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Working in Jail: It Takes More Than a Badge and a Uniform

NCJ Number
120669
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 51 Issue: 7 Dated: (December 1989) Pages: 68,70,71
Author(s)
F Clark
Date Published
1989
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Because jails operate either within a local law enforcement agency or as separate correctional institutions, there is no statewide management and therefore no standard operating or staffing procedures.
Abstract
Jails -- both short-term holding facilities and general purpose facilities -- are usually managed by a police chief or sheriff who meets local agency employment qualifications. Even State and Federal standards are not identical, often making training and experience nontransferable. Correctional officers in jails often have a mix of titles with different requirement; a current controversy in the field is whether to establish a separate jail-related classification and career path for correctional officers or use the jail position as a temporary assignment within the department's overall staffing pattern. Jail officers are responsible for maintaining security as well as carrying out processing, identification, classification, and emergency functions. Vital personal information on arrestees is often unavailable, forcing officers to deal quickly with critical factors such as mentally disturbed and suicidal behaviors, substance addiction, and contagious diseases. Inmates include pre-trial detainees and convicted offenders as well as first-time inmates and repeat offenders. Jail correctional officers need common sense, imagination, and intelligence as well as specialized training.