NCJ Number
148769
Journal
American Jail Dated: (September-October 1993) Pages: 57-58,60
Date Published
1993
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This author compares his experiences of working in a jail featuring intermittent supervision and working in a facility using direct supervision.
Abstract
In 1980, the author was hired by a jail that now had moved into a new facility equipped with all the latest safety features. The correctional officers sat in stations surrounded by impact resistant glass and talked to inmates through a speaker system. In spite of improved officer safety, the intermittent supervision system generated tension between inmates and officers because of the lack of personal contact and communication. Under the new system, an officer had to call for assistance in dealing with every inmate-related problem; this approach reduced the officer's need to make his own decisions and eliminated any chance for compromise between the inmate and the responding officers. Several years later, the author was hired as warden of a jail and instructed to create a direct supervision facility. Within several weeks of implementation, both officers and inmates were reporting their satisfaction with the new system. Direct supervision allowed more open communication, a greater flow of information to staff, effective enforcement of rules, and more latitude in dealing with inmate violations. However, the author notes the necessity for training and effective supervision by the shift commander in order to prevent correctional officers from identifying too strongly with the inmates.