Second Edition

WORKBOOK FOR JAILS
Morris L. Thigpen, Director

Virginia A. Hutchinson, Chief, Jails Division

Alan L. Richardson, Project Manager

National Institute of Corrections

World Wide Web Site

http://www.nicic.org
Staffing Analysis Workbook for Jails

Dennis R. Liebert and Rod Miller

March 2003 (second printing)

Second Edition
This document was prepared under cooperative agreement number 99J06GIK3 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 reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Copyright 2001, Dennis R. Liebert and Rod Miller

The authors authorize reproduction of all or any part of this copyrighted material if appropriate attribution is given

and if the material is not sold for a profit.

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

authorize others to publish and use all or any part of the copyrighted material contained in this publication.
.... ..... ..... iii

This second edition of the Staffing Analysis Workbook

for Jails updates the edition published by the National

Institute of Corrections (NIC) in 1988 to help improve

jail operations by improving staffing practices. Since

that time, the workbook has become a cornerstone of

NIC’s training and technical assistance activities related to jail staffing.

Many legitimate methods can be used to conduct a

jail staffing analysis. The first edition of this workbook presented a new methodology in an attempt to

allow both the expert and the novice equal opportunities for success. It encouraged more jails to implement comprehensive staffing analyses, which have

now become standard practice in many jurisdictions.

This workbook simplifies the jail staffing analysis

and allocation process, clarifies terms, and incorporates the experience of the field in the 12 years since

the first edition was published.

Foreword

While the procedures may initially seem complicated,

experience has proven that the process is effective

and rewarding. Jail managers have also discovered

many secondary benefits from this process.

NIC will continue to address jail staffing issues

through training offered by the NIC Jails and

Academy Divisions and through technical assistance. We hope this “how to” workbook will assist

others who wish to independently pursue improvements in their jail staffing practices. We invite all

jail practitioners involved in this work to contact

the NIC Jails Division for additional assistance if

needed.

Morris L. Thigpen, Director

National Institute of Corrections
.... ..... ..... v

Jail staffing challenges administrators, staff, and policymakers and poses a variety of serious problems.

Staffing a jail is expensive. In many jails, staff costs

can make up 70 percent to 80 percent of the annual

budget. Such a costly resource must be carefully managed, and assessing staff needs and allocating staff

in a jail setting are complex tasks. This workbook

attempts to simplify the process wherever possible.

The publication was developed to help improve jail

operations by improving jail staffing practices. It identifies a series of steps that build on one another to

produce a comprehensive and innovative staffing

plan. Users will find the workbook helpful in the

following situations:

■ Creating an initial staffing plan for a new facility

or conducting a comprehensive staffing analysis for

the first time.

■ Reviewing and evaluating an existing staffing plan.

■ Revising an existing plan in response to changes at

the facility or in policy.

Good staffing plans and practices go a long way toward

achieving the jail’s most important mandate: providing

safety for staff, the public, and inmates. Good staffing

improves a jail’s ability to provide programs and services, decreases potential liability, and helps ensure that

costly staff resources are used in the most efficient way.

The main difference between the approach presented

in this workbook and earlier staffing analysis methodologies is that the method described here quantifies

staffing on an hourly basis, rather than on a shift

basis. Unlike jail practices of 10 years ago, many jails

now operate with a variety of shift schedules; a jail

may have 8-, 10-, and 12-hour shifts; overlapping

shifts; and “power” shifts. Because of this diversity,

the amount of time each staff person works in a year

should be analyzed in hours.

The Introduction of this workbook discusses the elements of a staffing analysis, describes the benefits

Preface

derived from a comprehensive analysis, and sets the

stage for using the workbook. It provides an

overview of staffing issues, including the following:

■ Identifying staffing problems common to many

jails.

■ Detailing overtime usage and its causes.

■ Identifying unique characteristics of jails.

■ Identifying who should be involved in a staffing

analysis.

The next section introduces a comprehensive 10-step

staffing analysis process that breaks the work into

manageable tasks:

1. Profiling the jail.

2. Calculating net annual work hours.

3. Developing a facility activity schedule.

4. Developing a staff coverage plan.

5. Completing a staff summary.

6. Developing a schedule.

7. Evaluating, revising, and improving the plan.

8. Calculating operational costs.

9. Preparing a report.

10. Implementing the plan and monitoring results.

Step-by-step instructions are given to guide the user

in conducting the analysis, and sample forms are provided. The appendixes provide additional material

and information:

A. Methods for optimizing staff resources.

B. A discussion of the myth of staff-to-inmate ratios.

C. Blank copies of all forms used in the analysis.

(These forms will also be available online at the NIC

Web site, www.nicic.org.)
vi .... ..... .....

D. A formula for converting net annual work hours

to a shift relief factor.

Additional resource material that supports this workbook is available from—

NIC Information Center

1860 Industrial Circle, Suite A

Longmont, CO 80501

Phone: 800–877–1461 or 303–682–0213

Fax: 303–682–0558

Internet: www.nicic.org

E-mail: asknicic@nicic.org

The NIC Jails Division is a source of possible assistance with staffing analysis, including referral, training, and technical assistance:

NIC Jails Division

1960 Industrial Circle

Longmont, CO 80501

Phone: 800–995–6429 or 303–682–0382

Fax: 303–682–0469

Internet: www.nicic.org/inst/nicjails.htm
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Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

The Staffing Analysis Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 1. Profile the Jail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 2. Calculate Net Annual Work Hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 3. Develop a Facility Activity Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Step 4. Develop the Staff Coverage Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Step 5. Complete a Staff Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Step 6. Develop a Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Step 7. Evaluate, Revise, and Improve the Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Step 8. Calculate Operational Costs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Step 9. Prepare a Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Step 10. Implement the Plan and Monitor the Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Appendix A. Methods of Optimizing Staff Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Appendix B. The Myth of Staff-to-Inmate Ratios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Appendix C. Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Appendix D. Converting Net Annual Work Hours to a Relief Factor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Contents
viii .... ..... .....

Exhibits

Exhibit 1: Comprehensive 10-Step Staffing Analysis Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Exhibit 2: Sample Form A—Calculating Net Annual Work Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Exhibit 3: Sample Form B—Facility Activity Schedule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Exhibit 4: Sample Form C—Staff Coverage Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Exhibit 5: Sample Form D—Staff Summary Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Exhibit 6: Descriptive Statistics for Alternative Work Schedules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Exhibit 7: Sample Outline for a Staffing Analysis Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Exhibit A–1: Emerging Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Jail Staffing Issues

Staffing a jail poses many challenges and potentially

serious problems for administrators, staff, and policymakers, including the following:

■ Unexpected overtime costs.

■ Excessive amounts of compensatory time earned

by staff.

■ Overworked staff who burn out.

■ Staff turnover.

■ Frequent understaffing, which results in essential

posts and positions not being filled.

■ Inability to supervise inmates properly or provide

needed programs and services.

■ Increased incidents of assault and contraband.

■ Inability to provide required breaks for staff.

■ Lack of proper staff backup to handle emergencies.

■ Overreliance on part-time and reserve staff.

■ Inability to supervise staff properly.

■ Inability to provide adequate staff training, because

time cannot be scheduled.

■ Too few authorized full-time positions to provide

enough actual staff hours to cover jail needs.

A comprehensive staffing analysis can help solve

these and other staffing problems that jails face.

Symptoms Versus Causes:

The Overtime Example

The most common jail staffing issue centers on the

amount of overtime logged by jail staff. An examination of some of the underlying causes of excessive or

unexpected overtime reveals the need for a comprehensive staffing analysis.

Overtime and compensatory time (usually called

“comp time”) accrue when regular full-time staff

work additional hours, beyond their usual 40–43

hours per week. Under Federal labor laws, employers

Introduction

must compensate overtime hours at 11/ 2 times the

base pay rate or with paid time off (comp time) that

is earned at a similar accelerated rate.

A certain amount of staff overtime is inevitable in

jails. Sometimes staff must be asked to work beyond

their usual hours to respond to unexpected staff

shortages due to sickness or emergencies. Some jurisdictions prefer incurring higher rates of overtime to

hiring more full-time staff or operating below minimum

staffing levels. Overtime use also provides them with

a better trained and more experienced workforce

than does the alternative of using part-time staff.

Most overtime that will be required under a given

staffing structure can be predicted by anticipating problems, analyzing past practices, and making informed

calculations. Once overtime levels are predicted, proactive steps can be taken to reduce them. This staffing

analysis workbook will help jail officials, staff, and

others to—

■ Predict future staffing needs.

■ Diagnose the causes of staffing problems.

■ Design better staffing practices to address future 

staffing problems.

When viewed as a symptom of a staffing problem,

the underlying causes of overtime can be diagnosed.

Excessive overtime is often caused by one or more

of the following conditions:

■ Insufficient full-time staff positions authorized in

the budget to cover basic posts and positions

(minimum staffing levels).

■ Inability to hire enough staff to fill all authorized

staff positions, which may be related to difficulties

in recruiting enough qualified applicants, filling

positions in a timely manner, or retaining staff.

■ Inaccurate staff coverage plan for the jail (an inefficient shift schedule), which produces unexpected

demands for additional staff to address basic

problems and needs.

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.... ..... .....

■ Failure to anticipate situations that make full-time

staff unavailable to work their regular hours (such

as long-term disabilities, training time, and scheduled and unscheduled time off).

■ Failure to accurately calculate the actual number of

hours that a full-time staff member is available to

work during a year (net annual work hours).

■ Inmate crowding (above rated capacity); higher

custody classification of inmates than originally

planned; and increased bookings, releases, and

transports—all of which increase staffing levels

unexpectedly.

■ Staff-intensive programs.

When To Use This Workbook

This workbook helps officials and staff gain a better

understanding of staffing issues and develop a comprehensive staffing plan that will anticipate problems

and address the unique needs of each jail. Users will

find the workbook helpful in their efforts to—

■ Create an initial staffing plan for a new facility. 

■ Conduct a comprehensive staffing analysis of an

existing facility for the first time.

■ Review and evaluate an existing staffing plan.

■ Revise an existing plan in response to facility or

policy changes.

Staffing practices respond to the total jail setting and

must be evaluated and revised when any major component of that setting changes. A staffing analysis

should be conducted under the following circumstances:

■ When a new facility or major renovations are being

planned and designed. Analysis should occur at

several key points during the planning and design

process (prearchitectural programming, schematic

design, design development, construction documents) and during the transition phase.

■ When substantial changes occur in the facility,

inmate population (such as crowding), operating

philosophy, policies, or management approaches.

■ When no staffing analysis of the jail has been done

before. 

■ When preparing for the annual budget cycle, to

identify significant changes in the jail setting.

Benefits Derived From

Conducting a Staffing

Analysis

Staffing a jail is an expensive proposition. In many

jails, staff costs make up 70 percent to 80 percent of

the annual budget, and such a costly resource must

be carefully managed. Appendix A describes creative

practices and strategies that can increase efficiency

and effectiveness, often without adding staff.

A staffing analysis will reveal if jail staffing is deficient in any of several ways:

■ Too few staff are provided. 

■ The wrong type of staff is hired or retained. 

■ Staff are assigned to the wrong duties. 

■ Staff are not properly trained. 

■ Staff are not scheduled properly.

A well-conceived and properly implemented staffing

plan will solve these problems. Good staffing plans

and practices are important for achieving the jail’s

most important mandate: providing safety for staff,

inmates, and the public. Good staffing improves

the jail’s ability to provide programs and services,

decreases potential liability, and ensures that costly

staff resources are used in the most efficient manner.

Who Should Be Involved?

No single official or staff member can improve

staffing practices. Long-term success requires

that several stakeholders be involved, each with

meaningful opportunities to shape the staffing plan.

Participation may be secured by forming a team to

conduct the staffing analysis or by assigning the principal staffing analysis duties to a single person who

circulates findings to a larger group for review and

comment. While the latter method may prove easier,

it is not successful unless the larger group offers

comments and ideas that are considered carefully.

2
Many people have a stake in jail staffing practices.

Consider involving the following stakeholders in

the analysis:

■ The sheriff, correctional director, or other official

responsible for the jail.

■ Administrative and supervisory staff.

■ Line officers.

■ Program staff.

■ Contract service providers, such as health service

or food service.

■ Policymakers, such as commissioners, council

members, and city managers.

■ Budget analysts and personnel managers.

■ Representatives of labor organizations, such as

unions and bargaining units. 

■ Jail inspection officials.

Participation in any form provides a way to tap the

resources and ideas of relevant parties and increase

their commitment to the process. It also increases the

likelihood of their support for the end product. For

example, if they are involved in the process and help

shape its outcomes, staff may be more cooperative

if schedules need to be changed, and budget officials

may be more easily convinced of the need for additional funds.

Jail Characteristics and

Staffing Considerations

Both the unique operational characteristics of jails and

the associated staffing requirements pose challenges.

An understanding of these challenges provides an

important foundation for undertaking the staffing

analysis process.

Characteristics of the jail setting

Jail operations have many unique characteristics:

■ Jails operate continuously, 24 hours per day, 365

days per year.

■ Jails provide a wide spectrum of services, activities,

and programs for inmates.

■ Jails are high-risk settings, where inmates are often

dangerous to themselves and others.

■ Jail populations can fluctuate widely throughout

the year, and even on a day-to-day basis.

■ Many jail inmates spend only a few days in confinement. In some jails, up to 90 percent of all

inmates are released within 72 hours of admission.

■ Admission and release procedures require much

staff effort, but the peak periods of admission are

often difficult to anticipate.

■ Extensive documentation is required for all activities and procedures at the jail. 

■ Perimeter security and internal circulation must be

controlled at all times.

■ Supervision needs vary for different classifications

of inmates. 

■ Jails house both pretrial detainees and sentenced

inmates, and each group brings its own operating

imperatives and constitutional guarantees.

■ Staff turnover is high in many jails. 

■ Jail staff, administrators, and funding officials can

be held liable for jail operations and conditions.

Jail staffing considerations 

Several unique operational characteristics of the jail

setting must be considered:

■ Backup must be provided for staff in all areas of

the jail. When a staff member has to respond to

problems, critical incidents, or contingencies, other

staff must be readily available to provide support.

■ Continuing inmate supervision should be provided

in all jails. Supervision extends beyond just observing inmates at regular intervals. Effective supervision demands contact between jail staff and inmates;

jail staff must be able to “interact” and “act.”

■ A constant minimum level of staffing is required

to ensure prompt and safe evacuation of the facility

during an emergency and to provide continuing

inmate supervision. Minimum staffing levels are different for each jail and may change during the year.

■ Electronic surveillance (audio monitors, closed-circuit

television, movement detectors, sensors) has its place—

not as a substitute for staff, but as a supplement.

.... ..... ..... 3
4 .... ..... .....

■ Relief must be provided for most staff posts and

positions to allow employee meals and breaks. 

■ Staff must be trained for the duties to which they

are assigned.

■ Staff must be supervised. Supervisors should not be

assigned to a specific post because they must be

able to move throughout the facility to supervise

operations and respond to problems.

This workbook does not recommend staff-to-inmate

ratios, because time and experience have proven that

no ratios are applicable to every jail, even jails of the

same size. Appendix B explores this issue in greater

detail, outlining why one jail’s staffing level cannot be

easily compared with another’s and why the use of

staff-to-inmate ratios is inappropriate.

Jail staffing levels are based on several internal and

external factors. Internal factors include physical plant

design (sightlines, number of control posts, perimeter

security, number and size of housing units, and controlling circulation or movement—the need to escort

inmates); operational philosophy (types of inmate

supervision and level of programs and services); classification levels of the inmates; and level of crowding

in the facility. External factors influencing jail staffing

levels include court decisions and standards of practice.

Court decisions have defined important parameters

for jail operations by establishing minimum levels of

service, performance objectives, prohibited practices,

and specific required operational actions. Past court

decisions, most handed down by Federal courts, have

required jails to—

■ Protect inmates from themselves and from other

inmates.

■ Maintain communication with inmates and 

regularly visit occupied areas.

■ Respond to inmate calls for assistance.

■ Classify and separate inmates.

■ Ensure the safety of staff and inmates at all times.

■ Make special provisions for processing and supervising female inmates.

■ Ensure that all required inmate activities, services, and

programs are delivered (medical, exercise, visits, etc.).

■ Provide properly trained staff.

Standards promulgated at the local, State, and national

levels also provide parameters for jail operations.

■ Local health, safety, and building standards are often

applied to jails.

■ Many States have established mandatory jail standards and inspect jails to measure compliance.

■ The American Correctional Association establishes

national professional standards for jails and offers

an accreditation process based on those standards.
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This section describes a step-by-step process for conducting a comprehensive staffing analysis of an existing jail or a new jail. The 10 steps are sequential and

break the staffing analysis process into manageable

tasks. Each step builds on the preceding steps. The

process should always be interactive and creative.

Staffing analysis is not an exact science. No simple

formulas or ratios can be consistently applied to all

jails. Although some practitioners still advocate simpler approaches to staffing, those approaches are not

as responsive to the unique character of each jail as

the approach described here.

Although it will take some time to gather the indepth

information necessary to complete a thorough analysis, this process has been used with great success in

jails throughout the United States. It will take some

time to complete the first staffing analysis for a jail,

but subsequent updates and revisions will be easier.

The main difference between the approach presented

in this workbook and staffing analysis methods that

preceded it is that this process quantifies staffing on

an hourly basis, rather than on a shift basis. This

approach gives all stakeholders more flexibility and

encourages creative approaches that may lead to

more efficient and effective practices.

Unlike jail practices of 10 years ago, many jails now

operate with a variety of shift schedules; a jail may

have 8-hour, 10-hour, or 12-hour shifts; overlapping

shifts; and “power” shifts. Because of this diversity, the

amount of time that each staff person works in a year

(or is “off” in a year) should be analyzed in hours. A

The Staffing Analysis Process

day off with pay no longer necessarily means 8 hours

off; it could be 10 or 12 hours, and jail administrators must fill that number of hours with other staff.

Similarly, the amount of coverage needed for a specific post and for total jail coverage should be analyzed

and expressed in hours.

All the forms used in this workbook are based on

hours. Exhibit 1 presents the 10 steps in the staffing

analysis process and identifies the forms used at different steps. One may enter the 10-step process at

several points.

■ Those who are conducting the first full analysis of

a facility or who are evaluating new facility plans

should begin with step 1. Completing the jail profile is an important first step for these users.

■ Those who are reevaluating or updating an existing

staffing plan may start with step 2, evaluating and

updating the figures based on changes that occurred

since the last staffing plan was done.

The following material is provided for each of the

10 steps of a comprehensive staffing analysis:

■ A brief narrative describing the methodology and

process for completing the step.

■ Instructions for completing each form.

■ A completed sample of each form. (Blank copies of

the forms are provided in appendix C.)

Electronic versions of the forms, and instructions for

using them, will be available online at the NIC Web

site (http://www.nicic.org).
Step 1 sets the stage for the staffing analysis

process by collecting background information

about the jail.

Step 2 requires collecting and analyzing key

“time off” data that are crucial to the accuracy

of the final staffing analysis and implementation plan.

Step 3 develops a master schedule of programs,

services, and activities in the jail.

Step 4 is the first attempt to identify the posts

and positions that need coverage and the

amount of coverage needed.

Step 5 summarizes coverage needs by job 

classification.

Step 6 posts the coverage needs into various

shift schedules and shift rosters.

Step 7 requires a careful evaluation of the

initial plan. If the plan is inadequate, return to

the appropriate earlier step, make improvements,

and continue through the process from that

point. Step 7 also allows others to have meaningful input into the staffing analysis process. It

is the equalizer that allows anyone to produce

a workable staffing plan. After initial deficiencies

identified in step 7 are corrected, reevaluate

the plan to ensure that corrective measures

have not introduced other deficiencies. Repeat

this step until the staffing plan is acceptable.

Step 8 requires a reality check of the budget.

The estimated cost of staffing shows the

impact the draft plan will have on the budget. If

this cost is not feasible, another round of evaluations and revisions of the plan must begin.

Step 9 is a detailed report that presents the

staffing plan and justifies the needs with data.

Step 10 is the implementation phase. After

6 months, the plan should be evaluated and

any necessary changes made.

6 .... ..... .....

EXHIBIT 1: Comprehensive 10–Step Staffing Analysis Process
.... ..... ..... 7

The first step is to collect jail inmate population data,

operational philosophy information (mission statement), floor plans of the facility, operational budgets,

State and professional standards, and relevant case

law. These materials need to be analyzed to describe

the physical, operational, and human context of the

jail at the time of the staffing analysis. A detailed profile of the jail setting is an essential starting point in a

comprehensive staffing analysis for either a new facility or an existing facility for which a staffing analysis

has never been done.

Although it is tempting to skip this step of the process,

this information is essential to ensure that the basis

for the staffing analysis is clear. The products may be

needed later to justify requests to funding sources, or

even in court. Subsequent staffing analyses should

include reviewing and updating this material.

The profile examines and records key features and

characteristics of the jail setting, including—

■ Facility rated capacity.

■ Average daily population for the past several years.

■ Number of admissions and releases.

■ Length of stay.

■ Inmate profiles (age, race, sex, residence, charge,

status—pretrial, presentencing, sentenced, hold).

■ Type of charges (traffic, misdemeanor, felony;

violent, nonviolent).

■ Number and types of classifications and housing

separations.

■ Mission statement.

■ Facility design (floor plan).

■ Organizational chart, span of control, management

philosophy.

■ Current staffing plan, schedule, shift rosters.

■ Current staff work-hour information.

■ Number and types of critical incidents.

■ Personnel agreements, union contracts.

■ State and professional standards.

■ Applicable court decisions.

■ Latest inspection reports.

■ Service contracts in effect.

■ Problems experienced with facility operations in the

past year.

■ Issues to be addressed by a staffing analysis.

Collecting, analyzing, and logically arranging this

information for presentation will create a clear picture

of the current situation and lay the foundation for the

staffing analysis. Be sure to document all information

gathered. Keep this material for future reference.

STEP 1. PROFILE THE JAIL
8 .... ..... .....

Many staffing issues and problems jails face—such as

high overtime costs, the inability to cover needed

posts, or the inability to free staff from their posts for

training—can be attributed to inaccurate calculation

of the actual number of hours staff are available to

work in the jail. This critical step requires collecting

and analyzing information that will provide an accurate depiction of the real number of staff hours that

are available to be scheduled for each full-time position in the jail budget. It produces accurate net annual

work hours for each position, replacing the older shift

relief factor calculations.

The term “relief factor” or “shift relief factor” (SRF)

may be familiar. These terms have traditionally

described the number of full-time-equivalent staff

(FTE) needed to fill a post or position that is relieved

(covered on a continuous basis). For example, a jail

might report that the SRF is 1.7 and that for a single

24-hour, 7-day post (24/7), 5.1 staff are needed for

coverage. This is another way of saying that it would

require 5.1 full-time officers (or FTEs) to be hired to

staff the post 24/7. This calculation (5.1) is derived by

multiplying the 1.7 times 3, which represents one officer on all three 8-hour shifts in a day for the one post.

SRFs are calculated by dividing the number of days

the post needs to be covered by the estimated number

of days that a classification of staff is available for work

during a typical year. For example, if the post must

be continuously filled 365 days a year and a staff

person is available to work 220 days, the SRF is 1.66.

The relief factor calculation usually considers the

basic categories of vacation, holidays, military, funeral, training, and sick days when estimating a staff person’s availability.

Several underlying problems associated with the use

of shift relief factors have produced serious shortcomings, which are usually manifest in the jail personnel

budget. For example, SRFs may assume that a single

shift can be used as the primary unit of measurement,

rather than using the more basic (and flexible) hour

unit. Furthermore, SRFs often fail to consider many

categories of time off:

■ Preservice and inservice training time.

■ Long-term medical disability.

■ Provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act of

1993.

■ Light-duty assignments required for injured staff.

■ Leave without pay.

■ Time away from the job while on special assignment.

■ Time it takes to fill a vacancy.

■ Jury duty.

■ Worker’s compensation time off.

■ Use of compensatory (comp) time.

■ Unexcused absences.

Some relief factors may have other shortcomings that

affect their accuracy:

■ The calculation was not recently updated.

■ Inaccurate or incomplete data were used.

■ Separate calculations were not made for distinct job

classifications.

■ Only time-off allowances from contracts or personnel agreements were used, rather than actual time

taken for the past several years.

■ Data were examined for only 1 year instead of several years, without considering short-term conditions

or long-term trends.

This workbook introduces net annual work hours

(NAWH), which replace the SRF. NAWH represents

the number of hours staff are actually available to

work, based on the contracted number of hours per

year (40 hours per workweek x 52.14 weeks per year

= 2,086 hours) minus the average number of hours

STEP 2. CALCULATE NET ANNUAL WORK HOURS
.... ..... ..... 9

off per staff person per year. Calculating an accurate

NAWH will help control such costs as overtime pay,

because realistic and accurate figures will be used to

calculate the number of FTEs required to provide

needed coverage.

An accurate NAWH for each job classification requires

information on all possible time-off categories. Different

classifications of employees will have different NAWH,

because of the amount of vacation time or training

time that is allotted and used.

The staff coverage plan that will be developed in

step 4 will need to be translated to FTEs for budgeting and management purposes. To determine how

many people are needed to fill each post, it is necessary to calculate how many hours an employee in

each job classification is unavailable to be scheduled

for regular hours each year in order to calculate how

many hours the employee is actually available.

The total number of hours of coverage needed annually for each employee classification (also determined

in step 4) is then divided by the NAWH per employee

for that classification. This yields the number of staff

needed in the job classification. For example, if a post

is covered 24/7, or 8,760 hours per year, and a person

assigned to the post is available 1,752 hours per year,

5 FTE staff positions will be needed for coverage

(8,760 ÷ 1,752 = 5.0).

Instructions for completing form A

Form A (see exhibit 2) provides a format for calculating NAWH for each classification of staff. This form

is a revised version of earlier forms that have been

applied in correctional and other settings. It uses

hours as the basic unit of measure.

Complete a column for every classification of staff

for which there is substantial variation in the time

employees are unavailable for work, e.g., correctional

officer or deputy sheriff, sergeant, or lieutenant.

Civilian positions will also require a separate NAWH

column because they may not receive the same

amount of training and may have different amounts

of vacation or sick leave; other factors may also

determine their net available hours.

Some of the basic time-off categories that apply are

listed on the form, and blank rows marked “other”

are provided to add additional time-off categories

that apply at your jail. Complete each line of the

form. If an item is not applicable to the jail, enter

“NA” and continue. It may be necessary to convert

days to hours, as many employee contracts are based

on days (days off, training days, etc.). Usually 1 day

will equal 8 hours; however, if the facility operates

on other than a standard 40-hour week, remember

to adjust calculations accordingly. For example, a

43-hour contract week would yield an 8.6-hour day.

It is best to collect at least 3 years of data to develop

the average time taken off in each category.

Record the NAWH calculations in the appropriate

column on the staff coverage plan (form C) in step 4.

Note: Data may not be readily available for each timeoff category that applies. Do not dismiss the category

as minor or insignificant. Staff time away from scheduled work adds up quickly, and the larger the facility,

the greater the budget shortfall will be if you do not

have complete and accurate data. Collect all of the

data that are needed, no matter how difficult. Set up

new protocols to ensure that the data will continue to

be collected and will be available when it is time to

update NAWH calculations. The value of the NAWH

calculations depends on the accuracy and thoroughness of the research that went into the calculations.

It is easy to convert NAWH to SRF for comparison to

previous relief factor figures. Appendix D describes a

simple formula for making the conversion.
EXHIBIT 2: Sample Form A—Calculating Net Annual Work Hours

10 .... ..... .....

1. Total hours contracted per employee 

per year (if a regular workweek is 

40 hours, then 40 (52.14 weeks = 2,086) 2,086 2,086 2,086 2,086 2,086

2. Average number of vacation hours per 

employee per year 111 168 161 160 108

3. Average number of compensatory hours 

off per employee per year 179 36 55 37 71

4. Average number of sick leave hours off 

per employee per year 59 88 74 89 98

5. Average number of training hours off 

per employee per year 24 24 40 40 24

6. Average number of personal hours off 

per employee per year 6 9 5 3 3

7. Average number of military hours off 

per employee per year 0 0 7 4 0

8. Average number of break hours off 

per employee year (optional; it may 

be a contractual item) — — — — —

9. Other: [Specify.]

10. Other: [Specify.]

11. Other: [Specify.]

12. Other: [Specify.]

13. Total hours off per employee per year 

[total lines 2 though 12] 379 325 342 333 304

14. Net annual work hours

[subtract line 13 from line 1] 1,707 1,761 1,744 1,753 1,782
.... ..... ..... 11

This step involves identifying all the programs, activities, support services, and security functions that take

place intermittently in the jail and charting the times

they occur over the course of a typical week (7 days).

This step does not record continuous activities, such as

supervising inmates or booking and releasing inmates,

which will be examined in step 4.

Instructions for completing form B 

The facility activity schedule (form B, see exhibit 3)

displays a typical 1-week period of jail operations. A

completed sample follows these instructions. Blank

forms are provided in appendix C.

Form B encourages the examination of daily and

weekly operations of the jail. If operations and activities on weekends vary significantly from those on

weekdays, complete two separate schedules: one for

Monday through Friday, and one for Saturday and

Sunday. Another option is to note on form B the days

on which each activity occurs.

In the left column, record specific activities, tasks, or

operations that occur at least once each week. Consider

the following list as a starting point. It contains some

of the activities that may affect operations enough to

merit inclusion on the form.

■ Shift change.

■ Formal counts or lockdowns.

■ Meal service.

■ Visiting (public or attorney).

■ Sick call.

■ Clinic times.

■ Administering medications.

■ Court appearances.

■ Commissary.

■ Outdoor exercise.

■ Education classes.

■ Counseling sessions.

STEP 3. DEVELOP A FACILITY ACTIVITY SCHEDULE

■ Library hours.

■ Religious services.

■ Laundry exchange.

■ Inmate transports.

■ Inmate work activities.

After recording all relevant activities on the form,

enter the actual times and duration for each activity

in the next column. Activities that take only a few

minutes will look different than longer activities. For

example, inmate counts might be recorded as points

in time at 0600, 1400, and 2200, and visiting might be

recorded as a block of time from 1300 to 1600.

For each activity, shade in the appropriate timeframes on

the form, corresponding to the usual scheduling of the

activity. (If you are using a computerized spreadsheet,

this is usually done by creating a box from the drawing

toolbar and dragging it to cover the corresponding time

period.) If the activity is not a daily occurrence, enter a

note in the boxes to indicate the days on which it occurs.

When the form is completed, examine it carefully. Look

for periods of high activity. Read down the columns

that represent the time of day. Focus on times and days

that are unusually busy and those that are very light.

Determine if the weekly schedule needs to be revised to

redistribute activities from busy times to slower times.

Usually, important facility schedule improvements are

identified at this early stage of the process. Several types

of improvements may present themselves, such as

rescheduling certain activities to level out peak periods

during the week or changing policies and procedures.

The staffing implications of these decisions will

become apparent in step 4, when the staff coverage

plan is developed. At that time, the facility activity

schedule may need to be revised again if corresponding

staff demands are too high during certain times.

Revise the facility activity schedule as needed at this

point; then continue to the next step in the staffing

analysis process.
12 .... ..... ..... 1. Shift changing/briefing 0530, 1330, 2130 2. Court lines: to court 0530–0800 Court lines: from court 1600–1700

Video arraignment 1000–1100

3. Daily meals 0600–0800, 1030–1230,

1630–1830

4. Inhouse classification 

board 1400–1500

5. Inmate counts 0600, 1400, 22006. Lockdown 23007. Pill call 0700–0800, 1200–1300, 

1700–1800

8. Sick call 0900–11009. Visiting: public 0900–1100, 1300–1600

10. Visiting: attorney 0900–230011. GED classes 0900–1100, 1300–160012. Inmate mail 1700–180013. Commissary 1400–150014. Religious services 0900–1100 

(Sat. and Sun. only)

15. Narcotics Anonymous 0900–1100, 1300–160016. Alcoholics Anonymous 0900–1100, 1300–160017. Exercise yard 0900–1100, 1300–160018. Clothing exchange 1900–2000

Note: Activities occur Monday through Friday, unless otherwise noted. 

Indicates a time-specific activity.

EXHIBIT 3: Sample Form B—Facility Activity Schedule
.... ..... ..... 13

Now begin developing a staff coverage plan, using

the profile of the jail, including the operational philosophy and the floor plan of the facility (step 1); the

NAWH calculations (step 2); and the facility activity

schedule (step 3). The objective is to determine both

the minimum coverage needed for staff and inmate

safety, based on the fixed posts that are identified,

and the proper coverage for intermittent activities

that occur in the jail. Before starting the staff coverage

plan (form C, see exhibit 4), determine what the primary shift schedule will be. Changing the current

shift schedule may not be desirable or even possible

because of employee contracts. Note that a staff coverage plan is not the same as a shift roster. A shift

roster assigns individual employees to specific shifts.

It will be easier to complete form C if you start with a

simple list of all the posts and positions in the jail and

the hours of coverage each needs. Complete form C

based on the primary shift schedule and evaluate it

according to your facility activities schedule. Then

experiment with other shift schedules that might provide better, more efficient coverage. (This is discussed

further in step 6.) If analyzing an existing facility, list

all of the posts and positions that are currently filled

and evaluate them in terms of the level of supervision,

staff and inmate safety, coverage of activities, span of

control, and demands for overtime. A new facility may

present more opportunities to experiment. In many

cases, higher staffing levels should be considered to

provide safer or smoother operations, to reduce the

use of overtime, or to address specific problems. The

number of staff needed during a 24-hour period varies

based on the programs, services, and activities that

are occurring.

Instructions for completing form C 

Each column must be completed to calculate the FTEs

needed for each portion.

Column A. List each post and position needed in the jail.

Column B. Identify the job classification needed to fill

each post and position. Does it require sworn staff, or

can civilian staff be used? What are the pros and cons

of using sworn staff for each post and for the jail as a

whole?

Column C. Determine if meal and break relief is

required. (Does another staff person need to cover

the post while the person assigned to the post gets a

break, or can the post go uncovered?)

Columns D–J. Identify the number of hours of coverage

needed for each post and position in a 24-hour period.

If more than one post is needed, indicate this by entering “16” (for two posts on an 8-hour shift pattern) or

“24” (for three posts on an 8-hour shift pattern) in

columns D, E, and F. Use the columns that represent

the current shift pattern (8-, 10-, or 12-hour, or other).

Column K. Identify the number of days per week the

post or position must be covered.

Column L. Calculate the number of hours per week it

must be covered (number of hours per day x number

of days per week).

Column M. Calculate the number of hours of coverage

needed for each post and position per year (number

of hours per week x 52.14 weeks in a year).

Column N. Determine if each post and position is

relieved. (Remember that some positions are not

relieved, such as the administrator.)

Column O. Record the appropriate NAWH calculated

in step 2 for each post and position.

Column P. Divide the number of hours of coverage

needed per year (column M) by the NAWH for that

job classification (column O) to obtain the total number of FTEs needed to fill the post for a year.

STEP 4. DEVELOP THE STAFF COVERAGE PLAN
14 .... ..... ..... Post/Position CAPTAIN Cpt No 8 0 0 5 40 2,086 No 1,707 1.22 1 LIEUTENANT Assistant Jail Comm. Lt No 0 8 0 5 40 2,086 No 1.761 1.18 Subtotal Lieutenants 8 8 0 40 2,086 1,761 1.18 1 SERGEANT Shift Commanders Sgt No 8 8 8 7 168 8,760 Yes 1,744 5.02 Subtotal Sergeants 8 8 8 168 8,760 1,744 5.02 5 DEPUTY SHERIFF Pod 1 - Control Officer Dep Yes 8 8 8 7 168 8.760 Yes 1.753 5.00 Pod 1 - Floor Officer Dep Yes 8 8 0 7 112 5,840 Yes 1,753 3.33 Pod 2 - Direct Super. Dep Yes 8 8 8 7 168 8,760 Yes 1,753 5.00 Booking Officer Dep No 16 16 16 7 336 17,519 Yes 1,753 9.99 Central Control Dep Yes 8 8 8 7 168 8,760 Yes 1,753 5.00 Roving Officers Dep No 16 16 16 7 336 17,519 Yes 1,753 9.99 Subtotal Deputies 64 64 56 1,288 67,158 1,753 38.31 38 CIVILIAN Secretary/Receptionist No 8 8 0 7 112 5,840 Yes 1,782 3.28 3 Cook No 8 8 0 7 112 5,840 Yes 1,782 3.28 3 Nurse No 8 8 8 7 168 8,760 Yes 1,782 4.92 5 Maintenance No 8 0 0 7 56 2,920 No 1,782 1.64 1 Subtotal Civilians 32 24 8 448 23,360 1,782 13.11 12 TOTAL STAFF 112 104 72 1,984 103,450 58.85 57 FTE= Full-time equivalent staff

EXHIBIT 4: Sample Form C—Staff Coverage Plan

Total Total Total No. of No. of Is Relief Net Total

Hours Hours Hours Days No. of Hours of Needed Annual No. of Rounded

Job Meal on on on 12-hr. 12-hr. Other Other per Hours Coverage for This Work FTEs No. of

Class Relief? Days Nights Graves Day Night hours hours Week per Week per Year Post? Hours Needed FTEs

A BC D E F GH I J K L M N O P Q
.... ..... ..... 15

Column Q. Round the total number of staff needed,

per year, by job classification. Remember, if you round

down, you may need to use overtime to provide complete coverage.

During this stage of the process, several types of

improvements and innovations may present themselves, including—

■ Rescheduling certain activities to level out peak

periods of events during the week (see form B).

■ Changing policies and procedures.

■ Combining or separating duties to create different

posts or positions.

Explore these and other ideas as they present themselves. If they are feasible and will be implemented,

the staff coverage plan and subsequent analyses should

reflect them. Be sure to document these changes as

they are made.

Developing an initial staff coverage plan is a trial-anderror process, so be patient and persistent.
.... ..... .....

EXHIBIT 5: Sample Form D—Staff Summary Sheet

This step summarizes the number of staff needed for

each distinct job classification, based on the coverage

plan developed in step 4 on form C.

The staff summary (form D, see exhibit 5) describes

by job classification the information already calculated on the staff coverage plan (form C). No new information is presented on this form.

Instructions for completing form D

Space is provided to record the following for each

classification of staff:

■ Annual number of coverage hours.

■ Total number of FTE staff needed, as calculated.

■ Total number of FTE staff needed, as rounded.

Column A. Each line of this form should represent a

distinct classification of jail employee (e.g., deputy

STEP 5. COMPLETE A STAFF SUMMARY

sheriff, sergeant, lieutenant, civilian). Use the classifications previously used in column B on form C.

Column B. Record the total number of hours per year,

per job classification, from column M on form C.

Column C. This column represents the number of

full-time staff required to provide the actual hours of

coverage in the staff coverage plan (column P on form C).

Column D. Using this column is optional. It allows you

to record a number for FTE staff needed by job classification, rounded to the nearest whole number. Using

the nonrounded figures may require either the use of

some part-time staff or the assignment of full-time staff

to work extra hours to meet the odd fraction of FTE

needs. If these options are not practical or desirable, use

a rounded number (see column Q on form C).

Annual Number of Total FTE Staff Total FTE Staff

Coverage Hours Needed, as Calculated Needed, Rounded

Job Classification (Form C, Column M) (Form C, Column P) (Form C, Column Q)

CAPTAIN 2,086 1.22 1

LIEUTENANT 2,086 1.18 1

SERGEANT 8,760 5.02 5

DEPUTY SHERIFF 67,158 38.31 38

CIVILIAN

Secretary/Receptionist 5,840 3.28 3

Cook 5,840 3.28 3

Nurse 8,760 4.92 5

Maintenance 2,920 1.64 1

TOTAL 103,450 58.85 57

FTE= Full-time equivalent staff

16

A BCD
.... ..... ..... 17

STEP 6. DEVELOP A SCHEDULE

needed to provide coverage, this is not true. Whether

deploying staff for 8- or 12-hour shifts, the same number

of staff hours is needed for complete coverage. A 12-hour

shift configuration may seem less demanding because

staff are scheduled for fewer shifts, but the overall

math—and corresponding costs—will not change.

Some jurisdictions moved to 12-hour shifts in response

to chronic problems with scheduling staff for 8-hour

shifts. Shortages prompted mandatory assignment of

staff to extra shifts, often resulting in a 16-hour workday when a staff member was required to work two

consecutive shifts. Staff often support 12-hour shifts

because they eliminate the option of working two

consecutive shifts. When considering 12-hour shifts,

administrators must weigh all of the issues and should

involve staff in the decision process.

Shift patterns have become more important in light

of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Garcia v. San

Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority (105 S.Ct. 1005

(1985)). In this decision, a divided court overturned

an earlier ruling in National League of Cities v. Usery

(426 U.S. 833 (1976)), which exempted most traditional local government activities from the requirements

of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The immediate result

for many jails was the restructuring of schedules to

avoid paying mandatory overtime. In November 1985,

Congress passed Public Law 99–150, which eased the

impact of Garcia, allowing compensatory time to be

awarded as an option but requiring it to be given at

the rate of 1.5 hours per 1 hour worked.

Many jails have explored shift assignment variations

and have found that rotating assignments too frequently (more often than every 2 or 3 months) is not successful because staff have difficulty adapting to new hours.

They have also found that flexibility in assigning

shifts offers a good management tool.

Many jails hire part-time employees. Part-time staff

can be effective in the right situation, but they are

often used inappropriately to reduce costs (because

Use the staff coverage plan to develop an approach to

staffing the facility that efficiently meets coverage

needs. Scheduling staff has been separated from determining coverage needs because substantial creative

effort is needed to develop an efficient and reasonable

schedule. It may help to view scheduling as a means to

an end: A good schedule will deploy employees in an

efficient way to meet coverage needs and will enhance

employee morale, job satisfaction, and job performance.

Creating a schedule 

Scheduling requires decisions about when individual

staff will work. Staff scheduling usually follows two

basic cycles—7 days (traditional) and 6 days (4 days

on, 2 days off). F. Warren Benton provides a more

expansive treatment of organizational issues and

approaches in Planning and Evaluating Jail and Prison

Staffing (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice,

National Institute of Corrections, 1981). The standard

approach to shift patterns is a 7-day pattern, with

three 8-hour shifts each day. Benton describes five

additional approaches:

■ Four days, 10-hour shifts (4/10).

■ Flextime.

■ Shift assignment variation.

■ Part-time employment.

■ Split shifts.

Many jails use one or more of these approaches with

success. The 4/10 pattern may work for an officer

assigned to supervise an 8-hour inmate work crew; a

10-hour shift allows time to set up and wrap up each

day. Flextime does not work well for posts that require

continuity, such as a control center, but may prove productive for certain positions with varying hours, such

as counselors and assistant administrators.

Many jurisdictions have adopted two 12-hour shifts

with varying degrees of success and satisfaction.

Although it may initially appear that fewer staff are
18 .... ..... .....

they usually receive a lower base wage and often do

not receive benefits). As a rule, using part-time staff

for routine shift assignment should be avoided. Parttime staff can appropriately be used to fill in for regular staff when full-time staff are not available or to

meet needs that do not rise to a full shift level. Some

jobs lend themselves to part-time staff, such as assistant cooks or program staff. Split-shift assignment is

often used successfully for jobs that are routinely discontinuous, such as cooks (who break after lunch

until dinner preparation begins).

Shift pattern variations are virtually limitless. One

source of many examples is The Manager’s Guide to

Alternative Work Schedules—Second Edition, by W.L.

Booth. (It is available on loan from the NIC Information

Center, or a copy may be purchased from the publisher:

Institute of Police Technology and Management,

University of North Florida, 12000 Alumni Drive,

Jacksonville, FL 32224–2678; http://iptm.org).

Using different work schedules 

Because a jail is such a complex organization and

staffing needs are often unique, adopting varied work

schedules may be effective. Changing work schedules

can be emotional and initially difficult, but it may

result in certain benefits:

■ Improved staff morale as job satisfaction increases.

■ Less turnover, less sick time, and improved quality

and quantity of work.

■ Financial savings due to the efficient use of staff.

Exhibit 6, a chart drawn from The Manager’s Guide to

Alternative Work Schedules, summarizes the descriptive

statistics for 21 different alternative schedules and

allows comparison of the features of each schedule.

The chart depicts work schedules that range from 8-

to 12-hour days. Such scheduling approaches as split

shifts and flextime are not included on the chart, as

they do not lend themselves to this type of analysis.

Evaluating alternative work schedules 

When considering alternative work schedules, several

factors should be weighed. Benefits and costs are often

traded off as decisions are made.

■ Hours of operation and timeframes. While many

jail functions operate 24 hours per day, others may

have substantially shorter hours (visiting areas, public

reception, etc.). Examine each function of the jail to

find out if different work schedules would be effective.

■ Days operated each week. Many jail operations

continue 7 days per week, but others may vary. For

instance, a jail may operate an industry or work program that closes on weekends. Scheduling staff for

these functions might require alternative approaches.

■ Objectives of the organization. The goals and objectives of the jail may suggest appropriate scheduling. If

the jail places a high priority on inmate visiting, visiting hours might be scheduled at the convenience of

visitors, rather than staff. As a result, work schedules

might change.

■ Levels of activity. Different components of the jail

might require more intense staffing. For example, maximum-security inmates are more difficult to supervise

during outdoor recreation, suggesting the need for

additional staff. A creative staffing plan might provide

more staff for that function through overlapping shifts.

■ Employee contracts and labor laws. Any potential change in work schedules must be evaluated in

light of existing contracts and laws. Involving labor

representatives and legal counsel early in the process

is advisable.

■ Staff training. If it is difficult to provide inservice

training for staff, alternative schedules (such as overlapping shifts) may create new opportunities for this

key activity.

■ Fatigue and productivity. Research indicates that

longer work days decrease productivity, but that

corresponding shorter workweeks may offset fatigue.

Alternative work schedules must be carefully weighed

to ensure that staff are not overtired and less able to

perform critical duties.

■ Scheduling for different positions. Some new

jobs created in the jail may be amenable to, or even

require, alternative scheduling.

The decision to implement alternative work schedules

will ultimately hinge on the assessment of their feasibility and on whether the changes can be implemented

without too much disruption or negative reaction. The

rewards for creative use of alternative work schedules

are often great enough to overcome most potential

logistical problems.
.... ..... ..... 19 Shift Schedule Consecutive Hours per Day 8 8 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 12 12 12 12 Time Required Days per Week 5 5 3, 7, 5 6 6 7 4 4 5 6 3 4 57

Workdays and 1st Shift 5–2 5–2 3–2 6–2 6–2 7–2 4–3 4–2 5–3 6–4 3–3 4–4 5–5 7–7

Offdays Cycle 2nd Shift 5–2 5–2 7–2 6–2 6–2 7–2 4–3 4–3 5–3 6–4 3–3 4–4 5–5 7–7

3rd Shift 5–2 5–2 5–2 6–2 6–3 7–3 4–3 4–3 5–4 6–4 None None None None

Schedule Work Days per Cycle 21 21 21 24 25 28 21 20 25 30 12 16 20 28

Cycle Cycles per Year 17.33 17.33 17.33 15.17 14.56 13.00 17.33 18.20 14.56 12.13 30.33 22.75 18.20 13.00Number of Per Shift 5 5 3, 7, 5 6 6 7 4 4 5 6 3 4 57

Workdays Per Cycle 15 15 15 18 18 21 12 12 15 18 6 8 10 14

Annually 260 260 260 273 262 273 208 218 218 218 182 182 182 182

Number of Per Shift 2 2 2 2 2 or 3 2 or 3 3 2 or 3 3 or 4 4 3 4 5 7

Offdays Per Cycle 6 6 6 6 7 7 9 8 10 12 6 8 10 12

Annually 104 104 104 91 102 91 156 146 146 146 182 182 182 182

Weekends Off Full 52 0–26 34 6 8 14 52 10 16 14 16 18 20 26

Annually Partial 0 0–26 0 14 14 0 0 18 12 10 18 12 10 0Number of Holidays 9 9 9 9 9 9 7.2 7.2 7.2 7.2 6 6 6 6Other Offdays

Vacation 12 12 12 12 12 12 9.6 9.6 9.6 9.6 8 8 8 8

Compensatory 0 0 0 13 2 13 0 10 10 10 9 9 9 9

Compensatory 

Workdays 260 260 260 273 262 273 208 218 218 218 182 182 182 182

Computation x Hours 8 8 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 12 12 12 12

= 

TOTAL 2,080 2,080 2,080 2,184 2,096 2,184 2,080 2,180 2,180 2,180 2,184 2,184 2,184 2,184

Note: The following definitions apply to terms used in this table:Compensatory time: Reflects time earned (as enhanced pay or as time off) for work that exceeds the normal workweek. Cycle: The total of calendar days necessary for one staff member to rotate through three shifts.Holidays: Nine 8-hour days per year.Vacation: Twelve 8-hour days per year.Source: Booth, W.L. The Manager’s Guide to Alternative Work Schedules—Second Edition. Institute of Police Technology and Management, University of North Florida,Jacksonville, 1989.

8-Hour Workday 10-Hour Workday 12-Hour Workday

3–2

5–2 5–2 7–2 6–2 6–2 7–2 4–3 4–2 5–3 6–4 3–3 4–4 5–5 7–7

variable 5–2 6–3 7–3 3–4 4–3 5–4

EXHIBIT 6: Descriptive Statistics for Alternative Work Schedules
20 .... ..... .....

After an initial staffing plan has been developed,

it must be reviewed and evaluated to determine

whether it meets the needs of the jail and is achievable, affordable, and sustainable. The evaluation

process is also critical to develop support for implementing the staffing plan. Consider assembling a

brainstorming team to improve the initial plan.

Involve as many stakeholders as possible, put all the

deficiencies on the table, and start the discussions.

Remember—people are more likely to support a

plan that they helped create.

In many ways, the staffing analysis process requires

a trial-and-error approach that tests various operational

changes, organizational structures, assignment schemes,

and schedules. The evaluation process identifies problems

or deficiencies with the initial staffing plan; it will then

be necessary to return to previous steps. Responding to

identified deficiencies often demands a wider range of

changes than simply allocating more staff. Staffing and

operating a jail require creativity, and imaginative solutions to problems are essential.

As described in appendix A, creative approaches can

include the following:

■ Reallocate existing personnel.

■ Alter facility design.

■ Adjust the facility activities schedule.

■ Reduce services and programs.

■ Alter operations and philosophy.

■ Use audio or video surveillance equipment.

■ Use volunteers or interns.

■ Use civilian staff.

■ Use contractual services.

■ Improve productivity of existing personnel.

■ Provide more staff training and cross-train staff.

■ Change job descriptions and task assignments.

■ Revise hiring practices.

■ Streamline practices, policies, and procedures.

■ Reduce or modify inmate populations.

■ Use inmate labor.

■ Consider lessening “absolute” separations between

inmates.

Record all changes made during this process, including changes in the jail setting (operations, facility).

This will leave important “tracks” that will be helpful later in the process and in subsequent reviews.

Be cautious, as the changes made in response to a deficiency may create other problems. Evaluate revised

plans thoroughly. Use the results of secondary evaluations to guide further revisions. Continue with the

evaluate-revise-evaluate loop until an evaluation of

the staffing plan yields satisfactory results for every

jail component. Then it will be time to move on to

the next step in the process.

STEP 7. EVALUATE, REVISE, AND IMPROVE THE PLAN
.... ..... ..... 21

ets of existing jail facilities may be helpful. Start with

the staff summary (form D). Calculate the annual

salary and benefits for each job classification and then

multiply that sum by the number of staff needed in

each job classification. Total all of the salaries. If present personnel costs equal about 70 percent of the total

operational budget, then add 30 percent for other

operating costs (including facility maintenance, utilities, and inmate care). This figure is a ballpark number

and can be refined after the first year of operation.

When analyzing an existing jail, costs for any changes

to the existing staffing plan need to be calculated.

The impact of these changes on the use of overtime

must also be evaluated. Staffing costs can represent

between 70 percent and 80 percent of the overall

operating costs of the jail. Using current budget figures

for staff salaries, develop an estimated budget based

on the staffing plan changes that are being considered.

The operational costs for a new jail will need to be

developed from the ground up. Reviewing the budgSTEP 8. CALCULATE OPERATIONAL COSTS
22 .... ..... .....

A report must be developed that justifies

all aspects of the proposed staffing plan.

The report should be easy to follow and

include all of the completed forms, along

with a narrative explanation of their meaning. The content and organization of the

report should be appropriate for the audience for which it is intended. Some audiences want to see only the bottom line

(how much will it cost?). Others want to

examine all of the decisions and calculations. Assemble a complete copy of all final

materials, in successive order. Providing too

little detail is usually a mistake. Even if

some decisionmakers are not interested in

the nuts and bolts, it is important to provide an indication of the comprehensive

process used to develop the staffing plan.

The outline in exhibit 7 provides one

approach to preparing a comprehensive

staffing analysis report. Assembling this

report should be easy because it draws

from the work and forms that have already

been completed. Adapt the outline as

needed to meet the needs of the audience

for your report. Additional materials, such

as data collection sheets, may be attached

as appendixes as needed.

STEP 9. PREPARE A REPORT

Letter of Transmittal

Executive Summary

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

A. Purpose of Report

B. Reasons for Conducting Analysis

II. Staffing Analysis Methodology 

A. Jail Characteristics and Issues 

B. Staffing Analysis Concepts

C. Major Staffing Issues Explored [Customize this list.]

1. Overtime Usage

2. Net Annual Work Hours

3. Vacancy Rate 

4. Lack of Meal Relief

5. Special Assignment Posts

6. Impact of Overcrowding [Include the current 

average daily population.]

7. Physical Plant Impact on Staffing

8. Higher Security Inmates

9. More Transports Required

10. Lack of Training Time

11. Lack of Mid-Management Supervision

III. Summary of Findings 

A. Profile of the Jail [Include trends in average daily 

population, length of stay, and admissions.]

B. Facility Activity Schedule

C. Net Annual Work Hours

D. Staff Coverage Plan

E. Staff Coverage Plan’s Impact on Identified Issues

F. Staffing Needs 

G. Operational Costs

IV. Recommendations and Implementation Plan 

A. Recommendations

B. Implementing the Staffing Plan 

Appendixes

EXHIBIT 7: Sample Outline for a Staffing Analysis Report
.... ..... ..... 23

Implementation will be much easier if staff are involved

in the analysis. Staff should be fully aware of the changes

and the underlying reasons for them before changes

are implemented. Once implemented, the staffing

plan should be continuously monitored; it should be

evaluated in approximately 6 months to determine

its effectiveness.

When problems are identified, it will be necessary

to revise the plan. When making revisions, remember that the process that produced the plan reflects

the complexity of jail operations; carefully assess the

impact of any proposed change on the rest of the plan.

STEP 10. IMPLEMENT THE PLAN AND MONITOR THE RESULTS

Revising the staffing analysis and plan will also be

necessary when significant changes occur in the

context of the jail (physical plant, population levels,

employee contracts, etc.). Revisions may be made

efficiently by using the initial analysis. Before changing staff assignments and scheduling, review relevant

employee contracts to ensure that the changes do not

violate any provisions. If problems arise, a cooperative

effort should resolve them.

Review the plan periodically. Conduct a thorough

review and update NAWH calculations annually (at

least) to correspond with the budgeting cycle of

the facility.
Full-time equivalent (FTE)—A term used to translate staffing needs into the number of full-time staff

members needed to fill the required hours. FTE calculations consider the net amount of time a full-time

staff member is available (net annual work hours) after

time away from the job (e.g., vacation, sick leave,

holidays, training time) is subtracted.

Job description—A detailed statement of the duties

and responsibilities associated with a discrete job

classification in the facility, but not necessarily tied to

a specific post or shift (e.g., corrections officer, control

room officer).

Net annual work hours—A calculation of the number of hours staff are available to work, based on the

contracted number hours per year minus the number

of hours off per staff person per year.

Overlapping shift—A shift that extends into one or

two regular shifts to provide an overlap in coverage.

For example, a shift supervisor might have a 9-hour

shift, which begins a half-hour before a regular 8-

hour shift and ends a half-hour into the following

shift.

Position—A job not filled by any other staff member

when the person holding the position is not on duty

(e.g., secretary, classification officer, assistant jail

administrator). A position has tasks that can usually

be deferred until the staff member is available.

Continuous coverage usually distinguishes a post

from a position; a post has tasks that cannot usually

be deferred.

Position description—A detailed statement of the

responsibilities and duties associated with a particular

position in the facility. Also called a job description,

although used differently here.

Post—A job defined by its location, time, and duties

that can be filled interchangeably by different staff

members. Continuous coverage usually distinguishes

a post from a position; a post has tasks that cannot

usually be deferred.

Power shift—A shift that overlaps other shifts or is

substantially different from regular facility shifts. For

example, an intake officer might be assigned to work

from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weekends to coincide with

peak periods of admission.

Shift—A defined, recurring period of time to which

staff are assigned to work.

Staffing analysis—A comprehensive and systematic

process of determining staff needs (in response to

changes in the facility’s philosophy, operations, or

physical plant) and developing staff assignment patterns for the facility.

Staffing plan—A detailed schedule on which classifications of staff are assigned to posts and positions within

the facility. A staffing plan meets coverage needs consistent with local practices.

Standards—A broad term encompassing mandatory

and voluntary operating conditions for a jail. National,

State, and local standards provide important guidelines

for developing and evaluating staffing plans.

Supervision of inmates—Staff activities that involve

direct, barrier-free contact with inmates, including

conversing and interacting directly with them. Good

supervision allows staff to sense inmate moods, anticipate problems, and prevent future problems. 

Surveillance of inmates—Staff activities that include

observing or monitoring inmate behavior, often

through glass barriers or by using audio or visual

equipment. For example, an officer may view a housing area or dayroom from an enclosed control station

or through a closed-circuit television monitor. 

.... ..... ..... 25

Glossary
.... ..... ..... 27

Appendix A. Methods of

Optimizing Staff Resources

Staffing is the most expensive component of any jail

budget. Although there are times when more staff

positions must be added to the jail budget, there are

also many creative ways to optimize the effectiveness

and productivity of existing staff. The following pages

outline some strategies that jails have found useful,

under six categories:

■ Manage staff time off and overtime.

■ Improve staff hiring and retention practices. 

■ Employ creative administrative and management

practices.

■ Change operations and programs.

■ Change the facility.

■ Consider using technology.

These categories quickly identify the range of strategies available to managers and administrators. For

each of the elements in the following pages, additional resources are available through the NIC Information Center.

Manage Staff Time Off and

Overtime

Manage sick leave 

When staff call in sick, administrators scramble to

find staff to cover shifts and often need to approve

overtime. By definition, sick time is usually difficult

to predict, but close monitoring of sick leave practices

and patterns may yield information that will help to

anticipate needs and, in some instances, to identify specific staff members who present special challenges.

Documenting sick leave activities builds an important

foundation for analysis and informed action. In addition

to simply logging the times that staff are out sick, it may

be helpful to document additional information, such

as the amount of notice that is given.

Some jurisdictions have found that the use of sick

leave is substantially reduced when staff have an

incentive not to use sick time. Usually this involves

offering staff compensation for all, or part, of any sick

time that is not used. Because some staff view sick

time as a benefit to which they are entitled, they may

be calling in sick when in fact they are just trying to

“use it or lose it.” Providing other alternatives may

significantly reduce the scheduling problems caused

by sick leave.

Manage overtime

When full-time staff are asked to work beyond their

regularly scheduled workweek, overtime costs are

incurred. These costs represent at least a 50-percent

premium above the base pay levels of staff—in the

form of either a higher wage paid as overtime or an

increased amount of paid time off.

In some jails, staff routinely work overtime, and some

employees rely on the extra income it generates. For

the jail budget, however, overtime can be a disaster.

It is inevitable that some overtime will be required to

operate the jail, but there are ways to regain control

of the amount of overtime incurred.

The starting point for any effort to better manage

overtime is collecting and analyzing data about current

practices. Information about the circumstances that

prompted some overtime demands may be sketchy or

even nonexistent, prompting implementation of better

overtime reporting practices. Without solid data about

the circumstances that prompted the need for overtime and the steps that were taken to explore alternatives, efforts to improve overtime management will

be frustrated.

In most cases, the decision to incur an overtime cost

requires the specific authorization of a supervisory or
administrative staff member. Individual staff members

rarely have the authority to authorize themselves to

incur overtime costs. This offers a point of inquiry

and intervention for jail managers. Examine your practices regarding the authorization of staff overtime.

■ Who is authorized to make the decision?

■ What steps (if any) are they required to take before

authorizing overtime?

■ What alternatives (if any) must be considered?

■ What justification is required?

Consider each of these practices and consider tightening up the process. Perhaps fewer persons should

be authorized to make overtime decisions, or a list

of specific alternatives should be exhausted before

overtime is authorized. At the very least, you will

probably want to require clearer and more compelling justification for overtime.

As you analyze overtime practices, you may identify

clear patterns, such as circumstances under which

overtime is frequently incurred. List the situations that

most often result in the use of overtime. Then list specific alternatives that should be considered instead of

using overtime. These might include establishing a policy on critical staffing levels, below which staffing levels may not fall. It may turn out that not every position

or post of every shift is critical enough to warrant overtime, but this decision should be set by policy, not left

to discretion. Also, rather than assuming that the jail

will continue to operate without changes, consider

whether certain noncritical activities may be deferred

or suspended in response to temporary staff shortfalls.

Rather than automatically filling a vacant staff position

on a shift, consider whether jail operations can safely

and appropriately be adjusted instead. As you sharpen

your analytical skills, you can even develop a matrix or

decision tree that anticipates the majority of overtime

situations and identifies specific alternatives to be

explored before authorizing overtime.

Minimize special assignment posts

Jail administrators often create posts for special

assignments. These assignments are for tasks that

need to be accomplished but have no funded position

in the budget. Special assignments can range from

staffing a new program in the middle of a budget cycle

to assigning a staff person to coordinate early releases. Other assignments include providing special training, conducting research and planning, monitoring a

new construction project, or working on a transition

team. If staffing levels are at a critical low point and

excessive overtime is being expended, it may be necessary to suspend special assignment posts until

staffing levels have increased.

Help staff with childcare needs

Many jail staff struggle with providing care for their

young children. Unscheduled absences from duty to

stay with a sick child or with a child whose sitter has

become unavailable contribute to the last-minute

problems of filling empty shifts.

The private sector has found that staff attendance, productivity, and morale can be dramatically improved

when childcare assistance is provided to parents. This

may range from providing daycare services onsite to

having an agreement with a provider who will take

sick children on an as-needed basis.

Analyze staff absentee experience related to childcare.

Talk to or survey staff about their childcare problems

and needs. Work with staff and the community to

develop alternatives that meet the needs of staff and

their children.

Distribute regular days off evenly 

Staff often take time off to attend functions that occur

on the weekends or to spend time with family members who are off only on weekends. If staff do not get

any weekends off on their regular schedule, they tend

to take them anyway, creating a need for overtime.

When weekend days off are evenly distributed in the

regular schedule, staff are less likely to use sick time

and other methods to secure weekend days off.

Plan and schedule leave better 

Jail administrators have the authority, consistent with

the terms of employee contracts, to establish procedures to govern the scheduling of staff leave. Some

28 .... ..... .....
.... ..... ..... 29

jurisdictions have found that carefully fashioned procedures can produce more even distribution of scheduled leave—by shift, by day, and by week. Procedures

may also limit the number of staff who are allowed

to schedule leave at the same time on each shift. Any

changes in practices and policies must be carefully considered and should be based on research and common

sense. Seeking staff input into potential changes and

working closely with their collective bargaining representatives are essential.

Minimize unfunded positions

As suggested earlier, some special assignment posts are

not funded in the budget. Other unfunded positions

can be posts that started out being filled on an irregular basis but are now routinely filled, even though they

are not in the budget. These could be, for example,

hospital security posts, court security posts, or transport posts. Sometimes these posts may be reduced

until ongoing funding is secured.

Improve Staff Hiring and

Retention Practices 

Perhaps the most frustrating staffing problems that

confront jails result not from budget restrictions, but

from difficulties maintaining the level of staffing that

has been funded. Many jails routinely experience

vacancies in authorized staff positions, most frequently with entry-level staff. Hiring and retaining jail staff

have become even more difficult as unemployment

has fallen throughout the United States.

Maintaining a full staff complement is usually frustrated by varying rates of staff turnover. It is particularly

maddening to have invested the time and money to

make an employee ready to be deployed in the jail,

only to have that person soon leave the position. The

working conditions of jails certainly contribute to staff

turnover, but many jails have found ways to drastically reduce turnover, often without increasing staffing

costs. Many strategies have been found effective in

reducing staff turnover:

■ Improving recruiting practices.

■ Matching employee skills to specific jobs.

■ Increasing pay.

■ Enhancing benefits.

■ Providing opportunities for promotion.

■ Recognizing staff.

■ Implementing staff training and development

programs.

■ Providing employee assistance programs.

These and other approaches can substantially reduce

the staff turnover rate of a jail. In turn, lower turnover

reduces the need to recruit and deploy new staff.

Some jails have had success with efforts to keep all

authorized staff positions filled. Finding prospective

employees who may eventually be hired and deployed

is a lengthy and often expensive process. It may be

possible to shorten the time it takes to process applicants. Some jurisdictions have analyzed their past

hiring and turnover experiences and adjusted their

recruiting practices. In effect, they set out to find

substantially more staff than they are funded to hire,

knowing from experience that a certain percentage

will not make it through the process. This is not unlike

airline practices of overbooking flights.

Employ Creative

Administrative and

Management Practices

Changing the way that the jail is administered and

managed can relieve staffing pressures and increase

staff productivity.

Training is an ongoing activity for all jails, usually creating serious scheduling and overtime problems. Some

jails have found that scheduling training to correspond

to coverage needs can be efficient. Others have moved

toward increased on-the-job training and reduced preservice and classroom training. A field training officer

in the jail can train staff at their posts. Training provided as part of routine shift briefings can be efficient and

effective. Objective testing to ensure staff competency

can sometimes reduce the need to train or retrain

staff. Emerging training technologies—such as correspondence courses, computer-based training courses,

distance learning, and video-based training—can

greatly reduce scheduling problems.
Scheduling staff, an ongoing challenge for most jail

managers, offers potential for improved efficiency.

Managers should develop and implement a schedule

that closely corresponds to coverage needs. Many

managers have found that using a variety of alternative work schedules, such as those described elsewhere in this workbook, can allow schedules to be

tailored to the unique needs of each jail.

Supplementing full-time staff with alternative sources

of assistance can be effective if it is carefully considered. Some responsibilities that are currently assigned

to full-time staff may be shifted to other people, such

as volunteers, interns, part-time staff, seasonal staff,

or peer instructors (e.g., an inmate who would tutor

another inmate in a high school equivalency class).

Creative job structuring sometimes results in greater

staff satisfaction and less turnover. For example, creating a job-sharing opportunity for staff who want to

work part time allows them to meet their needs while

keeping their valuable experience and training available

to the jail. Many jails are now cross-training staff to

increase their versatility and flexibility for assignment.

Closely examine current job descriptions. Do they

accurately and fully reflect the duties assigned to each

classification of staff? Consider updating these profiles

and use the opportunity to incorporate new ideas and

approaches. Some jails find it helpful to have civilian

staff for many jobs and tasks that do not involve direct

contact with inmates.

Be a better manager. Increase productivity and effectiveness by providing staff with better direction

(policies and procedures), training, and supervision.

Selective use of contracts has proven efficient for some

jails. Contracting for food service, medical care, and

commissary has become common in jails. Other programs and services can be provided through contracts

that may, when properly conceived and implemented,

reduce staffing demands and improve productivity.

Some cities and counties have even decided to contract the entire jail operation out to the private sector.

Change Daily Operations and

Programs

Staffing needs respond to many characteristics of the

jail setting. While some aspects of the jail are difficult

to control, others can be altered by jail managers. Many

aspects of the daily operation of the jail are subject to

change. When staffing is chronically short on certain

days or times of days, it may be time to rethink the

overall schedule of activities and programs for the jail.

Some changes may involve fundamental policies and

philosophies that are the foundation for jail operation; these should be considered with extra caution

and should involve input from policymakers and

stakeholders.

Rescheduling activities often presents the simplest

solution. Many inmate activities, such as visitation

and exercise, can be scheduled differently without

compromising the operations of the jail. Some jails

have worked with local judges and court personnel

to develop schedules that ease demands on the jail.

Relocating activities may result in more efficient

staffing. For example, moving an inmate program (such

as Alcoholics Anonymous) from a special room where

a staff member is required to supervise the meeting to

a housing unit’s dayroom may allow the existing

housing unit officer to supervise the meeting. Some

jails have even moved inmate work activities into

dayrooms.

Consolidating activities may be an efficient option.

A multipurpose space might accommodate a variety

of activities—from reading to recreation—under the

supervision of a single staff member. Centralizing some

activities may reduce redundancy and replication.

Reevaluating current practices often reveals opportunities for changes in inmate movement and supervision to yield efficient results. Consider whether current inmate escort practices are excessive (can some

inmates move from certain locations to others without an escorting officer?). Other practices can also be

evaluated and adjusted, such as food service delivery

30 .... ..... .....
.... ..... ..... 31

(can sack lunches be provided instead of using carts

and serving trays?) and separation practices (can some

currently separate inmates participate in exercise or

other programs together?).

Rescheduling such staff-intensive activities as external

transports can reduce staff demands. You can also

reschedule such activities as facility cleaning and maintenance to times with less activity and more available

staff supervision. Many jails implement their major

facility-cleaning activities on midnight shifts, when

staff are often underutilized. Inmates involved with

off-hours cleaning details are often housed together to

facilitate their sleeping schedule. Even adjusting the

inmate meal schedule can increase staff efficiency.

Delegate some tasks to other staff, or even to inmates.

Can inmates be responsible for scheduling their own

internal appointments, rather than taking the time of

an overworked staff member? Can a civilian staff

member in the jail office prepare a schedule, instead

of a housing unit officer? Can the control room officer

on the midnight shift enter information and data,

instead of an overworked intake officer?

Reduce demand for some services and activities through

policy changes. Many jails have found that requiring

inmates to pay a small fee for medical services results

in significantly fewer sick call appointments without

reducing the quality of care provided to inmates.

Anticipate peak periods of need by analyzing past

practices. Similarly, identifying periods of low demand

can be productive. If you know from experience that

inmate admissions will be higher at certain times,

staffing can be adjusted to meet the demand. On the

other hand, if there are periods of consistently low

demand, you may be able to reduce staffing. On a

larger scale, you may even be able to open and close

entire housing units or areas of the facility based on

fluctuating demands.

Streamlining procedures may relieve pressure on

staff at key times. For example, if booking staff

consistently have difficulty processing new inmates

without a backlog, examine every element of the

intake procedure and identify steps that may be

altered, eliminated, delayed, or reassigned. Look at

other activities that chronically present logjams in

the operation and evaluate the procedures that contribute to the time required to implement each task.

Some jails operate specialized programs, such as outside work crews or boot camps. These are often staff

intensive and may need to be reconsidered when

staffing resources become overtaxed. On the other

hand, some jails have secured funding for work crews

from the agency benefiting from the inmates’ work.

Finally, you may even want to look at the jail’s operational philosophy. Some changes in philosophy

may lead to operational changes that improve staff

efficiency. When examining this foundation of the

jail, remember that many parties have a stake in the

jail’s philosophy and changing it should involve their

participation.

Change the Facility

Too often, we forget that the physical plant can be

altered, often more easily than its operations. Many

jails have used selective renovation—something as

simple as putting a window in a wall—to dramatically improve staff performance. Sometimes it may be

as simple as changing the way the current facility is

used; closing a housing unit, reassigning an activity to

a different space, and similar use changes can also

make a big difference. One jail was having trouble

providing consistent supervision for attorney-client

contact visits. This activity was moved to the existing

noncontact visiting area, which had direct observation from a fixed control center, for contact visitation.

The attorney and client use the same side of the visiting area, rather than having the glass between them.

Many simple and inexpensive renovations can significantly improve staff efficiency. These changes can

address operational issues:

■ Observation—adding observation windows,

improving sightlines, creating an observation 

room adjacent to an existing post.

■ Separation—increasing the ability to separate

inmates in housing and activity areas.
■ Movement—providing more secure compartments

in the jail, relieving concerns about allowing

inmates to move without escort.

Relocating activities, such as fixed control posts, may

seem expensive, but these one-time renovations may

be more cost-effective than adding staff for the life of

the facility.

Sometimes it is just a matter of changing fixtures or

furnishings. Replacing a solid steel door with one that

has a vision panel can make a big difference in observation and sightlines. Improving lighting is another

way to improve observation and surveillance. Think

of your facility as a work in progress. Be aggressive

when analyzing problems and identifying opportunities

to adapt the facility to serve your operations better.

32 .... ..... .....

Consider Using Technology

Emerging technology offers promising tools to

improve staff efficiency and effectiveness. However,

technology rarely reduces staffing needs. Rather, technology can be appropriately and effectively used to

enhance staff performance and improve facility operations. Beware of salespersons who promise “staff savings” by deploying their new equipment. Courts have

ruled that such technology as closed-circuit television

is appropriate only to “supplement rather than supplant” staff.

Exhibit A–1 lists some of the current and emerging

technologies that offer potential benefits for jails, along

with examples of how they might be employed.
.... ..... .....

EXHIBIT A–1: Emerging Technologies

Type of Technology Possible Uses in the Jail Setting

Perimeter electronics (motion Reduce the need for staffed posts or towers on the perimeter

detectors, buried sensors, etc.) of the facility or on the grounds.

Enhance existing physical barriers, such as walls and fences.

Enhance other electronic surveillance devices, such as closed-circuit television.

Bar coding Improve inmate identification practices.

Streamline property, evidence, and clothing inventory.

Enhance admission and release procedures.

Enhance internal movement of inmates and staff.

Provide new information and data about jail operations.

Reduce paperwork.

Closed-circuit television Enhance internal and external surveillance.

Provide visual record of operations and incidents.

Deliver programs and training to multiple locations without moving 

inmates or staff.

Record programs for repeated presentation.

Deliver information and programming throughout the jail from a single source.

Video conferencing Enable visits between inmates and attorneys, family, and others who 

and visitation are off site.

Enable arraignment and other court proceedings without transport.

Enable telemedicine consultation.

Provide programs and training for staff and inmates through distance learning.

Telephone systems Give staff portable phone capabilities within the facility and off site.

Improve and streamline phone traffic management (e.g., automated 

answering and call-direction).

Reduce the need to supervise inmate phone calls by eliminating the 

opportunity for abusing the privilege.

Security controls Elevator controls can allow inmates and the public to operate elevators without 

staff assistance.

New security control panels, such as touch screen, can increase the efficiency 

and accuracy of staff and consolidate more functions in one location.

Transmitters for door controls allow staff to open doors without being at the 

control panel.

Debit cards Automate inmate financial transactions, improving accuracy and 

recordkeeping in the commissary and reducing paperwork.

Computers Improve overall inmate recordkeeping practices.

Streamline intake and release procedures.

Provide inmates with programmed learning opportunities that are self-paced 

and flexible in terms of time and location.

Provide staff with new training tools.

33
.... ..... ..... 35

Using a staffing ratio to compare one facility with

another or to determine a staffing level for a facility

produces inaccurate results. Many factors differ and

cannot be accurately compared:

■ Is the number of inmates used for the calculation the

actual number, or the rated capacity of the facility?

■ Which positions go into the calculation—security

only, or all positions?

■ Are contractual employees considered?

■ Are hours worked by part-time employees 

considered?

■ Are hours worked by full-time staff as overtime

considered?

■ Are some staff (such as maintenance or nursing)

supplied by other county agencies (such as public

works or public health)?

In addition to these factors, the characteristics of

each jail need to be considered before applying 

figures from one facility to another:

■ Type of inmates housed (level of security, gender,

age, etc.).

■ Design capacity versus actual population.

■ Activities and programs, such as work release,

work programs, education.

■ Facility design.

■ Facility condition.

■ Staff qualifications and experience.

Staffing is based on operational philosophy and facility

design. The most efficient staffing is possible when a

facility is designed based on an operational philosophy.

A facility with a program-oriented philosophy will

have counselors, program, and recreation staff, in

addition to custody and security staff. A facility

with a philosophy of “warehousing” inmates may

have only custody and security staff. If a facility’s

design is inadequate for its philosophy, staff may

be used to compensate for facility shortcomings.

Many design and operational factors will affect

staffing, including—

■ Whether the facility is designed for direct supervision,

indirect supervision, or intermittent supervision. 

■ The types and size of housing units (cells versus

dormitories). 

■ Facility sightlines. 

■ The types of security control systems and security

perimeter. 

■ Whether inmates are escorted through the corridors. 

■ Whether programs and services are centralized or

decentralized.

■ Whether the facility is single-story or highrise.

■ Whether acceptable backup is available.

If people say they can build a 250-bed facility and

already know how many staff it will take to operate

it, do not believe them. Until a facility is adapted to

the unique population and practices of a locality,

staffing cannot be accurately determined.

Forget the words “staff-to-inmate ratios”; they only

confuse the issues.

Appendix B. The Myth of 

Staff-to-Inmate Ratios
.... ..... ..... 37

This appendix contains blank copies of all the forms

you will need to conduct a jail staffing analysis. You

may photocopy them as often as necessary.

Instructions for completing the forms and sample

completed forms are found in the step-by-step

description of the staffing analysis process.

Appendix C. Forms
38 .... ..... .....

1. Total hours contracted per employee 

per year (if a regular workweek is 

40 hours, then 40 (52.14 weeks = 2,086)

2. Average number of vacation hours per 

employee per year

3. Average number of compensatory hours 

off per employee per year

4. Average number of sick leave hours off 

per employee per year

5. Average number of training hours off 

per employee per year

6. Average number of personal hours off 

per employee per year

7. Average number of military hours off 

per employee per year

8. Average number of break hours off 

per employee year (Optional; it may 

be a contractual item.)

9. Other: [Specify.]

10. Other: [Specify.]

11. Other: [Specify.]

12. Other: [Specify.]

13. Total hours off per employee per year 

[total lines 2 though 12]

14. Net annual work hours

[subtract line 13 from line 1]

FORM A: Net Annual Work Hours
.... ..... ..... 39 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. FORM B: Facility Activity Schedule
40 .... ..... ..... Post/Position CLASSIFICATION 1 CLASSIFICATION 2 Subtotal Classification 2 CLASSIFICATION 3 Subtotal Classification 3 CLASSIFICATION 4 Subtotal Classification 4 CLASSIFICATION 5 Subtotal Classification 5 TOTAL STAFF FTE = Full-time equivalent staff FORM C: Staff Coverage Plan A BC D E FGH I J K L M N O P Q

Total Total Total No. of No. of Is Relief Net Total

Hours Hours Hours Days No. of Hours of Needed Annual No. of Rounded

Job Meal on on on 12-hr. 12-hr. Other Other per Hours Coverage for This Work FTEs No. of

Post/Position Class Relief? Days Nights Graves Day Night hours hours Week per Week per Year Post? Hours Needed FTEs
.... ..... ..... 41

FORM D: Staff Summary Sheet

Annual Number of Total FTE Staff Total FTE Staff

Coverage Hours Needed, as Calculated Needed, Rounded

Job Classification (Form C, Column M) (Form C, Column P) (Form C, Column Q)

CLASSIFICATION 1

CLASSIFICATION 2

CLASSIFICATION 3

CLASSIFICATION 4

CLASSIFICATION 5

TOTAL

FTE = Full-time equivalent staff

A BCD
.... ..... ..... 43

1. Identify the number of hours in the basic shift for

which you want a relief factor (e.g., 8).

2. Multiply this by the number of shifts per day (this

equals total hours per day).

3. Multiply this by the number of days per week

that the post needs coverage (this equals total hours

per week).

Example 1

1. 8-hour shift

2. 3 shifts/day 8 x 3 = 24

3. 7 days/week 24 x 7 = 168 

4. 52.14 weeks/year

times total hours/week 168 x 52.14 = 8,760

5. Total annual hours 

divided by NAWH

(NAWH is 1,600 for 

this job classification) 8,760 ÷ 1,600 = 5.475

In other words, it takes 5.475 full-time equivalents (FTEs) to

staff this post. This might be a typical calculation for a controlcenter post.

Example 2

1. 10-hour shift

2. 1 shift/day 10 x 1 = 10

3. 5 days/week 10 x 5 = 50 

4. 52.14 weeks/year 

times total hours/week 50 x 52.14 = 2,607

5. Total annual hours 

divided by NAWH

(NAWH is 1,680 for 

this job classification) 2,607 ÷ 1,680 = 1.55

In other words, it takes 1.55 FTEs to staff this post. This

might be a typical calculation for a classification post.

Appendix D. Converting Net Annual

Work Hours to a Relief Factor

Length Number of Number of 52.14 

of Shift Shifts/Day Days/Week (wks/yr) x x x ÷ NAWH = SRF

4. Multiply this by the 52.14 weeks in a year (this is

the total hours per year).

5. Divide this by the net annual work hours (NAWH)

to produce a shift relief factor (SRF).