NCJ Number
138294
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 56 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1992) Pages: 56-62
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
An exploratory research project, designed to determine the state of jail facilities in counties with a population of over 50,000 in 1991, posed questions relating to facility age and rated capacity; problems concerning space, jail populations, renovation, security environmental conditions, pending litigations, court orders, and juvenile detention facilities; and the importance of employing experts in the planning and design of jail facilities.
Abstract
The jail facilities surveyed were built from 1817 to 1991. Of the 308 respondents, 86 reported that their facility was between 25 and 100 years old, and 12 reported that their jail was over 100 years old. Nine States had counties reporting jail facilities with populations in excess of 200 over their rated capacity. Concerns identified by respondents about their current facility fell into five separate categories: space inadequacies, inadequate security, poor environmental conditions, trouble transporting people and material, and difficulty in expanding the staff of the facility. Of 301 respondents, 62 (20.6 percent) reported their facilities were under litigation; 70 (23.1 percent) of 303 respondents indicated they were under court order. Regarding juvenile facilities, 122 respondents (40.9 percent) reported no separate building for juvenile detention, and 176 (57.1 percent) identified a separate juvenile facility. Management difficulties and inadequate facility design emerge as the problems in America's jails. Research is needed to address facility design and management styles. 5 tables and 20 references