U.S. Department of Justice

National Institute of Corrections

Jail Design Review

Handbook
U.S. Department of Justice

National Institute of Corrections

320 First Street N.W.

Washington, DC 20534

Morris L. Thigpen

Director

Virginia A. Hutchinson

Chief, Jails Division

Richard Geaither

Project Manager 

National Institute of Corrections

World Wide Web Site

http://www.nicic.org
Jail Design Review 

Handbook

July 2003

NIC Accession Number 018443

Mark Goldman
Photos: Pages 1-1, 3-1 top right, 4-1, and 5-1, copyright © PhotoDisc, Inc./Getty Images, Inc.; page 2-1, photo of Design

Review Meeting for a Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Correctional Facility, and page 3-1 bottom right, by Josh LeFrancois.

Cover drawing, Jim Robertson, Voorhis/Robertson Justice Services Inc.

This document was prepared under technical assistance event 98J1253 from the National Institute of Corrections, U.S.

Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

The National Institute of Corrections reserves the right to reproduce, publish, translate, or otherwise use and authorize others 

to use all or part of the copyrighted material contained in this publication.
iii

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Goldman, head of the consulting firm Mark Goldman and Associates, has dedicated the

past 23 years to planning juvenile and adult detention and correctional facilities. Over this

time, he has planned facilities for more than 80 counties and other jurisdictions across the

country, covering more than 40 million square feet, with construction costs ranging from

$200,000 to $2 million. Unlike many in his field, he has hands-on experience in juvenile and

adult corrections, having served as a staff supervisor and intake officer in a juvenile detention facility and as a programs manager, parole evaluator, prerelease counselor, and workrelease supervisor in a jail. In addition to this handbook, he is the coauthor of two books and

several articles on planning, programming, and controlling costs for detention and correctional

facilities. Goldman has a B.S. and master’s in architecture, a B.A. in sociology, and an M.S. in

urban studies.
v

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author is grateful to all of those who helped him with this handbook:

• The National Institute of Corrections’ Richard Geaither, who served as project manager,

for his boundless encouragement, patience, guidance, and perspective. 

• Reviewers Roger Lichtman (architect, Lichtman Associates P.C., Princeton, New Jersey),

Dennis Liebert (corrections consultant, Liebert & Associates, Boulder, Colorado), and

Ned Terry (architect, administrator for the Florida Department of Corrections’ Bureau

of Facilities Services) for their thorough reviews, honest feedback, insight, and useful

suggestions.

• Joshua LeFrancois for reviewing and editing the final draft.

• James Robertson (corrections consultant, Voorhis/Robertson Justice Services Inc.) and

Len Witke (architect, Durrant) for generously providing illustrations.

• Steve White, graphic artist, for finding or developing many of the illustrations.

• Marlene, Dana, and Andrea Goldman for their encouragement and understanding.
vii

CONTENTS

About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

What Is This Handbook About? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

What Is Design Review?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Why Review Designs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Why a Design Review Team?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Members of the Design Review Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Learning To Communicate in Two Languages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

How Can Time and Money Be Saved?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Chapter 2.Your Jurisdiction’s Involvement Throughout the

Planning and Design Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Input and Review From Beginning to End (Not Just During Schematics) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

User and Client Review Throughout the Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Needs Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Master Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Defining the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Developing a Functional/Operational and Architectural Program (Also Called 

“Facility Programming”). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Conceptual Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Schematic Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Value Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Design Development and Construction Documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

Bidding and Negotiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Transition and Occupancy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13

Is Your Jurisdiction Ready for Design Review?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15

Chapter 3. How To Read Architects’ Drawings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Speaking Each Other’s Language. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Architects’ Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Net and Gross Square Feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Site Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
viii

Adjacency Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Floor Plans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Elevations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Building Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Chapter 4. Checklists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

Description and Purpose of Checklists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

Checklist 1. General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Checklist 2. Lobby and Visiting Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13

Checklist 3. Intake, Booking, Classification, Transportation, and Release

(Including Pretrial Release) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17

Checklist 4. Administration, Security Administration, and Central Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-25

Checklist 5. Staff Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-33

Checklist 6. Housing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-37

Checklist 7. Inmate Programs: Library, Education, Counseling, Religious Programs,

Recreation, and (in Some Jails) Vocational Training and Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-51

Checklist 8. Health Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-59

Checklist 9. Food Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-67

Checklist 10. Commissary (Canteen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-73

Checklist 11. Laundry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-75

Checklist 12. Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-79

Checklist 13. Warehouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-83

Chapter 5. Conclusion and Next Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

Next Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Appendix A. Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Appendix B. Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
WHAT IS THIS

HANDBOOK ABOUT?

Is your jurisdiction planning and designing

a new jail or renovating or building an

addition to an existing one? Are you a sheriff, jail administrator, corrections officer,

jail health services manager, public works

manager (or staff member), city or county manager, or elected official? Will you be involved

with the architects and engineers who will be working on your jurisdiction’s jail project? If you

answered “yes” to these questions, then this handbook is for you.

This document is intended to be used during the entire planning and design process, but it

focuses particularly on the early portions of that process.

Using this document as a tool and reference book, you and others who will be working with

your architects and engineers will be able to do a much better job of reviewing the design, especially in the conceptual options and schematic design phases. As a result of your diligent and

enlightened design review, your jurisdiction’s jail will be much more likely to—

• Meet your community’s current and future needs.

• Support your community’s philosophies and objectives regarding detention and corrections.

• Help your staff do their best at their jobs.

• Work well for your current and future staff and inmates.

• Fit within your community’s budget for construction and annual operational costs.

To help you accomplish these admittedly lofty intentions, the bulk of this document is a checklist to use when reviewing designs. The checklist is organized by jail areas or components, such

as housing and food services.

Introduction and Overview

Chapter 1

1-1
This document is organized as follows:

Chapter 1, Introduction and Overview, defines design

review, explains its benefits, and suggests possible participants in the process.

Chapter 2, Your Jurisdiction’s Involvement Throughout the

Planning and Design Process, describes design review in

the context of the entire design and construction process.

The chapter ends with a self-assessment exercise to determine whether your jurisdiction has successfully completed

all steps that should precede design, or whether it would

be better in the long run to go back a few steps.

Chapter 3, How To Read Architects’ Drawings, helps prepare detention and correctional administrators and staff,

city and county administrators, and others for design

review. This chapter describes the types of early-phase

drawings. Understanding these drawings should help

design reviewers identify potential problems early on so

that the architect can correct them. It should also help

reviewers confirm that the architect has drawn exactly

what the jurisdiction wants and needs.

Chapter 4, Checklists, contains lists of questions to ask

during design review. Although these questions cover all

components within a jail, such as intake and maintenance,

they are not exhaustive. Because every jail is different,

every jail design should generate its own supplementary

design review questions. The “basics” covered herein relate

largely to the adequacy and appropriateness of spaces for

functions, activities, programs, and people; safety and

security issues; how spaces help staff do their jobs; convenience; and expandability and change over time. 

The number of questions in the checklist may seem overwhelming at first, but there are several ways to make them

manageable:

• Focus on one component at a time. For example, only

a few pages of questions pertain to administration, security administration, and central control.

• Divide and conquer. Split the questions among teams

of two or three appropriate reviewers. Those who review

the design of the kitchen, for example, should include

the food services manager, a correctional officer, and a

member of the maintenance staff.

• Weed out inappropriate questions. For example, if the

population of your jail is too small to warrant an infirmary, skip the questions pertaining to the infirmary.

Chapter 5 is Conclusions and Next Steps. 

A glossary defines terms that are used in this handbook

that are specific to the jail planning and design professions.

The glossary is followed by a bibliography.

WHAT IS DESIGN REVIEW?

Design review is the ongoing process of asking questions

to ensure that the design is “right.” It ensures that designs

will work for your community, your inmates, and your

staff while reviewing the work of architects, planners, and

engineers. 

Design review involves

many different issues,

including the following:

Staffing

How many staff would

the design require? Is

this number consistent

with your jurisdiction’s

staffing plan and operations budget? How might the design be modified to make

the jail more staff efficient? How could spaces better help

staff do their jobs? How might spaces contribute to or

detract from staff morale?

Safety and security

With the proposed layout, will staff have a clear view of

all inmate areas without having to move or turn around

so much that they get dizzy or tired? How might the

design be improved to facilitate staff control and make it

easier for supervisors to manage their staff? Are barriers

between staff and inmates kept to a minimum, to encourage proactive communications and to prevent, rather than

1-2

Jail Design Review Handbook

Design review is the

ongoing process of

asking questions 

to ensure that the

design is “right.” 
correctional staff, medical and food services staff,

county or city administrators, board members or commissioners and other elected officials, a public works

project manager, public works engineers and architects, an auditor, planners, and building inspectors.

• Consultants, including planners, architects, a variety

of engineers, often a cost estimator, and, depending on

your community’s construction methodology, perhaps

a construction or program manager.

• State officials and inspectors, depending on requirements in your state. At the very beginning of your

project, your team must determine what types of state

involvement are necessary and when they occur. One

or more entities may be involved; these may consist of

the state fire marshal and the state department of corrections or another department that oversees jails.

Generally, states that provide partial funding have the

most requirements. State approvals may be necessary

for the needs assessment, operational and architectural

program, and design and construction at various points

of completion. Ignoring state requirements could result

in costly and time-consuming changes.

WHY REVIEW DESIGNS?

Get it right!

In three words, that is the main reason to do design review.

If your jurisdiction is like most others, you will never be

involved in another jail construction project. This type of

opportunity comes to most jurisdictions only once every 10

to 100 years. Now is the time for you to help ensure that

your new, expanded, or renovated jail is right for your community. Pass up this opportunity to do it right, and your

community and the next several generations are likely to

regret it. Unlike the structural makeup and building systems

of an office building, restaurant, or store, a jail’s complex

architecture and engineering are usually very expensive to

fix. So take advantage of this opportunity to get it right.

But what is “right” varies. What works for the county next

door or that award-winning jail in the next state may not be

right for your jurisdiction. It is important to define carefully what “right” means for your jurisdiction. Without your

just react to, problems? Is the secure perimeter fully and

continuously secure? Are some areas more secure—and

more expensive—than necessary for their functions?

Space and functionality

Are all rooms and other spaces large enough for their

intended functions? Will they accommodate anticipated

numbers of inmates, staff, and visitors, both now and in the

future, such as 15 years down the road? Are other spaces

unnecessarily large? Are the spaces of the right type (e.g.,

secure single cells rather than dormitories for inmates who

assault other inmates)? Will they be large enough for anticipated growth in inmates, staff, and visitors? Is there an

appropriate space for every activity, function, and daily

scenario? Considering security, movement, and time, are

all spaces located in the best place? 

Building materials

These are usually determined in later stages of design. 

Are all walls, ceilings, and floors durable and appropriate

for their functions? Will they be easy to maintain and economical, both initially and over the long run? Are they

appropriate for security (e.g., barriers), sound absorbent,

and energy efficient?

Engineering systems

These include structural, electrical, electronic, mechanical,

and plumbing. Engineering systems are determined in a

broad-brushed, general way during schematics but are

detailed in later stages of design. 

Do they have a long life cycle? Are they affordable now,

easy to maintain, and economical in the long run? Are they

energy efficient and appropriate for the inmate population? 

Reviewing designs requires many skills and types of

expertise. The people involved in the process vary from

jurisdiction to jurisdiction but usually include many of the

following:

• Representatives from the jurisdiction, including the

sheriff, jail or corrections administrators, detention or

Introduction and Overview

1-3
Overlooking something small can

cost something big

The world is full of jails with built-in mistakes that could

have been prevented (or at least minimized) by good

design review. Even small errors that could have been corrected in minutes during planning or initial design can

result in significant problems for decades. A list of such

problems could easily fill this entire document. Here are

some examples:

• Several small, adjoining housing units (e.g., 12 beds

each), each of which, due to its design, requires its own

staff 24 hours a day.

• Escapes through overlooked “holes” in security

perimeters.

• Careers cut short and costly disabilities from staff slipping on wet floors due to leaky, poorly designed roofs.

• Staff bathrooms that inmates can see into (through

windows that were designed for staff to see out of).

• Bed shortages because cells designed to hold two

people only meet state standards for one person, resulting in expansion much sooner than planned or budgeted.

• Large cells that cannot be double-bunked because of

too few showers or inadequate dayroom space.

• Blindspots in housing units.

• Housing unit layouts that require an excessive number

of staff to provide adequate supervision.

• Building all housing units as maximum security, with

the most expensive doors, plumbing fixtures, and locks,

rather than providing a variety of housing types that

more accurately reflects the security classification of

the inmate population. These alternatives are often more

cost efficient and appropriate.

• Building areas that are difficult and expensive to expand

on incrementally (e.g., intake areas, staff locker rooms,

and infirmaries).

• Poor staff morale exacerbated by a shortage of staff

toilets, undersized locker and changing rooms, insufficient staff dining and break rooms, or a dark and drab

environment.

involvement, the planners, architects, and engineers working for your jurisdiction may not understand what you

want, need, and can afford.

Not only do other communities have different

definitions of “right”;

in all likelihood, so do

some people in your

department and elsewhere in your jurisdiction. Consensus on this

point is extremely

important. The best

decisions are made by

combining different

perspectives to create “win-win” situations. For example,

deciding to build a single kitchen rather than two for your

facility may appeal to those whose job is to be fiscally

conservative or to security-oriented administrators who

want to maximize control of the security perimeter and

minimize contraband. It may also be desirable for the food

services manager who is interested in simplifying operations and improving manageability. Design review—with

the involvement of all parties with interests in the issues—

can help facilitate consensus building and decisionmaking.

Without your input, your consultants and architects may

make false assumptions. They may think they understand

what your jurisdiction wants, but be far off the mark. Even

the most experienced planners and architects could easily

plan what they think is a great jail, but it may not work for

you. Planners and architects with limited jail experience

may have only a partial understanding of how design

affects staffing and operations, how one error can result in

escapes, how to meet jail standards, or how the design can

affect staff morale and inmate behavior.

No matter how good they are, your jail planners and architects need your help. This document is intended to help

you—administrators and staff from sheriff’s offices and

jails, public works and general services departments, county

administrations, and other governmental entities—help

your planners, architects, and engineers design the optimal

jail for your community.

1-4

Jail Design Review Handbook

Design review—with

the involvement of all

parties with interests

in the issues—

can help facilitate

consensus building

and decisionmaking.
longer than any current officeholder and should be as timeless as possible. Although it should meet the needs of current officials, it should work for their successors as well.

Your jail should belong to the entire community.

The best way to minimize

design mistakes and to

build a jail that reflects and

supports your jurisdiction

for decades is to take a

team approach that includes

the following steps. Before

starting design, complete

all planning tasks to your

jurisdiction’s satisfaction,

including—

• Mission statement and

objectives.

• Needs assessment study.

• Inmate population projections (may be part of

needs assessment study).

• Inmate population profile (may be part of needs

assessment study).

• Study of alternatives to incarceration and changes to

the justice system that may help control the magnitude

of construction and costs (may be part of needs assessment study).

• Analysis of bed needs by category (e.g., lower security

dormitories; may be part of needs assessment study).

• Evaluation of the existing jail to consider the feasibility

of options related to renovation, expansion, and new

construction (may be part of needs assessment study).

• Site studies (may be part of needs assessment study

or master plan).

• Master plan.

• Functional/operational program.

• Architectural (“space”) program.

• Providing program spaces that are accessible to only

one gender.

• Building insufficient food storage areas, thus necessitating more frequent (and therefore more expensive)

deliveries.

• Exterior walls in high-security areas that demand resurfacing several years after building completion because

soft, vulnerable materials were selected as a cost-saving

measure.

• Having to replace all security electronics shortly after

occupancy because companies with appropriate parts

and trained service technicians were not able to respond

in a timely manner, or were far too expensive.

• Failure to purchase adequate land to begin with, which

can result in expensive second phases—sometimes

involving parking structures, much more expensive land

purchases, or even having to build a second facility.

How can your jurisdiction minimize such mistakes or catch

them in time? That is the purpose of this handbook.

WHY A DESIGN REVIEW TEAM?

It is impossible for one person to catch all potential

design mistakes. No single person can make sure that

your jurisdiction’s remodeled, expanded, or new jail perfectly meets your jurisdiction’s needs. Nor can one person know all the issues and areas of expertise that go into

designing a jail. For example, the expert in food production and delivery systems is almost always a different

person from the one who is most knowledgeable about

direct supervision and unit management. Your design

review team should be composed of people with different

perspectives, objectives, and backgrounds to help make

sure that your jurisdiction’s new facility works well in

every way.

Another significant reason why your jurisdiction should

have a design team composed of people with various areas

of expertise is that your jurisdiction’s jail should not

simply reflect the perceived needs, wants, and values of

the current sheriff, public works director, jail administrator,

or county board members. The jail will be in operation far

Introduction and Overview

1-5

Your design review

team should

be composed of

people with different

perspectives,

objectives, and

backgrounds to help

make sure that your

jurisdiction’s new

facility works well

in every way. 
from the knowledge of civil, structural, mechanical,

plumbing, heating/ventilation/air-conditioning (HVAC),

electrical/electronic, and communications engineers.

Most of these will not be needed until the design development phase.

• Someone from your jurisdiction’s finance or administration office with expertise in budgeting and fiscal

management.

• A representative of the elected officials (such as county

administrative staff).

• A representative (or two) from the public works or general services departments (or their equivalent) who is

knowledgeable about project management, local codes,

permits, scheduling, and costs.

• Local fire marshal (if there is one).

• A maintenance manager or supervisor.

State agencies

Many states have an agency that must review plans for

renovating, expanding, or building new jails. Requirements regarding the timing, quantity, and focus of such

reviews vary from state to state. Hence, at project initiation, it is vital that your jurisdiction check on your state’s

requirements—and follow them.

Transition team

Many jurisdictions appoint a transition team to work with

the planners, architects, engineers, and construction or program managers throughout the planning, design, and construction process. In most places, transition teams largely

consist of experienced jail operators who will work in the

new facility. Frequently, transition team members are freed

of all or most other responsibilities so they can focus on

the new facility. In addition to design review, the transition

team typically provides a lot of input during programming,

design, and (when necessary) construction. Additionally,

the transition team often develops the staffing plan, transition plan, facility-specific training programs, and policies

and procedures.

• Conceptual estimate of construction costs and other

initial costs.

• Preliminary staffing plan.

• Conceptual estimate of annual operational costs.

• Agreement of your jurisdiction’s governing body (e.g.,

county board), the sheriff, and other elected and

appointed leaders on the project’s scope and budget.

Once initial planning tasks are complete, determine the

areas of expertise needed for design review. Write brief

job descriptions for each. When deciding which people in

your jurisdiction are well suited for these jobs, focus on

who is really qualified to do each job, rather than on

titles. Consider who can and would make adequate time

available for design review over an extended period of

time—from initial planning through occupancy. To supplement your jurisdiction’s in-house expertise, consider

jail consultants with one or more types of expertise.

Consultants may include planners, architects, security

engineers, cost estimators, and construction managers—

all with jail experience.

MEMBERS OF THE DESIGN

REVIEW TEAM

Administrators and staff from your

jurisdiction

Your jurisdiction’s design reviewers should include,

wherever feasible—

• The managers of your current jail and (if different) the

people who will run the new facility.

• Jail administrators or senior staff focused on security,

treatment and programs, and services (e.g., food,

laundry).

• Your jail’s specialists in particular areas, such as the

senior nurse, the food services manager, or the intake

supervisor.

• Your jurisdiction’s in-house architect (if there is one).

• Your jurisdiction’s in-house engineer. If there are

several in-house engineers, design review could benefit

1-6

Jail Design Review Handbook
responsibilities, and degrees of involvement may vary for

your jurisdiction.

LEARNING TO COMMUNICATE IN

TWO LANGUAGES

Jail administrators, county

administrators, public

works directors, architects,

engineers, and others

involved in the design of

your jurisdiction’s jail

have very different types

of training, knowledge,

and expertise. These differences often result in

varying abilities to understand concepts, terms, and

diagrams that are common

to other disciplines. While a term such as “sallyport” may

be common to jail administrators and justice facility architects, it may have no meaning to a county administrator or

an engineer who has no jail experience. Similarly, to an

architect, “glazing” may connote “glass or polycarbonate

window,” but those who have never been involved in the

construction of a new building may think of the outside of

a donut. For a project to be successful, the people on your

design review team must learn to communicate with each

other.

How can potential communication challenges be

addressed? The following tactics have worked for others:

• Hire consultants who have planned and designed similar

projects—people who know the building type.

• When checking consultants’ references, ask about their

communications skills.

• When negotiating with the selected firms, stress the

importance of incremental document and design review

meetings and clear and detailed communications.

• When working with consultants, ask many questions.

As do many other professionals, some jail consultants

use unfamiliar terms. When responses to questions are

In-house project manager

When a renowned orchestra conductor brings out the best

in every musician, the resulting sound is far better than that

produced by the individual performers separately. Your

jurisdiction needs to have a “conductor” to take charge of

the entire project, including design review. Usually it

requires a full-time commitment through most of the life

of the project. Depending on the resources, personalities,

and talents available, this person may have an administrative, public works, architecture, or jail management

background.

Consultants

Generally, jurisdictions use consultants in the following

capacities in the design review process:

• The person or firm who did your facility’s planning and

functional, operational, and architectural programming,

or another jail planner or programmer.

• A security consultant.

• The architects.

• Civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, electronic,

security, and plumbing engineers.

• A cost estimator or quantity surveyor. If initial estimates

are over budget, this consultant will help the team come

up with ways to reduce costs without compromising

operations, security, or other objectives.

• Your construction or program manager (should you

have one or both; some jurisdictions use their own staff

or a combination).

You may wonder whether your jurisdiction can afford to

have that many people dedicated to the new facility from

project startup through occupancy. Design review and

other project-related tasks take a lot of time, but relatively

few people are involved in the entire process and even

fewer are involved 100 percent of the time. Exhibit 1 displays the level of involvement before, during, and after

schematic design review. The number in each space signifies the level of involvement of the various parties.

Depending on skills, experience, and availability, roles,

Introduction and Overview

1-7

For a project to

be successful, the

people on your

design review team

must learn to

communicate with

each other.
When and How Much Should They Be Involved?

Before During After 

Reviewers Schematics Schematics Schematics

From the jurisdiction

Project manager 3 3 3

Jail transition team 3 3 3

Jail manager 2 2 2

Jail security administrator or staff 

focused on security 1 1 1

Jail programs manager or staff who manage visiting, 

education, recreation, religious, medical, and food services 1 1 1

Architect (if jurisdiction has one) 1 2 2

Engineer(s) 1 1 2

Finance and administration managers 1 1 1

Representatives of elected officials 1 1 1

Public works or general services managers 1 1 2

Maintenance manager 1 1 2

From the state

State agency/state fire marshal/state inspectors Varies Varies Varies

Consultants

Planner/programmer 3 2 1

Security personnel 0 1 1

Architects 1 3 3

Engineers 0 1 3

Cost estimator/quantity surveyor 1 1 1

Construction and program managers 1 1 3

Note: Zero = no involvement; 3 = the highest level of involvement.

unclear, say so and do not leave the topic until the

answer is understood.

• Learn the basics of their language—how to read drawings and specifications and the meaning of terms that

they will use frequently, such as “natural light” and “vitreous china.”

1-8

Jail Design Review Handbook

Exhibit 1.

Design Review Involvement

• Always remember that the more they understand the

kind of jail you want, the better the job they can do for

you. Take the time to explain terms that architects may

not understand. 

• Agree either to avoid using acronyms entirely or to use

only those that are already in everybody’s vocabulary.
Introduction and Overview

With a jail, even small

changes can be time consuming. For example, if a

plumbing chase is too

small, probably dozens to

hundreds of other plumbing

chases are too small. One

change may have to be

made many times, and this

change may have other

implications. For example,

it is crucial to make sure that widening plumbing chases

does not result in narrow door widths or blindspots in

front of or within cells.

So, to avoid delays and additional fees, jurisdictions

should—

• Provide adequate leeway in the design review schedule

so that when reviewers have those inevitable emergencies, they still have time for review and comment.

• Stick to the design review schedule.

• Involve all appropriate reviewers. For example, make

sure that the food services manager is involved when it

is time to review the designs for the kitchen and serving

areas.

• Make sure that each review is thorough and 

comprehensive.

• Make sure that all parties are present at design review

meetings and reach consensus on changes and

approvals. 

• Document proceedings and decisions made at design

review meetings.

Following these principles will not only help minimize

delays and added costs; it will help foster team unity and

minimize conflict, all critical to successful projects.

1-9

The earlier that

planners, architects,

and engineers

receive feedback,

the better for

everybody.

“NSF” may mean net square feet to an architect, but to

the uninitiated, it may mean “nonsufficient funds”; to

corrections professionals in the western United States,

“CDC” may refer to the California Department of

Corrections, but architects are more likely to think of

the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

HOW CAN TIME AND

MONEY BE SAVED?

Catch concerns and

communicate early

The earlier that planners, architects, and engineers receive

feedback, the better for everybody. Reviews have to be

timely and, because of participants’ other responsibilities,

they must be scheduled. At the same time, consultants

must understand that unlike some other types of buildings,

the existing jail and other jurisdictional functions must

remain in operation. Therefore, some design reviewers will

have ongoing operational responsibilities and may be interrupted by emergencies. Yet it is important that these busy

people make time to review the documents carefully before

the consultants proceed to the next stage.

Changes often cost time and money

If your jurisdiction approves preliminary design documents, the consultants will continue developing the design.

If your design reviewers later revisit the earlier design

documents and request changes, you will have unhappy

architects and engineers. This is because they are, most

likely, working for a fixed fee and as business people, time

is money. Backtracking and making revisions will take

extra hours. Depending upon the magnitude of the

changes, this could cost designers hundreds of hours and

thousands of dollars. The architects and engineers may

seek a contract modification for your jurisdiction to pay

for this extra cost. Nevertheless, it is still better and less

expensive to make changes now than after the facility is

built.
INPUT AND REVIEW FROM

BEGINNING TO END

(NOT JUST DURING

SCHEMATICS)

For many design reviewers, the early phases

of design are the most interesting. Although

these guidelines focus on schematic design

review, it is important for jurisdictions to work closely with architects and other consultants before

that stage and to continue working with them until the facility is complete and fully operational.

For a design to be appropriate for your jurisdiction, it must—

• Meet your jurisdiction’s needs based on your inmate population profile and projections, be

consistent with your mission, and reflect your philosophies. These should be specified in

your needs assessment study.

• Support operational requirements, as listed in your functional/operational program.

• Follow space and other architectural requirements, as listed in your architectural program.

• Be suitable for your site.

• Remain within your jurisdiction’s budget.

Without adequate and appropriate input before schematics are created, the architect will have to

perform a great deal of guesswork, and is therefore likely to experience many “false starts.” In

turn, architects will spend considerable time with your jurisdiction dealing with issues that could

have been previously resolved. Without good planning, architects will have to “go back to the

drawing board” again and again. This is time consuming and frustrating for architects and

reviewers alike and requires much more time than when schematics are based on well-planned

documents.

Although jurisdictions make most big decisions before and during schematics, many other decisions are not made until later phases of design or during construction. Without your input, the

Your Jurisdiction’s Involvement Throughout the

Planning and Design Process

Chapter 2

2-1
architect will have to guess and will often

guess incorrectly. For example, the number

of beds is usually determined during planning, and the layout of a high-security housing unit is developed during schematics, but

the particulars about that high-security housing unit—such as the types of doors, flooring, or glazing—are often not determined

until the design development stage.

USER AND CLIENT

REVIEW THROUGHOUT

THE PROCESS

This section takes the design reviewer

through the planning, design, and construction process to clarify where and how

schematic design fits. Second, it shows

what types of issues and elements design

reviewers should expect to see (and critique) during schematics and, to a lesser

extent, in each of the other phases.

Exhibit 2 depicts the planning, design, construction, and transition process. It is followed by brief descriptions of each phase

and a list of major items that need your

jurisdiction’s input and review at each phase.

The solid arrows represent the sequence of

major planning, design, and construction

activities. The white arrows show the

importance of ongoing operational and

transition planning while other activities

are taking place.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

The first phase of the planning, design,

and construction process is determining what is needed.

For most jurisdictions, this involves a detention or correctional facility and a mix of alternatives to incarceration.

Since building and operating a jail is far more expensive

over the long run than operating noncustody alternatives,

seriously considering and including alternatives as part of

2-2

Jail Design Review Handbook

Exhibit 2.

The Process: Planning Through Occupancy

Needs Assessment

Master Planning

Defining the Project

Operational and Architectural Programming

Conceptual Design

Schematic Design

Design Development

Construction Documents

Bidding

Construction

Transition Planning

Closeout and Final Preparation

Occupancy

the solution is vital to controlling costs. The focus should

be on understanding your pretrial and sentenced populations and providing appropriate noncustody and custody

placements for all. Another major part of needs assessment is to evaluate existing facilities.
Your Jurisdiction’s Involvement Throughout the Planning and Design Process

Not all needs assessments are alike. For example, if your

jurisdiction has already concluded that the existing jail

must be closed as soon as possible, it could be a waste of

time and money to study it.

Needs assessments consist of some or all of the following

tasks:

• Clarification of mission statement, objectives, and

philosophy.

• Population projections by time period (e.g., 5 or 10

years down the road) and category (e.g., presentenced

females).

• Population profile (security levels, gender, residence,

ethnicity, length of stay, release mechanism, programmatic needs).

• Study of the jail in the context of the jurisdiction’s criminal justice system, focusing on ways to speed up the

court process to reduce length of stay and decrease bed

needs and costs.

• Analysis of alternatives to incarceration that can help

reduce bed needs.

• Evaluation of the existing facility to study useful life,

compliance with codes, ability to expand, costeffectiveness of expansion, and dozens of other issues.

• Development of site criteria and evaluation of potential

sites.

Key items for your jurisdiction’s input and review during

the needs assessment phase include the following:

• The mission and objectives of your jail.

• Which categories of presentenced alleged offenders

should be incarcerated and which ones should be in

alternative programs.

• Which categories of sentenced offenders should be

incarcerated and which ones should be in alternative

programs.

• The total beds needed now and in the future based on

the current use of alternatives to incarceration.

• The total beds needed now and in the future for

each category of inmate (e.g., low-security sentenced

misdemeanants) based on the current use of alternatives

to incarceration.

• Potential changes in the use of alternatives to 

incarceration.

• The projected impact

of these changes on the

number and types of

beds needed for pretrial

and sentenced inmates.

• How well the existing

facility works and how

much more functional

it would be with renovations or added space.

• The requirements for

the new facility’s site—location, proximities, access,

size, costs for acquisition and site development, and

so forth.

• Which sites meet these criteria.

MASTER PLANNING

Whereas a needs assessment provides your jurisdiction

with information on what is needed, during the master

planning phase you will explore, analyze, and decide on

ways to meet those needs. Typically, master planning

involves analyzing, formulating recommendations, and

making decisions on alternatives to incarceration. Then,

based on these decisions, bed needs are recalculated.

Once the number of beds needed by category are revised,

the team explores and decides on the best way for your

jurisdiction to meet these needs. Master plans should

include decisions on the following factors.

Alternatives to incarceration

• Programs for populations who pose little risk to others.

• Programs believed to be most effective in protecting

society and keeping people from reoffending.

• Expedited court processes for those who are incarcerated to reduce pretrial length of stay and bed needs.

2-3

The first phase of

the planning,

design, and

construction process

is determining what

is needed.
• Existing alternatives that should be kept, changed,

expanded, reduced in scope, or terminated.

• Programs that should be added.

Building options

• The number of beds needed, by year and by category,

based on decisions made on the use of alternatives to

incarceration.

• The types of housing (single cells, two-person cells, or

dormitories) appropriate for each category of inmate.

• Approximately how much space is needed (using rules

of thumb at this point).

• The extent to which the existing facility, if there is one,

is capable of meeting the needs.

• Whether the existing facility should be expanded or renovated, used as a supplementary facility, or closed.

• Where the existing facility should be expanded or a new

facility built.

• The initial estimates of the costs of renovation and construction, plus other initial costs (site acquisition, site

development, utilities, fees, furnishings).

Costs, funding, and affordability

• Preliminary estimate of construction costs for expanding

or renovating the existing facility or building a new

facility.

• Preliminary estimate of other initial costs (for site

acquisition; utilities; fencing, parking, and other site

development items; furniture and equipment; fees).

These costs may total up to 40 percent of construction

costs; hence, total initial costs may be as high as 140

percent of construction costs.

• Additional annual costs (over the amount currently

spent) of alternatives to incarceration (which help limit

jail construction and operational costs).

• Additional annual costs of operating the expanded or

new jail, including staffing, food, maintenance, clothing,

equipment, supplies, and medical care.

• Identification of funding options and analysis of the

economic feasibility for all of the above.

Key items for your jurisdiction’s input and review during

master planning include the following:

• Which existing alternatives will be used in the future,

how they will be changed, and what the targeted numbers of participants are in each alternative.

• Which new alternatives will be used in the future, for

which populations, and what the targeted numbers of

participants are in each alternative.

• Use of existing facility.

• Types of housing units.

• Location of new construction.

• The approximate initial and annual cost of making

changes to alternatives to incarceration, building a new

jail or renovating or expanding the existing one, staffing

a larger jail and expanded alternatives, and other operational costs. (Note that in this phase, estimates will be

preliminary. Estimates will be derived from rules of

thumb and information from existing budgets and the

experiences of other jurisdictions.)

• How much the jurisdiction can afford (or how much it

chooses to afford) to spend on construction and renovation—including other initial costs (site acquisition, site

development, utilities, fees, and furnishings).

• Whether your jurisdiction can afford these costs, and if

not, what can be done to reduce initial and annual costs.

• Whether phasing will be necessary and if so, what the

content, costs, and timing of each phase will be.

DEFINING THE PROJECT

This phase, which follows and builds on decisions made

during master planning, clarifies the renovation or new

construction. Often, this is not considered a phase in itself

but simply the end of master planning. In any case, it is an

essential activity that requires your jurisdiction’s input and

review on the following points:

2-4

Jail Design Review Handbook
Your Jurisdiction’s Involvement Throughout the Planning and Design Process

• Numbers and types of cells to be renovated or built,

by security classification (e.g., maximum-security

single cells).

• Types of management and supervision (direct or indirect

supervision).

• Preliminary staffing plan.

• Mission of the facility.

• Site.

• Substance of future phases or additions.

• Preliminary cost estimate and budget.

• Funding plan.

• Schedule (for design, construction, transition, and

occupancy).

Key items for your jurisdiction’s input and review while

defining the project include the following:

• Which types of beds and housing units are best suited

for each inmate category.

• Philosophy of management and supervision.

• Location of addition or new facility.

• Location of future additions.

DEVELOPING A FUNCTIONAL/

OPERATIONAL AND ARCHITECTURAL

PROGRAM (ALSO CALLED “FACILITY

PROGRAMMING”)

In this predesign phase, the operational requirements of

the new construction are defined and the physical provisions needed to support the operational requirements are

spelled out.

Operational requirements include—

• Numbers of inmates by category.

• Activities and functions of staff and inmates.

• Operational scenarios.

• Inmate programs and services.

• Hours of operation of each area.

• Staffing requirements.

Architectural requirements include—

• Names, numbers, sizes, and types of interior spaces.

• Requirements for exterior areas for parking (numbers of

spaces by category); intake and release staging and

parking (other than the vehicular sallyport); outdoor

recreation areas (outside the building’s perimeter); service, loading, or unloading areas; and the garbage or

dumpster area.

• Estimate of additional space needed for expansion.

• Adjacency or relationship requirements (in the form

of “bubble diagrams” that may be accompanied by

relationship matrices showing what areas need to

adjoin or be near each other; flow or movement

between areas).

• Major furnishings and equipment for each space (which

will help determine size, configuration, and engineering

and architectural elements).

• Significant architectural characteristics of each space,

such as types of doors.

• Significant engineering requirements, such as stainless

steel plumbing.

• Identification of all applicable building codes, standards, and (if your jurisdiction decides to follow

them) guidelines.

Key items for your jurisdiction’s input and review at this

stage include the following (usually, a consultant works

with a committee of representatives from the jurisdiction

during this phase):

• Which optional services and programs will be provided?

• How will services be provided (e.g., cook-chill or traditional food production, storage, and delivery systems)?

• Which services and programs will be centralized, which

will be regionalized, and which will be within or adjacent to each housing unit? For example, will inmates eat

in dayrooms or dining rooms? Will sick call take place

2-5
in a central health services area or adjacent to each

housing unit?

• What type of supervision and management (direct or

indirect) will be used for each population (if this has not

been resolved earlier)?

• Preliminary staffing plan by position, function, location,

and shift.

• Ideal group sizes for housing units and various activities.

• Flow of activities (such as the intake process or the food

production and delivery process).

• Space standards (some jurisdictions have existing standards applicable to offices and a few other areas).

• Which optional standards (such as those of the

American Correctional Association) will be followed,

if any?

• What is the policy on temporary and permanent 

overcrowding?

• To what extent should some components (such as food

services and health services) be built to anticipate overcrowding and future additions?

• What are the parking requirements and policies for staff

and visitors?

• What is the maximum size of future expansions?

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN

The early phases focused on operational and design

requirements that are best described in words. Until this

point, the design review team will have seen many written

documents and few drawings. The usual exceptions are the

bubble diagrams developed during architectural programming to depict relationships among spaces and, perhaps,

site diagrams intended to help define site requirements and

facilitate site selection. 

Conceptual design is the first phase in which drawings are

the dominant tool and product. Sometimes conceptual

design is considered not a separate phase but part of the

schematic design phase.

Sometimes the same consultant team that produces the

planning documents will produce conceptual designs as

well. Keep this in mind, however:

If your architects have

not been actively involved

in previous tasks, they

should thoroughly review

the planning and programming documents and

be briefed by the major

participants in the previous tasks. It is vital for the

designers to understand your inmate populations, mission

and objectives, philosophies, operational requirements,

and architectural requirements for them to produce a conceptual design that best suits your jurisdiction.

To get the optimal design for your jurisdiction, it is far

preferable for your consultants to produce several different

concepts, each of which should be based on all previous

phases (e.g., architectural programming). Each design

should be carefully reviewed and compared with other

designs and with the documents produced during the

previous phases. Positive and negative aspects of each

concept option should be noted. Initial cost estimates for

each option should be produced and compared.

Conceptual designs are the initial graphic ideas for the

building and typically consist of freehand or hard-lined

drawings that include the following:

• Floor plans—layout of components in relation to each

other (e.g., intake and health services) and layout of

spaces within each component (e.g., booking counter,

holding cells).

• Building sections (especially significant in multistory

buildings)—slices through the building in key areas to

show the stacking of various components and spaces.

• Elevations—two-dimensional images of what the building may look like from various views.

• Site plans—layouts of the buildings and areas for staff

and public parking; recreation; service and deliveries;

and access for inmates, staff, and visitors.

2-6

Jail Design Review Handbook

Conceptual design is

the first phase in

which drawings are

the dominant tool

and product.
Your Jurisdiction’s Involvement Throughout the Planning and Design Process

Conceptual designs may also contain—

• Activity flow diagrams, if these were not done during

architectural programming, (e.g., intake process).

• Estimates of construction costs compared with the

budget.

Key items for your jurisdiction’s input and review during

this stage include—

• Is the design consistent with your jurisdiction’s mission,

philosophy, and objectives?

• Does the design fully meet operational requirements (as

detailed in the functional/operational program)? Is the

design completely consistent with the architectural program? Have any spaces been left out or added inadvertently? Is the design capacity correct? Does the flow

work well? How is the security zoning?

• What are the relationships among components (e.g., the

relation of food services to staff dining, warehouse, and

housing units) and within components (e.g., food preparation, storage, and cleaning areas? This is needed only

if adjacency relationships have not been fully resolved

during architectural programming).

• What are the site constraints (such as buildable areas for

this project, areas that need to be reserved for other

functions, setbacks, wetlands, utilities that should not be

moved)? This cannot be known until a site is selected.

• How much land should be reserved for expansion of the

facility?

• Are two-level (including mezzanine) or three-level

housing units acceptable?

• How many recreation areas are needed and what sizes

should they be (if not identified in the architectural

program)?

• How many parking spaces are needed? Must staff parking be separate from visitor parking? Is secure parking

needed, and if so, for whom (if not identified in the

architectural program)?

• What size trucks will deliver and pick up food, garbage,

and other items? How many trucks should the loading

dock and staging area accommodate?

• Is a vehicular sallyport or secure vehicular yard needed?

If so, for how many vehicles of what sizes (if not identified in the architectural program)? 

• Are there adjoining buildings into which inmates in

cells and other areas should not be able to see?

• Are there any building materials that your jurisdiction

wants to use or avoid? 

• What would it cost to build each option?

• How many staff would each option require?

SCHEMATIC DESIGN

After the conceptual design options are evaluated and your

architect has received considerable input from your jurisdiction, the schematic design phase begins. The architect

attempts to take the positives from the favored concept or

concepts and minimize the negatives. Although there usually are two to four conceptual designs, only one schematic

design will be produced.

The schematic design will consist of the same types of

drawings as the conceptual designs, but in this phase, the

drawings will be to scale and more detailed. Schematic

drawings will include floor plans, building sections, elevations, and site plans.

Additionally, schematic designs almost always include—

• Code review.

• Estimate of construction and other initial costs (based

on the schematic documents).

• Staffing estimate based on operational requirements and

the floor plan. 

• Refined project budgets for initial costs and annual

operational costs.

Schematics may also include—

• Outline specifications (also referred to as preliminary

engineering and architectural concepts), which indicate

the types of engineering systems, glazing (glass), doors,

locks, and so forth. Outline specifications are often produced during the next phase, design development.

2-7
• Three-dimensional perspectives.

• Models of the entire building or portions of the building, such as housing units. (Perspectives and models are

generally considered to be nonstandard architectural

services. If your jurisdiction requests these items, your

architect may charge extra fees for them.)

Key items for your jurisdiction’s input and review during

this stage include any of the issues listed under conceptual

design that have not been resolved. Additional questions

that should be raised and resolved include—

• Which types of plumbing fixtures will be used in each

area (commercial vitreous china, institutional vitreous,

or stainless steel; combination or separate sinks and

toilets)? This question and some of the others that follow may not come up until the next phase, design

development.

• Which types of glazing, locks, and doors will be used in

each area? Like plumbing fixtures, these usually vary

from place to place within a detention and correctional

facility and are based on the number and types of users.

• Which types of heating and ventilation systems will be

used? Which areas will be air-conditioned?

• Which wall and floor finishes will be used in each area

(e.g., vinyl tile, industrial carpet, or exposed concrete

floors in dayrooms)?

• What types of lighting fixtures will be installed (again,

with variations based on occupancy and security

issues)?

• What types of electronic security, control, and communication systems will be used?

• Which items will need to be activated by emergency

generators in the event of power failures?

• What type of cell construction will be used: premanufactured concrete or steel, precast concrete, cast-in-place

concrete, concrete block, or (only in low-security or

staff-secure facilities) drywall?

• What other interior and exterior building materials will

be used?

• How will the building be expanded? How will more

housing be added? How will intake, staff support, health

services, food services, laundry, lobby and visiting,

warehouse, and other areas be able to accommodate the

expanded population? Which areas are oversized now,

and which ones are designed for expansion?

• Are the staffing plan and schematic design fully compatible? If not, have adjustments to either or both been

made?

• Do estimates indicate that the project is within the

construction budget? If the project is over budget and

if additional funding is not feasible, see “Value

Analysis.”

VALUE ANALYSIS

During schematic design as well as in earlier and later

phases of the process, the cost estimate should be verified

and refined. This is necessary to help ensure that the project is within budget. With more and more data, such as the

selection of building materials, the estimate is increasingly

likely to be accurate. If the estimate exceeds the budget,

then design changes may be necessary. Although it is never

easy to reduce costs and change the design, the earlier in

the process that cost overruns are projected, the simpler

and faster it will be for jurisdictions, architects, and other

consultants to make changes in the design.

If the project is over

budget, your jurisdiction’s

project representatives

may consider conducting

several work sessions

with the consultant team,

including architects, planners, engineers, and cost

consultants.

Value analysis (also

known as value engineering) is not shown in

exhibit 2 because it may occur whenever cost reductions

are needed.

2-8

Jail Design Review Handbook

During schematic

design as well as in

earlier and later

phases of the

process, the cost

estimate should be

verified and refined.
Your Jurisdiction’s Involvement Throughout the Planning and Design Process

Ways to reduce costs should be carefully reviewed by

your jurisdiction and the consultants. These include the

following:

The number and types of beds 

to be built and phasing

Because housing usually occupies at least 50 percent of

a detention and correctional facility, it has the largest

single impact on construction cost. Because it is the

component that has by far the most occupants, three

shifts a day, 7 days a week, it requires the most staff.

Consequently, most of the construction costs and twothirds to three-quarters of the staffing costs will be associated with housing. Housing costs can be reduced in

several ways:

• Some housing units could be shelled in initially and

completed later.

• Some housing units could be deleted from construction

of this project, but with the building designed so that

these could easily be added later.

• More cells could be designed for double occupancy, if

your jurisdiction’s operational philosophy, inmate profile, and projections support this, and if the cells meet

applicable codes and standards (some standards, for

example, call for single cells for maximum-security

inmates and those with special needs).

• If the design calls for single- or double-celling of lowor medium-security inmates, most of them could be

housed in dormitories.

• Depending upon your inmate profile and projections,

the percentage of expensive maximum-security cells

could be reduced and the percentage of less costly cells

could be increased. Items to review with your consultants and architects include the types of cell doors

(sliders with food/cuff slots are the most expensive) and

plumbing fixtures (stainless steel is more expensive, but

the cost difference between it and vitreous china is less

dramatic than it used to be). “Dry” cells may also be

appropriate for some of your population.

“Big ticket” items

Value analysis should focus on how the building can be

reduced in cost with the fewest changes to the design. Your

jurisdiction should consider—

• Reducing the sizes of dayrooms (as long as they still

meet standards and operational requirements).

• If your climate is suitable and such changes

comply with standards

that your jurisdiction is

following, having outdoor or indoor/outdoor

recreational areas rather

than fully enclosed

gymnasiums.

• Again, if your climate

is suitable, building a

secure, double-gated,

and fenced outdoor vehicular sallyport rather than a

fully enclosed one.

Reconsidering space standards and

reducing the sizes of areas

All areas could be reevaluated (although this is time

consuming and tedious). Your consultants and your

jurisdiction’s project representatives could verify the need

for each space. For each space that has been verified, the

question may be raised: Could it be reduced in size and

still support operations and users and accommodate needed

furnishings and equipment?

Materials and finishes

For example, if the initial design calls for the entire building to be brick, your jurisdiction may want to consider

substituting all or some of the brick with split-faced or

plain concrete block or using sealed concrete rather than

vinyl tile for dayroom floors.

Building shape

The old adage “keep it simple” generally applies here.

Square footage being equivalent, rectangular buildings

2-9

Most of the

construction costs

and two-thirds

to three-quarters of

the staffing costs

will be associated

with housing.
with few “ins and outs” are cheaper to build than buildings

with unusual curves or many angles.

The use of inmate labor

Rather than using contractors or subcontractors, your jurisdiction may want to consider having low-security inmates

do some of the work that does not require high skill levels

and will not jeopardize security or safety, such as painting

or landscape installation. If you do so, however, you must

keep two things in mind. First, inmate laborers must be

guided by experts (such as an experienced landscaper) and

supervised by security staff. These costs should be added

to the equation. Second, labor union leaders might try to

block inmates from doing work normally assigned to union

workers.

Items that could be added later

Your jurisdiction may want to consider using some of the

existing furniture and equipment initially (rather than

replacing everything at once) or delaying the installation

of landscaping.

Value analysis and design

review cautions

During value analysis, it is critical that your jurisdiction’s

representatives focus on five critical issues. Every redesign

issue should be carefully reviewed and tested, with these

questions in mind:

• Would the proposed design change compromise the

security or safety of the public (escapes), staff, or

inmates (assaults, visibility, accidents)?

• Would the proposed design change compromise the

delivery of programs or services?

• Would the proposed design change result in a less staffefficient facility? In other words, would more staff be

needed to operate it properly?

• Would the proposed design change reduce the expected

lifespan of the building as a whole or its elements (such

as air-handling units, floor surfaces, and locks) and,

therefore, increase long-range costs?

• Would the proposed design change increase the frequency, magnitude, or cost of maintenance?

If you answer “no” to any of the first three questions or

“yes” to either of the last two questions, the design change

should be seriously reconsidered.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT AND

CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS

All major design issues should have been resolved, primary

decisions should have been made, and there should be a

reasonable level of confidence that the project will be within budget before proceeding to design development (DD).

Design development results in detailed drawings and

specifications. In this stage, floor plans, elevations, and

sections are finalized and drawings that show such details

as staircases, windows, and doors are produced. All drawings in this phase are to scale and, in addition to the

architecture, show structure, lighting, electrical outlets,

electronics, plumbing, and HVAC systems. All construction materials are also indicated. Written specifications

for all building systems, materials, and finishes may have

been outlined during the schematic design phase, but they

are detailed during design development and finalized in

the construction documents (CD) phase.

As with all previous phases, your jurisdiction should conduct both informal and formal reviews of all drawings and

written documents during this time. Although your architects and engineers may disagree, it is always better to

review more rather than less thoroughly.

In all probability, you know people who had a house custom

designed and built. Most likely, this house does a pretty

good job in meeting their needs. Even though they spent a

fair amount of time with the builder or designer, however,

some aspects could have been better. They may have said

to you that they wish they had spent more time studying

the design, that if they had better understood the design,

they would have realized the negative consequences of

design decisions that appeared sound at the time and would

have caught some errors. As a result, their house would be

even better. Jails are infinitely more complicated than

2-10

Jail Design Review Handbook
Your Jurisdiction’s Involvement Throughout the Planning and Design Process

houses; design decisions can have many more potentially

negative consequences, and far more can go wrong. This

underscores the need for your jurisdiction’s design reviewers to continue to participate actively during these later

phases of design.

Although building codes and standards should have been

reviewed during the architectural programming and

schematic design phases, they need to be reviewed again

during design development. Even if schematic designs

fully complied with applicable codes and standards, design

development documents show infinitely more details (such

as types of glazing, locations of fire sprinklers, width of

doors, types of ceilings, and placement of electrical outlets) that all must comply with building codes.

It may become obvious that during design development

and the production of construction documents, your jurisdiction’s design review team needs to have more technical

expertise than during earlier phases of planning and

design. While DDs and CDs are being produced, it is

highly recommended for your design reviewers to include

in-house or contracted engineers and an architect with jail

experience.

During design development, your transition team should

also refine and detail the staffing plan as it relates to the

design of the jail. Determining exactly where staff will be

located may result in design changes. For example,

columns usually do not appear on drawings until design

development.

Schematic drawings of

staff stations may have

appeared to provide

unobstructed sightlines.

Now that columns have

been indicated on the

drawings, however,

visual obstructions of

key areas may become

clear. The sooner that

issues like this are

caught, the easier it

will be to minimize delays due to redesign and costly

change orders.

There is no such thing as an absolutely perfect design, but

there is a direct correlation between the quantity and quality of design input and review and the likelihood of a successful building. 

Key items for your jurisdiction’s input and review during

the DD and CD phases include the following:

• Are there blindspots caused by columns or anything

else? Can these be eliminated or minimized?

• What materials are proposed in inmate areas? Are they

durable, easy to maintain, and appropriate for the population category?

• What composes the security perimeter? Are the windows, walls, ceilings, floors, doors, locks, and sallyports

sufficient to keep inmates from escaping?

• Is there anything in cells or showers that inmates could

use to hang themselves?

• Are windows in the right places for staff visibility?

Would any of the windows allow inmates views that

may compromise security or privacy?

• Are doors in locations that will work well with furniture

and equipment? Should any doors be moved to enhance

desired movement or control?

• Are staff stations and control rooms laid out ergonomically, so that necks, arms, and eyes are not strained?

• Is the facility fully compliant with the Americans with

Disabilities Act (ADA), applicable building codes, and

state and (where adopted) national standards, such as

those of the American Correctional Association (ACA)?

• How will the building work in various types of emergencies? Where will inmates go in case of fire (or even

fire drills) or hostage situations?

• Will staff, inmates, and visitors always feel safe? What

else would make them feel safer?

2-11

During design

development, your

transition team

should also refine

and detail the

staffing plan as

it relates to the

design of the jail.
• How will attempts at bringing in contraband—by visitors, incoming and returning inmates, staff, vendors,

and repair people—be stopped?

• How can structural and mechanical systems and utilities

facilitate expansion?

• Are the staffing plan and design fully compatible? If

not, have adjustments to either or both been made?

• Is the project still within the construction budget? If not,

and if additional funding is not feasible, see “Value

Analysis.”

BIDDING AND NEGOTIATION

Once construction documents and specifications are complete and approved, the bidding phase begins. The drawings and written materials are distributed to interested construction firms or teams. In some jurisdictions, bidders

must meet specified requirements and be prequalified. 

The traditional bidding process is as follows:

1. Architects and engineers develop plans and specifications for advertisement for bids.

2. Contractors receive and open bids.

3. The jurisdiction selects the lowest qualified bidder.

4. The jurisdiction negotiates with the lowest qualified

bidder.

5. If negotiations fail, then the jurisdiction negotiates with

the second lowest qualified bidder.

There are several alternatives to the conventional design

and construction process. In one, known as “design-build,”

a team of architects, engineers, and contractors is selected

to design and build the jail. The amount of designing the

design-build team does varies. There are two excellent reasons for a jurisdiction to consider design-build. This

process can reduce initial costs and design and construction time. However, design-build can also reduce the jurisdiction’s control and influence over the project, and with

less involvement of jail operators and others, the jail may

not work as well.

Design-build contracts are usually awarded to the qualified

bidder with the lowest total cost. If the design-build team

is not given enough information, it could design and build

a jail with a low initial cost that is staff inefficient, expensive to operate or maintain, unattractive in appearance

(which may not be a problem, depending on the site), inadequately secure, or unable to support intended operations.

Another potential significant downside of providing too little information on the jurisdiction’s requirements is that

when jurisdictions change or add requirements once a project is far along in design or construction, architects and

contractors usually request additional funds for redesign or

construction.

To help ensure that their new jail meets their operational

needs and requirements, jurisdictions that decide to use

design-build should provide the design-build team with a

great deal of written and graphic information describing

the requirements for their jail. This can best be achieved

by providing the design-build team with a completed

architectural program, schematic design, and, ideally, at

least the beginnings of design development documents.

Furthermore, jurisdictions should structure contracts so

that they remain actively involved in the remainder of

design and construction.

No matter which process is used in your jurisdiction, several primary design reviewers, including those with design

and construction experience, should participate in reviewing the bids and evaluating and selecting the contractors. 

CONSTRUCTION

During construction, your jurisdiction’s representatives

and, ideally, an experienced in-house or contracted construction manager, will—

• Administer the construction contract.

• Inspect construction regularly for quality and consistency with drawings and specifications.

• Approve payments based on performance and percent

of completion. 

2-12

Jail Design Review Handbook
Your Jurisdiction’s Involvement Throughout the Planning and Design Process

• Test performance.

• Review and make recommendations and decisions on

your jurisdiction’s and contractors’ requests for change

orders.

• When the contractor reports that construction is near

completion, develop and manage a “punch list” of

items for the contractor to complete.

• Work with the transition team in developing a move

plan.

• Work with the transition team in planning for and

installing furniture and equipment.

• Receive as-built drawings.

• Obtain warranties and technical manuals.

• Obtain occupancy permits.

Although a construction manager should be looking out

for your jurisdiction’s interests during construction,

design reviewers should review the construction as it progresses, focusing on ensuring that every area is built as

designed and working out operational policies and procedures that are related to the building, as part of transition

planning.

TRANSITION AND OCCUPANCY

Successful jail projects almost always have transition

teams that are involved, starting no later than the functional/operational and architectural programming stages and

continuing until several months after occupancy. Because

of the interrelationships between operations and design,

your jurisdiction’s design reviewers should include members of the transition team.

Jurisdictions that do too little transition planning or start

transition planning too late can suffer myriad problems,

including a shortage of staff or untrained staff; inadequate

space; inappropriate furniture; security and safety glitches;

incomplete policies, procedures, and job descriptions;

delays in occupancy; and embarrassments after occupancy.

To help ensure a smooth transition, your jurisdiction

should schedule 1 to 3 months between construction completion and occupancy. This will provide critical time to

test and fine-tune equipment, procedures, and

operations; train staff in

their new workspaces;

and remove construction

waste that could become

weapons. 

Besides design review,

responsibilities of transition teams usually

include the following:

• Develop staff hiring and training schedules.

• Conduct public relations activities.

• Develop job descriptions.

• Develop policy and procedure manuals.

• Train staff—initially in the old facility. When the new

facility is near completion but prior to occupancy, train

staff in it. (Besides making sure that staff know how to

do their jobs in the new environment, training staff in

the new, unoccupied facility is an excellent way to

ensure that all the locks, electronics, monitors, and so

forth are performing as intended.)

• Select furniture and equipment.

• Develop and initiate a building maintenance program, including a schedule and plan for preventive

maintenance.

• Develop and manage a plan for transferring inmates and

staff to the new facility.

• For renovated and expanded facilities, develop and manage a plan for delivery of all services when construction

prevents existing spaces from being used. (For example,

if the kitchen is being renovated, food will have to be

produced elsewhere for a period of time.)

2-13

Jurisdictions that do

too little transition

planning or start

transition planning

too late can suffer

myriad problems.
2-14

Jail Design Review Handbook

Questions Yes No Not Sure

1. Have all of the following predesign tasks been completed 

to the satisfaction of your jurisdiction?

A. Mission statement and objectives for your jail?

B. Needs assessment study, including alternatives to 

incarceration, population projections, and population profile?

C. Site studies?

D. Operational program?

E. Architectural program?

F. Conceptual estimate of construction and other initial costs?

G. Conceptual estimate of annual operational costs?

2. Have your county board, sheriff, and other elected and 

appointed leaders agreed on the project’s scope and budget?

3. Has your jurisdiction seriously considered alternatives for 

pretrial alleged offenders that could help reduce project costs 

and the number of jail beds needed?

4. Has your jurisdiction seriously considered alternatives for 

sentenced offenders that could help reduce project costs 

and the number of jail beds needed?

5. Is the number of beds to be built based on population 

projections for at least the next 10 years?

6. Is the jail expandable, to accommodate larger numbers of 

inmates in the far future?

A. Does the architectural program call for enough space in food 

services and health services for the expanded population (as these 

two areas are difficult and expensive to renovate and enlarge)?

B. Is there enough land to add housing units, program areas, 

parking, and secure outdoor recreation areas?

C. If the jail is part of or will be part of a justice system complex, 

is there enough land for courts and justice system offices based 

on long-term projections?

7. Were the percentages of each type of bed to be built (e.g., single cells for

maximum security) based on an analysis of the current jail population?

8. Have several design options been developed and evaluated before 

your jurisdiction selected which design option to implement?

9. If your jurisdiction has decided to add on to or renovate the existing 

jail, has there been a thorough evaluation of the structure and 

mechanical, plumbing, electrical, electronic, and security systems?

10. If your jurisdiction has decided to add on to or renovate the existing jail, 

has there been a thorough evaluation of areas that will serve the expanded

population? These areas may include the lobby, visiting, administration,

staff support, food services, intake and release, laundry, maintenance, 

warehouse, commissary, inmate programs, and medical services.

Exhibit 3.

Self-Assessment Exercise
Your Jurisdiction’s Involvement Throughout the Planning and Design Process

2-15

IS YOUR JURISDICTION READY FOR

DESIGN REVIEW?

Because most people find design more exciting and interesting than planning, it is common for jurisdictions either

to skip important planning steps or to go through them

too quickly and superficially. During planning, even 

more than during design, jurisdictions can make decisions

that profoundly affect services, programs, locations,

and staffing and initial and annual operating costs.

Therefore, it is recommended that your jurisdiction take

the self-assessment exercise in exhibit 3 to determine

whether you are ready for design review or, instead,

whether it would be wise to put design on hold and go

back to planning.

If all of your answers were “yes,” congratulations! Your

jurisdiction has addressed all of the major issues that

should be resolved before design begins. Move forward

with design and design review.

If, on the other hand, some of your responses were “not

sure” or “no,” it would be advisable to put your architects

on hold and complete the essential planning steps that

greatly affect design, staffing, operations, and construction

and staffing costs.
SPEAKING EACH

OTHER’S LANGUAGE

Successful design review requires effective

communication skills. To produce wellexecuted schematic designs, architects

must learn correctional terminology. Similarly, those who represent the jurisdiction

in the design process must learn to read floor plans, elevations, and building sections.

ARCHITECTS’ SCALE

Starting at the schematic design stage, all architectural and engineering drawings are drawn to

scale. This means that the size of each line or space on a drawing is proportional to the size of

the actual feature it represents. For example, on a 1 inch = 1 foot scale, 3 inches represents 3

feet; on a 1 inch = 4 feet scale, 3 inches represents 12 feet.

The first step in reviewing drawings should be to determine the

scale being used. The best place

to look is on the drawing itself;

each architectural and engineering drawing should indicate the

scale used for that drawing. For

example, the site plan may say

“1 inch = 16 feet.”

All architects’ scales (the special

rulers used by architects) have

three sides with a total of 11

scales (See exhibit 4.) One scale

is an ordinary 12-inch ruler.

Chapter 3

3-1

How To Read Architects’ Drawings

Exhibit 4.

Architects’ Scale
3-2

Jail Design Review Handbook

Some scales read from left to right and others, from right

to left. One-eighth-inch scales are commonly used for

detention and correctional facilities. Since 1/8 inch represents 1 foot, each inch represents 8 feet. When greater

detail is needed, architects often use 1/4-inch scales. With

these, each quarter-inch represents 1 foot. Consequently,

each inch equals 4 feet. To show even greater detail, architects may use scales ranging from 3/8 inch = 1 foot to 3

inches = 1 foot.

Common circumstances also call for the use of smaller

scales. When large buildings or sites need to be shown on a

single piece of paper, using 1/8- or 1/4-inch scales would

result in drawings on unmanageably large sheets of paper.

Therefore, smaller scales are used, which range from 3/16

inch = 1 foot to 1/16 inch = 1 foot.

Inches are always shown before the first foot. In other

words, inches are to the left of 0 feet. To the left of the 0

on the 1/8-inch scale, a foot is subdivided into six segments, each of which represents 2 inches (i.e., one-sixth

of a foot).

NET AND GROSS SQUARE FEET

In reviewing designs and space lists, it is critical to understand the difference between net square feet (NSF) and

gross square feet (GSF). NSF (also known as usable square

feet) is the amount of space that can be used for functions,

people, and equipment and excludes space occupied by

building structure, walls, corridors, bathrooms, staircases

and elevators, mechanical rooms, electrical rooms, telephone or electronics rooms, and so forth. Some planners

and architects include bathrooms on space lists (and thus,

in NSF) and others do not.

GSF is the total amount of space in a building. It includes

space occupied by building structure, walls, corridors,

bathrooms, staircases and elevators, mechanical rooms,

electrical rooms, and telephone or electronics rooms.

Exhibit 5, which illustrates the difference between NSF

and GSF, also demonstrates a very important concept: The

space required for a jail is much greater than the sum of

its usable spaces.

Exhibit 5.

Net and Gross Square Feet

14 Feet

Corridor

10 Feet

Room

10 Feet

11 Feet

Source: Participant Manual for NIC Jail Design Review

Workshop, Longmont, Colorado, February 5–9, 2001

In exhibit 5, the usable space is 10 feet by 10 feet, or 100

NSF. The total amount of space, including walls and corridor, is 14 feet by 11 feet, or 154 GSF.

In this example, GSF is 54 percent higher than NSF. The

GSF to NSF ratio is 1.54 to 1. This ratio is also called the

“gross factor,” “grossing factor,” “net-to-gross ratio,” or

“efficiency factor.”

SITE PLANS

During the conceptual and schematic design stages, architects produce a variety of site diagrams that address various issues. Here are a few examples:

Exhibit 6 is a conceptual option developed by Len Witke

of Durrant that shows the use of areas and site boundaries

for a new jail, county courts, and justice system offices.

Exhibit 7, taken from the Jail Design Guide, illustrates

points of access. 

Exhibit 8 illustrates facility zoning, perimeter security, and

entry points. The crosshatched box represents a secure
How To Read Architects’ Drawings

3-3

entry, usually a pedestrian or vehicular sallyport. The dotted lines represent security fencing. The white triangles

show the field of vision for staff working in the control

centers.

Your architect may use different symbols to represent

access, zoning, and so forth. Therefore, it is essential that

your architects provide your jurisdiction with written

explanations of any symbols they use.

ADJACENCY DIAGRAMS

During the architectural programming stage, the consultant

draws adjacency diagrams, also known as “bubble diagrams.” An example of an adjacency diagram is presented

in exhibit 9. Each bubble represents a space, and the relationships among the spaces are also shown. After adjacency diagrams are reviewed and approved by the jurisdiction,

the architect begins to turn them into floor plans.

Note: The condensed dark arrows in exhibit 9 indicate

movement, the striped arrows show staff visibility from

control points, and the lines that cross from one bubble or

space to another represent doors or openings.

Exhibit 10 shows how adjacency diagrams can be used in

developing and evaluating staffing plans and operational

objectives and scenarios.

FLOOR PLANS

Floor plans are refined, hard-lined bubble diagrams. The

first floor plans in the conceptual design stage are usually

single line drawings drawn to scale. They show all the

spaces in each component (e.g., all the spaces comprising

food services) and their proximity and connections to other

components (such as housing units and the warehouse).

After working with consultants during the programming

phase, design reviewers should be able to understand bubble diagrams like the one in exhibit 10. Floor plans evolve

from bubble diagrams, so having a good grasp of bubble

diagrams should help design reviewers understand floor

plans. (See exhibit 11 for an example of a conceptual floor

plan. An example of a schematic floor plan is presented in

Exhibit 6.

NEW 1200 BED JAIL AND SUPPORT FACILITIES

COURTROOM AND JUSTICE SYSTEM OFFICES

STATE ST. STATE ST.

PUBLIC

LOBBY

COUNTY 

VEHICLE

STORAGE

PEDESTRIAN 

TUNNEL

ELM ST.

WINNEBAGO ST.

COURTS ST.

CHESTNUT ST.

N

0 32' 64' 128'

Durrant

SHERIFF'S

OFFICE

AND STAFF 

TRAINING

FACILITIES

VEHICULAR LOAD DOCK SALLYPORT RELOCATED BUSINESS 20 

PER CITY PLAN

CHESTNUT ST.

ROCKTON AVE.

HORSMAN ST. VEHICULAR

SALLYPORT ELM ST. PROPOSED RD.

FEDERAL

BUILDING

PUBLIC

SAFETY

BUILDING

ROCKFORD 

HOUSING

AUTHORITY

Source: Len Witke, The Durrant Group, Inc., 

http://www.durrant.com

Example of Conceptual Site Plan for

New Jail, County Courts, and

Justice System Offices

Deliveries

Staff

Entry

Public

Entry

Work

Release

Arrest

Entry

Source: Kimme, D.A., G.M. Bowker, R.G. Deichman, D.E.

Bostwick, and J.R. Rowenhurst, Jail Design Guide: A

Resource for Small and Medium-Sized Jails, Washington,

DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of

Corrections, 1998

Exhibit 7.

Site Planning Illustrating

Access Points
exhibit 12. An example of a design development floor plan

is presented in exhibit 13.)

To get a better sense of how floor plans relate to actual

buildings, try the following experiments:

• Carry a tape measure with you for a day and measure

spaces that you occupy at home and at work. Also

measure the size of furniture. Then, when the architect

draws a 120-square foot office or a 500-square foot dayroom, you will have a better idea of whether the size is

too small, too large, or just right.

• Obtain floor plans for the building where you work.

Ideally, these should be reduced-scale plans that are

small enough to carry around. Start at the front door.

With the plans in hand, trace your steps throughout the

building, while referring to the floor plan. Focus on the

size of the spaces and the layout of the building. Leave

the other details until later.

• Sketch the floor plan of the building where you work,

then compare it with the actual floor plans, noting any

discrepancies.

• Once you understand layout, start noticing details—

both in actual buildings and on floor plans. Look at the

locations of windows and doors, the direction of the

door swings, and the distance between windows, doors,

and ceilings.

• Compare the initial floor plan that the architect created

for the jail with the architectural program’s bubble diagrams. Ask the architect to explain discrepancies in the

provision and location of space. In most cases, there

will be good reasons for the discrepancies; there also

may be some misunderstandings or mistakes. Also look

for places in the bubble diagrams where viewing angles

were indicated, and see if these spaces, as depicted in

the floor plan, still permit the same views (for security

and safety purposes). Other important elements to look

for in a jail floor plan are security perimeters and zones

and locations of where staff would be based.

• Review the floor plan with the architect and ask about

anything that is unclear.

• Take the floor plan and trace the flow of inmates from

the secure inmate entrance to intake, housing, program

areas, and release. Do the same thing with visitors going

3-4

Jail Design Review Handbook

cell cell

cell

cell

cell

cell cell cell cell

cell

cell

cell

cell

cell

toilet/

shower

main

jail

corridor potential

exercise or

programs

toilet/

shower

staff

toilet

toilet/

shower

dayroom

dayroom

dayroom

control

stor.

jan.

Exhibit 9.

Adjacency Diagram

Source: Kimme, D.A., G.M. Bowker, R.G. Deichman, D.E.

Bostwick, and J.R. Rowenhurst, Jail Design Guide: A Resource

for Small and Medium-Sized Jails, Washington, DC: U.S.

Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, 1998

Adjacency Diagram - Overview of Camps

G U E R R E R O C O R R E C T I O N A L C A M P S

O p e r a t i o n a l & A r c h i t e c t u a l P r o g r a m

MALE CAMP

(500)

INMATES/

VEHICULAR

SALLYPORT FEMALE CAMP

(300)

STAFF

PARKING VISITOR

PARKING

PUBLIC/STAFF

ENTRANCE

YARD YARD

C "CORE" C

LOBBY

VOC. VOC. VEH.

SP

WAITING

PAVILION

Source: Rosser International

Exhibit 8.

Site Diagram Illustrating Zoning,

Perimeter Security, and Access Points
How To Read Architects’ Drawings

3-5

Outdoor Exercise

Intake &

Special

Housing Courtyard

General

Population

Programs

Work

Program

Women's

Housing

Inmates

Booking

Dock

Support

Medical

Visiting

Administration

Public

Staff

3 shifts

2 shifts

1 shift

.5 shift

Exhibit 10.

Adjacency Diagram and Staffing

Source: Participant Manual for NIC Jail Design Review

Workshop, Longmont, Colorado, February 5–9, 2001

stage, elevations show scale (height and length), exterior

materials, and locations of doors and windows. Exhibit 15

is an example of an elevation drawn at this stage. 

In addition to showing the jail building, elevations should

show security fences; enclosed areas, such as the vehicular

sallyport, secured parking, and outdoor recreation areas;

and loading docks.

Later in the design process, elevations become more

refined and reflect subsequent design decisions and details,

such as building materials.

BUILDING SECTIONS

Building sections are three-dimensional cross-sections of

floor plans. In other words, they are elevation diagrams of

the inside of a building. At the schematic design stage,

building sections display all levels of the building, the

structure and flooring between levels, and the thickness of

the walls between rooms. To illustrate scale, building sections often show people, furniture, and equipment. Ideally,

staff and their field of vision are illustrated, too.

In latter phases of design, building sections contain many

more details, including the locations of engineering systems

and security barriers. Exhibit 16 shows building sections of

a control point and housing unit, exhibit 17 shows an

intake area, and exhibit 18 shows a section of one portion

of a jail with housing units and other components.

Exhibit 11.

Conceptual Floor Plan

SHERIFF'S 

OFFICES

SEVERE 

MENTAL

HSU

HVAC

64 BED

DORM.

64 BED

DORM. ROOF

MECH.

JAIL

MASTER

CONTROL

EXISTING 

COURTS

AREA

REMODELED 

FOR

GENERAL 

POPULATION

INMATE

HOUSING VIA

SEPARATE

PROJECT

INMATE

PROGRAMS

HSU 

DENTAL/

STAFF 

OFFICES

TYPICAL* INMATE

HOUSING FLOOR PLAN

EXPANDED 

HEALTH

SERVICES 

UNIT AND 

INFIRMARY

BEDS FUTURE 

BUILDING

AREA

INMATE

PROGRAMS 

Source: Len Witke, The Durrant Group, Inc., 

http://www.durrant.com

to the visiting area, vendors coming to the business

office and delivering goods, administrative staff going to

the jail staff dining room, and trash pickup. Whenever

something does not make sense, ask the architect and

keep asking until you understand the answer.

Like learning anything else, understanding floor plans

requires practice.

As design proceeds, more and more details are shown on

floor plans. Exhibit 14 is an example of a construction

document floor plan for one space.

ELEVATIONS

Elevations are drawings of how a side of a building will

look. Because they are “flat” (i.e., do not show perspective),

they illustrate only one side at a time. Like initial floor

plans, initial elevations are part of the beginning of the

design process. They show the architects’ understanding of

what the building should look like. At the schematic design
3-6

Jail Design Review Handbook

Source: Kimme, D.A., G.M. Bowker, R.G. Deichman, D.E. Bostwick, and J.R. Rowenhurst, Jail Design Guide: A Resource for Small

and Medium-Sized Jails, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, 1998

Exhibit 13.

Design Development Floor Plan of a Cell

Exhibit 12.

Schematic Floor Plan (for Two Adjacent Housing Units)
How To Read Architects’ Drawings

3-7

ADULT HOLD

0 8 – 4 3 – 4 8 – 8

B1053 3’ – 0” 3’ – 4” 3’ – 4” 2’ – 0” 3’ – 4” 2’ – 0” 3’ – 4”

B1052

B1052A

B1052B

O

HALLWAY

B1053

29

B1053

ADULT HOLD FD

WT101A

CJ

19’ – 6”

Exhibit 14.

Portion of Construction Document Floor Plan

Exhibit 15.

Elevation Drawn During Schematic Design
3-8

Jail Design Review Handbook

Exhibit 16.

Building Sections of a Control Point and Housing Unit

Source: Kimme, D.A., G.M. Bowker, R.G. Deichman, D.E. Bostwick, and J.R. Rowenhurst, Jail Design Guide: A Resource for Small

and Medium-Sized Jails, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, 1998

Exhibit 17.

Building Section of an Intake Area

Source: Kimme, D.A., G.M. Bowker, R.G. Deichman, D.E. Bostwick, and J.R. Rowenhurst, Jail Design Guide: A Resource for Small

and Medium-Sized Jails, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, 1998

Exhibit 18.

A Section of One Portion of a Jail With

Housing Units and Other Components

Source: Len Witke, The Durrant Group, Inc., http://www.durrant.com
DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE OF

CHECKLISTS

This section consists of checklists that may be helpful

for jurisdiction representatives to use while reviewing

designs. Although many of these questions may be obvious to some design reviewers, there are so many issues

to think about while designing a jail that even the most

experienced design reviewer is likely to overlook the potential impact of some design elements.

Therefore, depending on experience level and background, the questions on these checklists

run the gamut from self-evident to challenging.

These checklists are meant to serve as—

• Additional ways to help ensure that your jail design works well, is compatible with your

jurisdiction’s philosophies and objectives, promotes safety and security, and meets all

applicable standards and other requirements.

• Reminders of what to look for when reviewing designs. 

• Questions that can be asked of other project team members—including your jurisdiction’s

designers—to verify decisions.

• Means to find potential problems that need to be corrected before the design proceeds to the

next phase. It is important to catch potential problems as early in the design process as

possible because, as a general rule, changes made early are the easiest, quickest, and

cheapest to make. 

• Ways to verify that your architects are following the jail’s functional/operational and

architectural program.

These checklists are intended to enhance good planning and design practices, not to replace

them. They cannot take the place of any planning or design tasks or project team members.

Even if they have these checklists and other manuals, it is recommended that jurisdictions select

architecture and engineering teams with extensive jail design knowledge and experience. These

Checklists

Chapter 4

4-1
checklists should help the team do a better job in meeting

your jurisdiction’s needs.

Most of these checklists are organized by jail component.

For example, all questions regarding administration areas

are grouped together. As most design review is conducted

component by component, organizing the checklists in this

way should expedite the design review process. The jail

component checklists begin with checklist 2. 

Some questions are more general and pertain to many jail

components. These are grouped together in checklist 1.

This checklist does not address building codes and standards; most of these vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction

and are more applicable to later phases of design. In addition to mandatory requirements such as the Americans

with Disabilities Act, your jurisdiction may decide to follow optional standards and guidelines, like those of the

ACA. Adhering to building codes, standards, and guidelines can enhance safety and security and help minimize

or prevent successful litigation against your jurisdiction. 

Because building codes, standards, and guidelines are

changed periodically, it is vital that your jurisdiction

obtains and uses the very latest applicable standards and

guidelines at the time of design and design review. Some

of ACA’s commonly followed current standards are included in these checklists.

Although most of the questions on the checklists can be

addressed during the schematic design process, you may

find that many questions are answered during planning and

programming, and others cannot be determined until later

in the process, during

design development.

This depends in part on

the level of detail in

your jail’s architectural

program (the more

detailed it is, the

greater the number of

questions that should

be answered before design). It also depends on your architects’ scope of services during each phase of design (some

go farther during schematics than others). The checklists

were developed based on the assumption that it is better to

have too many questions than too few; questions that are

already answered or are premature can be quickly read and

skipped. It is recommended that your jurisdiction use these

checklists again during design development, focusing on

questions that could not be answered at the schematic

design stage.

These checklists cannot be absolutely complete. First, it

would make them so long and tedious that few people

would use them. Second, because each jail design is at

least partially unique, some questions should be developed

by your jurisdiction’s design reviewers based on unique

features of the design. Therefore, the checklists focus on

major issues and concerns and are not exhaustive of all

questions that could or should be raised during schematic

design review. Your jurisdiction may want to add questions

that are important to your locality. Space for additional

questions is provided.

4-2

Jail Design Review Handbook

These checklists are

intended to enhance

good planning and

design practices, not

to replace them.
Checklist 1

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

1. Is the jail design consistent with your 

jurisdiction’s mission, objectives, and 

philosophy on the following issues?

• Security.

• Protection of the public.

• Inmate and staff safety from other inmates.

• Provisions for staff to do their jobs.

• Provisions for inmate or family reintegration.

• Treatment and rehabilitation of inmates.

• Other community concerns.

• Relationships with other portions of your 

jurisdiction’s justice system.

• Changes over time in technologies, 

population categories and numbers, 

operations and management, staffing, 

and programs.

• Future expansion.

Checklist 1. General

Each of these questions is applicable to many or all jail components. Your jurisdiction’s design reviewers may therefore

wish to refer to this checklist multiple times—when reviewing each component.

4-3

General

✓

continued on page 4-4
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Cost-efficiency: initial costs.

• Cost-efficiency: operational costs.

• Other portions of your mission statement 

and objectives.

2. Is the schematic design consistent with 

the architectural program?

• Are all the spaces listed in the program 

document shown in the design?

• Are all the spaces in the right locations 

(correct adjacencies)?

• Are all the spaces the correct size and 

configuration to accommodate their functions 

and users?

• If there are differences between the schematic

design and the architectural program, are 

these differences for good reason, and are 

they acceptable?

3. Is the jail’s design consistent with your 

jurisdiction’s decision to bring services and

programs to the inmates (at housing units) 

or to bring inmates to services and programs

(e.g., central dining rooms or classrooms)?

4. Does the flow of spaces—the adjacencies—

fully support the movement patterns 

desired by your jurisdiction?

General

Checklist 1

4-4

Jail Design Review Handbook
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

5. Do all spaces where natural light 

(windows) is desired face outside 

walls? (Note: ACA standards now accept 

“borrowed light”—natural light flowing 

from one space, such as a dayroom,

into cells.)

6. Are all doors and corridors through which 

food carts, laundry carts, medical carts,

and stretchers may pass wide enough to 

accommodate them?

7. Are all physical disabilities—not just the 

inability to walk—addressed?

• Are there raised signs with large letters and 

numbers and contrasts in lighting and color 

for the visually impaired?

• Are there visual alarms and sound-absorbing 

materials for the hearing impaired?

• Are telephones equipped with telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDDs) in 

intake and housing units?

• Are there convenient toilets and low bunks 

for the elderly and the pregnant?

• Do all spaces that may be occupied by 

wheelchair-bound individuals have 5-foot 

turning radii, larger toilet rooms, low counters 

and telephones, and ramps or elevators?

8. Are entrances, corridors, door widths,

bathrooms, and level changes in all staff 

and visitor areas accessible to the 

handicapped?

continued on page 4-6

Checklist 1 

4-5

General
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

9. Are all inmate common areas (intake,

visiting, recreation, multipurpose,

classrooms, health care, dining, and 

dayrooms) accessible to the handicapped?

10. Is there a workable plan to add jail capacity 

in the future, if needed?

11. Is the jail’s housing capacity adequate to 

meet inmate projections for at least the 

next 10 years?

12. Are the jail’s support and program areas 

adequate to support inmate projections for 

at least the next 10 years?

13. Can all areas support projections for the 

next 20 years? If not, can each area be 

operated differently (e.g., expanded laundry 

hours) or physically expanded?

14. Are windows and yards to which inmates 

will have access located so that the public 

cannot see inmates or throw or pass 

contraband to them?

15. Is the entire perimeter secure?

• Are there pedestrian and vehicular sallyports 

and secure walls separating secure from 

nonsecure areas?

• Are entrances and exits through the security 

perimeter kept to a minimum?

• Are ceilings escape resistant (secure walls to 

ceilings, even where acoustical ceilings are 

used)?

4-6

Jail Design Review Handbook

General

Checklist 1
Checklist 1 

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Do secure walls and fences (that cannot be 

climbed and which the public cannot see 

through or throw items over) surround all 

outdoor and indoor/outdoor recreation areas?

• Are loading docks and service yards (e.g., for 

the kitchen) within fenced areas, and are there 

sallyports between service areas and areas 

within the secure perimeter?

16. Are there staff toilets in or near all areas?

Are they consistent with your jurisdiction’s 

preference regarding unisex or separate

male and female toilets?

17. Are there inmate toilets in all areas that 

will be used by inmates?

18. Are there janitors’ closets within or close 

to all areas?

19. Are blindspots in inmate areas kept to a 

minimum?

20. Will security require an overreliance on 

cameras, or can the design be improved

to increase staff observation?

21. Are the design and your intended staffing 

plan fully compatible?

22. Are layouts conducive to the supervision 

of inmate workers? Are all hallways and 

areas where inmate workers may work 

(kitchen, laundry, perhaps maintenance) 

fully visible from staff stations?

4-7

General

continued on page 4-8
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

23. Is the number of staff required to operate 

your jail acceptable to budget analysts 

and citizens of your jurisdiction (or can 

the design be modified to improve staff

efficiency without compromising operations

and security needs and objectives)?

24. Will the jail be conducive to high staff 

morale and retention?

• Will there be plenty of natural light and good 

airflow in staff work areas?

• Will building materials and finishes be used 

that absorb enough sound to minimize 

annoying, stress-inducing noise?

• Are staff work areas adequate in size for 

their functions? Are there places where 

staff can securely leave their purses, coats, 

and so forth?

• Is there a pleasant place for mid-shift meals 

and breaks?

• Does the design provide good visibility from 

staff workstations?

• Is the design supportive of manageable yet 

challenging and interesting assignments (ones

with some variety in location and tasks)?

25. Is the design conducive to administrators 

managing staff? Will all staff stations be 

visible to administrators?

26. Does the layout support a staffing plan with 

all positions having approximately equal 

workloads (such that no staff positions 

would result in too little or too much work)?

4-8

Jail Design Review Handbook

General

Checklist 1
Checklist 1 

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

27. Is the design fully supportive of positive 

communications among staff, inmates,

and administrators?

28. Does the jail design provide tools that staff 

can use to reward and discipline inmates 

(such as some housing units with more 

amenities and others that are “bare bones”)?

29. Is the design flexible enough to support 

future changes in your jail’s management 

approach?

30. Will the design support future changes to 

the population mix (e.g., if the proportion 

of females increases)?

31. If the proportion of pretrial and sentenced

inmates changes or the proportion of 

misdemeanants and felons changes, is the 

design flexible enough to support such 

changes?

32. If inmates will be using elevators or stairs 

(other than open ones within housing units),

are they easily monitored and controlled 

without requiring staff who are solely 

dedicated to this function?

33. Regarding fire safety—

• Has the fire marshal reviewed and approved 

the schematic design? (Note: This is the 

architect’s responsibility.)

• In the event of a fire, is it possible to evacuate 

inmates to confined and secure areas?

4-9

General

continued on page 4-10
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Are there secure fire evacuation areas?

• Are there two means of egress from all areas?

• Will all areas have fire sprinklers?

• Will fire sprinklers in cells and other areas 

occupied by inmates be tamper resistant and 

suicide resistant?

34. Regarding medical emergencies—

• Is there a secure location for an ambulance 

(to minimize the likelihood of inmates using

fake medical emergencies to escape)?

• Trace the paths between the ambulance 

location and all other areas. Are all corridors 

and elevators wide enough for stretchers 

and gurneys? Is there an absence of stairs?

35. Is there adequate storage space for the 

initial and expanded populations for—

• Blankets, mattresses, sheets, and towels?

• Uniforms for inmates and staff?

• Food—including refrigerated, frozen, and dry 

commodities?

• Office supplies and equipment?

• Security equipment (e.g., weapons)?

4-10

Jail Design Review Handbook

General

Checklist 1
Checklist 1

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Toilet paper and toiletries?

• Spare parts and furniture (e.g., for plumbing 

or tables)?

• Maintenance manuals and building plans?

• Staff and inmate records?

36. Will all or most staff workstations, offices,

and control rooms permit networking to 

the same computer system?

37. Will the exterior of the building and cost

be acceptable to the public? If not, what 

needs to change?

38. Will the business office and the loading 

dock be convenient and readily accessible 

to screened and approved vendors?

Will there be adequate parking and 

maneuvering space for large trucks?

39. Is there adequate and appropriate site 

area for—

• Staff parking (for the two busiest adjacent

shifts)?

• Visitor parking?

• Vehicular sallyport?

• Loading dock, with truck parking?

• Dumpster(s)?

4-11

General

continued on page 4-12
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Outdoor recreation (if not within the jail’s 

footprint)?

• Jail expansion?

• Sheriff’s office expansion (if co-located)?

• Other possible justice system functions 

(that might be co-located in the future)?

• Buffer?

40. Is the design fully conducive to energy 

efficiency? If not, what should be changed 

to make it more energy efficient? (Note:

This is one of many questions that should

be revisited during each phase of design 

and for each jail component.)

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

47.

48.

4-12

Jail Design Review Handbook

General

Checklist 1
Checklist 2 

4-13

✓

Checklist 2. Lobby and Visiting Area

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

1. Is the lobby large enough to accommodate 

the required number of chairs for people 

waiting to enter visiting areas and waiting 

to pick up inmates who are being released?

2. Are there enough public restrooms

adjacent to the lobby?

3. Are there enough toilets (or toilets and 

urinals) and sinks for the volume of people 

adjacent to the lobby?

4. Do public restrooms have space for babychanging counters?

5. Does the lobby have space for public 

telephones and a drinking fountain?

6. Does the lobby have space for visitors’

lockers? If coats are to be kept here, is 

there room for enough tall lockers? Are 

lockers located so that they do not 

obstruct security officers’ views of the 

entire lobby?

7. If your jurisdiction wants vending machines 

in the lobby, is there adequate space for 

them in a location that will not block 

visibility?

8. When people are in the lobby, will they see 

a receptionist (or other civilian staff) to 

whom they can direct questions or check 

in for visiting? (Note: This workstation 

could be in an adjacent area, and this 

person could have other responsibilities.)

continued on page 4-14

Lobby and Visiting Area
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

9. Will the entire lobby be visible from a 

control room or another continuously 

staffed security officer workstation?

10. Is the amount of openness and security 

between the receptionist’s work area and 

the lobby consistent with your jurisdiction’s

philosophies?

11. Is there space in the receptionist’s work 

area for a computer, printer, intercom, and 

telephone?

12. Are there one or more pedestrian sallyports 

between the lobby and areas within the 

secure perimeter?

13. When the receptionist’s work area is not 

staffed (e.g., evenings), will there be a way 

for people to enter the lobby and obtain 

information (such as through an intercom 

or staff in a workstation or control room)?

14. Is there a suitable place in the lobby for 

visitors to request visits (such as the

receptionist’s work area)?

15. Is there a suitable place in or adjacent to 

the lobby for visitors to be screened?

16. If staff will enter and exit through the lobby,

can they proceed through the lobby,

through a pedestrian sallyport, and into 

the secure perimeter without simultaneous 

access by unauthorized people?

4-14

Jail Design Review Handbook

Lobby and Visiting Area

Checklist 2
Checklist 2 

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

17. If there will be contact visits, is there a 

suitable place for a walk-through metal 

detector and a pocketbook or briefcase 

screener?

18. Is there a discreet and secure place 

adjacent to a pedestrian sallyport for 

visitors to be checked for contraband?

19. If your jurisdiction requires or wants 

contact visiting, is there a place where it 

can be continuously observed in a staffefficient manner?

20. If your jurisdiction requires or wants contact 

visiting, is there an entry sallyport for 

inmates that is accessible from housing 

units and another for visitors that is 

accessible from the public lobby?

21. If your jurisdiction requires or wants contact 

visiting, are there adequate public and 

inmate toilets in separate areas so that 

inmates and visitors cannot share these 

spaces?

22. If family reintegration is a goal, are visiting 

spaces conducive to parental bonding with 

babies and small children (contact visiting,

noncontact visiting booths large enough for 

several family members, sound-absorbing 

materials)?

23. Are there enough noncontact visiting 

booths for the anticipated numbers of

inmates and the maximum amount of 

time that your jurisdiction may allow 

inmates to visit?

4-15

Lobby and Visiting Area

continued on page 4-16
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

24. Will the visitor/public side of some noncontact visiting booths be large enough

for the number of visitors that each inmate

may be allowed to see at the same time 

(e.g., if spouses can bring children, will 

some booths near all housing units be 

large enough to accommodate one adult 

and three children)?

25. Has the issue of sound control in visiting 

areas been adequately addressed? Are 

there means to keep normal levels of 

speech in one booth from penetrating 

into adjacent booths?

26. Are all noncontact visiting booths located 

and arranged in a staff-efficient manner so 

all visitors and all inmates can be seen?

27. If your jurisdiction may have video visiting 

initially or in the future, are there booths 

for visitors and (separately) for inmates that 

will accommodate such, with space for 

cameras and screens (and conduits)?

28. Are all spaces that will be occupied by 

visitors and staff wide and large enough 

for wheelchairs to access and turn around?

29. Are there one or more janitors’ closets 

within or close to the lobby and other 

visiting areas?

30.

31.

32.

4-16

Jail Design Review Handbook

Lobby and Visiting Area

Checklist 2
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

1. Is the vehicular sallyport or secure 

vehicular yard large enough for the number 

of anticipated cars, vans, and buses?

2. Is the vehicular sallyport or secure 

vehicular yard laid out to avoid gridlock 

(is it conducive to exiting while other 

vehicles remain in the same place)?

3. Can law enforcement and prisoner transportation vehicles exit without backing out? 

(Drive-through configurations are safer.)

4. Is the height of the vehicular sallyport 

adequate for the tallest vehicles anticipated 

(buses or vans)?

5. Is the vehicular sallyport well vented?

6. Is there a dedicated place in the vehicular 

sallyport for secure weapons lockers?

Will the lockers be visible by staff within 

the intake and release area?

7. To avoid having inappropriate items stored 

in the vehicular sallyport, is there a separate 

maintenance garage and/or shops suitable 

for lawnmowers, paint cans, gasoline cans,

and so forth? (See checklist 12.)

8. Is there a pedestrian sallyport between the 

vehicular sallyport (or secure vehicular 

yard) and other parts of the intake and 

release area?

Checklist 3 

4-17

✓

Checklist 3. Intake, Booking, Classification, Transportation, and

Release (Including Pretrial Release)

continued on page 4-18

Intake, Booking, Classification, Transportation, and Release (Including Pretrial Release)
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

9. Are there a walk-through and a hand-held

metal detector within the intake pedestrian

sallyport?

10. Is there at least one inmate toilet in or 

adjacent to the strip-search room that may 

be used immediately after strip search?

11. Are sallyports visible by staff and controlled

from a secure control room?

12. Are there one or more places (rooms or 

alcoves) for strip-searching incoming 

inmates that maximize safety and security 

and provide appropriate levels of privacy 

for both male and female inmates?

13. Are there places for arresting officers 

to complete reports (manual and via 

computer), make phone calls, and use a 

toilet away from inmates and jail staff but 

near the vehicular sallyport?

14. Is there a room or alcove near the pedestrian

sallyport for a breathalyzer?

15. Is the intake and release area laid out so 

that incoming inmates, exiting inmates, and 

those going to or coming from court are 

separated from the other groups?

16. If yours is a medium-sized or large jail, are 

there semi-separate or (preferably) fully 

separate prebooking, booking, and postbooking waiting areas and holding cells?

17. Are there one or more secure connections 

between intake and release areas and 

housing units?

4-18

Jail Design Review Handbook

Intake, Booking, Classification, Transportation, and Release (Including Pretrial Release)

Checklist 3
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

18. If your jurisdiction accepts juveniles for any 

period of time, are there separate areas for 

male and female juveniles that provide 

sight and sound separation from adults 

and are continuously visible by staff?

19. Does the layout prevent male and female 

inmates from looking into each other’s 

booking or holding cells?

20. If your jurisdiction agrees that some

inmates in intake, transportation, and

release areas can wait in open waiting 

areas (rather than in cells), is there adequate

space for seating (away from circulation)?

21. Are staff stations located so that they 

facilitate visibility of the fronts of all cells,

waiting areas, toilets, and other spaces that 

will be occupied by inmates?

22. Are there one or more safety, isolation, or 

detoxification cells for inmates who are 

belligerent or under the influence of drugs 

or alcohol? Do these cells have soft but 

durable surfaces and floor drains?

23. Are these cells located so that they can be 

monitored continuously by staff who are 

able to have other duties?

24. Are toilets located in holding rooms or cells 

that give staff sufficient visibility (of upper 

bodies) while still affording inmates some 

privacy?

25. If there is an open waiting area for inmates,

is there at least one toilet adjacent to the 

waiting area?

Checklist 3 

4-19

continued on page 4-20

Intake, Booking, Classification, Transportation, and Release (Including Pretrial Release)
4-20

Jail Design Review Handbook

Intake, Booking, Classification, Transportation, and Release (Including Pretrial Release)

Checklist 3

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

26. Are there floor drains within or outside of 

holding cells and showers, and in the 

vehicular sallyport?

27. Are there intercoms in all holding cells and 

outside of vehicular and pedestrian

sallyports?

28. Are there places for pay and “free” telephones for incoming inmates and releasees 

that can be monitored and controlled by

staff in a time-efficient way?

29. To meet projected needs for the next 15 or 

20 years, are there enough—

• Booking stations?

• Release stations?

• Multiple-occupancy and single-occupancy 

holding cells for intake areas?

• Waiting area(s) (open) for intake?

• Multiple-occupancy and single-occupancy

holding cells and/or waiting area for release?

• Multiple-occupancy and single-occupancy 

holding cells for court staging (waiting to go to 

court) and for waiting to go to and from state 

prison and other jurisdictions’ jails?

30. Can all booking, release, and transportation 

workstations and other staff workstations be

connected easily to the jail’s computer 

network?
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

31. Is there a place for a printer close to each 

booking, release, and transportation station?

32. Is there a central and convenient place to 

store forms, make copies, and send and 

receive faxes?

33. Is there enough space to store inmates’

clothing, valuables, and other property (for 

current and future numbers of inmates)?

34. Is there a staff workstation with a networked

computer within or adjacent to inmate 

property storage?

35. Is there a safe or vault for inmates’ valuables

next to or behind the property storage staff 

workstation?

36. If your jurisdiction will be washing inmates’

personal clothes after it is determined that 

they will stay at least overnight, is there an 

alcove or room in intake for a small laundry?

If not, is the institution’s laundry nearby?

37. Is there enough space to store inmate 

uniforms, shoes, sheets, blankets,

mattresses, towels, and toiletries (for 

current and future numbers of inmates)?

38. Is the flow for intake functions conducive

to security, visibility, manageability, safety,

and staff efficiency?

• Is this also true for those being transferred to 

and from court, hospitals, etc.?

• Is this also true for those being released?

Checklist 3

4-21

continued on page 4-22

Intake, Booking, Classification, Transportation, and Release (Including Pretrial Release)
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

39. Is there adequate security between court 

staging (in the jail) and all criminal courts?

• Is there a secure corridor between the jail

and the criminal courts that will be used 

only by inmates and security staff?

• Will inmate movement to criminal courts not 

pass any areas occupied by the public or

other justice system staff?

• Will there be secure holding rooms adjacent 

to all criminal courts?

40. Is the flow conducive to separating three 

different populations: those being released 

from jail, those coming in, and those going 

to and returning from court?

41. Is there an appropriate place for medical 

and psychological screenings (e.g.,

acoustically private; visible by security 

staff; large enough for several chairs,

a table, and, depending on desired

operations, an examination table, a sink,

and a counter)?

42. Is the medical area convenient to the intake 

area or does the intake area have its own 

examination room for when initial medical 

examinations are needed?

43. Are there appropriate spaces for photographing and fingerprinting inmates?

44. Are there one or more showers with 

adjacent drying areas where clothing will be

exchanged? (Number of showers is based 

on capacity, policies, and procedures.)

4-22

Jail Design Review Handbook

Intake, Booking, Classification, Transportation, and Release (Including Pretrial Release)

Checklist 3
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

45. Is there an office for the supervisor or 

manager of the intake and release areas?

46. Is there a transportation office? Is it 

adequate in size for the number of 

transportation officers?

47. Are there offices for classification staff 

(these could be in or near intake housing)?

48. Are there spaces convenient to the intake 

and release areas for bail bondsmen,

attorneys, and law enforcement officials to 

interview inmates, make telephone calls,

access data (computer), and complete 

paperwork (these may include contact and 

noncontact interview rooms)?

49. Are there dedicated offices convenient to 

the intake and release areas for pretrial 

release staff to interview inmates, make 

telephone calls, access data (computer) 

and complete paperwork (these may

include contact and noncontact interview

rooms)?

50. Are contact and noncontact interview

rooms located so that they can be easily 

monitored, observed, and controlled by 

correctional officers?

51. Are one or more of the contact and noncontact interview rooms wired and 

configured for video interviews?

52. Does release connect through a pedestrian 

sallyport to the public lobby so releasees 

can meet those who are picking them up 

from the jail?

Checklist 3

4-23

continued on page 4-24

Intake, Booking, Classification, Transportation, and Release (Including Pretrial Release)
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

53. Are intake, release, and transportation 

areas all convenient to storage areas for

inmates’ personal property and valuables?

54. Is there sufficient work area for all other 

anticipated staff?

55. Is there sufficient staff storage area,

including a lockable space for handcuffs 

and other items that must be secured?

56. Is there a place for a refrigerator and,

ideally, a microwave, sink, garbage can,

and cabinets, so inmates who return late 

from court and those who are confined in 

intake during mealtime can have meals?

57. Are handicapped-accessible toilets 

available for male and female staff?

For male and female inmates?

58. Is a janitors’ closet (with a mop sink) 

convenient?

59.

60.

61.

62.

63.

64.

4-24

Jail Design Review Handbook

Intake, Booking, Classification, Transportation, and Release (Including Pretrial Release)

Checklist 3
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

1. Is the location of the administration area 

consistent with your jurisdiction’s decisions 

as to whether it should be within or outside 

the security perimeter?

2. If your jurisdiction has decided to separate

official visitors (e.g., justice system 

administrators) from other visitors—

• Is there adequate and appropriately located 

space for this function?

• Is there a secretarial or other staff station that 

could be used for greeting official visitors?

• Is there space for waiting?

3. Is there a place for meeting public officials,

community representatives, and other 

official visitors?

4. Does the administration area provide 

adequate and appropriate space to 

accommodate changes in staff positions 

and numbers?

5. Will all administrators who need acoustical 

privacy have private offices?

6. Is there adequate space for business and 

personnel functions (including a secure 

space for personnel files)?

Checklist 4

4-25

✓

Checklist 4. Administration, Security Administration, and

Central Control

continued on page 4-26

Administration, Security Administration, and Central Control
4-26

Jail Design Review Handbook

Administration, Security Administration, and Central Control

Checklist 4

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

7. Is there adequate space for all shift 

supervisors and command staff?

8. Are these spaces for shift supervisors and 

command staff located within the security 

perimeter but also convenient for staff who 

are starting and ending shifts?

9. Is there adequate space both now and in

the future for—

• All administrators?

• All secretaries, clerks, and administrative 

assistants?

• Inmate files (may be elsewhere, but within 

secure perimeter)?

• Staff files (secure)?

• Office supplies?

• Copy and facsimile machines?

• Meetings (could be shared with muster or

break room, depending on size of facility 

and frequency of use)?

10. Do administrators and staff have room to 

take breaks without having to walk to a 

distant part of the facility? (Depending on 

the capacity and size of the facility, this 

space may also be usable for muster and/

or meetings.) (Also see checklist 5.)
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

11. Does the break room contain a sink,

counter, cabinets with space for a 

microwave oven, a small refrigerator,

chairs, and one or more tables? (Also 

see checklist 5.)

12. Is there space for inmate hearings (disciplinary, etc.)? (Note: This could be in 

another part of the facility that is close 

to housing units. It is advisable that 

inmates not be allowed within the main 

administration suite.)

• If so, is it large enough and well configured 

for all participants?

• Is it soundproof?

13. Is there a secure holding room next to the 

hearings room?

14. Is the central control room consistent 

with your jurisdiction’s philosophy and

preference regarding whether central 

control staff should be adjacent to the 

public lobby, public or staff corridors,

visiting, or other areas?

15. Is there a sallyport between the central 

control room and other spaces?

16. Is there space in the central control room 

for all CCTV monitors needed initially, with 

room for others to be added later?

17. In addition to CCTV monitors, is there 

adequate and convenient space in central 

control for—

continued on page 4-28

Checklist 4 

4-27

Administration, Security Administration, and Central Control
4-28

Jail Design Review Handbook

Administration, Security Administration, and Central Control

Checklist 4

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Smoke and fire monitors?

• Door controls and alarm monitors?

• Panic button and alarm monitors?

• Building system (e.g., plumbing) shutoffs?

• Audio monitoring, radios, and intercoms?

• Telephones?

• Air packs?

• Fire extinguishers?

• Emergency medical equipment?

• Master key cabinet?

• Storage and distribution of communication 

devices for correctional staff?

18. If communication devices or keys are to be 

distributed from the central control room, is 

there space on the other side of the central 

control room for a secure pass-through 

window and for correctional officers to 

receive and return such items?

19. Is the central control room adequate in 

space and access for future technologies 

for later phases of your jail expansion (e.g.,

to avoid having two staff-intensive central 

control rooms)?
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

20. If the central control room is raised to 

make wiring in floor panels accessible, is 

there a ramp that meets Americans With 

Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements?

21. Is the restroom to be used by central control

room staff located so that it does not block 

important views from central control?

Is it within central control’s secure perimeter 

or nearby, depending on your jurisdiction’s

policies and procedures regarding restroom 

breaks for central control staff?

22. Is the restroom within or close to central 

control handicapped accessible?

23. Is there a central control equipment room 

adjacent to central control?

24. Is the central control room designed so 

that—

• Staff will be within easy and fast reach of all 

controls?

• Glare is avoided?

• Unnecessary visual distractions are avoided?

• Other staff can be added without changing 

the layout or equipment?

• Monitors are located so that they are 

comfortable to view (not too high) without 

blocking desired views?

Checklist 4

4-29

Administration, Security Administration, and Central Control

continued on page 4-30
4-30

Jail Design Review Handbook

Administration, Security Administration, and Central Control

Checklist 4

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

25. Is there an armory or a closet for weapons?

26. Is the armory outside the security perimeter,

but with its own high-security entrance 

(sallyport) and security perimeter?

27. In the armory, is there adequate and 

appropriate space for weapons, ammunition,

restraints, helmets, batons, and chemical 

agents?

28. Is there a designated staging area near or

(ideally) adjacent to the armory for the 

emergency response team?

29. Does the emergency response team’s 

room have space for large lockers, a work 

counter, and benches?

30. Is the emergency response team’s room 

highly secure, ideally with access via a 

pedestrian sallyport?

31. Are the procedures adequate for 

distributing, inventorying, and returning 

keys (or cardkeys) and staff communication 

devices (hand-held or on body)?

32. Is there a very secure place for storing and 

repairing locks and keys (or cardkeys)?

33. Regarding mail—

• Is there a dedicated room for receiving, 

scanning, inspecting, sorting, and distributing 

the institution’s and inmates’ mail, including 

packages and money orders?
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Is the mail room large enough to hold all 

packages, regular mail, tables or counters for 

sorting, a scanner, a scale, a postal meter, 

and a desk or work counter with a networked 

computer (for each mail staff member or, for 

small jails, for the staff there part of the time)? 

Depending on the distribution system, there 

may be a need for space for carts.

• Is there a suitable wall for passthrough 

mailboxes or slots (for administrators and 

staff)?

• Is it convenient for pickup and delivery?

34. Are all administrative areas accessible to

the handicapped?

35. Are their restrooms convenient for male 

and female staff working in all areas?

For official visitors? And next to the 

hearing room, for inmates?

36. Are janitors’ closets convenient to all areas?

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

Checklist 4 

4-31

Administration, Security Administration, and Central Control
Checklist 5 

4-33

Staff Support

Checklist 5. Staff Support

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

1. Are there sufficient security barriers

between staff vehicles, the staff (or shared)

building entry, key exchange, muster/rollcall,

and places where staff are assigned?

Are there unnecessary bottlenecks?

2. Does your jurisdiction want staff or visitors 

to enter and exit the jail via the same or 

separate doors and lobby? Is the staff entry 

to the jail consistent with this?

3. Is the space for staff to exchange keys (or 

cardkeys) and communication devices 

conducive to staff efficiency (so that staff 

who distribute keys can have other 

responsibilities)?

4. Are there staff weapons lockers (long and 

short) outside of the security perimeter?

5. Is there enough space for staff lockers for

purses, coats, umbrellas, and so forth,

consistent with your jurisdiction’s decisions

regarding—

• Whether staff will have permanently assigned 

or shared lockers?

• Whether lockers should be large enough for 

coats (therefore, long)?

• Whether support and program staff will also 

be able to use lockers? (This is important if 

your jurisdiction does not want health services,

food services, or other staff to bring coats or 

pocketbooks to their work areas.)

continued on page 4-34

✓
4-34

Jail Design Review Handbook

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

6. Are locker rooms large enough to accommodate anticipated growth in staff over 

time?

7. If your jurisdiction desires a staff exercise 

room, is one provided? If so, is it large 

enough for the desired pieces of equipment 

and number of occupants? Is it large enough 

for the expanded staff?

8. Is there at least one shower that male and 

female staff can use after exercise or for 

emergencies? Is there adjacent space to 

dry off and change clothes?

9. For all security and custody staff projected

to be on the day shift (the most staffintensive shift) in 10 years, is there a muster

or rollcall room that is large enough?

10. Is there a dedicated room for classroom 

training or a shared space, such as the 

muster/rollcall room, that will be available 

frequently enough to meet projected 

training requirements?

11. Is the classroom training room large enough

for tables (or student armchairs or desks)

and the maximum number of people that 

will be in a class?

12. Where will physical training take place? 

Does it provide at least 40 square feet of 

space per person at the desired class size?

13. If physical training will take place in a room 

used for other functions, is there a storage 

room that will accommodate mats and 

other related equipment?

Staff Support

Checklist 5
Checklist 5 

4-35

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

14. Is there adequate storage space for printed 

training materials, a large TV/VCR, and 

videotapes?

15. Is there a staff dining or break room?

16. Is the staff dining or break room within the 

security perimeter and quickly accessible 

from most staff stations?

17. Is the staff dining room large enough for 

about one-fourth the number of security 

and custody staff expected during the day 

shift 10 years from now?

18. Is there space available in the staff dining 

or break room for vending machines?

19. If your jail allows staff to smoke in certain 

areas, are there separate smoking and 

nonsmoking staff break areas?

20. If your jail allows staff to smoke only 

outside, is there a walled staff-only outdoor 

area that is inaccessible to the public and 

to inmates?

21. Are there handicapped-accessible staff 

restrooms near all staff and volunteer work 

areas? (Note: During schematic design,

the only indication of accessibility may be 

a larger size.)

22. Are all of the following staff areas accessible 

to the handicapped: staff dining, classroom 

training, physical training, and muster/

rollcall?

continued on page 4-36

Staff Support
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

23. If your jurisdiction will be washing or drycleaning staff uniforms, is there appropriate 

space for this that is close to staff support?

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

4-36

Jail Design Review Handbook

Staff Support

Checklist 5
Checklist 6 

4-37

Checklist 6. Housing

Many of the following questions were based on American Correctional Association standards in place at the time this

document went to press. It is strongly advised that your jurisdiction review all current national, state, and local standards,

codes, and guidelines that it must or chooses to follow and then revise these questions appropriately.

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

1. Are there enough housing units to fully 

support your jurisdiction’s classification 

plan (categories or housing units may 

include initial/classification housing,

maximum security, medium security,

protective custody, segregation, geriatric,

special needs/mental health [which may 

include geriatric], work release, and 

inmate worker)?

2. Are all of the same categories or housing 

units needed for your female population, or,

if your jail is relatively small and medium in 

capacity, is it more practical to combine 

some compatible categories? Are there 

enough units to support your classification 

and housing plan?

3. Is there adequate flexibility in the use of 

some units for various security levels and 

for males or females? (Trends show that 

the percentage of females is rising and 

other population categories will change 

over time.)

4. Are the housing units consistent with your 

jurisdiction’s philosophies regarding direct 

and indirect supervision? Are there staff 

stations, and, in the case of indirect 

supervision, control rooms in appropriate 

areas?

✓

Housing

continued on page 4-38
4-38

Jail Design Review Handbook

Housing

Checklist 6

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

5. Are the control rooms or staff stations 

located so that staff will have excellent 

visibility of all dayroom areas and the 

fronts of all cells, showers, and other 

adjacent spaces?

6. Does your jurisdiction want to bring 

inmates to services and programs, bring 

services and programs to inmates, or 

combine the two approaches? Are there 

spaces in or next to each housing unit to 

support this (these spaces may include 

classrooms, food delivery areas, indoor/

outdoor recreation areas, group counseling 

rooms, multipurpose rooms, interview rooms,

or medical examination rooms)?

7. If there are multipurpose rooms or 

recreation areas within or adjacent to 

housing units, will staff be able to see into 

all parts of these spaces from control 

rooms or staff stations?

8. If there are multipurpose rooms in or 

adjacent to housing units, are these large 

enough for intended activities and group 

sizes, even with anticipated overcrowding 

or double occupancy?

9. If there are recreation areas within or 

adjacent to housing units, are these large 

enough for intended activities and group 

sizes, even with anticipated overcrowding 

or double occupancy?

10. Is there an interview room, counseling room,

or office within each housing unit?

11. If there are medical rooms within or adjacent

to housing units, do they contain sinks and 

securable cabinets or closets?
Checklist 6

4-39

Housing

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

12. Are there drinking fountains in dayrooms 

and recreation areas?

13. Are there means for staff in control rooms 

or staff stations to communicate continuously with inmates in cells and other 

spaces? (If indirect supervision is used,

intercoms are especially important.)

14. Can all cell doors be released remotely 

from control rooms or staff stations?

Will there also be emergency overrides 

from central control?

15. Trace the path that officers will take when 

making rounds, looking into all cells and 

other spaces. Are staircases and doors 

between units in the best possible locations 

to facilitate staff movement?

16. How is visibility from staff stations and/or 

control rooms to the fronts of all cells and 

showers, all dayroom areas, and all other 

program and support space within (and 

adjacent to) each housing unit?

17. Where are blindspots, and can these be 

further minimized or eliminated? Are there 

as few blindspots as possible?

18. Will staff in housing units be visible by 

other staff? If not, will all staff have portable 

communications systems (such as two-way 

radios) with a man-down feature?

19. Are the sizes of cells and dormitories 

consistent with your state’s standards 

and those of the ACA?

continued on page 4-40
4-40

Jail Design Review Handbook

Housing

Checklist 6

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

20. Is the clear space within cells at least 

7 feet wide and 8 feet high?

21. Are there at least 25 square feet of “unencumbered space” per inmate in cells and 

dormitories? (ACA)

22. Are the capacities of housing units, especially those under direct supervision, staff 

efficient? On the other hand, are any units 

so large that they may be unmanageable,

require mixing population categories that 

should be kept separate, or sit half empty?

23. In housing units where inmates may be 

confined more than 10 hours per day, is 

there at least 80 square feet per occupant? 

(ACA)

24. Is the largest capacity of your dormitories 

no more than 64 inmates? (ACA)

25. Are dormitories partially or fully subdivided 

into groups of no more than four inmates? 

(ACA)

26. Is there enough capacity to accommodate 

populations above the anticipated average 

daily population without people sleeping 

on the floor?

27. If there are cells that will be single occupied

initially but may be double occupied in the 

future, are these cells large enough for 

furnishings and to meet standards?
Checklist 6

4-41

Housing

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

28. Are there enough showers to meet your 

state’s standards and those of ACA, even 

if cells are double occupied in the future? 

(ACA standards require at least 1 shower 

for every 12 inmates.)

29. Are there enough toilets and urinals to meet

your state’s standards and those of ACA,

even if dormitories are double occupied in 

the future? (ACA requires a minimum of 1 

toilet for every 12 males, up to half of which 

may be urinals, and 1 toilet for every 8 

females.) If males and females may use the 

same dormitory housing units at different 

times in the future, the more restrictive 

standards should be used (one toilet for 

every eight inmates).

30. Are there enough sinks to meet your state 

and ACA standards, even if cells are double 

occupied in the future? (ACA requires at 

least 1 sink for every 12 inmates.)

31. Are showers, door widths, visiting booths,

multipurpose rooms, and other common 

spaces in handicapped-accessible units 

also accessible?

32. If visiting booths are in housing units, are 

they all noncontact? Are they located so 

that visitors cannot see inmates in other 

parts of the units?

33. When inmates are in dayrooms, does your

jurisdiction plan on locking them out of 

their cells? If so, is there an inmate 

restroom adjacent to each dayroom?

34. If your jurisdiction plans on using unit 

management, is there an enclosed office 

within or close to every housing unit?

continued on page 4-42
4-42

Jail Design Review Handbook

Housing

Checklist 6

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

35. In all dayrooms, are there at least 35 square 

feet of space per inmate who may be 

occupying the space at the same time—at 

least half of the housing unit’s highest 

capacity (except for segregation units,

where dayrooms are usually used by no 

more than a few inmates at a time)? (ACA)

36. Do dayrooms have space (and utilities) for 

a drinking fountain and collect-only inmate 

telephones?

37. If inmates will eat their meals in their 

dayrooms, is there space in the dayrooms 

for the food services system you have 

selected? (Options include serving lines 

with steam tables, places to plug in cookchill carts, and areas for other carts,

beverage dispensers, microwave ovens,

counters, large utility sinks, or large 

garbage cans).

38. If inmates will (or may) eat their meals in 

their dayrooms, are floors and furnishings 

easy to clean?

39. If there are mezzanines in housing units 

where inmates may be confined to their 

cells most of the time, is there a way to 

bring food carts (and laundry carts,

commissary carts, library carts, and 

medical carts) from the main level to the 

mezzanine level (by elevator, dumbwaiter,

lift, or ramp)?

40. In housing units where inmates may be 

confined to their cells, are the walkways on 

mezzanines wide enough to accommodate 

carts and permit simultaneous inmate and 

staff movement?
Checklist 6 

4-43

Housing

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

41. Is there adequate lockable storage space in 

(or near) every housing unit for toilet paper,

basic toiletries, cleaning supplies, and at 

least a few extra blankets, uniforms, towels,

and so forth?

42. Is there a space for storing and cleaning 

mattresses (in or convenient to housing 

units)?

43. Are all units located so that inmates in one 

unit cannot see into the windows of other 

units? Are housing units located so that 

inmates cannot see into public or staff 

areas?

44. If there are secure indoor/outdoor recreation 

areas adjacent to housing units, are they 

located and designed so that—

• The public and other inmates cannot pass 

anything to inmates?

• Inmates cannot carry on conversations with 

people in other areas?

45. Are there floor drains in all dayrooms near 

all cells, showers, and drying areas; food 

serving and eating areas; and other 

potentially wet areas?

46. Are there janitors’ closets on every level in 

each housing unit?

47. Within special needs, geriatric, mental 

health, and medical housing units—

continued on page 4-44
4-44

Jail Design Review Handbook

Housing

Checklist 6

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Are there nurses’ stations or combination 

correctional officers’/nurses’ stations?

• Is there a higher proportion of handicappedaccessible cells and showers?

• Are there cells with complete visibility (more 

glazing on cell fronts) from staff stations?

• Are there call buttons or intercoms in cells?

48. In housing units that will or may be used 

for females, are views of showers, cells,

and toilets located to ensure privacy and 

visibility suitable for both genders? (If 

trends continue, the proportion of female 

to male inmates will increase and a higher 

proportion of female units will be needed in 

the future. Hence, some flexibility in 

designation of units is advisable.)

49. In housing units that will or may be used 

for females—

• Are capacities in each female unit relatively 

small (so that units occupied by females and 

other special populations are not so large that 

they are half occupied while other units are 

overcrowded)?

• Are there areas within dayrooms suitable for 

small groups—two to four inmates?

• Are there hair-care areas?

• Are toilets and showers located and screened 

so that male staff can supervise females and 

always know the location of all inmates (e.g., 

seeing heads and feet in showers) without 

jeopardizing inmates’ privacy?
Checklist 6

4-45

Housing

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Is the environment conducive to staff-inmate 

conversations (no barriers, sound-absorbing 

materials, and acoustical privacy)?

• Are there cells suitable for pregnant women

(low beds, some handicapped-accessible 

cells, and call buttons or intercoms)?

• For small jails where it is most practical to 

house all females in the same unit, is there 

a variety of cells within that unit, including a 

relatively small proportion of high-security 

cells and some suitable for the mentally ill?

• Are there provisions to increase the female 

capacity without expanding the building—if 

recent trends continue—with housing units 

that meet these criteria?

50. In housing units for inmates on work 

release, minimum-security inmates,

inmate workers, most females, and most 

inmates who have special needs or are 

mentally ill, will there be softer (and 

less costly and more appropriate) 

furnishings and fixtures?

51. If work releasees will be accommodated—

• Will there be dedicated work-release housing 

units for both males and females?

• Will there be an entry for work releasees with 

spaces for checking in and out, pat searches, 

coat lockers, and (with privacy screens) for 

strip searches?

• Will work-release housing units be separated 

from other housing units to restrict contact 

between work releasees and other inmates?

continued on page 4-46
4-46

Jail Design Review Handbook

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Will male and female work-release units 

have their own multipurpose rooms and 

mini-laundries—to minimize contraband?

52. If some inmate workers will be working 

outside of the security perimeter 

(e.g., maintaining the grounds)—

• Will there be spaces for inmate workers

to be checked in and out, pat searches, 

coat lockers, and (with privacy screens) 

for strip searches?

• Will housing units for inmate workers

be separated from other housing units to 

restrict contact between inmate workers

and other inmates?

• Will male and female inmate workers 

have their own multipurpose rooms and 

mini-laundries to minimize contraband?

53. Will the design of your jail facilitate equality 

between male and female inmates?

• If there will be a work-release program, are 

there suitable and dedicated work-release

housing units for both sexes?

• If there will be inmate workers are there 

suitable and dedicated inmate worker

housing units for both sexes?

54. Are the differences in design and amenities 

between maximum-security, mediumsecurity, and minimum-security housing 

units enough to encourage inmates to 

follow the rules (e.g., more “bare bones”

dayrooms with fixed furniture in maximumsecurity dayrooms; space for recreation 

equipment and movable furniture in 

minimum-security dayrooms)?

Housing

Checklist 6
Checklist 6 

4-47

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

55. In segregation units and other units where 

cell feeding is likely, are there food (and 

cuff) ports in cell doors?

56. In special needs, geriatric, mental health,

and medical housing units—

• Is there a higher proportion of handicappedaccessible cells and showers?

• Are there cells with complete visibility (more 

glazing on cell fronts) from staff stations?

• Are there call buttons or intercoms on cells?

• Is there additional space for counseling?

• Is there additional space for medical care?

57. Will your jail house juveniles? 

• If so, will juveniles be only in intake and 

short-term holding areas?

• If not, will they also be in housing units?

58. If your jail will house juveniles—

• Are units for juveniles sight-and-soundseparated from areas occupied by adults?

• Have provisions been made for male and 

female juveniles to be separated?

continued on page 4-48

Housing
4-48

Jail Design Review Handbook

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Are these units located so that they are 

continuously supervised?

• Is there at least one dayroom and recreation 

area (preferably outdoor or indoor/outdoor)?

• Will the kitchen be able to accommodate their 

special dietary requirements?

• Will they have access to daily, full-time 

academic programs?

• Will they have access to visiting, counseling, 

and religious programs?

• Are paths between juvenile housing units and 

activity areas located so that juveniles do not 

have sight or sound contact with adults?

59. Will all cells and dayrooms receive natural 

light either directly or indirectly (“borrowed 

light”)? (Note: ACA standards now permit 

cells to receive natural light that first 

passes through another space, such 

as the adjacent dayroom.)

60. Is there a place within all dayrooms or an 

alcove off the dayrooms suitable for 

haircuts?

• Are these places visible from the staff station?

• Do they contain a securable cabinet or 

closet for hair-care tools and, perhaps, a 

movable hair-care chair?

• In units that will or may be used by females, 

is there a suitable sink in or near the haircare area?

Housing

Checklist 6
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• For inmates in segregation, and, perhaps, 

maximum security, will the hair-care chair or 

area be conducive to using restraints?

61.

62.

63.

64.

65.

66.

67.

68.

69.

70.

71.

72.

73.

74.

Checklist 6 

4-49

Housing
Checklist 7. Inmate Programs: Library, Education, Counseling,

Religious Programs, Recreation, and (in Some Jails) Vocational

Training and Industries

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

1. Is the space for the following required 

programs adequate in size and 

appropriately located:

• Noncontact visiting?

• Recreation?

• Counseling?

• Distribution of and access to general library

books?

• Access to legal materials (law books)?

2. Has your jurisdiction determined if, how,

and where it will accommodate the 

following activities (which may be optional 

in your state):

• Contact visiting?

• Substance abuse counseling/self-help groups 

(such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics 

Anonymous)?

• Group counseling?

• GED preparation and other basic 

academics?

Checklist 7 

4-51

Inmate Programs: Library, Education, Counseling, Religious Programs, Recreation, 

and (in Some Jails) Vocational Training and Industries

continued on page 4-52

✓
4-52

Jail Design Review Handbook

Inmate Programs: Library, Education, Counseling, Religious Programs, Recreation, 

and (in Some Jails) Vocational Training and Industries

Checklist 7

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• College courses?

• Job skills and prevocational classes?

• Other life-skills courses?

• Vocational programs?

• Industries?

3. If volunteers will be leading programs—

• Is there convenient, relatively fast access from 

the lobby to program areas that volunteers 

will use?

• Are such places easily observable by security 

staff?

4. If your jurisdiction desires to provide most 

programs within housing units, are there 

multipurpose rooms or classrooms and 

counseling rooms?

5. If your jurisdiction desires to provide most 

programs within housing units, are there 

indoor/outdoor recreation areas in or 

adjacent to all housing units?

6. If your jurisdiction has decided to have 

religious services in a chapel rather than 

in multipurpose rooms, is the chapel 

convenient to all housing units, conducive 

to staff control and supervision, and 

nondenominational (including movable 

religious symbols)?
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

7. Whether religious services will be in a 

chapel or in multipurpose rooms, are there 

adjacent lockable storage closets for 

religious materials for all faiths?

8. If your jurisdiction desires to provide 

programs that will serve inmates in multiple 

housing units, are there centrally located,

easily accessible rooms that can be used 

for educational, religious, and counseling/

self-help programs?

9. Do the central program areas have enough 

program rooms to accommodate the 

number of programs that your jurisdiction 

plans for the future with flexibility for change 

over time?

10. If your jurisdiction plans on using the same

spaces for various programs, are there 

adequate, separate, and lockable storage 

areas for educational and counseling/

self-help materials?

11. Are the central program rooms arranged 

to facilitate unobtrusive supervision by 

security staff from outside the spaces 

(primarily through layout and glazing,

perhaps supplemented by cameras)?

12. Is there adequate office space in the central 

program rooms for staff, contracted 

teachers, volunteers, and others to work 

before and after presenting programs?

13. Are the spaces likely to discourage 

volunteers, teachers, counselors, clergy,

and others from working in your jail?

14. Are there restrooms for inmates and staff 

in the programs area, and are these 

accessible to the handicapped?

Checklist 7

4-53

Inmate Programs: Library, Education, Counseling, Religious Programs, Recreation, 

and (in Some Jails) Vocational Training and Industries

continued on page 4-54
4-54

Jail Design Review Handbook

Inmate Programs: Library, Education, Counseling, Religious Programs, Recreation, 

and (in Some Jails) Vocational Training and Industries

Checklist 7

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

15. Are the program rooms appropriate in size 

for the number of inmates that your 

jurisdiction allows to participate at the 

same time with flexibility for the future?

16. Do program areas comply with your state’s 

standards?

17. For providing general library services, has 

your jurisdiction decided to bring inmates 

to a central library, send book carts to the 

housing units on a regular basis, or have 

mini-libraries within all dayrooms? Is the 

library appropriate for this desired means 

of operation?

18. If your library will use a movable cart 

system, is there dedicated storage space 

for the carts?

19. Is there space for storing and sorting 

donated books, repairing books, and 

returning and checking out books?

20. If some or all inmate populations will go 

to the library, is it large enough in size for 

bookshelves to be low enough to allow staff

to see all library areas? (The lower the 

shelves, the more square feet are needed to 

hold the same volume of reading materials.)

21. Is there adequate room for the desired 

number of tables, chairs, carrels, and 

magazine and newspaper racks?

22. Whether your jurisdiction has decided to 

have a separate law library or to keep 

general and legal areas together, is there 

enough space for required legal documents 

and work areas without creating blindspots?
Checklist 7 

4-55

Inmate Programs: Library, Education, Counseling, Religious Programs, Recreation, 

and (in Some Jails) Vocational Training and Industries

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

23. Can security staff easily observe general 

and legal library areas without having to 

walk through these spaces?

24. If your state requires a separate indoor 

recreational area or gymnasium, is one 

provided?

25. If your state specifies a minimum amount 

of recreational space per inmate, does the 

floor plan comply?

26. Is there lockable space adjacent to all 

recreation areas for storage of recreational 

supplies (such as balls)?

27. Are there drinking fountains or water 

coolers in all active recreation areas?

28. If your recreational areas are indoor/

outdoor and stacked, has drainage been

adequately addressed?

29. For outdoor and indoor/outdoor recreation 

areas, have acoustics been adequately 

addressed (between housing units and 

between housing units and the public)?

30. Are the perimeters of all recreation areas 

high security?

31. Has secure fencing been considered for 

the top of recreational areas that might be 

especially vulnerable to escapes?

32. Does recreational space comply with ACA 

standards?

continued on page 4-56
4-56

Jail Design Review Handbook

Inmate Programs: Library, Education, Counseling, Religious Programs, Recreation, 

and (in Some Jails) Vocational Training and Industries

Checklist 7

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

If your jail’s capacity will be less than 100—

• For outdoor recreation, at least 15 square feet 

per person who will be using the space at the 

same time, with a minimum of 750 “unencumbered” square feet.

• For covered/enclosed recreation, at least 15 

square feet per person who will be using the 

space at the same time, with a minimum size 

of 500 “unencumbered” square feet and a 

minimum height of 18 feet.

If your jail’s capacity will be more than 100—

• For outdoor recreation, at least 15 square feet 

per person who will be using the space at the 

same time, with a minimum of 1,500 

“unencumbered” square feet.

• For covered/enclosed recreation, at least 15 

square feet per person who will be using the 

space at the same time, with a minimum size 

of 1,000 “unencumbered” square feet and a 

minimum height of 18 feet.

33. If your jurisdiction will have vocational 

programs and/or industries—

• If there will be potential contraband items in 

this area, is there a sallyport entry with a metal

detector and an adjacent strip-search area?

• Are there adequate and appropriate spaces for

classroom and hands-on teaching and, in the 

case of industries, production functions?

• Will security staff be able to supervise these 

areas easily?

• Are there appropriate ventilation, plumbing,

and electrical power?
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Is there adequate storage?

• Is there an office? If so, does it provide good 

visibility of learning and production areas?

• Is there convenient yet secure access from a 

loading dock, with wide corridors and doors?

34. If your jurisdiction will house juveniles,

are there suitable places for classes,

counseling, recreation, religious services,

and visiting, where juveniles will not mix 

with, see, or hear adult offenders?

35. Are restrooms near all program areas? Will 

these require extra staff to escort inmates?

36. Are all program areas accessible to the 

handicapped?

37. Are janitors’ closets convenient to all 

program areas?

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

Checklist 7

4-57

Inmate Programs: Library, Education, Counseling, Religious Programs, Recreation, 

and (in Some Jails) Vocational Training and Industries
Checklist 8. Health Services

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

1. If sick call will be partially or fully 

centralized, is there a secure waiting room 

that is easily observed by security staff?

2. Is the inmate waiting room at the entrance 

to the health services area?

3. In the waiting room and throughout the 

health services area—or in their housing 

units—does the design facilitate the 

provision of medical care to and the 

separation, observation, and control of—

• Difficult-to-manage, incorrigible inmates?

• Those in protective custody (who should not 

be mixed with general population inmates)?

• Female inmates (who should be isolated from

male inmates)?

• Juveniles, if your jail will house them (who 

should be isolated from all others)?

4. Is there an acoustically private place in the 

intake area for initial health screening?

5. If initial health examinations are to occur 

during intake, is there an examination room 

in the intake area designed to accommodate

an examination table, sink, counter, and 

lockable cabinets?

Checklist 8

4-59

Health Services

✓

continued on page 4-60
4-60

Jail Design Review Handbook

Health Services

Checklist 8

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

6. Is there an adequate number of detoxification cells in the intake or health 

services areas?

7. As health services is usually a difficult 

area to expand, are there enough of the 

following, not only for the initial inmate 

population of the jail, but also for the 

anticipated future population:

• Capacity of waiting rooms?

• Number of examination rooms?

• Number of infirmary rooms?

• Storage capacity for records?

• Storage capacity for wheelchairs, medical 

supplies, etc.?

8. Is there an emergency room (or a large 

examination room that will also be used 

for emergencies)?

9. Is the emergency room large enough for

a sink and work counter, a walk-around 

examination table, a portable x-ray 

machine, oxygen, splints, and so forth?

10. Are all spaces, corridors, level changes (if 

necessary), and door widths in the health 

services area accessible to the 

handicapped?

11. Is the floor plan consistent with how your 

jurisdiction plans on distributing medication? (In housing units, in the health 

services area, or where)?
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

12. If pill distribution is to take place in 

housing units, do dayrooms have water 

fountains and staging areas?

13. If pill distribution is to be centralized, is 

there a secure pass-through window, a 

waiting area, and a water fountain (on the 

inmate side)?

14. Is there a pharmacy or medicine storage 

room? 

• Is its perimeter secure, and are its cabinets 

lockable?

• Is it adequate in size for medication and 

related equipment such as syringes?

15. If initial or all sick calls are to take place in 

housing units, are there examination rooms 

or multipurpose rooms that can be used for 

examinations within or adjacent to all 

housing units?

16. Do all rooms where examinations will take 

place (in health services and in housing) 

have sinks, counters, securable cabinets,

and space for examination tables?

17. Are there inmate toilets with sinks next to 

examination rooms (for specimens)?

18. If dental examinations or treatments will be 

provided in the jail—

• Is there a space for one or more dental chairs 

with appropriate suction, sink, counter, 

lockable cabinets, lighting, and apparatus?

Checklist 8

4-61

Health Services

continued on page 4-62
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Is there an adjacent space, often called Dental 

Equipment, for dental plumbing and waste?

19. Are all examination and treatment spaces

located so that they can be observed and 

managed by both health services and 

corrections staff in a staff-efficient and 

effective manner (with glazing and viewing 

angles that allow multiple views from one 

place)?

20. Is the medical records area in a convenient 

location for all health services staff to 

retrieve, review, and record information?

21. Do the nurses’ stations have a good 

visibility of—

• All examination and treatment areas?

• The interiors of all infirmary rooms and other 

infirmary areas?

22. Is the nurses’ station large enough to 

accommodate a security officer?

23. Will there be offices for—

• Health services manager and/or chief nurse?

• Regular and part-time or visiting physicians?

• Psychiatrist, psychologist, and/or social 

workers?

24. Are these offices located in the best places 

for accessibility, manageability, and security?

4-62

Jail Design Review Handbook

Health Services

Checklist 8
Checklist 8

4-63

Health Services

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

25. Is there an appropriate space for—

• Medical reference materials?

• Meetings?

26. Is there an infirmary?

• Does it provide enough capacity for expected

peak populations?

27. Are there enough medical isolation cells 

for those suspected of having highly 

communicable diseases (such as 

tuberculosis)? Does each medical isolation 

cell have its own negative air system and 

monitor that can be turned off?

28. Are there individual showers and anterooms 

for each medical isolation cell?

29. Is there a sitz bath and at least 

one shower?

30. Is there a space for physical therapy with

a treatment table and parallel bars? (In 

smaller jails, this space may also serve 

other functions.)

31. Will the infirmary accommodate inmates 

who are mentally as well as physically ill?

32. If inmates who are mentally ill will be 

housed in the infirmary, is there at least 

one padded safety room?

continued on page 4-64
4-64

Jail Design Review Handbook

Health Services

Checklist 8

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

33. Is there a dedicated place in the health 

services area to store crutches, stretchers,

a gurney, wheelchairs, oxygen bottles, and 

medical supplies?

34. Is there a lockable closet for biohazardous 

medical waste that is not shared with other 

items or functions?

35. In addition to or instead of the infirmary, is 

there a need for a special step-down

housing unit for inmates who are elderly 

and weak, physically handicapped, mentally 

ill, or pregnant?

36. If one or more step-down units are provided,

do these units have adequate capacity for 

the present time and the future?

37. If one or more step-down units are provided,

do these units have an adequate number of 

handicapped cells and showers, and are all 

shared spaces (e.g., counseling room) 

accessible to the handicapped?

38. Are there toilet rooms for health services 

staff as well as inmates?

39. Is there a staff shower and eyewash in 

health services or nearby (for emergencies)?

40. Are there floor drains in the infirmary and 

step-down unit?

41. Is there a janitors’ closet within or very 

close to the health services area?
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

47.

48.

49.

50.

51.

52.

53.

54.

55.

Checklist 8 

4-65

Health Services
Checklist 9. Food Services

(For questions about staff dining, see checklist 5.)

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

1. Is the loading dock large enough for 

incoming foods and outgoing garbage as 

well as other functions (which may include 

trash, commissary, laundry, maintenance,

and storage/warehouse)?

2. Is access from the loading dock to the 

kitchen such that inmate workers or 

other inmates cannot escape via the 

loading dock? Are there sallyports that 

control movement?

3. Are all passage widths and heights 

adequate for stacked pallets and other tall 

and wide items?

4. On the floor plan, trace the flow of food 

from trucks to cold, frozen, and dry storage 

areas; to the food preparation area; to the 

traying area; to housing units and staff,

and, if provided, to inmate dining rooms; to 

washing areas; and to garbage and (clean 

trays) to food preparation areas. Is the flow 

of food—

• Efficient?

• Convenient?

• Easy for security and food services staff to 

observe, supervise, and manage?

5. Is the flow conducive to the means of food 

services production and delivery that your 

jurisdiction selected?

Checklist 9

4-67

Food Services

continued on page 4-68

✓
4-68

Jail Design Review Handbook

Food Services

Checklist 9

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

6. If your jurisdiction is planning on using the 

cook-chill method, is there adequate space 

for bringing large amounts of food to almost

frozen temperatures, storing prepared cold 

foods, and reheating them?

7. Are all areas of the kitchen—including 

preparation, washing, and storage areas—

large enough for projected future inmate 

populations and staff? If not, is there a 

workable expansion plan?

8. Is there a secure closet with shadow 

boards for knives? Is this close to and 

visible from the office?

9. Is there a visible and secure area for 

storing yeast and other items that inmate 

workers may try to use for unacceptable 

purposes (e.g., to turn into alcohol)?

10. Is there adequate space for—

• Service delivery or staging?

• Food carts?

• Coolers and freezers?

• Dry storage?

• Ice machines?

• Stoves, ovens, kettles, and deep fryers?

• Food preparation?
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comments

• Baking (if applicable)?

• Meat cutting (if applicable)?

• Tray assembly?

• Dishwashing and pot washing?

• Steam tables?

• Managing, ordering, planning, and 

supervising?

11. Between the warehouse and food services,

are dry, refrigerator, and freezer storage 

areas large enough to accommodate the 

following items for initial and future needs:

• Government-issued commodities?

• Dairy items?

• Meats?

• Vegetables?

• Fruits?

• Paper goods?

12. Is there an appropriate office where the 

food services supervisor can meet with 

vendors, staff, and inmate workers; menus 

can be developed; and food items can be 

inventoried and ordered?

Checklist 9

4-69

Food Services

continued on page 4-70
4-70

Jail Design Review Handbook

Food Services

Checklist 9

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

13. Is there good visibility from this office to 

all food preparation and production areas 

and, ideally, to the loading dock?

14. Is there adequate out-of-the-way space to 

store food carts and trays now and in the 

future?

15. Are there a means and a place to store 

and reheat meals for those who return late 

from court, work-release, and so forth?

Will this enable late meals to be served 

at appropriate hot and cold temperatures 

without being overcooked?

16. If any populations will eat in dining rooms 

(other than dayrooms), will such dining 

rooms be adjacent to the kitchen? Will 

they be large enough for—

• The expected number of diners (at each 

seating)?

• A serving line?

• Beverages, a water fountain, and an ice 

machine?

• A salad bar?

• Tray returns?

17. Is there a suitable place for food services 

staff to store uniforms, change clothes, and 

lock up coats and purses? (Leaving purses 

and coats in the staff locker room reduces 

the likelihood of contraband.)
Checklist 9 

4-71

Food Services

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

18. If inmate workers are to change uniforms

in the kitchen, is there a suitable place 

for this, with lockers?

19. Is there a staff toilet, inmate toilet, and 

large janitors’ closet with mop sink?

20. Is there a place for kitchen staff and inmate 

workers to have midshift meals?

21. Outside, is there—

• A covered loading dock with load leveler 

large enough for one or more trucks, 

dependent on the size of your institution?

• A place for a dumpster?

• A place for recycling?

• Area for at least two large trucks?

22. Are the outside food service elements 

within a secure, fenced-in area that is easily 

observable (by windows and/or cameras)?

23. At the inmate-worker entrance to food 

services, is there a sallyport or space that 

can be used for stopping, pat searching,

and, if necessary, strip-searching inmate 

workers to ensure that they do not leave 

food services areas with contraband?

continued on page 4-72
Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

24. Is the material selected for the kitchen floor 

durable, sanitary (meeting health codes),

and slip resistant? Are there floor drains 

with proper slopes?

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

4-72

Jail Design Review Handbook

Food Services

Checklist 9
Checklist 10 

4-73

Commissary (Canteen)

Checklist 10. Commissary (Canteen)

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

1. Is the commissary convenient to the 

loading dock?

2. Is the path from the loading dock to the 

commissary free of narrow doors and steps?

Is it conducive to the movement of large 

and heavy items?

3. Are the perimeter, doors, and windows of 

the commissary fully secure?

4. Is the door (or pair of doors) to the 

commissary at least 3 feet wide?

5. Is the commissary large enough for—

• The expected quantity and sizes of items for 

the initial inmate population?

• The population that is projected for the future?

• Dry storage?

• Refrigerators and/or freezers (depending on 

your jurisdiction’s policies)?

• Order makeup area?

• Cart storage?

continued on page 4-74

✓
4-74

Jail Design Review Handbook

Commissary (Canteen)

Checklist 10

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

• Work area with desk, networked computer, 

and printer?

6. If your jurisdiction has decided that inmates 

will order items while in their housing units,

that staff or vendors will bag items in the 

commissary, and that items will be carted to 

housing units and distributed to inmates—

• Can carts be moved easily from the commissary to all housing units? (Are there no stairs, 

and are all doorways wide enough for carts?)

• Are there places such as dayrooms in housing 

units for commissary forms, commissary order

boxes, and commissary distribution?

7. If inmates will pick up items at the 

commissary, is there a secure, lockable 

pass-through window with a waiting area 

on the inmate side of the window?

8. If your jurisdiction may have a (private) 

vendor operating your commissary, is the 

commissary in a location that can be easily 

observed by staff?

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.
Checklist 11. Laundry

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

1. If your jurisdiction has decided that some 

inmate populations (such as females or 

work releasees) should do their own 

laundry, are there laundry rooms or areas 

in their housing units?

2. If laundry rooms are in housing units, does 

each have a sink and space (and power 

and, perhaps, natural gas) for at least one 

commercial dryer and washer and a 

folding table?

3. Will all or most inmate uniforms and other 

clothing, towels, sheets, and blankets be 

stored in the central laundry?

If so, is it large enough?

4. Will the central laundry be large enough

for—

• The washing and drying of inmate uniforms 

and jail-issued underwear for, depending on 

your jurisdiction’s intent, all inmates, all male 

inmates, or all higher security inmates?

• If some or all inmates are allowed to have 

their own clothes, the washing and drying 

of such clothes?

• Towels and sheets used in housing units?

• Towels and sheets used in health services 

areas?

• Towels and uniforms used in intake and

release areas?

Checklist 11 

4-75

Laundry

continued on page 4-76

✓
4-76

Jail Design Review Handbook

Laundry

Checklist 11

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

• Towels and uniforms used in food services 

areas?

• Blankets?

• Mops?

5. Will the medical area have its own washer 

and dryer? If not, are there procedures in 

place for cleaning its towels, sheets, and 

other linens, in compliance with sanitation 

and health standards?

6. Will the intake area have its own washer 

and dryer? If not, is the laundry convenient 

from the intake area? Does the laundry have 

adequate capacity for this additional load?

7. Is there enough space in the central laundry 

for the anticipated numbers of washers,

dryers, folding tables, and shelving units?

8. Will the equipment that the laundry has 

been sized to accommodate be adequate 

for the future projected inmate population 

(e.g., in 15 years)?

9. Is the laundry conducive to the supervision 

of inmate workers (no blindspots or low 

shelving)?

10. If your jurisdiction wants mending to take 

place in the laundry, is there space for a 

sewing area?

11. Will laundry carts fit through all doorways 

between the laundry and all housing units,

the intake area, and the medical area?
Checklist 11 

4-77

Laundry

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

12. Is there adequate space to service washers 

and dryers?

13. Can large washers and dryers easily be 

replaced? Are doors and corridors wide 

enough?

14. Are there floor drains and adequate means 

of ventilation in the laundry?

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.
Checklist 12

4-79

Maintenance

Checklist 12. Maintenance

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

1. Are there maintenance shops for all types 

of building repairs (carpentry, painting,

plumbing, heating/cooling/ventilation,

electrical, and electronics)?

2. Is there a maintenance office with space 

for a computer, printer, plain racks or 

drawers, and file drawers or bookshelves 

for equipment manuals, catalogs, and 

warranties?

3. Is there a secure tool room and/or lockable tool shadow boards for maintenance 

tools that could be used as weapons and 

other contraband?

4. Is the tool room accessible from the 

maintenance shops?

5. Is there adequate space in the maintenance 

area or warehouse to store replacement 

and repair items such as lumber, plumbing 

pipes, air filters, electrical wire, and paint?

6. Is there a secure and physically isolated 

closet or room for chemicals, caustics, and 

other potentially dangerous substances? 

(Often, this is a separate specially built 

structure.)

7. Is there enough space to store yard 

maintenance items such as lawnmowers,

snowblowers (if needed), gasoline cans,

and shovels?

✓

continued on page 4-80
4-80

Jail Design Review Handbook

Maintenance

Checklist 12

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

8. Is yard maintenance storage secure so 

that tools do not become weapons or 

contraband?

9. Are all maintenance areas easily visible by 

staff in both the office and the shops?

10. Will the maintenance area be outside the 

security perimeter? If so, will other physical 

barriers keep inmate workers from leaving 

the jail?

11. Is there a suitable place to strip-search 

inmate workers before they return to 

housing units?

12. Will large items fit through entries to 

maintenance work and storage areas (with 

either double doors or roll-type wide doors)?

13. Are plumbing chases in housing units,

intake, medical, and other areas large 

enough for maintenance staff to access 

and make repairs?

14. Is there an eyewash or shower in the 

maintenance area?

15. Are there places for staff and inmate 

workers to change clothes?

16. Are there toilets for staff and inmate 

workers?

17. Is there a janitors’ closet with a mop sink,

a mop rack, and shelving in the maintenance area?
Checklist 12

4-81

Maintenance

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

18. Does the emergency generator have 

enough capacity for must-have electrical

items throughout the jail?

19. Are all mechanical and electrical rooms 

large enough for the equipment and for 

repair people to work on all sides of the

equipment?

20. Are elevators and corridors sufficient in 

size, and is there an absence of stairs 

between the loading dock and equipment 

rooms so that water heaters, HVAC 

equipment, etc. can be replaced easily?

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.
Checklist 13

4-83

Warehouse

Checklist 13. Warehouse

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

1. Is there adequate space adjacent to the 

warehouse (and kitchen) for the maximum 

number of large trucks that will be loading 

and unloading items?

2. Does the site plan show enough space for 

large trucks to get in and out without 

backing up?

3. Is there a loading dock that will 

accommodate all of these trucks at the 

same time?

4. Is the loading dock (or loading and 

unloading area) covered to protect items 

and people from inclement weather?

5. Does the loading and unloading area have 

appropriate security measures? Does the 

design keep inmate workers from leaving 

the grounds? Does the design prevent 

inmate workers from receiving contraband? 

Does the design of the loading and unloading area inhibit the public from entering the 

jail (to help others escape)?

6. Is there a covered and enclosed receiving 

and staging area for items entering and 

leaving the jail? (This could double as a 

sallyport.)

7. Is the loading dock area visible from a 

staff station and the central control room 

(via camera)?

continued on page 4-84

✓
4-84

Jail Design Review Handbook

Warehouse

Checklist 13

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

8. Based on projected numbers of inmates and 

staff in 10 or 20 years from now, is there 

adequate space for dry, refrigerated, and 

frozen food storage in the kitchen and/or 

the warehouse?

9. Are food storage areas adequate in size for 

your jurisdiction to save by buying in bulk?

10. If your jail will accept federal government 

commodities, is there space in the kitchen 

or the warehouse for these?

11. Is there a separate and secure storage 

room for commissary items?

12. Is there adequate space for storing toilet 

paper, toiletries, and hygiene supplies for 

the projected number of inmates 10 or 20 

years from now?

13. Is there adequate storage space for 

mattresses, towels and sheets, clothes,

and shoes?

14. Is there adequate storage space for extra 

toilets, sinks, desks, beds, and so forth?

15. Is there adequate storage space for office 

supplies and equipment?

16. Is there a secure and separate storage area 

for medical supplies (in the warehouse or 

the medical area)?

17. Is there a secure and separate storage 

room for chemicals?
Checklist 13

4-85

Warehouse

Reviewer Response

Not

Design Review Questions Yes No Sure Comment

18. If your jail will have vocational or industry 

programs, is there adequate space for 

storing supplies and finished items?

19. If your jail’s maintenance area does not 

have adequate space for storage, is there 

adequate space in the warehouse for 

maintenance parts and supplies?

20. Is there a warehouse office or workstation 

with good visibility of all areas that may be 

occupied with inmate workers?

21. If your warehouse will accommodate food 

service items, is it convenient to the food 

services area?

22. Are there double doors or wide roll-up 

doors between the loading dock and the 

warehouse and between the warehouse 

and access to other areas?

23. If your jurisdiction wants to use pallet 

shelving and pallet movers, are ceilings 

high enough for two or three layers?

Are aisles wide enough for pallet movers

to maneuver?

24. Are toilets available for staff and inmates?

25. Is there a janitors’ closet?

26.

27.

28.
CONCLUSION

If this document has worked as intended,

you and other design reviewers from your

jurisdiction whose positions and areas of

expertise complement your own have

actively participated in the design review

process.

You may have found that design review can be tedious, time consuming, and challenging and

that it limits design reviewers’ ability to do their primary jobs within normal working hours.

Hopefully, your constructive comments have resulted in a better design, others have appreciated

your work, and the positive and lasting affects of your review will become even more apparent

once the new jail is up and running.

Ideally, your design review team and your architects and engineers are working extremely well

together, and the teamwork and hard work will result in a jail that—

• Will work precisely as desired and needed by your jurisdiction, supporting its mission and

needs both in the near term and in the more distant future.

• Meets the requirements of a wide array of users and owners, including intake officers, housing unit managers, cooks, counselors, jail administrators, sheriffs, maintenance staff, nurses,

volunteers, county board members, chief administrative officers, budget and finance directors,

and public works engineers.

• Is completely compatible with and supportive of your jurisdiction’s staffing plan, policies and

procedures, functions, activities, and inmate populations.

• Is safe and secure for the public, staff, and inmates.

• Is staff efficient, but not overly lean; is a place where staff will want to work; and provides

an environment that will encourage staff to do their very best.

• Treats inmates humanely and provides programs consistent with standards and your community’s values.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Chapter 5

5-1
• Is within the construction budget.

• Will be durable, easy to maintain, and cost efficient to

operate.

NEXT STEPS

Although the “big picture” decisions about a jail have been

made by the end of the schematic design stage, the decisionmaking process continues through the remainder of the

design process, construction, and activation and transition.

As described in the introduction to this handbook, hundreds if not thousands of decisions remain to be made after

schematic designs are reviewed. These decisions involve

items such as flooring materials, plumbing fixtures,

drainage, acoustics, communications and control devices,

types of glazing, locks, doors, location of electrical outlets,

and furnishings. Because most of these items have an

impact on the operations of a jail, it is critical that jail

operators remain active in design review during the design

development and construction documents stages. The

design review team should include a variety of jail representatives: administrators, security staff, and those responsible for particular functions, including food services,

health services, and intake. The jail transition team should

continue to overlap with the jail’s design reviewers to carry

out the transition and activation plan successfully.

Because the next phases of design address numerous technical issues, it is critical that those with technical expertise

become even more involved in design review at these

stages. These reviewers should include maintenance staff

and professionals with expertise in building systems, engineering, and construction.

Based on availability of in-house expertise, time commitments, and other circumstances, it may be beneficial for

your jurisdiction to bring in additional people to review

design development and construction documents along

with your design review team. These may include your

planning and programming consultant, a jail manager who

operates a facility similar to your new one, other engineers

and architects with jail experience, a construction manager,

a cost estimator, and/or an owner’s representative.

Finally, continue to seek guidance from other resources,

such as the National Institute of Corrections’ Jail Center. 

Hopefully, your jurisdiction will not need to design another

jail for decades. No matter how talented or experienced

your architects and engineers are, your participation in

design review is needed to help them “get it right” for your

community. This is your and your jurisdiction’s chance to

make a difference. Seize the opportunity to improve the

design—and therefore the operations, management, and

costs—of your jurisdiction’s jail.

5-2

Jail Design Review Handbook
APPENDIX A. GLOSSARY

adjacency (or bubble) diagram. A diagram showing the relationships among spaces within the

entire jail or a component within the jail (such as the food services area). Adjacency diagrams

may show flow or movement within areas, such as the processing of incoming inmates.

architectural program. A document stipulating the physical provisions needed to support

the operational requirements. An architectural program includes names, numbers sizes, and

descriptions of spaces and adjacency diagrams and may also include lists of major furnishings

and equipment for each space, significant architectural characteristics of each space, and consequential engineering requirements (such as stainless steel plumbing fixtures).

average daily population. The average number of inmates in a jail over a period of time

(e.g., 1 year). 

bidding. Once construction drawings and specifications are completed and approved by the

jurisdiction, they are submitted to interested contractors with the resources and experience to

build the facility. Each interested contractor estimates the total cost of labor, subcontractors,

materials, expenses, and overhead to construct the jail and the profit he will make and submits a

written bid. Often, the contractor who submits the lowest bid is awarded the project, as long as

the firm meets minimum qualifications.

blindspots. Places that cannot be seen due to visual obstacles.

bubble diagram. See adjacency diagram. 

building sections. Slices through a portion of a building. In the conceptual and schematic

design stages, building sections show the stacking of various components and spaces. In the

design development and construction documents stages, building sections show construction

details.

codes or building codes. Federal, state, and local regulations that dictate the construction of a

facility. Codes pertain to structure, building materials, accessibility to the handicapped,

mechanical systems, electrical systems, glazing, foundations, and numerous other items.

Appendixes

A-1
indirect supervision. The supervision and management of

inmates primarily by staff located in a control room separated from housing units by secure windows, walls, and,

sometimes, corridors. Under indirect supervision, staff control (and have visibility into) doors and other mechanisms

in two to six housing units. Control room officers must be

supplemented by rovers who walk through housing units

periodically to enhance supervision, answer questions, and

help provide services such as food distribution.

master planning. In the context of jail planning, there are

two types of master plans:

• Site master plans, which show how the jail can be

expanded over the next 10, 20, or more years.

• Justice system master plans, which typically include

staffing and space needs projections for 10 to 20 years

for the jail and sheriff’s department, courts, probation,

district or state’s attorney, public defender, and court

clerk’s offices; these plans also show expansion and renovation options. Justice system master plans may also

include simple block drawings illustrating expansion

and renovation over the duration of the plan.

natural light. Sunlight through windows or skylights.

needs assessment. Ideally, the first phase in the planningdesign-construction process. This phase includes developing inmate profiles and 10- to 20-year projections, studying

the jail in the context of the jurisdiction’s justice system,

and the spectrum of alternatives for pretrial and sentenced

offenders (note, sometimes alternatives for offenders are

considered part of master planning). Needs assessments

may include evaluating the existing facility, evaluating

existing operations, developing site criteria, and evaluating

potential sites.

net square feet (NSF). (Also known as usable square

feet.) The total amount of space in a building, excluding

space occupied by building structure, walls, corridors,

bathrooms, staircases and elevators, mechanical rooms,

electrical rooms, telephone or electronics rooms, and so

forth.

conceptual design. The first phase in which drawings are

the dominant tool and product. Usually, drawings in this

phase are composed of simple, single-line floor plans,

building sections, elevations, and site plans.

construction documents (CDs). Detailed floor plans, elevations, sections, and drawings of specific areas (such as

window, door, and staircase details); detailed engineering

plans (structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, electronic), and detailed written specifications (see definition).

CDs are reviewed after the design development stage.

design development (DD). The period following the

schematic design stage, when detailed drawings and specifications are produced. This includes detailing floor plans,

elevations, and sections and producing drawings that show

all building elements including staircases, windows, and

doors. All drawings are to scale and, in addition to the

architecture, show structure, lighting, electrical outlets,

electronics, plumbing, and mechanical systems. All construction materials are also indicated.

design review. The ongoing process of asking questions to

ensure that the design is “right”; helping ensure that

designs will work for your community, your inmates, and

your staff; and reviewing the work of architects, planners,

and engineers.

direct supervision. The supervision and management of

inmates by staff working in the housing unit. Under direct

supervision, staff are responsible for a single unit. 

elevations. Two-dimensional images of what a building

will look like from various angles.

floor plans. Layouts of components (e.g., intake and

health services areas) and spaces within components (e.g.,

booking counter, holding cells) in relation to each other.

glazing. Glass, windows.

gross square feet (GSF). The total amount of space in a

building, including space occupied by building structure,

walls, corridors, bathrooms, staircases and elevators,

mechanical rooms, electrical rooms, and telephone or

electronics rooms.

A-2

Jail Design Review Handbook
transition team. A group of people who work together

with the architect and others involved in designing the

jail to plan and execute the transition from the existing

jail to the new or expanded jail. Typically, transition

teams are primarily composed of seasoned and energetic

jail staff and administrators. They are actively involved

in the planning phase, design review, developing job

descriptions and policies and procedures, training, and

activation and transition.

unit management. An administrative system that subdivides a prison or a medium- to large-sized jail or juvenile

facility into smaller units. Generally, each unit accommodates 100 to 500 inmates, and units are further divided into

housing units or pods. Under this system, staff members

have decision-making authority for institutional programming and living conditions for the inmates assigned to

their unit, within broad rules, policies, and guidelines

established by the agency or the facility administrator.

value engineering (or value analysis). Controlling or

reducing construction costs by substituting building types,

building systems, materials, or finishes that reduce costs

without compromising objectives and needs. 

vitreous china. Porcelain. In jails, usually refers to sinks

and toilets.

operational program. A written document that specifies

operational requirements for a facility. In the case of jails,

these include activities, functions, programs, services,

staffing levels (by shift and category), inmates (numbers by

category), type of inmate management and supervision

(direct or indirect), and hours of operation (for functions

that do not operate 24 hours a day).

peak population. The largest total number of inmates in a

jail over a period of time.

schematic design (SD). Scaled floor plans, building sections, elevations, and site plans. SDs almost always include

outline specifications indicating the types of engineering

systems, glazing (glass), doors, locks, and so forth and

sometimes also include three-dimensional perspectives (of

the exterior) and models of the entire building or portions

(such as housing units) of the building. SD follows the

conceptual design stage and precedes design development.

site plans. Drawings that show how buildings, parking

areas, outdoor recreation areas (if not within the building)

and other areas would appear from above. They may also

show security perimeters, routes for service and law enforcement vehicles, landscaping, site zoning, sidewalks,

how buildings can expand in the future, and neighboring

streets and other buildings.

specifications. Detailed written descriptions of building

systems, materials, and fixtures that supplement and add

specificity to architects’ and engineers’ drawings.

Appendixes

A-3
APPENDIX B. BIBLIOGRAPHY

American Correctional Association. Design Guide for Secure Adult Correctional Facilities.

College Park, MD: American Correctional Association, 1983.

———. Standards for Adult Local Detention Facilities (3rd ed.) Lanham, MD: American

Correctional Association, 1991 (reprinted in 1998).

———. 2002 Standards Supplement. Lanham, MD: American Correctional Association, 2002.

Farbstein/Williams and Associates. Corrections Planning Handbooks. Sacramento: California

Board of Corrections, 1982.

Henderson, J.D., W.H. Rauch, and R.L. Phillips. Guidelines for the Development of a Security

Program (2nd ed.). Lanham, MD: American Correctional Association, 1997.

Kimme, D.A., G.M. Bowker, R.G. Deichman, D.E. Bostwick, and J.R. Rowenhurst. Jail Design

Guide: A Resource for Small and Medium-Sized Jails. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of

Justice, National Institute of Corrections, 1998.

Kitchell CEM. More for Less: Jail Construction Cost Management Handbook. Sacramento:

California Board of Corrections, 1987.

Krasnow, P. Correctional Facility Design and Detailing. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997.

Liebert, D.R., and R. Miller. Staffing Analysis Workbook for Jails (2nd ed.). Washington DC:

U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, 2001.

Witke, Leonard R., (ed.). Planning and Design Guide for Secure Adult and Juvenile Facilities.

Lanham, MD: American Correctional Association, 1999.

B-1