NCJ Number
85850
Date Published
1981
Length
249 pages
Annotation
Iowa's county jails were studied by means of a mail survey and site visits to determine the extent to which they met the minimum jail standards proposed by the State's Department of Social Services and published in the March 4, 1981 issue of the Iowa Administrative Bulletin.
Abstract
Information was gathered on such areas as the age of jails, average daily population, ventilation, access to toilets and lavatories, light, day rooms, fire safety, and standards for correctional staff. Other areas examined included medical services, recreational activities, civil suits concerning jail operations, and procedures for handling inmate grievances. Costs for modifying facilities and equipment and for providing staff training to comply with the proposed standards were also estimated. Among findings were that 42 percent of the jails are over 50 years old and that most jails met the proposed standards with respect to ventilation, lighting, and access to toilets and lavatories. More than one-fourth of the jails needed some renovations to provide physical separation of persons who were prone to violent behavior was reasonably anticipated. Most facilities maintained the 15 recommended types of records, including visitor registrations, injury reports, disciplinary records, property receipts, and supervisory checks. An analysis of each county's jail and the survey form are provided.