County jails are bound by their histories to a local perspective and are limited by local control and local budgets to traditional methods of operation. This makes self-initiated reform unlikely, leaving jails particularly vulnerable to lawsuits and court-ordered reform. Because jails are traditionally administered by sheriffs, who have a law enforcement professional orientation, they are not privy to the information exchange and network supports of corrections professionals who operate State and Federal prison systems. A case study of the court-mandated reform of the Marion County Jail (Indiana) in the early 1970's demonstrates that the jail administrators had no forewarning of the likelihood of such court action, due primarily to their isolation from the national network of corrections professionals, who were already gearing up for preventive reforms to preclude the necessity of court intervention. Consequently, local officials were shocked and angered when the court ruled against them. Their defensiveness when the court ruled against them. Their defensiveness and lack of expertise for devising a reform strategy delayed compliance with the court ruling. The early appointment of a special master in such lawsuits could facilitate compliance. A table of cases and 11 references.