Section 2504.310  Filing of Grievances

a)         A youth shall first attempt to resolve incidents, problems, or complaints other than complaints concerning disciplinary proceedings through his or her counselor.  If a youth is unable to resolve the complaint informally or if the complaint concerns a disciplinary proceeding, the individual may file a written grievance on a grievance form that shall be made available in all living units. A grievance shall be filed within 60 days after the discovery of the incident, occurrence, or problem that gives rise to the grievance.  However, if a youth can demonstrate that a grievance was not timely filed for good cause, the grievance shall be considered.  The grievance procedure shall not be utilized for complaints regarding decisions that are outside the authority of the Department, such as parole or aftercare decisions, clemency, or orders regarding length of sentence or decisions that have been rendered by the Director.

b)         The grievance form shall be addressed to the Grievance Officer and shall be deposited in the living unit mailbox or other designated repository.  The grievance shall contain factual details regarding each aspect of the youth's complaint, including what happened, when, where, and the name of each person who is the subject of or who is otherwise involved in the complaint.  This provision does not preclude a youth from filing a grievance when the names of individuals are not known, but the youth must include as much descriptive information about the individual as possible.

c)         Staff assistance shall be available as requested by those youth who cannot prepare their grievances unaided as determined by institutional staff.

1)         All youth shall be entitled to file grievances regardless of their disciplinary status or classification.

2)         Each youth center shall take reasonable steps to ensure that the grievance procedure is accessible to youth who are impaired, disabled, or unable to communicate in the English language.

d)         Youth shall be informed of the grievance procedure at the admitting facility and may request further information regarding the procedure from their counselors.

1)         The written procedure shall be available to all youth.

2)         A youth unable to speak or read the English language may request that the procedure be explained in the individual's own language.