Jail Volunteer Application

How to Become a Volunteer

Volunteer Policy

It is the policy of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Corrections Division to utilize volunteers in selected program areas. Volunteers are not considered employees, agents or paid staff members of the Sheriff or the County of McHenry. All volunteers are required to submit to a records check, participate in orientation and/or training, and follow all rules and regulations of the Correctional Facility which pertain to volunteers. Volunteers are recruited from organizations and services throughout the McHenry County area without regard to race, color, religion, age, disability, sex, national origin ancestry, marital status, familial status, military status, and unfavorable discharge from military providing they meet the requirements to perform tasks required of the volunteer job.

Persons who have pending criminal cases will not be given security clearance and are not allowed to participate in programming at the Correctional Facility.

Facility Overview

The McHenry County Adult Correctional Facility incarcerates individuals accused of crimes and awaiting trial and those sentenced to serve less than a year in jail. Inmates are housed according to classification and assigned to one of four housing blocks in the jail. Each housing block consists of 4-6 ‘sections’ with capacities from 12 to 64 inmates/detainees.

The current facility was opened to inmates in April 1992 and remodeled in 2005. The jail has a total rated capacity of 650, however for a variety of reasons (e.g., male/female and other classification concerns); the operating capacity is somewhat lower than the total number of beds. The average daily population (ADP) runs between 450-500. The facility houses inmates awaiting trial in criminal cases, as well as those that have been sentenced to the County facility. An inmate can be held at the facility until they can post bond or are sentenced. After an inmate is sentenced, they can be detained at the County facility for 364 days. Anyone sentenced to more than 364 days would be taken to the Illinois Department of Corrections to serve their sentence.

Definitions

Inmate – Individuals in the custody of the Sheriff who are being held on local or state charges, serving a sentence in the jail or being held on a contract basis for the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), US Marshalls or the Navy.

Detainee – Individuals being held for Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) Lay Volunteer – A person who donates their time and effort to enhance the activities and programs of the agency. They are selected on the basis of their skills or personal qualities to provide services in recreation, counseling, education, religious activities, etc.

Professional Volunteer – A person who donates their professional expertise to enhance the activities and programs of the agency. They are licensed or certified in their professional field.

Chain of Command

All volunteers are ultimately responsible to the Chief Administrative Officer and the on-duty Shift Supervisor (Lieutenants & Sergeants). Any problems or concerns with regard to programming or inmate/detainees may be addressed with them. While inside the facility it is expected that volunteers immediately comply with directives given by on-duty corrections staff.

• The Sheriff may reject any volunteer applicants who do not meet the specific qualifications for volunteers listed in this handbook.
• The Sheriff may rescind the privilege of being a volunteer to anyone who violates the Rules and Regulations for Volunteers.
• The McHenry County Adult Corrections Division reserves the right, at all times and without prior notification, to refuse admittance to any volunteer.

Application + Qualifications

The first step in becoming a volunteer is to complete the Application for Volunteer Service.

Read through the Volunteer Handbook/Quiz and sign the Volunteer Notice and Release form which in part states:

Completing these forms and authorizations allows security staff to begin a computer based background check.

Some of the established criteria for approval include:

• Must be at least 18 years old.
• No pending charges or active warrants.
• No gang affiliations.
• No recent arrests or incarcerations; typically within the past three (3) years.
• Current professional certifications and licenses where applicable.
• Sponsorship of a recognized community organization.

Once the background check has been completed and approved, your name will be added to the approved roster for volunteers. You cannot enter the facility without your name being on this roster of approved volunteers. Security clearance will expire after one year and must be renewed by submitting a new application. If any information changes throughout the year, volunteers are required to immediately report those changes to the jail. This includes any new criminal charges or active warrants.

Reporting Procedures

Once you have been approved as a program volunteer, the following procedures/guidelines should be followed when reporting to the jail:

• Volunteers should plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the designated start time of their program.


• When signing in at the front desk, volunteers will need a valid form of identification (Driver’s License, State ID) which the Officer will hold while you are inside the facility.


• Volunteers will be issued a jail ID badge which must be worn at all time while in the facility.


• Volunteers will be electronically screened prior to being allowed into the main jail area. A hand scanner may be used if the alarm on the walk-through scanner is activated. Pat searches, when necessary, will be conducted by staff of the same sex.


• All program materials must have prior approval from the Chief Administrative Officer before any item will be allowed into the facility. It is the volunteer’s responsibility to obtain this approval.


• Volunteers will be escorted to their designated area by a Correctional Officer.


• Volunteers are not allowed to roam the facility or leave their designated program area without an escort for any reason.


• Volunteers are responsible for arranging the designated program area and their approved equipment to suit their needs.


• An assigned Correctional Staff person will assist in order to minimize any security risks.


• Volunteers will be taken to the designated program area prior to inmates.


• Inmates will be escorted by Correctional Officers to the program area after the volunteers are in place.


• Based on the nature of the program, the room being utilized and the number of inmates present, the number of volunteers allowed to participate may be limited.


• At the end of the designated time, Correctional Officers will escort the inmates back to their housing unit.


• While detainee/inmates are being returned to their housing areas, volunteers will clean the program area and return furniture to its original position.


• After detainee/inmates have been returned to their housing areas, volunteers will be escorted back to the reception desk.


• Volunteers will turn in their ID tag to the officer at the reception desk and retrieve their identification prior to leaving the facility.

Safety & Security

Safety and security of staff, inmates, detainees and volunteers are the top priorities of the Corrections Division. Strict guidelines and procedures have been established to insure your safety and the security of the facility. Your adherence to these guidelines and procedures is absolutely necessary.

Contraband

It is imperative that volunteers realize the significance of contraband in the facility. Volunteers must refrain from bringing in or taking out contraband, however innocent the item may seem.

Contraband - Contraband is defined as any item(s) not issued by the Correctional Facility, not purchased from the commissary, not issued by health care staff, or not authorized by the Chief Administrative Officer. It includes any permissible item converted into something other than its original purpose. This also includes unauthorized or excessive amounts of permissible items.

Inmates and Detainees may try to con the volunteer into bringing contraband into the facility for them or taking items out. There are many ordinary items which are used daily by people outside the facility which are considered contraband within the facility. Bringing contraband into a penal institution is a violation of jail policy and a class 2 felony criminal offense (720 ILCS 5/31A-1.1).

Emergency Procedures

Security is the highest priority at this Correctional Facility. Security procedures are never to be discussed in the presence of, or with detainee/inmates. Knowledge of security procedures could make an escape attempt successful. Volunteers are to be cognizant of Emergency Procedures in order to know what to do in the event of an emergency.

When a volunteer is involved in an incident with an inmate/detainee, or witnesses an incident between inmates/detainees, the volunteer is to:

• Immediately notify a Correctional Officer or other available staff to send help.
• Protect themselves by going to a safe area out of the way.
• Carefully observe what is going on in order to relate the incident in a written report.
• Observe who did what, when, where, how and in what sequence.
• Refrain from trying to intervene and allow the Correctional Officers to handle the situation as they are trained to do.

In the event of an emergency, volunteers are to remain where they are until removed by a Correctional Officer. In some emergency situations, volunteers will be told by the Correctional Staff to remain where they are until the situation has been resolved, (fights, minor fires, etc.).

During an evacuation of the Correctional Facility volunteers will be escorted out of the facility by a Correctional Officer.

• Take nothing with you during evacuation.
• Immediately obey all orders of Corrections Staff.
• Visitors, volunteers and other non-essential personnel will be assembled at the outside sidewalk visitor’s entrance by Ware Road for an accounting after the evacuation.
• You will be allowed back into the facility after an all-clear order has been given.
• You are required to participate in the final headcount which will be taken upon returning to the facility and before being allowed to go home after an evacuation.
• You need to familiarize yourself with evacuation routes posted throughout the facility.

Hostage Situations

A hostage situation is any condition where people are held illegally and against their will; denied their right to move, act, speak freely and make decisions on their own; or a condition that endangers life or poses a threat of danger while holding a person or persons in a restricted state against their will. The longer the hostage lives during the takeover, the better the chances become of living. In the event you become involved in a hostage situation, expect to experience a range of emotions. Emotions will include fear, denial, planning an escape, reflecting on your life, adaptation, and the Stockholm Syndrome where you develop a bond with your captors. Hostage situations are not common. The Sheriff’s Office has a hostage negotiation team that will respond to hostage situations and will seek to do all they can to keep you safe and get you free.

The following are guidelines to keep in mind:

• Recognize and accept the fact that you have been taken hostage.
• The first 15 to 45 minutes are the most dangerous.The beginning of an incident is the most dangerous for all concerned. The captors are going through highly emotional states during the initial confrontation with authorities.
• Be patient; time increases your odds.
• Be prepared to remain a hostage for an extended period of time.
• Do not increase stress for the hostage taker or other hostages.
• Never try to negotiate when you are a hostage, let the trained negotiators do their job. Even though you may hear things that upset you or make you feel like no one is coming, be aware that negotiators are very well trained and will do everything in their power to promote a safe rescue.
• Pay attention to details. Upon release you may be able to assist authorities with what you observed.

If you believe a rescue attempt is taking place:

• Lay down on the floor and stay down.
• Keep your hands on your head and do not make any fast moves. Rescuers can’t tell the hostages from the hostage takers. Sometimes hostage takers will switch clothing with the hostages.
• When staff orders you out, follow directions quickly and be prepared to be frisked and possibly handcuffed until they can sort everything out. It’s not personal; they are simply trying to keep you and everyone else safe.

Code of Conduct with Inmates

Dress Code

It is important that volunteers dress conservatively and follow dress codes which include:

• No short shorts or mini skirts.
• No low cut or see through blouses.
• No tank tops or tube tops.
• No spandex.
• No clothing full of holes.
• No excessive or expensive jewelry.
• No gang related attire.
• Shoes are mandatory.
• Avoid dressing in clothing that matches the detainee/inmates orange county issued uniform.
• Avoid dressing in clothing with wording or phrases.

Volunteers may be refused entrance to the facility on a case-by-case basis if their clothing is determined to be inappropriate for this type of setting.

Personal Information & Confidentiality

Do not share personal information about other staff members, and be very selective about personal information you share with detainee/inmates. This includes place of residence, spare time activities, family member activities or where they work, etc. Volunteers must be very careful what they share with detainee/inmates about themselves, as there may be consequences they cannot anticipate.

Sound travels through hallways, therefore personal information about inmates is not to be discussed in the hallways.

Sheriff’s Office volunteers are bound by the laws of confidentiality. Confidentiality implies that any information about an inmate/detainee will not be divulged outside the facility. If a volunteer becomes aware of information that an inmate/detainee is going to harm themselves or someone else, or is planning an escape, the volunteer MUST inform the shift supervisor IMMEDIATELY.

While working in the Correctional Facility, volunteers may have access to confidential information about inmates/detainees. What is seen and read is confidential information and may not be discussed indiscriminately.

Volunteers may maintain confidentiality with an inmate/detainee if the information does not concern security or program accountability.

General Information

Inmates and Detainees all have the use of telephones during the day and evening hours. Inmates/Detainees are allowed to send out as many letters as they wish or have postage for. Inmates/Detainees who do not have funds are provided with writing materials and postage free of charge. They can receive unlimited amounts of incoming mail. Inmates and Detainees are given access to television and newspapers each day. They have access to the resource/library service on a regularly scheduled basis. Medical services are available to Inmates/Detainees 24/7.

P.R.E.A.

PREA is the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office is committed to emphasizing a zero tolerance for sexual abuse/assault or sexual harassment of detainees/inmates, either by staff or other detainees/inmates. It shall be the policy of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division to investigate all allegations of sexual assault of detainees/inmates. The Corrections Division shall conduct the investigation in a manner that avoids unnecessary embarrassment or indignity to the detainee/inmate. It shall also be the policy of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office to pursue criminal action against any detainee/inmate, staff member, contractor, or volunteer found to have committed an assault against a detainee/inmate. If any Inmate/Detainee reports any physical, sexual abuse/assault, sexual harassment or verbal abuse within this facility, you are required by law to report this immediately to the On-Duty Sergeant.