TRANSITION TEAM

By Bill O’Brien, Juvenile Hall Superintendent

Madera County began construction of a new 70-bed juvenile hall on July 1, 2000.  This new facility is scheduled to open in December 2001, replacing the county’s 43-year old outmoded facility.   

The Transition Team job seemed intimidating, but we nonetheless looked forward to the challenge.  It was viewed it as an opportunity to successfully start up a new facility.  The operators of the facility would put the programs and schedules in place and be responsible for day-to-day implementation when the new facility opened.  

In September 2000, the team attended a Corrections Standards Authority training seminar called, “Transitioning and Opening New Facilities.”  This training session gave us the needed tools to use in transition planning.  Also it gave us an insight on what to do and what not to do.  We found the training useful and informative.  We highly recommend this seminar to those who are working on a transition plan.

The Transition Team consisted of Juvenile Hall Superintendent Bill O’Brien and Supervising Juvenile Detention Officers Joe Davis, Phil Mayer, Cheryl Holmes, Gary Davie and Patsy Putney.  The team members brought a total of 130 years of juvenile detention experience to bear on the task.  Operating within the guidelines of the Penal Code, Welfare and Institutions Code, Title 15, California Code of Regulations, and other law and regulations, county operational philosophy and needs dominated facility policy and program discussions in developing the transition plan.  

The team started by setting up a schedule of meetings. We then divided up the basic components of the overall job and assigned them to the team leaders. During the initial meetings, we found the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to be most useful as a way of prioritizing the issues and organizing our ideas.  

The team started off with no working space.  We worked at home, or squeezed out time from our regular shifts, and held meetings at the Juvenile Hall or the Correctional Camp.  Then we moved into a trailer, which we furnished with surplus property consisting of used chairs, computers and desks.  

We also toured various juvenile facilities and reviewed other counties programs.  We integrated some procedures used in other counties into our manuals, and learned much from other counties first hand experiences with opening new facilities.  

The team met with various individuals involved with the planning of the new facility. This included maintenance staff, education and program staff, medical staff, and representatives from food services, purchasing, and vendors.  We also met with representatives from the architectural firm and the construction management firm.  The contractor was very accommodating and allowed us to tour the building frequently as construction progressed.  This enabled us to ensure our objectives were realistically in line with the physical plant.  

We set up a list of training objectives used for training new staff and retraining current staff in use of new equipment, techniques, and procedures.  As we near opening and occupancy, we have continued to review and correct post orders and scenarios, and are feeling confident about implementation.  

Since the beginning, we’ve tested, interviewed, and conducted background investigations on job applicants, and set up appointments for psychological testing for new personnel.  Our experience in this area has shown that recruiting cannot begin too soon.  We’ve experienced a high rate of applicant rejection due to psychological examination and background investigation failures.  

Transition planning has been essential to the success of our new facility.  We did experience obstacles.  However, by approaching them with a positive attitude, working together with various groups, and researching manual after manual, and issue after issue, we overcame those barriers.  An overview and summary of Madera County’s transition process follows:

Transition to Madera County’s new juvenile facility is more than simply a move from our old, outmoded juvenile hall to a new one.  It is a complex set of tasks, which must start and be completed long before the actual move.  It is anticipation and preparation, which will make our new facility effective in all aspects from the day it opens.  Transition is a team effort of the county players involved with the new facility.  

The following principles were developed as guidelines for the Madera County transition process:

 

·         People support what they help to create.

·         Since most jurisdictions construct a facility every 50 to 100 years, we need to take advantage of the situation and do it right.

·         New buildings alone do not solve all problems, but can aid in improving security, programs, and services of an institution.

·         Opening a new facility provides an opportunity for close scrutiny of how things have been done in the past, and how they can be improved.

The Madera County transition coordinator is responsible for establishing overall objectives and structure of the transition process, including:

 

·         Defining the role of the task force in the decision making process.

·         Establishing membership in the individual task forces.

·         Establishing general time frames for the transition process.

·         Establishing the initial stages and meeting schedules for the task forces.

 

The task force leaders were assigned from the Shift Commander ranks.  Shift Commanders were responsible for completion of the categories assigned.  They used their team members to offer input and ideas for the process. The task force leaders were also members of the Transition Coordination Committee and reviewed and helped finalize the individual task force proposals for implementation and final decision making.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Identify organizational needs
• Collect and analyze data
• Address unresolved problems
• Develop operational scenarios
• Write and revise policies & procedures
• Develop record-keeping systems
• Write position descriptions
• Make budget recommendations
• Identify training needs
• Develop task flow-charts

 

• Program Development
• Security Issues
• Support Systems
• Post Orders and Policies
• Training and Orientation

 

 

 

• Substance Abuse
• Education
• Recreation
• Religious
• Community Groups
• Tours

• Booking and Release
• Contraband
• Escape attempts
• Hostages
• Internal and External Disturbances
• Inspections
• Transportation
• Visiting
• Fire Safety
• Mass Arrest
• Weapons and Restraints

 

 

 

• Communications Internal and External
• Food Service
• Health Service
• Housekeeping
• Laundry
• Mail
• Maintenance
• Storeroom

 

 

• Staff training
• Operational training
• New equipment training
• Facility dry runs
• Detainee orientation

 

 

• Overall move between facilities strategy
• New building “shakedown”
• Move and install new and old equipment
• Move minors
• Move supplies
• Close down old facility

 

 

 

• Formal Task Force communication vehicle
• Final approval authority
• Forum for resolving issues beyond the scope of the single task force
• Establish format for policy and procedure review
• Determines opening dates
• Develops and monitors master schedule
• Finalizes staff patterns
• Establishes goals for transition