Jail Capacity Planning
Abstract
This document contains challenges which are encountered by prisoners and subsequent trends in the past decades. The results were obtained from a case study within several correctional facilities in the United States of America. It further gives details on the influx rates in the prisons across different counties. Recommendations on better services are given based observations in the jails as well as the National Institute of Corrections.
The article Jail Capacity Planning, written by David M. Bennett and Donna Latin, highlights the influx rates in correctional facilities across the nation. It further gives an approach to the issue by taking into consideration of its structure and functionality to achieve the goals of the agency.
It is noted that in the past decades there has been a drastic increase crowding earlier foreseen by the planners. All available beds in all correctional facilities tend to be filled however big the facility is. There are several factors which influence crowding in jail, and they give a corresponding upward trend in influx rates (Bennett and Latin,2009).
Subsequently, there are challenges related to the crowding in correctional facilities which compromises the result of the confinement. The unpredictability of the jail population and irregular change in populations needs flexible management. It involves that beds are classified in a way that male prisoner does not have to be housed in the room set for female or, a maximum-security prisoner should not be housed in the bed that belongs to a minimum security prisoner and vice versa. In some counties, overcrowding forces the management to do fragmentation which is costly as it needs extra facilities and personnel (Bennett and Lattin,2009).
Jail forecasting should be done for earlier preparations to avoid incidences of a sudden change in the structure of the facility. Sudden change in the fabric has a challenge compromising the prisoner’s comfort and inconveniencing the agency at large. To get started with the planning the agency should;
Firstly, the facility should take inmates in tipsy state to detoxification room rather than giving a jail term, as it is a petty offence compared to other significant crimes like murder cases.
Secondly, the agency should establish diverse alternatives to nonviolent cases. Community-based services should be given to nonviolent offenders with no payment as an alternative to imprisonment.
Lastly, the agency should introduce diverse skills and sufficient personnel to train the offenders and make them useful to the community.
The most suitable data standard which should be used in the planning of a correctional facility is the data snapshot. It gives presents better details which can help to classify the prisoners according to their trial levels, for instance, trial and post-trial. Not all persons in jail have been tried and should it be concluded that all have not been through the trial. Therefore the facility can use such knowledge to make a plan for the future.
References
Bennett. M, Lattin. 2009 Jail Capacity Planning Guide https://info.nicic.gov/nicrp/system/files/022722.pdf