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Research Findings and Recommendations: Conditions of Confinement Standards Revision

NCJ Number
126079
Date Published
1988
Length
103 pages
Annotation
This project reviews the influence that key American Correctional Association (ACA) physical plant standards have had on the design and operation of corrections facilities, both adult and juvenile; and provides a basis for suggesting specific revisions to these standards.
Abstract
Three interrelated research initiatives were commissioned to thoroughly inform the standards revision process: (1) an assessment of physical plant standards from the perspective of the effects of the physical environment on behavior; (2) an evaluation of the experiences of several correctional facilities constructed since 1982 that have followed ACA standards; and (3) a description of insights gained from extensive legal research related to more than 100 Federal court decisions that addressed correctional facility deficiencies. Findings indicate that current plant standards are useful and need only minor improvements, certain components of the current standards require increased area allocations, and physical plant standards need to be viewed in a broader context. Appendix.