U.S. Department of Justice

National Institute of Corrections

Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues
National Institute of Corrections

Morris L. Thigpen, Director

Michael A. O’Toole, Chief

Jails Division

Virginia A. Hutchinson, Project Manager
Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues

by

Gail L. Elias

Voorhis Associates, Inc.

Lafayette, Colorado

Kenneth Ricci, AIA

Ricci Associates

New York, New York

March 1997

This document was developed through funding from the National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice.

Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues / iii

CONTENTS

FOREWORD .............................................................. v

INTRODUCTION .......................................................... 1

The Female Inmate Population ............................................. 1

The Impact of Jail Size ................................................... 2

NEEDS ASSESSMENT PHASE .............................................. . 2

HistoricalTrends ....................................................... 3

Population Forecasting .................................................. . 4

Space Shortages Result in Diverting Women ................................ 4

Sentencing Methods Influence the Female Population ......................... 4

The Female Inmate Profile ............................................... . 4

Needs Assessment Warning Signs ........................................... 4

Needs Assessment Results ................................................ 5

PRE-ARCHITECTURAL PROGRAMMING PHASE ............................... 5

Classification .......................................................... 6

Population Variability ..................................................... 6

FlexHousing ..................................................... ...6

Coed Approaches .................................................... 7

Special Needs and Interests of Female Inmates ................................. 7

Medical and Health-Related Issues ....................................... 8

Visiting Issues ....................................................... 8

Coed or Same-Gender Activity and Treatment Programming .................... 8

Supplementing Programs for Women .................................... . 9

Equal Access .......................................................... 9

Supervision Strategies ................................................... . 9

DESIGNPHASE ........................................................ ..10

Space Programming Considerations ........................................ 10

Design and Layout Issues ................................................ 12

Podular Remote vs. Direct Supervision ................................... 12

Thin Slices of the Pie ................................................. 12

Flex Space for Housing ............................................... 13

Privacy and Supervision Strategies ...................................... 13

Visiting ........................................................... 14

Nursery and Living Areas ............................................. 14

ProgramSpace ................................................... ..15

BookingAreas ................................................... ..15

Coed Approaches ................................................... 15

CONCLUSION.. .......................................................... 17
iv / Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues

Tables

Table 1. Adult Male and Female Jail Inmate Populations ............................. 1

Table 2. Average and Peak ADP for Male and Female Inmates ........................ 3

Table 3. Most Serious Charges Against Male and Female Jail Inmates ................... 4

Figures

Figure 1. Number of Beds and Percentage of Jails with Those Numbers .................. 2

Figure 2. Sample Six-Bed Pod with 210 s.f. Dayroom .............................. 11

Figure 3. Sample Pod with Dayroom Sized for Necessary Support Functions ............. 12

Figure 4. Dutchess County Jail, Poughkeepsie, New York ........................... 12

Figure 5. Illustration of “Pieces of the Pie” ....................................... 13

Figure 6. Pod Section of Flexible 2-Story Housing Unit ............................. 13

Figure 7. Visiting Areas at Hudson County Youth Detention Center,

Jersey City, New Jersey ........................................... 14

Figure 8. Open Booking Area at Dutchess County Jail, Poughkeepsie, New York ......... 15

Figure 9. Coed Pod at Delaware Forensic Mental Health Facility, Wilmington, Delaware .... 16
Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues / v

FOREWORD

Historically, the nation’s jails have been designed and operated for the detention of male inmates.

Female inmates have constituted such a small minority of the jail population that they have often been

overlooked in terms of facility design, programs, and services.

Although women make up only about 11% of the jail population, their numbers have nearly tripled

over the last ten years. This increase has demanded that local officials identify and try to meet the

needs of female inmates, yet severe limitations in resources often impede the provision of services

specifically for women.

The National Institute of Corrections recognizes the challenge this poses for jail practitioners. This

document is intended to help local officials identify issues related to female inmates that should be

considered when planning a new jail. It takes into consideration that most jails have fewer than 100

beds, house both men and women, and face a variety of space constraints. We hope it will be useful

in designing new jails that provide adequate and appropriate housing for both male and female

inmates.

Morris L. Thigpen, Director

National Institute of Corrections

Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues / 1

INTRODUCTION

For the past 20 years, the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) has provided assistance to

jurisdictions challenged with planning and building new jails and detention facilities. Through the

Planning of New Institutions Program (PONI), NIC has provided training in a Total Systems Planning

Process, which begins with identifying the jurisdiction’s needs and ends with evaluating the newly

constructed facility. This framework breaks the facility development process into five discrete phases:

1. Master Planning or Needs Assessment,

2. Pre-Architectural Programming,

3. Design,

4. Construction, and

5. Transition.

To help jurisdictions identify the needs of their female inmate population for facility planning, this

document explores issues relevant to that population. The document was developed for smaller jails

with so few female inmates that a separate institution would be unwarranted. It identifies

considerations unique to the female inmate population that merit special attention during the planning

and design of a new or renovated jail or detention facility. The reader will note that the construction

and transition phases of the facility development process are not addressed as they are beyond the

scope of this document.

The Female Inmate Population

Female inmates have always been a “minority” within the larger, predominantly male jail population.

Although they continue to be a minority, they are a rapidly growing one. As shown in Table 1,

women comprised 7% of the national adult jail population in 1983; by 1996, they made up 11% of

the jail population. As a small but growing inmate subgroup in jails, women experience a number of

specific problems, some of which are directly related to the size and limited resources of the jail.
2 / Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues

The Impact of Jail Size

It is important to understand that the experience

of female inmates in prisons and large jail

systems is very different from the experience of

those detained in the majority of jails in the

United States. Prison systems and large jail

systems have separate institutions for women

with programs tailored exclusively for them. It

is here that most of the writing and research has

been done.

However, as shown in Figure 1, the majority of

jails in the United States have fewer than 50

beds and, at any given time, three to five women

are incarcerated in most. As a result, women in

these jails have tended to be “forgotten Source: BJS Bulletin, Jails and Jail Inmates 1993-1994.

inmates.” Often, because of the requirements Figure 1. Number of Beds and Percentage of Jails

for sight and sound separation of male and with Those Numbers

female inmates, the presence of one or two

women in a standard-sized housing unit increases jail administrators’ frustration while they try to cope

with either crowding or classification issues.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT PHASE

The needs assessment phase of the facility development process is when the local jurisdiction begins

to explore such questions as:

n How many beds should be constructed.

l What security levels are required.

l What size the housing units should be.

l How the jail is currently being used.

l How the jail will be used in the future.

l The program needs of the inmates.

l The best options for meeting those needs.

Many needs assessment activities focus on collecting and analyzing data. Typically, jurisdictions

conduct three types of statistical analysis. These analyses produce:

1. Historical trends, which describe recent patterns of average daily populations, the

number of bookings, and the lengths of stay in the jail;

2. A population forecast, which identifies the number of beds that the local jurisdiction

will need; and
Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues / 3

3. A profile of inmates held at the jail, including demographic, criminal history, and

arrest and release information.

Historical Trends

Historical trends help planners understand the factors that have shaped the jail population. As a result,

they are the basis for good planning for the female inmate population. Each jurisdiction should:

l Calculate and chart the average daily population of women held in the jail,

l Chart the number of women booked in the jail, and

l Calculate the length of stay of female inmates.

It is important to know if the trends for male and female inmates are similar, as they are often very

different. Differences may mean that:

l Program needs may be different, based on different lengths of stay,

l Female inmates are currently treated differently by the system.

One of the most important differences between the male and female inmate populations that should

be considered during the needs assessment phase is the degree of variation in counts, often called a

“peaking factor.” A peaking factor is the ratio or percent that results from dividing peak counts

(usually the top 10%) in any year by the average daily population (ADP) for that same year. Table

2 shows just how different this can be for the female inmate population in a county.

These numbers show that the female inmate population’s peak counts were no less than 156% of the

female ADP and were as high as 176%. The peak population of male inmates was as low as 120%

of ADP and as high as 126%. If the county planned its future housing capacity for women based on

the “average” peaking factor of approximately 125%, it would seriously underestimate the number

of beds needed for women.
4 / Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues

Basic statistics such as these can be a tremendous help to local jurisdictions that are planning new or

expanded facilities. Together with a sound method for forecasting jail populations, they can help

establish the number of beds required. With a good female inmate profile, they can also provide

information that is useful for classification, security designation, and program requirements.

Population Forecasting

Inmate population forecasts are the best predictor of future facility needs, assuming that the criminal

justice system continues to operate as it has in the past. However, particularly in the case of female

inmates, things change.

Space Shortages Result in Diverting Women. In many of the older, linear jails with open bargrate

cellblocks, holding female inmates can be very problematic. The cellblocks are typically all the same

size, and it may be difficult to meet the requirements for sight and sound separation from male

inmates. When the capacity of the women’s housing area is reached, the facility operator has no

ability to move women elsewhere in the jail. As a result, women are diverted from jail more frequently

than men in some systems.

Sentencing Methods Influence the Female Population. It used to be a very common practice to

forecast jail populations using the “at risk’ population (typically males between the ages of 18 and

28), which basically excluded women from the forecast. However, many states have shifted toward

mandatory, gender-neutral sentences for a variety of offenses. For instance, anyone convicted of

driving under the influence will serve the mandatory sentence, resulting in more sentenced men and

women in the local jail.

The Female Inmate Profile

Many jurisdictions assume that there are no

differences between the male and female inmate

populations. As shown in Table 3, however,

women are less likely to be charged with a

violent offense than men, but more likely to be

charged with a substance abuse offense. This

suggests some significant differences in the

need for both facility bed space and program

space (e.g., less high-security bed space and

more substance abuse programming space).

Needs Assessment Warning Signs

In the needs assessment, several warning signs

may suggest that a county’s female inmate

population might change when a new facility

opens.

Table 3. Most Serious Charges Against Male

and Female Jail Inmates
Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues / 5

1. Are there differences of more than one or two percentage points between

the number of women arrested and the number of women booked?

How different is this from the pattern for men?

2. Are there differences of more than one or two percentage points between

the number of women booked and the female percentage of the average daily

population? How different is this from the pattern for men?

If there are significant differences between arrests and bookings or in the treatment of comparably

charged men and women, a jurisdiction might expect that the female inmate population will be

different in the new facility. This is due to the propensity of the criminal justice system to fill all

available beds and the likelihood that a new jail would have more beds for women.

Needs Assessment Results

The needs assessment phase gives a local jurisdiction a valuable opportunity to understand its female

inmates and their specific needs. With a little additional consideration, jurisdictions can anticipate how

the female population might increase or decrease in a new facility. At the end of this phase,

jurisdictions will know:

1. How many jail beds they will construct for female inmates,

2. How these beds may be divided among the security levels, and

3. Why their female population is in custody.

These basic facts become the foundation on which the pre-architectural program for the facility is

developed.

PRE-ARCHITECTURAL PROGRAMMING PHASE

If the needs assessment phase is when jurisdictions decide to do something, the pre-architectural

programming phase is when they decide what to do. During pre-architectural programming,

jurisdictions typically decide:

1. How all of the basic programs and services will be provided to facility users,

including inmates;

2. How much and what types of space will be constructed;

3. How spaces will be arranged;

4. What specialized services will be delivered; and

5. How these specialized services will be delivered.

Perhaps because the number of female inmates, particularly in small jails, is limited, jurisdictions tend

to assume that what works for male inmates will also work for women. In addressing prearchitectural programming issues, jurisdictions should consider the above questions from the

perspective of both male and female inmates.
6 / Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues

Classification

A jail’s classification system needs to be “in synch’ with the facility. A well-designed jail provides for

separation of the various classification and custody levels of inmates. Most new facilities effectively

provide for separation of the male population. However, jurisdictions often forget that all of the

classifications that apply to the male population also apply to the female population. Women may not

be incarcerated in the same numbers, or at the same time, but eventually even the smallest jail will

encounter female inmates on work release and those who require special management, disciplinary

housing, or high-security housing. In the past, jurisdictions tended to think of women as comprising

a single classification level.

This issue is complicated by the fact that the economics of jail staffing strongly suggest that one staff

post should be used to supervise the female housing areas-and often that post may need to perform

other duties as well. In most jails, the number of inmates either observed or supervised by a single

officer is the most essential aspect of efficient jail staffing. To stretch budget dollars, most local jails

attempt to achieve a ratio of 1 officer to 48 or more inmates. As a result, women tend to be grouped

with at least one male classification, further establishing the concept of “women as one classification”

in the minds of facility operators.

This approach runs contrary to good classification practice. Most jail administrators frown on the idea

of housing male work release inmates with male inmates who do not have access to the outside

world, but routinely house female work release inmates in the same area as other female inmates.

Most jail administrators feel strongly that special management male inmates, such as those in

administrative segregation, need to be separated from general population inmates, but allow women

who should be treated as special management to be housed with other women because there is no

other option. During pre-architectural programming, jail operators should:

1. Use their profile data to determine the number of women who fall into each

classification category; and

2. Determine the best strategies, such as sub-dayrooms and “flex housing,” to

provide for classification separations within the female housing unit(s).

For more information on classification of female jail inmates, see Women in Jail: Classification Issues

by Tim Brennan and James Austin (NIC 1997).

Population Variability

During the needs assessment phase, most jurisdictions discover that the female inmate population

varies more than the male population. For example, a jail that has a 10-bed housing unit for women

may have a female population of 16 on one day, but 6 on another. A challenge for pre-architectural

programming is to determine the best strategy to address this variability while staying within the

project budget.

Flex Housing. One approach to variability is to develop housing areas that can be used by either male

or female inmates. This approach, called “flex housing,” also offers additional separation capability
Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues / 7

for the male population when the space is not required for women. In pre-architectural programming,

several issues should be considered:

1. Do the sight lines around both the women’s housing unit and the flex housing unit

provide for sight and sound separation? Do both units provide adequate privacy in

the placement of showers and toilets?

2. Is the number of toilets consistent with standards for female housing units?*

Coed Approaches. Coed housing is a relatively radical concept for jails. While complete sight and

sound separation of men and women in the housing areas is standard practice, a handful of jails have

developed some types of coed housing for two specific populations: mental health and work release.

At least two jails in this country operate coed housing units for mental health populations. Both use

direct supervision and staff the units with teams of mental health and corrections professionals. The

units are configured to include areas within the dayroom and unit that can be made “off limits” at

specific times, and they operate with a considerable amount of lockdown time. Both jails are located

in states that exercise strict control over jail standards, and at least one has been accredited by the

American Correctional Association.

For the work release population, more “ifs” apply. The basic issues are:

1. Whether the work release area can be a “community residential” facility, separate

from the jail (basically a non-secure program); and

2. Whether the state has standards or regulations that preclude this option.

No standard requires sight and sound separation of male and female residents in community residential

facility.

Residential facilities provide for separate sleeping areas, but allow male and female residents to share

common day space and program space.

It is worth noting that using coed areas is a common practice in small juvenile detention facilities and

is completely consistent with professional standards. The issue depends on the level of supervision

provided. While coed areas may not be the preferred choice for most jails, they may be suitable for

specific program areas.

Special Needs and Interests of Female Inmates

During the pre-architectural programming phase, planners should consider how all of the basic

services offered in the facility are used by female inmates and the concerns that relate exclusively to

women.

*American Correctional Association standards require toilets in a ratio of 1:8 for women and 1: 12 for

men. Substitution of urinals for toilets in flex housing units is inappropriate.
8 / Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues

Medical and Health-Related Issues. Staff of jail medical programs often feel that female inmates

use medical services more than their male peers, which suggests that easy access to medical services

is important. In addition, because some women are pregnant during their incarceration, traditional

jail bunks and fixed-seating arrangements in the dayroom or at dining room tables may present both

safety and comfort issues. These issues are easily addressed by providing some non-fixed seating.

Visiting Issues. Most jails are currently moving toward non-contact (security) visiting because of the

increased staffing required for contact visiting. However, although standards may not require contact

visiting and the jail may not want to provide it, there is a strong possibility that contact visiting may

actually be ordered for some women in custody. More than two-thirds of all women in custody have

children under the age of 18 who were living with them prior to incarceration.* While the proportion

of women whose children are placed in foster care or an institution is relatively small (less than

10%),* the courts have frequently required contact visiting for these inmates.

As a result, a county needs to consider where jail space, such as an attorney-client visiting area,

would be provided for this type of visit. Some local jails are merging the visiting function with a

specific program, such as developing parenting skills. Since women in custody are more likely to be

the custodial parent than their male peers, appropriate space for this type of programming might best

be located in proximity to both the female housing unit and the visitors’ entrance.

Coed or Same-Gender Activity and Treatment Programming. This issue is particularly difficult

for small jails. The competing forces are cost, time, values, and specific program needs and interests.

It costs money and staff time to provide programs for inmates, and providing separate activities for

men and women requires additional staff time. If volunteers are used to conduct programs, staff time

is also required for processing them in and out of the jail. Time also acts as a barrier to separate

programs because of the desire to fit program activities into a short program day (typically one shift

in small jails) and the fact that activity spaces are likely to be centralized or shared spaces. These

issues force jails toward coed programming.

On the other hand, most jail administrators seem to prefer to separate male and female inmates in all

aspects of operation. Because 40% of women in custody have been a victim of either physical or

sexual abuse prior to their incarceration,* the dynamics of coed programming can present unwanted

consequences for some of them. In those areas likely to be influenced by these dynamics, same-gender

programming is needed for female inmates. Women in custody may also have different interests in

some programming areas, such as recreation.

As a result, a jurisdiction needs to consider options that will allow for the same programs to be

offered separately for male and female inmates, as well as gender-specific programming. In prearchitectural programming, a jurisdiction should consider that:

1. Spaces that are likely to be heavily used by female inmates should be easily

accessible to them.

*BJS Report, Women in Jail 1989, 1992.
Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues / 9

2. Multi-use program spaces should be readily available to the female housing areas.

3. Benefits may derive from decentralizing some recreational activities for women

to be at or adjacent to their housing area.

Supplementing Programs for Women. Even a new jail will not provide for all the needs of the

female inmate population. In the absence of additional program development, particularly in small

jails, little will change for female inmates other than their immediate environment.

One approach for addressing the special program needs of female inmates is to locate resources in

the community that work specifically with women and find ways to either broker these programs into

the jail or develop a bridge or referral program. This approach has the added benefit of allowing the

women to continue with programs following release. Such community services and programs might

include a domestic violence victims’ assistance program, a women’s health program, a women’s

shelter, or self-help groups. Referral information should be readily available in the jail.

Equal Access

The courts have ruled that female inmates have a legal right to equal access to programs and services.

This causes difficulties in small jails when the jail requires complete separation of men and women

in program activities. Because the population of women is much smaller than that of men and the

demand for access to shared-use spaces is high, in practice women have seldom been afforded the

same degree of access to program activities.

This creates the greatest problem, at least from a legal perspective, in the area of work assignments

because, in many states, work is tied to the ability to earn “good time.” Traditionally, work

assignments in a jail have been limited to inmate worker or trusty jobs, including kitchen, laundry, and

maintenance work. In the 1980s and 1990s many jurisdictions expanded these opportunities to

include community service work outside the facility. Few small facilities can offer equal opportunities

for work assignments to male and female inmates. Jurisdictions that cite the problem of supervising

inmate workers will not prevail if that rationale is used to deny female inmates access to work

assignments.

As a result, jurisdictions should determine during pre-architectural programming:

1. How equal access to work assignments will be provided to female inmates.

2. Which programs will be coed; which will be same-gender; and which might be

either, depending on the nature of the programs and the classification levels of

the inmates to whom they are provided.

For an in-depth discussion of legal issues, see Women in Jail: Legal Issues by William C. Collins and

Andrew W. Collins (NIC 1996).

Supervision Strategies

While many jails have taken the position that female officers may supervise male inmates, relatively

few allow male officers to supervise female inmates. Some state standards or caselaw prohibit the
10 / Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues

supervision of female inmates by male officers. Although physical searches of inmates must be done

by staff of the same gender, there will be times when male staff will supervise female inmates,

particularly in small jails. This is a difficult issue for local jurisdictions, which must balance the rights

to privacy of the female inmate, the security concerns of the jail, the potential for false accusation of

a male officer, and the possibility of inappropriate actions (accidental or deliberate) by male staff.

During pre-architectural programming, jurisdictions need to consider how the jail design can allow

staff to easily observe the housing unit, while also providing for the privacy of female inmates,

particularly in toilet and shower areas.

Many jurisdictions planning new jails are exploring the concept of direct supervision (an inmate

management style in which corrections officers are posted in the dayroom of a housing unit to

supervise inmates). In the past, direct supervision was often thought to be only for large facilities.

However, over the past 10 years, direct-supervision units began to appear in facilities as small as 75

beds. To make direct supervision feasible in terms of cost, housing units must be large enough to

justify a staff post. In smaller facilities, female units are often not large enough for direct supervision.

As a result, facility operators should consider intermediate steps, such as assigning an officer to the

housing unit for part of the shift to provide increased interaction while supplementing other styles of

supervision.

Meeting the needs of incarcerated women can also be advanced by providing specialized training for

staff who will work with them. The training should include a variety of topics, ranging from

substantive knowledge of the resources available in the jail and the community to interpersonal

communications and training that increases staff awareness of the concerns of female inmates.

DESIGN PHASE

The majority of jails in the United States have less than 50 beds. At any given time, typically three

to five women are incarcerated in most of these jails, and this number may only go as high as nine on

a peak day. The small size of the female inmate population, in conjunction with classification

requirements, presents special design challenges for jail planners.

Space Programming Considerations

Once the needs assessment is done and the number and types of beds for women are established, the

next step is to identify the space requirements for the female population. Jurisdictions have often

considered the female unit as just another housing unit and assigned the same spaces as would be

appropriate for a typical male unit. However, the space requirements for the female housing unit

should be driven by a different set of program, operational, and geometric assumptions.

For example, dayroom space is often assumed to be 35 square feet (s.f.) per inmate. If the housing

pod has 24 cells, the dayroom is 840 net s.f., a space approximately 28 x 30 feet. If the female unit

has six cells as shown in Figure 2, the female dayroom by this calculation will have 210 s.f. (6 x 35),

a space roughly 14 x 15 feet. The dayroom usually accommodates tables and chairs, a passive
Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues / 11

Figure 2. Sample Six-Bed Pod with 210 s.f.

Dayroom

recreation area, circulation from the entry to the

showers and the cells, windows to bring in

daylight, and perhaps access to outdoor

recreation. A 210 s.f. dayroom space does not

adequately provide for these functions. In

addition, it is desirable for the cells to open to

the dayroom for visual surveillance.

To provide space for these relationships, the net

square footage is multiplied by a grossing

factor, or an efficiency factor.’ Because the

baseline number for the women’s dayroom is so

much smaller than the typical male unit, the

grossing factor will have to be greater than that

used for the male unit.

As a way to envision this, consider that the

women’s dayroom shown in Figure 2 has 58

feet of perimeter (4 sides, two of which are 14’

long and two of which are 15’). This perimeter

has to accommodate the six cells, each of which

is 8 feet wide from the midpoint of the wall of

one cell to the midpoint of the wall of the

adjacent cells. Just fitting the cells around the

dayroom will take 48 linear feet (6’ x 87, leaving

only 10 feet (58’ minus 48’) for the entry sallyport, showers, windows, officers’ toilet, janitor

closet, telephones, officer’s station, and service

pantry. The smaller space, with less perimeter, is less able to accommodate the basic elements needed

in and around the housing unit. Therefore, the smaller the number of cells, the greater the grossing

factor will have to be to accommodate the fixed dimensions of all the doors, windows, cabinets, etc.

Allowing adequate floor space is not intended to “make life easy for inmates”; it is essential to

improve visual openness and make it easier for the corrections officer to see, hear, and supervise

inmates. Figure 3 shows a dayroom appropriately sized to accommodate the necessary functions,

which are laid out to allow adequate space for pod entry, access to support areas and recreation, and

an officer’s station located to maximize supervision.

‘The grossing factor is a ratio between the gross square footage (g.s.f.) of an area (which includes

circulation, wall thicknesses, mechanical space-all of which must be constructed as part of the building) and

the useable or net square footage (n.s.f.) of the same space. A typical grossing factor for housing is 1.7. For every

1 n.s.f. constructed, an additional .7 s.f. must be provided.
12 / Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues

Design and Layout Issues

Podular Remote vs. Direct Supervision. The

floor plan in Figure 4 shows the Dutchess

County Jail in Poughkeepsie, New York. The

original jail, opened in 1984, is a podular remote

design. Each male pod has 14 cells. To accommodate the diverse female population, the

original designer subdivided a pod into slices to

separate women by classification levels. This is

an example of how a rigid building design

practically dictates that the female unit will be

oddly shaped and have less visibility from the

control area.

The new direct-supervision podular housing

units for male inmates each have 50 cells and

direct access to the outside. The triangular

geometry of the older design allows daylight to

only enter the cells, not the dayroom. The new

design allows daylight to enter the dayroom and

all cells and provides ready access to the

recreation deck and program areas, as well as

open lines of sight.

Thin Slices of the Pie. Many modern jails are

designed using triangular wedge- or pie-shaped

housing pods, and the officer sits in a control

booth at the apex of the triangle. To provide for

the various classifications of female inmates, the

designer will often subdivide the larger triangle

into several smaller pie-shaped pieces, still

keeping the control booth at the apex. Although

this appears to be the easiest and most costeffective option, it often presents obstacles to

inmate supervision and surveillance.

Figure 5 shows a wedge-shaped pod that was

subdivided into smaller units for female inmates.

The resulting units have “stretched” shapes that

funnel down toward the control booth. The

ability of the officer to see all areas in these

“slices of the pie” is hindered and may result in

serious safety, security, and operational problems.
Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues / 13

Don’t overlook surveillance and safety

concerns because of the straightjacket of

geometry!

Flex Space for Housing. Another reason that

“slicing the female housing pie” does not always

make sense is that this strategy cannot respond

well to the variability in female offender counts

and the corresponding changes in classification

levels. Simply putting a door between units does

not answer the challenge to design a housing

unit that can be occupied one day by inmates of

one classification level and the next day be split

into two or more distinct zones for a few days

and then revert back.

Figure 6 is a section drawing of such a flexible

housing unit, showing a two-story dayroom

with cells along the edge at each level. Adjacent

to the lower-level cells is an area with solid and

glazed walls, which can function as a separate

dayroom. The control booth officer can see the

lower cell fronts through the glazing of the

lower dayroom. When housing women of all

one classification, the lower dayroom doors can

be left open so that the upper and lower

dayrooms operate as one. When women of two

different classifications must be housed, the Figure 5. Illustration of “Pieces of the Pie”

doors to the lower dayroom are locked and the

lower unit becomes a separate area.

Privacy and Supervision Strategies. Since female corrections officers were first used in male units

over 10 years ago, privacy in toilet and shower areas has been an issue. There may be times when

male officers have to supervise female inmates, especially in smaller jails.

To provide privacy in toilet

areas inside the cell, designers should consider the angle

of view from the cell door

vision panel and the location

of the toilet. A short wall

partition approximately 3

feet high adjacent to the

toilet can provide an approFigure 6. Pod Section of Flexible 2-Story Housing Unit priate shielding of the lower
14 / Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues

body when viewed from the cell door. Likewise, creative design of partitions in the shower areas can

provide partial screening that meets the needs of both privacy and security.

Visiting. Access to visiting for women should be easily accomplished by a direct route. As shown

in Figure 7, in the Hudson County Youth Detention Center, the female housing unit is located close

to the visiting area and is accessible via the main corridor without passing by the male housing units.

This flexibility allows detention staff to have either same-gender or coed visiting without disruption

or distraction.

All visits are contact and most take place in a large (600 s.f) room. A separate contact visit room

allows visits with children and related programs without using the main visit room. Both visit rooms

are adjacent to the security perimeter, and visitors enter through a screening area and security

vestibule.

Figure 7. Visiting Areas at Hudson County Youth Detention Center, Jersey City, New Jersey

Nursery and Living Areas. Some jurisdictions permit women who give birth during their jail stay

to have their newborn live with them for a period of time. If allowing for this possibility, jail operators

and the architect will have to plan for the necessary equipment (e.g., a bassinet, changing table,

storage, etc.). It will be equally important to design and locate the shared mother/infant room to

maintain security and ensure that the newborn will not disturb the routine of the staff and inmates,

especially during the night hours, and to provide for the infant’s nap time. In a small jail, it may be

cost-prohibitive to dedicate space to a cell with a nursery that would only be used infrequently.
Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues / 15

Program Space. Most small jails attempt to schedule program activities during one shift to provide

adequate staff coverage for movement and program supervision. When men and women are separated

in program areas, additional space may be needed to provide equal access for women. If the

jurisdiction ever changes to coed programming, some program areas might become redundant. These

areas should be located so they can be easily converted to other uses or combined into larger spaces.

The circulation path for both men and women should be clean, adequately wide, well lit, and easy to

observe. Jail design is more space efficient and less expensive when both genders use the same

circulation path. Corridors are easy to manage when they have open lines of sight, few or no corners

or blind alleys, and are wide enough to allow inmates to pass each other without interference.

Figure 8. Open Booking Area at Dutchess

County Jail, Poughkeepsie, New York

Booking Areas. Figure 8 shows the open

booking area concept, which has been in use for

more than 15 years. Both male and female

arrestees sit in an open area while waiting their

turn to be booked, processed, and admitted to

the jail. A number of cells with glazed fronts and

toilets are available if arrestees are uncooperative.

Personal privacy must be maintained in the layout

of these cells.

Coed Approaches. The separation of male and

female inmates has been a “given” in most jails.

However, other secure institutions, including

juvenile detention, community corrections, and

forensic facilities, have developed coed programs.

In some specialized areas, such as forensic

housing units, local jails have begun to

experiment with the concept of not only coed

programming, but also coed housing.

Delaware Forensic Mental Health Facility.

The new 42-bed forensic facility at the Delaware

State Hospital (DSH), illustrated in Figure 9,

shows how the economic considerations of

staffing and building layout resulted in a coed

housing configuration. The forensic facility holds inmates determined to be incompetent to stand trial,

being tested to determine competence, and transferred from the department of corrections (DOC)

classified as “guilty but mentally ill.”

The facility is operated by the Delaware State Hospital using Department of Human Service

personnel, but security is dictated by the DOC. The management of the facility is geared toward

therapeutic and diagnostic functions but maintains a keen sense of the security issues inherent to a

mentally disturbed population. The layout of the sleeping rooms, toilets, and program space around

a central courtyard promotes visibility, keeps movement confined to a limited zone, eliminates hard-to-
16 / Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues

Figure 9. Coed Pod (Housing Unit A) at Delaware Forensic Mental

Health Facility, Wilmington, Delaware

During design, there was a

strong desire to segregate

the men into two populations based on behavior.

DSH staff realized it would

require additional staff to

segregate women in a third

housing area. It became evident that two housing units

would require a simpler

design than three and that

two housing units organized

around the interior courtyard would be easier to

operate. The longer this

option was considered, the

more sense it made, especially since one of the

primary goals of the mental health unit is to reinforce normal socialization and life skills. Supervision

had to be arranged to prevent sexual predation in the coed pod, but this was also true with an all-male

unit. Only men with a demonstrated ability to interact appropriately with women, based on behavioral

and criminal history, are permitted to live in the coed unit. Sleeping rooms and toilet facilities are

separate, but dining, programs, and recreation are coed.

supervise areas, and allows

a lot of daylight. This facility

has a secure building

envelope and a single fence

around it. Internally all

movement is controlled, the

housing units are direct

supervision, and two

inmates share each sleeping

room. The coed pod has 24

beds (18 male and 6 female),

and the all-male pod has 18

beds.
Women in Jail: Facility Planning Issues / 17

CONCLUSION

Planning for female inmates in small jails presents a variety of challenges to owners and designers.

The key issues are:

l Space Allocation and Housing-The problems associated with developing good sight lines

in smaller housing units like those typically occupied by female inmates require that space

allocations be calculated differently during the pre-architectural programming phase. The

female dayroom area allocations will be larger.

l The Need for a Variety of Housing Classifications-Female inmates need just as many

classification levels as male inmates, but the ability to provide the small number of cells for

each classification level is challenged by the geometry typically used for jail design. Flexible

use of day space is one solution.

l Privacy and Supervision-Layout of cells and shower areas must provide shielding of

female occupants in a way that preserves privacy without compromising security.

l Visiting, Program, and Booking Space-These areas can be either mixed- or singlegender. Scheduling is one way to provide segregation; design strategies provide alternate

ways to achieve the same goals.

l Coed Facilities-Coed facilities may work for some populations. Good design can help

staff maintain visual control and ease of circulation.

National Institute of Corrections

Advisory Board

Mary Jo Bane

Assistant Secretary for Children and Families

Department of Health and Human Services

Washington, DC

Shay Bilchik

Administrator

Office of Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency Prevention

Washington, DC

Norman A. Carlson

Adjunct Professor

University of Minnesota

Stillwater, Minnesota

Lynne DeLano

Vice President, Community Corrections

Pioneer Fellowship House

Seattle, Washington

Norman S. Early, Jr.

Senior Vice President

Criminal Justice Services

Lockheed Martin IMS

Denver, Colorado

Newman Flanagan

Executive Director

National District Attorneys Association

Alexandria, Virginia

Kathleen Hawk

Director

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Washington, DC

Eloy L. Mondragon

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Norval Morris

Professor

University of Chicago Law School

Chicago, Illinois

Barry J. Nidorf

Chief Probation Officer

Los Angeles Probation Department

Downey, California

Don Omodt

Sheriff, Retired

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Edward F. Reilly, Jr.

Chairman

U.S. Parole Commission

Bethesda, Maryland

Laurie Robinson

Assistant Attorney General

Office of Justice Programs

Washington, DC

Arthur M. Wallenstein

Director

King County Department

of Adult Detention

Seattle, Washington

Georgina Yuen

Honolulu, Hawaii

Judge Rya W. Zobel

Director

Federal Judicial Center

Washington, DC