1. Jail operations final reprt - Laserfiche WebLink

Cass County Jail Project Observations, Findings, and Recommendations Pursuant to a Post Occupancy Monitoring on October 23-25, 2002 Introd.:tim ?ost occupancy monitoring refers to the close monitoring of jail operations after moving inmates into the facility. It is the last phase of the transition process that began more than a year before the new Cass CountyJail was completed. Post occupancy monitoring is the responsibility of both the Jail administration and supervisors and the jail consultant hired to assist in the transition process. The administration and supervisors closely monitor jail operations from the moment inmates are moved into the facility. They must ensure that the staff are performing satisfactorily and that policies, procedures, and post orders are being followed. They must also ensure that operational problems are addressed effectively and quickly. The consultant monitors operations several months after opening to ensure the administration and supervisors have been successful in their efforts. Funding for the post occupancy monitoring is included in the consultant's contract for transition services. It was anticipated under the consultant's contract that two post occupancy monitoring visits would be made. The first was to occur between three and six months after opening to trouble shoot the administration's effoKrs to fine tune jail operations. The second visit to be conducted one year after opening and was to be a more substantial and structured effort. Approximately six weeks after inmates were moved into the new facility, the County Board of Commissioners asked for an immediate post occupancy monitoring visit to address a large dollar amount of vandalism in the facility. Purpose of Post Occupancy Monitoring It is not unusual for new jails to experience problems after opening. Seldom have transition teams been able anticipate and address every operational problem prior to opening of the new facility. And, many jails experience at least some difficulties in implementing the concept of direct supervision. Typically jails experiencing problems have responded in a piecemeal fashion or have used a "[land-Aid" approach dealing with symptoms rather than the root causes of the problem. Frequently, corrective actions have included the assignment of additional security staff, and/or costly and unnecessary physical plant alterations. Unfortunately, the emergency quick-fix solutions Cass County Jail Project 1