Recreation Therapy InternshipAt — San Quentin Rehabilitation Center

Code of Ethical Conduct Per California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (2023), ethics and professionalism is a trait that CDCR seeks after in interns. Ethics and professionalism at CDCR begins with getting the facts straight, then carefully considering the relevant, ethical values, and weighing the consequences of the alternative actions. Misconduct is identified as but is not limited to the following: o Engaging in a personal relationship outside of your professional duty/service o Inappropriate correspondences between the inmate and yourself o Engaging in sexual conduct or romantic involvement o Trading/bartering/lending in personal transactions o Providing/receiving personal favors o Giving/receiving gifts o Inconsistently enforcing facility rules to favor inmates o Discussing facility operations or confidential information that may jeopardize the safety and security of the facility to inmates Code of Ethics for Therapeutic Recreation Pursuant to Calhr, empathetic understanding of residents of a State correctional facility including physically, mentally and developmentally disabled persons; willingness to work in a State correctional facility; alertness; keenness of observation; tact; patience; and emotional stability. Persons appointed to this position must be reasonably expected to have and maintain sufficient strength, agility and endurance to perform during stressful (physical, mental and emotional) situations encountered on the job without compromising their health and well- being or that of their fellow employees or that of inmates. Assignments may include sole responsibility for the supervision of inmates and/or the protection of personal and real property (n.d.). Institutional Awareness Per California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (2023), institution awareness is a requirement while at the institutions as interns are directly interacting with inmates. Please use good judgment and follow the following guidelines: Do not assume, always ask. There are safety and security issues in prisons that are foreign to most individuals, for example: o It is illegal to exchange any type of gift from inmates. i.e. soda, snack, or breath mint o Prohibited items within the institutions: o Chewing gum, pocketknives (regardless of size), cell phones, pagers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) o Do not run while on prison grounds. o Also prohibited within the institution are: o Inappropriate displays of affections which include hugging or kissing an inmate o Never share personal addresses or phone numbers with an inmate. When in doubt, don’t. Consult the Self Help Sponsor, CRM, or program supervisor if there is a question or doubt as to the appropriate course of action. If the matter is urgent, consult a correctional staff member in the area regarding the policies on institution awareness. Institutional Awareness While in Correctional Facilities: o Inmates are felons serving time in prison. Although San Quentin is now a rehabilitation center, safety and security precautions continue to apply. o There are incidents of violence. o Correctional staff members are responsible for controlling and regulating offenders. o Interns providers must obey orders and follow the directions from uniformed custody staff, CRM and CRM office Staff. o Interns must not interfere with the correctional staff’s responsibilities or the institution’s rules, regulations, or routines. o Always carry a whistle while on grounds. o Interns must know and clearly understand what service they are providing. Staff must know and clearly understand the types of service volunteers and program providers are performing. o No Hostage Policy o CDCR does not recognize hostages for bargaining purposes. All prison inmates, visitors, non-employees and employees should be aware that CDCR has a “no-hostage” policy. For further information regarding institution awareness please contact your CRM. You may also refer to Penal Code Sections 5054 and 5058, and California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Section 3304. o Personal Possessions o Interns may use state driver’s license or state-issued identification cards to gain access into prisons. Unless necessary, leave all other personal possessions in a locked vehicle out of sight (i.e. trunk) or at home. Upon entry the following personal items I.e keys, purses, lunches, wallets and briefcases will be searched. Please obtain permission before bringing medications on grounds and display medications openly. Please minimize items brought into the institutions to what is needed while inside the prison. o Parking o Park only in designated marked areas. Failure to comply may result in losing the privilege of parking on institutional grounds. o Contraband o Contraband are items that are not approved by the institution for inmates to have in their possession. These include but are not limited to guns, alcohol, knives, chewing gum, etc. Contraband is anything not approved by the institution for inmates to have in their possession. The items included but are not limited to guns, alcohol, knives, chewing gum, etc. Please seek the guidance of a supervisor, the CRM, program sponsor or any uniformed custody supervisor when in doubt. All program materials must be cleared by the CRM prior to the allotted time frame. o Gates and Security o Officers stationed at gates are responsible for identifying and verifying all individuals passing through their area. Additionally, officers are responsible for conducting extensive searches on all vehicles, packages, bags that pass through their respective security area. When an officer at the gate is processing a line of inmates through the gate, do not distract or otherwise interrupt them during the performance of vital security functions. o Sign-In/Sign-Out Policy o It is mandatory for all interns to sign in and sign out for every service/program. Following every shift, the list of interns will be verified and accounted for all individuals entering the institution. Failure to sign out may result in an unnecessary missing persons search. o Emergencies o Interns will be required to obey all orders, commands, directions, and instructions given by uniformed custody officers, CRM’s or anyone employed by the Department. This is for the safety of interns, others and also for the institution itself. If interns aren’t able to assist during an emergency, do not interfere with uniformed officers responding to the emergency. o When inmates are ordered to “get down”, this does not apply to staff members or interns. Staff members and interns shall be in possession of a whistle at all times while on prison grounds. Blowing a whistle will bring an instant response for necessary assistance from all staff that are within range. Dress Code Per California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (2022), there are restrictions regarding the dress code while in the institutions. Three rules to remember in regarding the restrictions when entering into the institutions. Restricted Dress Code While at the Institution 1. Do not wear clothing that is similar to clothing worn by inmates. Wearing these specific articles of clothing will cause confusion at the institutions. These items include the following: o Blue denim pants o Blue chambray shirts o Orange jumpsuits or orange tops with orange bottoms o Yellow raincoats o Dresses that resemble prison muumuu 2. Do not wear clothing that resembles custodial staff uniforms. Wearing these specific articles of clothing will cause confusion at the institutions. These items include the following: o Forest green pants o Tan Shirts o Camouflage 3. Please dress conservatively and modestly when entering CDCR institutions and refrain from wearing the following items: o No tank tops, tube tops, spaghetti straps, strapless or off the shoulder clothing o No open-toed shoes or shoes without backs or a heel strap While these are dress code regulations for all CDCR institutions there may be additional dress code restrictions that may apply at each institution. Please contact the Community Resources Manager at the institution you plan on attending for additional questions. Grievance Policy and Procedure The Policy SQRC is committed to providing interns with a supportive environment consistent with professional standards. Interns can expect that the training requirements will be consistent with those described in the written materials. If an occasion should arise in which an intern experiences a condition or incident that is inconsistent with the training received, it is imperative that the intern take immediate action to report and discuss that experience. In general, such situations could include but are not limited to matters of: • Safety • Discrimination • Harassment of a sexual or non-sexual nature • Violations of the training program agreement/expectations • Unethical or illegal behavior of SQRC staff • Performance evaluations • Sanctions or disciplinary actions taken against the interns including dismissal from the internship. SQRC is committed to effective solution of intern’s problems through an efficient, fair, and systematic procedure. This process is to be used when practicum students feel they have been adversely affected by decisions, differences, misunderstandings, or problems that have arisen with supervisors, staff, administrators, or other interns. No intern will be penalized in any way for pursuing in good faith problems through this procedure. However, in initiating and pursuing a grievance an intern is obligated to proceed in candor and good faith at all times, and may not initiate or pursue a grievance for abusive or obstructionist purposes. In addition, this policy in no way usurps administrative judgment, but instead serves to focus and facilitate the decision-making process. The Purpose The purpose of SQRC’s grievance procedure is to resolve interns grievances in a manner that allows constructive relationships to be maintained across the institution. This policy provides the framework within which each rotation site may specify procedural details in accordance with individual site needs. The Criteria (A) The procedure may be used whenever SQRC interns believe they have been adversely affected by an action of another member or members of the rotation site in one or more of the following ways: (1) Violation of duly adopted SQRC policy. (2) Illegal discrimination under any federal, state or local laws; or (B) In the absence of any those conditions, this procedure may not be used to dispute the legitimate exercise of professional judgment by SQRC supervisors, Director of Training, or staff, including specifically: (1) The substance of any duly adopted policy or procedure. (2) The substance, which forms the basis for the intern’s performance evaluation. (3) A decision regarding an intern’s status made by a duly designated supervisor or by any SQRC Director of Training charged with reviewing student evaluations. (4) A procedural or final decision of a previous grievance, or (5) Any action taken more than one year prior to the grievance. (C) All grievance procedures and records are confidential in nature and will be treated accordingly. Since this procedure is an academic and not a judicial process, the presence of legal counsel for any party to the grievance at any meeting or hearing is prohibited. Compliance with Time Frames The Grievance Committee and grieving intern shall use their best effort to adhere strictly to the time requirements specified in the rules and procedures. Time frames, however, may be reasonably extended due to extenuating circumstances. Failure to meet time frames does not prohibit final resolution unless such failure was unduly prejudicial. The Procedure Step 1: Informal Consultation A) Any practicum student with a SQRC - related problem involving academic or administrative policy, procedure, decision, or conduct should make an attempt in good faith to resolve the problem through one or more discussions about that problem with the person or people most directly involved. The grieving intern may choose to enlist the assistance of another member of the internship (e.g. the intern’s supervisor, a fellow intern) to help mediate the problem. (B) If the problem cannot be resolved in this most direct way, the intern should then seek the assistance of the Directors’ of the intern program. (C) If the problem is still not resolved to the satisfaction of the grieving intern after discussion at these levels, she/he may proceed to Step 2 of this procedure. Step 2: Inquiry and Ruling (A) If the problem is still unresolved or is not susceptible to resolution by Step 1, the intern may present the situation in writing to the Training Director/s. The meeting with the Training Director/s requires a complete presentation of the problem by the intern, including all available evidence supporting the complaint. As in Step 1, the intern may enlist the assistance of another member of the internship site. (B) Following this presentation, the Training Director or designee will investigate the complaint to determine whether the problem is grievable according to the criteria set forth above and will inform the intern of that decision within 10 working days. (C) If the problem is determined to be grievable by the Training Director/s or designee will further investigate by: • Gathering additional information from involved individuals (D) Based on the findings of the investigation, the Training Director or Designee (or, If applicable, The Grievance Officer) will generally issue a decision on the grievance within 10 working days from the date the complaint was deemed grievable. (Unless there are extenuating circumstances that do not permit such a timely decision, in which case the intern will be advised when a decision may be expected, no more than 30 days). Stay of Action Disputes sometimes arise in circumstances in which action is to be taken which, if taken prior to the completion of the grievance resolution procedure, would cause irrevocable change. Suspension from internship site is an example of such action. In such cases, taking the action would render the grievance resolution procedure futile, even if the ultimate decision is in favor of the grieving intern. Where there is sufficient basis for a potentially valid grievance, it may be appropriate to stay the action being taken until the grievance procedure is completed. A grieving intern who feels that an action to be taken should be stayed until the completion of the grievance procedure must raise this request at the Inquiry and Ruling step. The Grievance Officer, after investigation may determine that a stay of action is appropriate until the grievance is resolved and, if so, will so order. Step 3: Appeal (A) The intern may appeal a decision of the Grievance Officer or grievance panel on either or both of two grounds: (1) Violation of the due process specified above, or (2) The presentation of new evidence that could not reasonably have been made available to the Grievance Officer during Step 2. There are no other grounds for appeal. The intern will submit a written statement (usually no more than three pages), specifying the grounds for appeal. The Chief Psychologist and or Chief of Mental Health will investigate the issues and decide whether to hold personal meetings with any or all parties involved in the grievance or request additional documentation. The grieving intern may choose here, as above, to be assisted by another member of the internship site. (B) Once the Chief Psychologist and or Chief of Mental Health has all the information that she/he feels is necessary to resolve the situation; she/he will make a decision. The decision will be in writing and copies will be sent to all parties involved in the grievance within 10 working days. The Chief Psychologist’s/of Mental Health decision is final. In the event that the Chief Psychologist has previously had any involvement in the incident or decision leading to the grievance, the CEO of Health Care Services shall appoint a non-involved and disinterested Board Member to determine the final appeal. (C) Once the grievance process reaches the level of the Chief Psychologist, the Director of Student Practicum Program or Chief Psychologist will contact the internship student’s Graduate School to inform the Professional Training Director of the grievance and steps taken to remediate.