Virginia Administrative Code › Title 6 - CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND CORRECTIONS › Agency 15 - STATE BOARD OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL JAILS › Chapter 81 - STANDARDS FOR PLANNING, DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND REIMBURSEMENT OF LOCAL CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES › Part I - Definitions and General Instructions › Section 6VAC15-81-20 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
The following words and terms when used in this chapter
					 shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates
					 otherwise:
"Acceptable" means those applicable standards or practices
					 with which a registered professional architect, engineer, or other duly
					 licensed or recognized authority must comply.
"Access openings" means panels or doors used for access
					 into areas including ceilings, pipe chases, plumbing chases, or shafts.
"Accessible by inmates" means the same as "inmate
					 accessible."
"ADA accessible" means in compliance with the Americans
					 with Disabilities Act (42
					 USC §
											12101 et seq.).
"ADP" means average daily population.
"A/E" means the architect or engineer and his associated
					 firm hired by the owner for study, design, or construction of the jail
					 project.
"Analysis" means a detailed examination of the local or
					 regional criminal justice system and its elements in order to determine the
					 impact these elements have had on the need for current and future jail
					 space.
"Approved" means an item approved by the reviewing
					 authority.
"Artificial light" means light other than natural
					 light.
"ASTM" means the American Society for Testing and
					 Materials, the most current edition. When ASTM is referenced, the reference is
					 to the Standards in ASTM Standards on Detention and Correctional Facilities,
					 unless otherwise specified. Testing for compliance with ASTM Standards shall be
					 performed by an independent nationally recognized testing laboratory.
"Board" means the Virginia State Board of
					 Corrections.
"Building code" means Virginia Uniform Statewide Building
					 Code (13VAC5-63), the Virginia Industrialized Building Code (13VAC5-91), and
					 the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code (13VAC5-51).
"CCJB" means Community Criminal Justice Board.
"CCTV" means closed circuit television or electronic
					 surveillance system.
"Ceilings" means overhead interior surface that covers the
					 upper limit of an interior room or space.
"Cell" means a space, the size of which is specified in
					 this chapter, enclosed by secure construction containing plumbing fixtures and
					 usually a bunk in which an inmate is detained or sleeps. Cells can be single or
					 multiple occupancy depending upon custody level.
"Cell tier" means levels of cells vertically stacked above
					 one another within a housing unit.
"Central intake unit" means an area constructed to provide,
					 at a minimum, space for intake, temporary holding, booking, court and juvenile
					 (if approved for juveniles) holding, classification, and release
					 functions.
"Classification unit" means a cell or unit utilized for
					 short-term holding of inmates for classification purposes after intake or
					 booking and prior to being assigned to general population or other
					 housing.
"Community based corrections plan" or "CBCP" means a
					 comprehensive assessment of an owner's correctional needs and how these needs
					 will be met through submissions of a needs assessment and a planning
					 study.
"Community custody" means inmates incarcerated by the
					 judicial system and classified for involvement in local work forces;
					 participating in work, education, and rehabilitation release; and weekend and
					 nonconsecutive sentencing.
"Construction completion" means the construction of the
					 building is considered complete when a certificate of occupancy or temporary
					 certificate of occupancy is issued for the building to be occupied by
					 inmates.
"Construction documents" means the detailed working
					 drawings and project manual containing detailed specifications and other
					 supporting documents as approved by the reviewing authority.
"Contact visiting" means a space where inmates and
					 visitors at a minimum may pass papers to one another.
"Control room" means a space enclosed by secure walls,
					 secure roof or secure ceiling, and secure floor from which a jail officer may
					 supervise inmates and control security systems in a portion of the jail, such
					 as locks, doors, etc.
"Control station" means a space not enclosed by security
					 walls, roof or ceiling, and floor from which a jail officer may supervise
					 inmates and control security systems in a portion of the jail, such as locks,
					 doors, etc.
"Correctional facility" means the same as "local
					 correctional facility."
"Dayroom" means a secure area contiguous to an inmate
					 sleeping (cells or rooms) area, with controlled access from the inmate sleeping
					 area, to which inmates may be admitted for daytime activities.
"Department" means the Department of Corrections.
"Design capacity" means the maximum number of general beds
					 for which the facility is designed and constructed based on the space
					 requirements in this chapter as established by the Board of Corrections.
"Direct supervision" means a specific style of management
					 where correctional officers are stationed full time inside the dayroom rather
					 than solely observing inmate activity from within secure control points. Within
					 this concept, services are generally brought to the inmate rather than taking
					 the inmate to the service.
"Direct visual observation" means direct line of sight by a
					 correctional officer, not CCTV.
"Dormitory" means an area designed for accommodating five
					 or more inmates and used to house minimum custody and community custody
					 inmates.
"Encapsulation" means the same as "secure
					 encapsulation."
"Expansion" means to add an area of new construction to an
					 existing local correctional facility by constructing additional areas.
"Facility" means a jail or lockup including all associated
					 buildings and site.
"50% completion" (of construction value) means the day the
					 project reaches the 50% point between the issuance of a building construction
					 permit and the issuance of the final certificate of occupancy.
"General population housing" means maximum, medium,
					 minimum, and community custody housing. General population excludes special
					 purpose cells and intake or booking.
"Glazing" means any in fill material, usually transparent
					 or translucent glass, polycarbonate or combination thereof, and related
					 components, used in a framed assembly.
"Holding" means a space or room designed for temporary
					 containment of detainees or inmates while awaiting actions such as transfer,
					 transportation, release, etc. Holding of this nature usually does not exceed
					 four hours.
"Housing unit" means a group of single person cells,
					 multi-occupancy cells, or group of such cells with a common dayroom, dormitory,
					 intake, special purpose, or classification area that provide accommodations for
					 sleeping, approved personal effects, and personal hygiene.
"IMC" means intermediate metal conduit.
"Indirect supervision" means supervision method other than
					 direct supervision. "Inmate" means any person committed to a jail by a legal
					 commitment document.
"Inmate accessible" means areas an inmate occupies or
					 utilizes inside the secure perimeter, including all sally ports.
"Intake" means a cell, group of cells, and open seating
					 within a jail designed to hold one or more persons while awaiting processing,
					 booking, classification, or assignment to the general housing units after
					 booking. Intake holding time does not usually exceed 72 hours. Cells holding
					 more than one person are frequently referred to as group holding.
"Interior partition" means a wall within the secure
					 perimeter, which is not required to be a perimeter security wall or an interior
					 security wall.
"Interior security walls" means walls within but not a
					 part of a secure perimeter that are utilized to restrict movement within the
					 secure area, including housing units, dormitories, corridors, inmate activity
					 areas, intake area, kitchen, laundry, and program areas.
"Jail" means the same as "local correctional
					 facility."
"LIDS" means LIDS-VACORIS, the Compensation Board's inmate
					 data system.
"Life safety operations" means the function of certain
					 electrical, mechanical, and other building equipment provided for the purpose
					 of ensuring the life, health, and safety of building occupants in the case of
					 an emergency situation.
"Light" means the same as "artificial light" or " natural
					 light."
"Local correctional facility" means any jail, jail farm,
					 or other place used for the detention or incarceration of adult inmates,
					 excluding a lockup, which is owned, maintained, or operated by, or under
					 contract with, any political subdivision or combination of political
					 subdivisions of the Commonwealth. This shall also include facilities operated
					 by a private entity under contract with a regional jail authority under
					 provision of § 53.1-71.1 of the Code of Virginia.
"Locality" means a county or city.
"Lockup" means a facility, separate from a jail facility,
					 operated by or for a local government for detention of persons for a short
					 period of time as stated in
					 6VAC15-40-10.
"Master control" means the principal secure room of the
					 entire facility where the control of safety and security of the jail through
					 electronic equipment for surveillance, communication, fire and smoke detection,
					 and emergency functions. This room is enclosed by walls, roof or ceiling, and
					 floor assemblies meeting secure perimeter requirements as well as having
					 opening protectives meeting ASTM Grade 1 requirements. This room includes
					 control of the entrances to the jail through the secure perimeter and
					 capability of control of ingress and egress to cells, dayrooms, corridors, and
					 other spaces within the entire jail.
"Maximum custody inmates" means persons who cannot be
					 allowed to mingle physically with other inmates without close supervision,
					 normally because of assaultive and aggressive behavior or high escape
					 risk.
"Medium custody inmates" means those persons who require a
					 moderate level of staff supervision and secure accommodations against escape,
					 but who can be allowed to participate in group activities.
"Mezzanine" means the same as "cell tier."
"Minimum custody inmates" means those inmates classified as
					 not dangerous or likely to escape, but who are of sufficient concern to require
					 a minimum level of supervision. "Minor renovation project" means renovation
					 project that does not result in an increase in beds and has an estimated cost
					 of less than $5 million.
"Multiple occupancy cell" means a cell designed for two,
					 three, or four inmates.
"Natural light" means light provided by sunlight as viewed
					 from within a housing unit.
"Needs assessment" means an evaluation of trends and
					 factors at the local or regional level affecting current and future facility
					 needs, and the assessment of resources available to meet such needs. The needs
					 assessment is used as the basis for a request for reimbursement of local
					 correctional facility construction costs.
"New construction" means to build, expand, or replace a
					 local correctional facility.
"Operating capacity" means the same as "design
					 capacity."
"Owner" means the locality, localities, or jail authority
					 responsible for making decisions about the project.
"Owner's agent" means the person or firm designated by an
					 owner to make decisions concerning the project.
"Per inmate" or "per bed" means for each general
					 population bed.
"Piping" means pipes associated with heating, cooling,
					 condensate, domestic water, gas, steam, sewer, storm drain, roof drain, and
					 fire protection.
"Planning study" means a document providing the
					 anticipated operating program, staffing, operating costs, building design, and
					 cost for construction, expansion, or renovation of a local correctional
					 facility that is used as the basis for a request for funding of project costs
					 for reimbursement and initial determination of compliance with this
					 chapter.
"PREA" means the Prison Rape Elimination Act (Public Law
					 108-79).
"Project" means new construction, renovation, or expansion
					 of a regional or local jail correctional facility. This includes planning,
					 design, and construction.
"Public" means all persons with the exception of
					 professional visitors, such as legal, clergy, counselors, pretrial, probation,
					 parole, and law enforcement, and others as authorized by the local correctional
					 facility.
"Regional jail" means, for purposes of state reimbursement
					 for construction costs, those jails that meet the criteria set forth in §§
					 53.1-81, 53.1-82 and 53.1-95.2 of the Code of Virginia, any jail having at
					 least three member localities that was created before February 1, 1993, or any
					 jail construction project recommended for approval by the Board of Corrections
					 as a regional jail prior to February 1, 1993. For the purposes of this term,
					 "created" means localities having submitted resolutions of local governing
					 bodies or cooperative agreements, and "cooperative agreements" means a formal
					 contract between those jurisdictions participating in a regional jail that
					 specifies their mutual financial and legal obligations relating to the
					 ownership, administration, and maintenance of the jail.
"Renovation" means the alteration or other modification of
					 an existing local correctional facility or piece of equipment for the purpose
					 of modernizing or changing the use or capability of such local correctional
					 facility or equipment. Renovation does not include work on or repair or
					 replacement of any part of an existing local correctional facility or
					 equipment, which may be generally associated with normal wear and tear or
					 included in routine maintenance. Renovation renders the facility, item, or area
					 in compliance with this chapter and superior to the original.
"Repair" means the correction of deficiencies in a local
					 correctional facility or of equipment, which have either been damaged or worn
					 by use but which can be economically returned to service without
					 replacement.
"Replacement" means the construction of a local
					 correctional facility in place of a like local correctional facility or the
					 purchasing of like equipment to replace equipment that has been so damaged or
					 has outlived its useful life that it cannot be economically renovated or
					 repaired.
"Reviewing authority" means the representatives of the
					 Department of Corrections or the Department of Criminal Justice Services
					 responsible for reviewing required documents and attending required meetings
					 and whose responsibility it is to interpret and determine compliance with this
					 chapter.
"Sally port" means a secure vestibule constructed of
					 secure walls, secure ceiling, and secure floor with two or more interlocking,
					 secure doors. Fixtures within sally ports shall be maximum security.
"Secure," as relates to construction, means walls, floors,
					 ceilings or roofs, doors, and windows are constructed in accordance with the
					 secure construction requirements of this chapter.
"Secure area" means all spaces located within the secure
					 perimeter. (See secure perimeter).
"Secure encapsulation" means protect against vandalism or
					 damage with concrete, masonry, steel, or other approved secure construction
					 meeting the requirements of this chapter.
"Secure enclosure" means secure walls, secure floors, and
					 secure roof or secure ceiling surrounding a space or area.
"Secure perimeter" means the outer limits of a jail or
					 lockup where walls, floor, roof, and ceiling, constructed in accordance with
					 the requirements of this chapter, are used to prevent egress by inmates or
					 ingress by unauthorized persons or contraband.
"Security cap" means secure protection of the top of a
					 room or space with concrete, sheet metal, or security ceiling as specified in
					 this chapter to complete the secure encapsulation of the room or space.
"Special purpose cells" means cells within the secure
					 perimeter that include isolation, segregation, medical, protective custody, or
					 other special use cells.
"State responsible inmates" means those inmates with
					 felony sentences and sentenced to the custody of the Department of Corrections
					 in accordance with § 53.1-20 of the Code of Virginia or other applicable state
					 law.
"Supervision" means the act or process of performing
					 responsible care over inmates.
"Support services areas" means all areas within the
					 facility excluding inmate housing units. Also known as core or core
					 space.
"Sustainable design and construction initiatives" means
					 balancing economic, environmental, and equity considerations by reducing
					 negative environmental impacts of site selection and development, optimizing
					 the energy and water performance of the building and site, using
					 environmentally sensitive building materials, and protecting the health and
					 comfort of building occupants. Sustainable design and construction initiatives
					 are benchmarked by third-party rating systems such as LEED or Green Globes or
					 by documenting compliance with ASHRAE 189.1 or the International Green
					 Construction Code.
"Tier" means the same as "cell tier."
"Value management analysis" or "VMA" means an analysis of
					 facility design for the purpose of satisfying required function, and cost
					 effectiveness, while providing the best quality and efficiency for the
					 project.
"Value management team" means a team of people independent
					 from the owner or the owner's A/E headed by a certified value specialist and a
					 combination of the following disciplines based on phase and nature of the
					 project: architecture, security, civil or site engineering, mechanical and
					 electrical engineering, and cost estimator.
"Vehicular sally port" means a drive-in or drive-through
					 made secure preferably by remotely controlled electrically operated
					 interlocking doors for entrance and exit. It is normally located in close
					 proximity to the facility intake.
Statutory Authority: §§
												53.1-5,
						53.1-80, and
						53.1-82 of the Code of
						Virginia.