U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Business Planning Guide for Jail Industries

NCJ Number
165147
Author(s)
Tom Quirk; Rod Miller
Date Published
August 2002
Length
56 pages
Annotation
This federally funded guide provides assistance in writing a business plan for a jail industry program. It assists in clarifying the important aspects of the program allowing for the development of a plan for communicating the need for such a program and its potential benefits to inmates, jail programs, and the community.
Abstract
Jail industry is defined as “any activity that rewards inmates with pay, privileges, or other benefits to create a product or service having value for a public or private client.” This guide supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice is intended to aid those corrections professionals in the writing of a business plan for the implementation of jail industries. The guide is divided into seven chapters with the first chapter focusing on the many elements of a business plan including: executive summary, mission statement, competitive analysis, potential opposition, advisory board, business planning objectives, benefits to the county, target market selection, business strategy and marketing mix, products and services offered, location decisions, pricing strategy, promotion, organizational chart, budgets, break-even point, profit and loss statement, balance sheet, and cash flow chart. The following six chapters cover controlling the business plan, evaluating the business plan, obtaining startup funds, pilot study, expanding to full operations, production scheduling, and worksheets. Worksheets are provided in the appendix enabling you to respond to questions and develop a business plan consistent with the guidance presented.