Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Short-term correctional facilities usually administered by an agency of local government for adults, and sometimes juveniles, awaiting adjudication and/or those persons committed on sentences of a short duration.

  • In Focus: Implementing Mental Health Screening and Assessment

    This a new brief from the Stepping Up partners designed to help counties identify the number of people booked into jails who have serious mental illnesses (SMI) and to better connect these individuals to treatment. Determining the number of people who have SMI in jails allows counties to develop or refine strategic plans that will have the greatest impact on addressing this population’s needs.

  • This is the NIC resources page to support the American Jail Association Conference.

     

    Logo for the American Jail Association

    Quick Links

    NIC Jails Division
    Contact NIC Staff
    Ask an NIC Librarian
    NIC Publications
    Streaming Videos
    Online Training
    Related NIC Topics
    Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
    white-male-medical-professional-looking-at-clipboard

    The Prison Rape Elimination Act: Preventing and Responding to Sexual Abuse in Correctional Settings

     

    The National Institute of Corrections (NIC), part of the U.S. Department of Justice, plays a key role in helping federal, state, tribal, and local correctional agencies prevent and respond to sexual abuse in correctional settings

    Female Offenders
    three women talking at their bunk bed in a prison cell
    Correctional administrators need to understand the different paths and levels of risk of women offenders to improve outcomes for them. Technical assistance is available to local jurisdictions to examine and improve their responses to this population.
    Indian Country Corrections
    Ute Mountain Chief Ignacio entrance
    Indian Country relies on corrections as a cornerstone of its justice system, including tribal courts, probation, and law enforcement. Corrections play a crucial role in public safety and reducing recidivism, and both tribes and the Bureau of Indian Affairs are responsible for corrections administration.
    National Institute of Corrections Team
    Stephen Amos, chief of NIC Jails Division

    Stephen Amos

    Chief
    Jails Division
    National Institute of Corrections

    Stephen Amos is the Jails Division Chief at the National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice, a post he has held for almost a decade.

    Contact S. Amos

    Sandora Cathcart

    National Programs Advisor
    Jails Division
    National Institute of Corrections

    Sandy Cathcart is a National Programs Advisor with the National Institute of Corrections Jails Division and has been in this capacity since September 2014. Ms.

    Contact S. Cathcart

    Mike Jackson

    National Programs Advisor
    Jails Division
    National Institute of Corrections

    Mike Jackson is a National Programs Advisor with the Jails Division at the National Institute of Corrections and has been in this capacity since July 2007.

    Contact M. Jackson

    Glenn Watson

    National Programs Advisor
    Jails Division
    National Institute of Corrections

    Glenn Watson serves as a National Programs Advisor for the National Institute of Corrections Jails Division, a role he assumed in November 2014. Mr.

    Contact G. Watson

  • In Focus: Implementing Mental Health Screening and Assessment (2018)

    This a new brief from the Stepping Up partners designed to help counties identify the number of people booked into jails who have serious mental illnesses (SMI) and to better connect these individuals to treatment. Determining the number of people who have SMI in jails allows counties to develop or refine strategic plans that will have the greatest impact on addressing this population’s needs.