De Paul Society. 

The Food Services program is also used to train inmates and caters events for the Department, Grand Jury, and volunteer events like the Peace Officer Memorial.

Correctional Programs provide an array of services for inmates. It is funded by the Inmate Welfare Fund, with nearly one half of the revenue covered by inmate phone calls.

Programs allow inmates to acquire a GED, computer business training, develop skills such as sewing and food services, construction, welding and painting.

Correctional Programs also makes available to inmates volunteer services like Alcoholics Anonymous, Anger Management counseling, religious studies and the availability of a law library and exercise equipment. 

The duty of the Department is to protect those in custody, no matter the reason they have been placed in  our jails.

Administrator Zuber has gotten to know the character of our inmates.

”The individuals incarcerated in our jails are ‘family, friends, and neighbors’, and the majority are going to be released back into our communities. It’s our responsibility to do what we can for them while they’re in our care so upon release, they can become productive members of society. The programs and services provided by the dedicated employees of the Inmate Services Division are mandated; the empathy and compassion are intrinsic,” she said.