504-incarcerated-person-welfare-checks

Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/0 8/01, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff Incarcerated Person Welfare Checks - 1 Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff Custody Manual Incarcerated Person Welfare Checks 504.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE The purpose of this policy is to establish a requirement for conducting visual welfare checks on all incarcerated persons and for creating and maintaining documentation of all welfare checks. 504.2 POLICY It is the policy of the Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff that sworn staff shall conduct welfare checks on all incarcerated persons at a frequency determined by their custody status, Classification Profile, and applicable state law. 504.3 WELFARE CHECKS Welfare checks are direct visual observations conducted at random or varied intervals (staggered) to ensure the safety and well -being of incarcerated persons. These checks involve a personal, direct view of the incarcerated person in the context of their surroundings, without the aid of audio or video equipment (15 CCR 1006). Sworn staff shall adhere to the following procedures when conducting welfare checks: (a) Welfare checks shall be conducted through direct visual observation to ensure a clear assessment of the incarcerated person's condition, confirming they are alive and not in immediate distress (15 CCR 1027.5). 1. If the incarcerated person is not visible, sworn staff shall take the necessary steps to verify their presence. 2. Sworn staff shall promptly refer any incarcerated person exhibiting suicidal, homicidal, or self -destructive behaviors by completing a Medical/Psychiatric Referral Form and contacting Adult Custody Health Services (ACHS) Mental Health staff, as detailed in the Suicide Prevention and Intervention Policy. (b) Sworn staff shall observe incarcerated persons for clear signs of life, including but not limited to the following: 1. Normal breathing: Observing the rise and fall of the incarcerated person's body, indicating respiratory movement. 2. Movement: Observing any movement in the incarcerated person's extremities or any part of the body. 3. Vocalization: Soliciting a verbal response from the incarcerated person to confirm awareness and/or consciousness. (c) Welfare checks shall include areas (blind spots) that are out of view of sworn staff, not covered by cameras, and pose a safety or security risk. (d) Cameras and monitors may supplement welfare checks but shall not replace the required direct visual observation of incarcerated persons. Policy 504 Docusign Envelope ID: 4EDD158C-DB2E-48A9-AE3C-C345449C2F71 Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff Custody Manual Incarcerated Person Welfare Checks Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/0 8/01, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff Incarcerated Person Welfare Checks - 2 504.4 FREQUENCY OF WELFARE CHECKS Welfare checks shall be conducted at random or varied intervals (staggered) to ensure that incarcerated persons cannot predict when the checks will occur (15 CCR 1027.5). Welfare checks shall occur at least once every 60 minutes or more frequently as required by other Sheriff's Office policies (15 CCR 1027.5). (a) Welfare checks in the Intake/Booking area shall be conducted every 30 minutes. 1. ACHS Medical staff may place incarcerated persons on Suicide Precaution 15- minute checks while they remain in the Intake/Booking area, until they can be evaluated by ACHS Mental Health staff, in accordance with the Suicide Prevention and Intervention Policy. (b) Special management incarcerated persons housed in a specialized unit to address their medical or mental health needs shall be observed every 30 minutes. (c) Incarcerated persons placed on Suicide Precaution 15- minute checks by ACHS or sworn staff shall be observed every 15 minutes as detailed in the Suicide Prevention and Intervention Policy. (d) Welfare checks for incarcerated persons in safety cells, sobering cells, and restraints shall occur more frequently as specified in the following Sheriff's Office policies (15 CCR 1027.5): 1. Use of Safety Cell and Safety Devices 2. Use of Intake Sobering Cells, Holding Cells, and Intake Lobby Chairs 3. Mentally Disordered Inmates 4. Use of Restraints (e) Sworn staff assigned to movement, rover, control station, or floor station posts shall conduct welfare checks within their assigned areas, including but not limited to Visiting Rooms, Interview Rooms, Holding Cells, and all other temporary holding areas, whether occupied or unoccupied. 504.5 DOCUMENTATION OF WELFARE CHECKS Welfare checks shall be recorded and permanently documented using a radio- frequency identification (RFID) device. The RFID device shall record the location, actual time, and the name of the sworn staff member conducting the welfare check. 504.5.1 RFID SYSTEM FAILURE If an electronic failure of the RFID system occurs, sworn staff shall notify their immediate supervisor and retrieve a physical welfare check log and post logbook.