NCJ Number
132389
Journal
American Jails Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Dated: (September/October 1990) Pages: 42-49
Date Published
1990
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The advantages and disadvantages of three types of jail designs -- linear intermittent supervision, podular indirect supervision, and podular direct supervision -- are discussed regarding new construction.
Abstract
Linear intermittent supervision jails are the traditional jails with central corridors and cellblocks on one or both sides. The officers walk the corridors to supervise the cellblocks. In the podular indirect supervision design, a local control room is ringed by cellblocks with the dayrooms adjacent to the control station and the cells on the outer wall. Podular direct supervision is a concept in which the staff are stationed in the dayroom with the inmates 24 hours a day. Problems of standards compliance, efficient staffing, operational cost, construction cost, and accommodation of small and special populations including sentenced, unsentenced, male, female, drunk driving offenders, felony offenders, and behavioral problems need to be addressed in selecting jail designs. Assaults against staff or inmates, security perimeters within and outside the jail, suicides, suicide attempts, contraband passage/concealment, fires, vandalism, and lawsuits also need to be considered.