S.Q.’s Receiving and Release facility (R&R) processes bus loads of prisoners into this state prison, Monday through Friday. Buses arrive from all California prisons, in addition to many Northern California county jails. R&R also releases parolees and men who have finished their terms, seven days a week.
R&R is located on the lower yard of S.Q. in a fenced modular building. When prisoners are unloaded off the bus, they are interviewed at the door by a correctional officer regarding gang affiliation and/or safety concerns.
Each prisoner, including layovers who are going to other prisons, are medically screened prior to intermixing with the S.Q. general prison population. Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) Shalana VanHook said, “If one of these men has a serious medical condition, we want to refer them to the doctor immediately, because sometimes a layover prisoner may stay at S.Q. longer than planned and we don’t want them passing on any diseases to the other prisoners. We check the layovers every day until they leave S.Q.”
VanHook added, “Basically we check all the vital signs, eye test, chicken pox and TB screening. The prisoners are given the opportunity to take a HIV test in addition to any other relevant tests that may be performed.”
Nurse Onica Brown assists in the preparation of medical files for each prisoner. One of the most common illnesses observed is hypertension.
The nurses report they examine 70 to 85 prisoners per day, with 85 a mandated maximum set by Sacramento headquarters.
Younger prisoners were more likely to be disruptive; older prisoners are usually calmer.
Registered Nurse Mike Sokoloff said, “After the prisoner leaves the lab, where blood is drawn and packaged for further testing, and the LVNs have taken the prisoners’ vital signs, they are sent to me, where I ask them a series of questions. I review their current medical status to determine appropriate treatment or appointments for further consideration by doctors. We don’t necessarily perform major treatment at or in R&R. That is not our purpose; serious medical conditions are treated at the main hospital.”
Besides processing prisoners in and out of S.Q., R&R is responsible for materials such as packages coming in and out of the prison. This responsibility falls upon Correctional Officers Plagman and Moore.
Plagman, a veteran correctional officer at S.Q., takes great care in the delivery of packages to the prisoners. He is well respected by all prisoners. Plagman said, “I look at everybody as a human being. I learned even before being a correctional officer that you have to give respect to get respect.”
S.Q. R&R will be moved to the first floor of the newly built hospital when it is completed.
