Personnel, Not Overcrowding, Is Number One Jail Problem, New NSA Survey Reveals - Report Provides Valuable Data For Solving Management Problems

Sep 29, 2026

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Report summarizes the findings of the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) nationwide study on jails, released at the NSA Annual Conference in Las Vegas. Funded by the National Institute of Corrections and based on responses from 2,664 counties and large city jails, the survey identifies critical problem areas and argues that statistical analysis alone cannot solve jail management issues. It highlights personnel as the number one problem, links staffing difficulties to training, salaries, and turnover, and ranks modernization, recreation, and funding among the most serious concerns.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Report Provides Valuable Data For Solving Management Problems

TEXAS Adult Commission Institutes “Shock Probation”

Troubled Michigan Forced To Lay Off Employees

California Now a Penal Colony for South Dakota's Offenders

Personnel: The Number One Problem

Categories and Data Breakdown

Key Findings: Personnel, Modernization, Recreation, Funding

Additional Deficiencies Listed

June 21,1982 Vol.13 No.13 PERSONNEL,NOT OVERCROWDING,IS NUMBER ONE JAIL PROBLEM,NEW NSA SURVEY REVEALS ## Report Provides Valuable DataFor Solving Management Problems Executive Director Ferris E.Lucas of theNational Sheriffs'Association(NSA)today un-veiled the results of the nation's largest and mostcomprehensive study on jails conducted to date. Lucas distributed a survey summary reportto sheriffs attending the NSA Annual Conferencethis week in Las Vegas.Funded by the NationalInstitute of Corrections,the survey drew responsesfrom 2,664 counties and large city jails -an 89percent response rate.NSA began sending outsurvey questionnaires in September,1981,toevery county and large city jail in the nation. (Continued on page two) IN THIS ISSUE- JAILS:NSA Survey Results Released......1TEXAS:Trying Out“Shock Probation”.....1MICHIGAN:Hit By Economic Woes.......1SOUTH DAKOTA:Preventing Overcrowding....1JOB LISTINGS..............4Whoever Told Inmates They Could Fly?......4WORK FURLOUGH:Annual Meeting Scheduled ..6IN THE COURTS......... ...8CAC:A Policy For Public Participation..... 8IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL.........9ACROSS THE NATION...........10 Page 1 ## TEXAS ADULT COMMISSIONINSTITUTES“SHOCK PROBATION”TO DEAL WITH PRISON CRISIS By Dick LewisCommunications CoordinatorTexas Adult Probation Commission The corrections community in Texasreceived a jolt in early May when the stateBoard of Corrections voted to cease taking pris-oners in the Texas Department of Corrections(TDC)until the prison population had been (See TEXAS,page five) ## TROUBLED MICHIGAN FORCEDTO LAY OFF 150 EMPLOYEES The troubled Michigan Department ofCorrections-one year after the disastrous riotswhich began in the State Prison of SouthernMichigan(Jackson)and spread throughout thestate -announced on June 11 that it is beingforced to indefinitely lay off 150 employeesand temporarily lay off another 1,079. (See MICHIGAN,page six) ## A True Story... CALIFORNIA NOW A PENAL COLONYFOR SOUTH DAKOTA'S OFFENDERS Gov.William J.Janklow of South Dakotaisn't exactly Number One on California Gov.Jerry Brown's Valentine list. (See SOUTH DAKOTA,page three) According to Lucas,The State of Our Nation'sJails,1982 has determined the five most seriousproblem areas in jails. "The report is the most valuable tool com-piled to date for jail managers and sheriffs,"Lucastold the sheriffs. According to Lucas,most jail surveys whichhave been conducted provide statistical analysesof census figures and operational data. "As valuable as this information might be tosome,it is of little value to sheriffs or jail admin-istrators because statistical facts in and of them-selves can't solve jail problems,"commented thereport's co-authors NSA Jail Project DirectorFrancis R.Ford and Ken Kerle,an internationally-recognized expert on jails."Most of these statis-tin~¹urveys do not attempt to diagnose the prob-lems nor offer solutions,for this is not theirpurpose. "For a jail survey to be of value to sheriffsand jail administrators,it has to address itself tothe critical areas in the jail where help is mostneeded,"they explained.“This,the NSA projecthas tried to do through raising the relevant ques-tions and comparing them throughout the studywith other parts of the questionnaire.In thisway,perhaps,the sheriffs and jail administratorsof America will have a document to serve themas a guide in approaching solutions to problemsplaguing their institutions." Personnel:The Number One Problem The State of Our Nation's Jails -1982 covers thefollowing categories:General;Legal;Administrative;Physical Description of Present Jail;Staffing;InmatePopulation;Programs and Services;and The Five MostSerious Problem Areas in the Jail In Order of TheirImportance. To assist the sheriffs and jail administrators and thejail staffs,the replies are broken down into four equalsections according to the amount of bed space in the jail.Thus,the sheriff and jail administrato

FAQs

What study did the NSA release in this report?

The report unveils the results of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive study on jails conducted to date by the National Sheriffs' Association.

What does the survey say is the number one jail problem?

The survey states that personnel is the number one problem, even more than overcrowding.

How were jail responses organized for analysis?

Replies were broken down into four equal sections based on jail bed space: 1–16 beds, 17–30 beds, 31–62 beds, and 63-up.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Eliana