Identifying Core Competencies and Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) for Jail Leaders: Methods and Outcomes

The process by which it was determined what knowledge, skills, and abilities jail leaders should have in order to be successful at their jobs is explained. Those 22 identified competencies are described in detail. Sections of this report include: introduction; overview of the literature review; Advisory Committee deliberations; subsequent refinements; focus group sessions at national conferences; drilling-down to the KSAs; methods; outcomes for the core competencies and related charts; and summary and conclusions. It should be noted that “that the individual components of KSAs are so interrelated that one cannot occur without the other” (p. 18).