Chapter 1 – General Administration

Employees shall prepare written correspondence in accordance with the provisions of the Secretarial Handbook.

This section establishes guidelines for preparing the following types of correspondence:

• Administrative reports.

• Correspondence on behalf of the BPT or NAEANarcotic Addiction Evaluation Authority. Correspondence from the Department to BPT or NAEANarcotic Addiction Evaluation Authority.

• Inmate correspondence.

Employees shall properly prepare correspondence and shall follow these general requirements:

• All incoming correspondence shall be answered promptly. Employees who cannot promptly answer correspondence shall acknowledge that they have received it and offer an estimated date for a complete reply.

• All prepared correspondence shall be proofread before being forwarded for approval/signature.

Each outgoing article of correspondence sent by staff from a State correctional facility shall be clearly labeled or stamped with the words State correctional Facility on the face of the envelope or package. For the purposes of this section only, a State correctional facility also includes the Community Correctional Centers, Community Prison Mother Program facilities, Restitution center, and Work Furlough Facilities. See DOMDepartment Operations Manual 54010.27 for additional details.

Employees who assign an administrative report shall:

• Explain the project in detail to the designated employee, giving all available information.

• Suggest any known references.

• Carefully outline the scope of the project.

The employee to whom the report is assigned shall:

• Perform necessary research.

• Formulate a tentative plan or solution.

• Check the tentative plan or solution with the affected person and report their concurrences and disagreements in the recommendations section of the report.

The Report.

The report shall:

• Be prepared on a CDC Form 1617, State of California Memorandum, if a short report. If a lengthy report, the report shall be prepared on plain, white paper and transmitted with a CDC Form 1617 as a cover sheet.

• Be addressed to the employee who gave the assignment.

• Contain date and subject lines.

• Contain an introductory paragraph including a brief statement about the assignment.

• Contain a brief statement of recommendation(s), each followed by a justification.

• Fiscal or legislative implications shall appear in the recommendation and shall be elaborated on in the reasons for the recommendation.

• Documents needed to support the recommendation(s) shall be attached as appendices or exhibits.

• Any forms or directives needed to implement the recommendation(s) shall be attached.

The employee shall submit the completed project to their immediate supervisor for forwarding through administrative channels.

The employee who assigned the report shall notify the employee completing the report of the results.

Facilities may receive correspondence addressed to the BPT or the NAEANarcotic Addiction Evaluation Authority requesting information. Employees shall:

• Answer such correspondence using the appropriate paroling board letterhead if the correspondence regards individual parolees/releasees.

• Include the signature line of the board countersigned by the C&PRClassification & Parole Representative of the facility, followed by the name, address, and public telephone number of the facility.

Employees shall forward correspondence addressed to facilities concerning policies and functions of a paroling board to the appropriate paroling board for reply.

Correspondence regarding term-fixing or parole-granting functions of a paroling board received at a facility but which is not addressed to paroling board officials shall be forwarded to the C&PRClassification & Parole Representative for reply.

Associate Wardens in charge of reception centers shall sign responses to correspondence addressed to a paroling board but concerning inmates in reception centers. If the request for information concerns the board’s actions or functions, the appropriate paroling board letterhead shall be used. The name, address, and public telephone number of the facility where the reception center is located shall follow the signature block.

Wardens and designated employees within facilities or headquarters shall communicate with the appropriate paroling board (BPT or the NAEANarcotic Addiction Evaluation Authority) regarding scheduling or other problems.

Proposed changes in policy, procedure, or practice of the Department which may affect a paroling board’s operations shall be coordinated by the following liaison persons:

Employees may use form letters to respond to inmate correspondence. However, each letter shall be individually typed or printed, not photocopied.

Facilities/ Parole Regions

Appropriate facility and parole region employees shall respond on CDC Form 1617 to incoming correspondence from inmates. Correspondence received from external persons regarding inmates that has been addressed to or referred to their facility, shall be responded to using official Department letterhead.

All employees shall forward correspondence as follows:

A copy of the reply shall be sent to the appropriate Warden or parole region for inclusion in the inmate’s C-File.

Headquarters

• Headquarters’ replies to correspondence from inmates or regarding inmates shall be prepared on letterhead stationery.

• Headquarters employees shall adhere to established due dates (if attached) set by the Business Services Correspondence Control Unit (BSCCU) when responding to correspondence from or regarding inmates. If no due date has been attached, the employee shall respond within 15 working days. A file copy of the reply shall be sent to the inmate’s C-File.

• If the correspondence was forwarded from BSCCU, the attached CDC Form 972, Correspondence Referral Cover Sheet, shall be returned to the Unit with an indication of the date the response was mailed.

Correspondence received at headquarters is reviewed first by the BSCcU. The BSCCU determines what correspondence will be controlled. Correspondence deemed necessary to control shall be handled as outlined in the DOMDepartment Operations Manual 12030.9 of this manual.

The following types of correspondence are not usually controlled by the BSCCU and shall be forwarded as shown:

The BSCCU divides correspondence it controls into two categories-large and small actions.

Large actions include:

• Governor’s Office transmittals.

• Legislative correspondence.

• Correspondence from Directors of other state departments.

Small actions are any other correspondence received by BSCCU that requires a reply from the Department.

The BSCCU assigns due dates to large actions as follows:

• Governor’s Office transmittals.

  • Two days before any given due date by the Governor’s Office or YACA.

  • Five working days for as-soon-as-possible (ASAP) requests.

  • Ten working days if no due date is requested.

No extensions shall be allowed on Governor’s Office transmittals.

• Legislative correspondence and correspondence from other Directors.

  • Two days before any requested due date–no extensions.

  • Five working days for ASAP requests–no extensions.

  • Ten working days if no due date is requested-an extension of up to three working days provided the request is made on or before the due date.

The BSCCU assigns due dates to small actions as follows:

• Two days before given due date (providing the due date is reasonable). No extensions shall be given if a reasonable due date has been requested.

• Fifteen working days for correspondence without a requested due date. An extension of up to five days may be given if requested on or before the due date.

The BSCCU shall:

• Handle Governor’s Office transmittals by logging the date received, the information received, and the unit assigned.

• Assign the correspondence or Governor’s Office transmittal to the appropriate Deputy Director or Assistant Deputy Director for response.

• Staple the CDC Form 972 to the incoming correspondence.

• Establish the due date and the date of referral on the CDC Form 972.

• Provide Chief Deputy Directors and Director with a weekly listing of overdue controlled correspondence.

The Deputy Director, OBSOffice of Business Services or designee shall be responsible for ensuring that the contents of this article are kept current and accurate.

SAMState Administrative Manual § 1641.11.

GCGovernment Code §§ 7525 and 7526.

Secretarial Handbook.

DOMDepartment Operations Manual § 54010.