| Organization: | Office of the State Auditor |
|---|---|
| Date published: | March 16, 2023 |
Executive Summary
In accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted a performance audit of the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) for the period July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021. The objectives of this audit were to determine the following:
- whether BCSO complied with and implemented the requirements of Section 932.17(2) of Title 103 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR) and Section B of BCSO’s Policy 600.03 (Guidelines for Serious Injury, Illness or Death) regarding the deaths of inmates in its custody1
- whether BCSO held quarterly meetings with the healthcare vendor and reviewed quarterly reports in accordance with 103 CMR 932.01(3) and Section A of BCSO’s Policy 600.01 (Health Care/Health Services/Health Services Personnel/Emergency Health Care) for inmates’ healthcare services
- whether BCSO provided admission medical screenings2 to its inmates upon intake and health appraisals within seven days of admission in accordance with Sections A and B of BCSO’s Policy 602.02 (Admission Medical Screening/Health Appraisal and Examination)
- whether inmates at BCSO received medical care after submission of Sick Call Request Forms in accordance with Section D of BCSO’s Policy 602.02.
Below is a summary of our findings and recommendations, with links to each page listed.
| Finding 1 | BCSO did not ensure that its inmates received health appraisals on time and that it documented the health appraisals and admission medical screenings. |
| Recommendations |
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1. BCSO told us that if an inmate is in custody, it means that BCSO has authorization from a court to incarcerate an inmate until the court orders their release. A death in custody is one that occurs during this period of incarceration.
2. An admission medical screening is an assessment of an inmate’s health needs, including mental health and/or medical conditions. It is conducted upon an inmate’s arrival at the Barnstable County Correctional Facility.