Today's Jails : Jails

Staggering Jail Costs

Sandy Schilling — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:12:00 GMT

An article in Forbes, America's Jail Crisis, uses Harris County Jail statistics and costs to highlight the budget problems facing many of our counties. According to this article, the National Association of Counties is trying to encourage communities to put additional resources into pretrial services in the hope of keeping inmates out of the much more expensive jails.

National Jail Leadership Command Academy

Sandy Schilling — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:55:00 GMT

The American Jail Association (AJA) is accepting applications for the second class of the National Jail Leadership Command Academy (NJLCA). The class is scheduled for October 25-30, 2009 at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Mid-level managers are the target audience for this class. The curriculum topics include:

Best Practices

Hiring and Keeping the Best

Accountability

The Critical Key to Effective Leadership

Big-Picture Thinking

Organizational Communication

Applied Ethical Leadership

Collaborative Partnerships

Finance and Budget

Essential Leadership Skills/Tools

Dealing with Organizational and Environmental Change

Read more about the NJLCA and watch the informational video.

Big Drop in Minnesota Jail Population

Sandy Schilling — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:05:00 GMT

An article in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune reports, Some Minnesota Counties Struggle with Empty Beds. Exactly why there has been a recent decline in the number of inmates in Minnesota county jails isn't clear. Lets hope this "problem" of too few inmates spreads across the country and the jail occupancy rates continue to fall.

Midyear 2007 Jail Statistics Are Now Available

Sandy Schilling — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:01:00 GMT

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has just released Jail Inmates at Midyear 2007. This statistical report lists the number of inmates being held in local jails on June 29, 2007, as 780,581. The report contains information on jail capacity, admissions, jail population growth, statistics on the 50 largest local jail jurisdictions, characteristics of jail inmates, and much more.

Violent Crime: On The Rise

Sandy Schilling — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 19:35:00 GMT

The Police Executive Research Forum has published, Violent Crime in America: 24 Months of Alarming Trends, which lists violent crime statistics for 2004-2006. In this report "...many cities experienced double-digit or even triple-digit percentage increases in homicides and other violence..." The statistics and trends from the fifty-six reporting agencies are all available in this report. Will this trend continue in 2007 and what impact will it have on our jails? You can see the Bureau of Justice Statistics report, Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2006, for statistics and data pertaining to jail inmates.

Challenges in the Jail Business

Sandy Schilling — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 13:53:00 GMT

The Center for Innovative Public Policies in partnership with the National Institute of Corrections and Bureau of Justice Assistance brought focus groups of forty-five sheriff's and jail administrators together to discuss these challenges. It should come as no surprise that the number one issue identified was workforce (recruitment, hiring, retention, training, and succession planning). See if their top ten list matches your own in "Jail Leaders Speak: Current and Future Challenges to Jail Administration and Operations."

I Fell in Love at the Davidson County Jail

Sandy Schilling — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:16:00 GMT

While attending the American Jail Association Conference in Nashville, Tennessee I had the opportunity to tour the Davidson County Sheriff's Office. There I met him with the big brown eyes! He's a "heel" but a sweet and lovable one. H.E.E.L (Helping to Educate and Enhance Lives) is a partnership between the DCSO and the Metro Animal Services Center. This is a program for female inmates to work with dogs on obedience, housebreaking, and socialization. The inmates in this program develop a strong work ethic, responsibiltiy, job skills, and even love. Read more about the Offender Re-Entry Center and the other numerous programs in Davidson County.

Local Jails Enforce Immigration Law

Sandy Schilling — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 18:04:00 GMT

Recently, there have been several newspaper articles published about local and state agencies seeking federal authority to enforce immigration law. Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes state and local law enforcement agencies to be trained for immigration enforcement. According to an article in the Fort Collins Coloradoan there are currently six "agencies that have jail and prison officers authorized to speed up deportations." They listed:

Arizona Department of Corrections
Orange County (Calif.) Sheriff's Department
Mecklenburg County (N.C.) Sheriff's Office
Los Angeles County (Calif.) Sheriff's Department
San Bernardino County (Calif.) Sheriff's Department
Riverside County (Calif.) Sheriff's Department

If you're interested in learning more about this, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has law enforcement partner information pertaining to the Section 287(g) program.

NIC Releases Sheriff's Guide to Effective Jail Operation

Sandy Schilling — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 23:11:00 GMT

The Sheriff's Guide to Effective Jail Operations is now available from the National Institute of Corrections. Authors Mark D. Martin and Paul Katsampes highlight the types of support and leadership that the sheriff should provide to enable jail administrators to effectively manage the jail and includes other information to help the sheriff address jail problems, manage liability issues, and improve operations. Review checklists are included throughout the guide to help the reader assess the status or performance of his/her own jail. The guide concludes with a chapter outlining the steps a new sheriff may take during the first few months in office to learn about his/her jail and identify potential problem areas.

Chapters address:

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
So Much More to Learn...Where Do I Begin?

You can also request a printed copy of this item to be mailed to you.