Jail Administration - NIC Resources
This guide “will be broadly useful to U.S. jails in planning for crises, emergencies, and natural disasters and in developing the appropriate response capacities to cope with these events where they cannot be prevented” (p. vi). Six sections are contained in this publication: introduction; conducting an audit; Emergency Preparedness Self-Audit Checklist for Smaller Jails; Emergency Preparedness Self-Audit Checklist for Larger Jails; resource materials—leadership issues during crises, prevention of jail emergencies, and emergency teams; and case studies for the Maury County Jail fire, disturbance and escape at the Rensselaer County Jail (a new direct supervision jail in Troy, NY), Hurricane Andrew and the Florida Department of Corrections, and riots at Camp Hill (PA) State Correctional Institution.
This resource provides a foundation for the efforts of sheriffs and jail administrators to provide the public information about jails generally, their jails specifically, and the need for community interest in local jail issues. It can also be used to educate prospective jail employees about local detention.
Closed captions are only available in the DVD version.
Designed for jail administrators, this guide discusses the elements of an effective process for budgeting both capital and operational jail expenses. This document contains the following sections:
- An effective budget process;
- Cooperative effort within the budget process;
- Budget preparation -- information and materials;
- Jail budget development -- needs assessment, estimating budget expenditures, preparing the budget document, submitting the budget package, presenting the budget, and the dynamic interaction in the budget process;
- Glossary of key budget terms;
- And sample budget forms and worksheets.
Designed for jail administrators, this guide provides an overview of jail budget management, along with relevant responsibilities and strategies. Key aspects of jail budget management examined include:
- Budget implementation -- developing and using a plan to monitor expenditures;
- Budget management -- monitoring, managing, and controlling expenditures while garnering support;
- Jail revenue monitoring and management -- developing revenue plans;
- Performance monitoring -- establishing targets;
- Management through budget crisis -- factors influencing increased, decreased, or insufficient revenue;
- And the jail budget as a powerful administrative tool.
Designed for jail administrators, this guide describes strategies for identifying, securing, and coordinating jai resources from multiple sources, both internally and externally. Three sections comprise this document: (1) Jail resource types and potential sources -- generating revenue, using the services of other agencies, soliciting donations from the community, and how the jail and community are linked by a common goal; (2) Strategies for securing, coordinating, and managing jail resources -- eight-step strategy and sustaining the effort; (3) The ongoing process of resource management.
"This manual will help jails both to understand risk and its implication for jails and to develop a formal, effective risk management program that uses all of the jail's basic resources (i.e., human, financial, property, partners, and reputation" (p. v). Chapters following an introduction are: understanding risk and its implications for jails; jail risk management issues and strategies; developing a risk management program; and organizational investments for managing risk. Appendixes provide recommended resources, worksheets (Risk Register, Risk Control Implementation Schedule, and Risk Control Action Plan), and evaluating financing options.
Public Information Officers (PIOs) play a vital role in the local jail. The public’s perception and/or misperception of jail operations can influence public safety, funding, elections, and numerous other factors. Responding to media inquiries regarding crisis situations is just one of the many roles of the PIO. Building positive rapport with the media, telling your story, engaging the community and conveying your mission are priority tasks for a PIO.
Topics discussed during this broadcast include: Importance of a proactive community-minded approach to communicating your mission, vision and values; Characteristics of effective PIOs in contemporary media markets; Strategies for being the active voice of your jail and telling your story by engaging the media; Approaches for engaging the community with your jail’s mission; Opportunities for promoting a healthy work / life balance for PIOs; How you can build positive relationships and create rapport with your local media. Presenters will also share recommendations and resources.
This broadcast answers the following questions: Why is a comprehensive, proactive communication strategy necessary for jails? What are characteristics of an effective PIO in contemporary media markets? How do you build positive relationships and create rapport with your local media? How do you address the media’s needs and speak their language? How do you successfully pitch positive stories to the media? How do you build equity with your community so that you are not defined by crises or negative events? What is the importance of understanding your community’s demographics and values? What are some tools and strategies for engaging and connecting directly with your community? How do you effectively convey your message to the community? What steps can you take to promote a healthy work/life balance for PIOs? How can you find additional resources and ideas for enhancing your jail’s comprehensive communication strategy? What are the advantages to working with your community proactively to inform, educate, and gain support for your jail? What are the benefits of actively engaging the media in telling your stories? How do you leverage data to support your agency’s message? How can your agency use social media to promote your mission?
A guide "developed to enhance the leadership skills, knowledge, and capabilities of jail administrators on issues of basic jail administration" is presented (p. v). Fourteen chapters comprise this guide: introduction; role, purpose, and characteristics of the jail; administration; facilities; staffing and scheduling; staff recruiting, selection, and retention; staff training; security, safety, and emergency preparedness; inmate behavior management; inmate discipline and grievance; special management; inmate services and programs; jail intake and release; and getting started on the job. Sixteen checklists allow administrators to assess performance and effectiveness of jail operations.
"This guide provides an overview of the sheriff's roles and responsibilities with regard to the jail along with basic information on critical aspects of jail operations and management" (p. v). This publication is comprised of the following seven chapters: role, purpose, and characteristics of the jail; sheriff's roles and responsibilities; providing effective leadership and support for the jail; liability and standards; jail physical plant; critical aspects of jail operations; and so much to learn . . . where to begin.
An integrated series of steps that result in a comprehensive and innovative staffing plan is presented. The staffing analysis process involves: jail profiling; net annual work hours calculation; development of a facility activity schedule; staff coverage plan development; completion of a staff summary; schedule development; evaluation, revision, and improvement of the plan; operational costs calculation; report preparation; and implementation of the plan and monitoring of the results. Appendixes include: glossary; methods of optimizing staff resources; the myth of staff-to-inmate ratios; sample forms; and how to convert net annual work hours to relief factor.
