NCJ Number
145222
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 55 Issue: 6 Dated: (October 1993) Pages: 92-95
Date Published
1993
Length
4 pages
Annotation
While the care, custody, and control of inmates have been the primary missions of jails, those responsibilities must be expanded to include providing inmates with the tools and environment to make behavioral changes and reintegrate into society.
Abstract
The inmate management system at the Orange County Corrections Division in Florida uses a stair-stepped classification system that defines the parameters within which inmates must function and places them in control of their status and placement. Jail inmates are housed in four categories including booking, assessment center, special housing and maximum-security units, and programming. This continuum of care allows those offenders who choose to do so to take responsibility and be held accountable for their lives. The way to ensure lasting change in an inmate's behavior is to establish legal and employment performance measurements that can be monitored in the community. All parts of the corrections system must work together to place the offender in the appropriate level of control to prohibit criminal activity. Even in implementing this new type of approach, American jails can realize savings in three areas, namely design/construction, staffing, and operations.