County commissioners obviously have a different set of responsibilities from the Sheriff. The Sheriff is the individual chosen by the voters to manage the day to day operations of the jail. Commissioners should not interfere with these functions or try to micro-manage the Sheriff. However, as the author points out, the jail is one of the most expensive operations of the county and there is great potential for commissioners to be impacted by lawsuits and liability that can arise from a poorly managed jail. The article attempts to equip county commissioners with enough knowledge to be able to ask informed questions about jail operations and management to be able to evaluate current deficiencies and future needs. It can be found here.
In addition to the issues raised by this article, many counties in Tennessee have recently built new jails or additions or are in the process of evaluating the county's correctional needs. There are several more of Dr. Beck's articles available which relate to evaluating jail designs and needs. These articles can be found on the website for his Kansas City-based consulting firm called Justice Concepts Inc. at http://www.justiceconcepts.com/
Other articles include:
- A Proven Jail Design that Cuts Construction Costs by One-half or More
- Example of How We Rapidly Reduced a Jail Population
- Jail Bloating: A Cause of Jail Overcrowding
- Deciding on a New Jail Design
- Two Approaches for Determing Jail Needs
- Forecasting: Fiction and Utility in Jail Planning
- Misleading Jail Bed Costs
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