NCJ Number
141493
Journal
Large Jail Network Bulletin Volume: 2 Issue: 5 Dated: (September 1991) Pages: 7-9
Date Published
1991
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the steps used by the New York City Board of Correction in the development of a jail management evaluation index to use in the assessment of the city's jails.
Abstract
The board intends that the management evaluation index will analyze large amounts of data simultaneously. It also intends to improve the quality of analyses performed by providing both a wider base of information and a basis for evaluating it. The first step in the development of the index was the decision as to what the board wants to know about the city's jails. Issues were grouped into three basic categories: security, staffing, and service provision. The next step was to identify the specific variables to be used as indicators of the four categories. Each indicator was then weighted to determine how much it should influence the index. The next step involved the calculation of the average index values, followed by testing of the validity of the index values. Tests thus far have provided only anecdotal support for the validity of the index. Other tests must be developed before the board can be confident in the index values.