EVERETT — A recent federal audit of the Snohomish County Jail gave staff high marks for their efforts to prevent sexual assaults and sexual harassment behind bars.
It was the county’s first audit under the Prison Rape Elimination Act, said David Oster, the jail classification supervisor. He helps coordinate the team charged with making sure the county jail is compliant with the federal law, which governs how corrections officials should prevent, detect and respond to sexual assaults.
“Our staff got it right away,” Oster said. “We did a lot of training.”
The law was passed in 2003, but national standards to measure compliance weren’t adopted until a few years ago, Oster said. The county’s jail, which averages more than 900 inmates daily, now is supposed to be audited every three years.
The auditor’s final report found no areas where jail operations failed to meet federal standards under the law, documents show. A memo regarding the findings was sent Tuesday to all Snohomish County sheriff’s corrections staff.
The auditor told jail staff, “We are by far the best he has seen,” sheriff’s operations Capt. Jamie Kane wrote in the memo.
“Your commitment to making this a priority, though not convenient and even difficult at times, is a testament to your professionalism and work ethic,” Kane wrote.
The audit took place in December and involved interviews with inmates, staff and administrators. It was required for the jail to be considered compliant with the federal law, sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.
Changes to the jail’s policies in recent years weren’t just in response to the federal mandate, Oster said. Preventing sexual assault is “the right thing to do,” he said. “These are sound principles.”
The sheriff’s corrections bureau refers all reports of sexual abuse for criminal investigation by detectives, followed by an internal review that examines any actions taken by staff, or lack of action, that played a role, the report says.
In the year before the audit, there were 19 complaints of sexual assault or sexual harassment in the jail, some accusing staff. One of those complaints involved an alleged sexual assault between inmates and is under ongoing investigation. Another involves an allegation of staff misconduct that also remains under investigation.
The majority of the complaints were unfounded or unsubstantiated, the auditor wrote.
The jail’s policies involve extra protections for inmates considered more at risk for sexual assault, including inmates with physical and mental disabilities, poor English skills, a history of being victimized, a youthful appearance, and inmates who identify as gay or transgender.
Jail staff, contractors and volunteers all undergo screening and background checks to identify any red flags. Cases of proven sexual misconduct by corrections officers involving inmates have led to firings and criminal charges in recent years.
The jail contracts with Providence Regional Medical Center Everett to provide forensic examinations and counseling to victims of sexual abuse. The sheriff’s office also has added 85 cameras inside the jail — bringing the total to 429. The footage is kept for at least 90 days.
While the cameras were part of a larger security overhaul at the jail, they also can provide evidence in sexual abuse cases, Oster said.
Staff receive extra training on how to preserve potential evidence when allegations occur, and to treat anonymous and third-party complaints with the same gravity as other reports, according to the auditor. Staff also are trained on how to better document complaints and their response to them, Oster said.
Mental illness and mental disability must be considered under the policies, and termination is assumed to be appropriate for proven sexual abuse by staff.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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