Facility Design and Operation
Facility Design and Operation are fundamental to correctional facilities’ safety, efficiency, and effectiveness. This directory provides articles and resources on best practices in facility layout, construction, and daily operations. Proper design and operation not only enhance security but also improve the working environment for staff and living conditions for inmates. For more on maintaining optimal facility standards, explore our section on Correctional Facility Maintenance.
Since 2020, five prisoners have died after falling or jumping from upper galleries at Egeler and Parnall
The new Governor Kay Ivey Correctional Complex will add medical and vocational programs amid a 33% staffing increase driven by pay and recruiting
The 1,600-inmate facility is relying on National Guard water deliveries and portable restrooms as officials prepare for a full infrastructure replacement at Montana State Prison
The corrections director said sweat lodges are a culturally specific way to address the spiritual needs of indigenous inmates — and hopefully reduce recidivism
The new jails are being built using the design-build format that is supposed to speed up construction, according to the city’s Department of Design and Construction
The IDOC recommendation comes a little more than a month after the governor unveiled a plan to rebuild Stateville and Logan correctional centers
A 2020 evaluation report by the state found that “several conditions at the state prisons reduce safety, including persistent staffing shortages, heavy overtime use, suspensions of prisoner activities, unprofessional workplace relationships, limited oversight and outdated infrastructure”
The state plans to rebuild two prisons, Stateville Correctional Center and Logan Correctional Center, after an outside review reported a year ago that both are nearly “inoperable” in their current condition
“Lieutenants have gone through jailer school, all jail protocols have been reinforced, reemphasizing training in policy and inmate movement,” Bibb County Sheriff David Davis said
The looming deadline comes after Los Padrinos and the Barry J. Nidorf Secure Youth Treatment Facility failed key inspections in January
The department’s vision centers around transforming the state’s correctional system, “which has been historically perceived as a punitive model, " shifting to a focus on rehabilitation and restoration, and reducing recidivism
The council suggests retraining corrections officers, reducing inmate numbers for individual cells, enhancing staff amenities and creating re-entry beds for post-release transition
The planned changes will include new perimeter fencing, security cameras and other components that will improve the entire system
Danelo Cavalcante’s crab-walk escape from a prison yard prompted Chester County prison to add more razor wire around vulnerable areas within 3 1/2 months to prevent further escapes
Three COs at Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution may face disciplinary action in connection with the two escapes back in May
Equipping Florida correctional institutions with a proper HVAC system could take up to 20 years to complete and would require the state spend $582 million
The auditing firm recommends the DOC build three new prisons and two new hospitals over the next 20 years, and close four aging prisons
In October 2022, there was a daily average of 835 total people in jail; it has increased 32% this year
“The more people, the more tensions, the more risk for individuals to fight, to create other issues in our facility,” Ada County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Shem McCulloch said
The Greene County sheriff said the new facility will help address needs for mental health services and better equip inmates to reenter society
Sheriff Tyree Jones said the jail now has fewer than 400 people being held in other pods, which should alleviate some concerns about short staffing and help ensure public safety
Allegations made to the civilian oversight board include overflowing toilets, racial insensitivity and lack of sanitation gear for inmates
Insufficient state funding and a deteriorating 125-year-old facility compound safety challenges for both inmates and staff
A strong relationship between a correctional facility and an ombudsman is critical in the pursuit of excellence
Picking a firm with correctional facility design experience is an important decision in multiyear process to build a new Lancaster county prison
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