Report 2016-131 Recommendation Responses
Report 2016-131: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: It Must Increase Its Efforts to Prevent and Respond to Inmate Suicides (Release Date: August 2017)
Recommendation for Legislative Action
To provide additional accountability for Corrections' efforts to respond to and prevent inmate suicides and attempted suicides, the Legislature should require that Corrections report to it in April 2018 and annually thereafter on the following issues: 1) its progress toward meeting its goals related to the completion of risk evaluations in a sufficient manner; 2) its progress toward meeting its goals related to the completion of 72-hour treatment plans in a sufficient manner; 3) the status of its efforts to ensure that all mental health staff receive required training and mentoring related to suicide prevention and response; 4) the status of its efforts to fill vacancies in its mental health treatment programs, especially its efforts to hire and retain psychiatrists; 5) its progress in implementing the recommendations made by the special master's experts, the court-appointed suicide expert, and its own reviewers regarding inmate suicides and attempts and Corrections should include in its report to the Legislature the results of any audits it conducts as part of its planned audit process to measure the success of changes it implements as a result of these recommendations; 6) its progress in identifying and implementing mental health programs that may ameliorate risk factors associated with suicides at the prisons.
Description of Legislative Action
As of August 17, 2022, the Legislature did not take action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: October 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
"As of August 17, 2021, the Legislature has not taken any recent action to address this recommendation." add the following paragraph: "SB 960 (Chapter 782, Statutes of 2018) requires Corrections to submit a report to the Legislature on or before October 1 of each year on its efforts to respond to and prevent suicides and attempted suicides among inmates, including, among other things, describing Correction's progress in identifying and implementing initiatives designed to reduce risk factors associated with suicides among inmates. The report is required to be posted on Correction's website. This statute does not address the portion of the recommendation that the report include the status of Corrections' efforts to fill vacancies in its mental health treatment programs.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: August 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented
Description of Legislative Action
As of August 17, 2020, the Legislature has not taken any recent action to address this recommendation.
SB 960 (Chapter 782, Statutes of 2018) requires Corrections to submit a report to the Legislature on or before October 1 of each year on its efforts to respond to and prevent suicides and attempted suicides among inmates, including, among other things, describing Correction's progress in identifying and implementing initiatives designed to reduce risk factors associated with suicides among inmates. The report is required to be posted on Correction's website. This statute does not address the portion of the recommendation that the report include the status of Corrections' efforts to fill vacancies in its mental health treatment programs.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: August 2020
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented
Description of Legislative Action
SB 960 (Chapter 782, Statutes of 2018) requires Corrections to submit a report to the Legislature on or before October 1 of each year on its efforts to respond to and prevent suicides and attempted suicides among inmates, including, among other things, describing Correction's progress in identifying and implementing initiatives designed to reduce risk factors associated with suicides among inmates. The report is required to be posted on Correction's website. This statute does not address the portion of the recommendation that the report include the status of Corrections' efforts to fill vacancies in its mental health treatment programs.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: August 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented
SB 960 does not address the portion of the recommendation that the report include the status of Corrections' efforts to fill vacancies in its mental health treatment programs.
Description of Legislative Action
Senate Bill 960 (Leyva) would require the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Corrections) to submit a report to the Legislature, on or before April 1 of each year, on its efforts to respond to and prevent suicides and attempted suicides among inmates, including, among other things, identifying recommendations that would affect Correction's efforts to respond to and prevent suicides and attempted suicides among inmates, describing the progress in implementing those recommendations, and describing the department's progress in identifying and implementing mental health programs that may ameliorate risk factors associated with suicides among inmates. The bill would require the report to be posted on the department's website. The bill would also require Corrections to notify the contact person of an inmate within 24 hours by telephone, if a contact person is listed on record, in the event of the inmate's serious illness, serious injury, or death, which would include attempted suicide.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: August 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending
Legislation is pending in the Assembly.
Description of Legislative Action
Senate Bill 960 (Leyva) was introduced on January 31, 2018, and would require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Corrections) to submit a report to the Legislature on or before April 1 of each year, on its efforts to respond to and prevent suicides and attempted suicides among inmates, including, among other things, identifying recommendations that would affect Correction's efforts to respond to and prevent suicides and attempted suicides among inmates, describing the progress in implementing those recommendations, and describing the department's progress in identifying and implementing mental health programs that may ameliorate risk factors associated with suicides among inmates.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: February 2018