Challenges Facing Jails Today – and Tomorrow: Findings From an NCCHC Resources Survey of Jail Leaders

By Claire Wolfe MPH, MA, CCHP, and Fred Meyer, MA, CJM, CCHP

Within jails, both custody and health staff are charged with working to improve the likelihood that those who leave will be able to live self-directed, successful lives in the community. The perspective of custody staff is essential in the pursuit of effective cross-disciplinary collaboration.

To learn what custody leaders see as the most pressing challenges facing U.S. jails, NCCHC Resources staff conducted an anonymous online survey of graduates of the National Jail Leadership Command Academy at Sam Houston State University, an ongoing partnership between the American Jail Association, the Correctional Management Institute of Texas, and the university.

NJLCA is a rigorous leadership training course for those transitioning into senior and executive leadership positions within jails. More than 1,800 correctional leaders from throughout the country have graduated from the program.

The “Perceptions of Primary Challenges Facing Jails” survey included both closed and open-ended questions about current and ongoing challenges. The survey was emailed to potential respondents twice by the AJA.

Survey Results
In total, 55 correctional leaders responded to the survey. Respondents were concentrated in the southeastern United States (45%), followed by the Midwest (22%), southwest (13%), and west (13%). Two respondents (4%) were from the northeast. Over 90% reported that they have worked in corrections for more than 10 years. Most respondents (59%) were from medium-sized jails, which the AJA defines as having an average daily population between 100 and 999, followed by large jails (30%), defined as having an ADP of more than 1,000.

Figure 1 illustrates responses to closed-ended questions where respondents were asked to rank their agreement on a Likert scale regarding substance use, suicide prevention, and collaboration between custody and health staff as top challenges facing jails. Based on our experience and prior research, we hypothesized that these issues would be considered the primary challenges. The majority of respondents either strongly or moderately agreed.

Respondents were then asked to describe, in their own words, the top five challenges facing jails today. Responses were analyzed for common themes.

The most common response, ranked by 55% of respondents as the top challenge, related to staffing. Concerns included recruitment, retention, and pay, with one person citing burnout as a top concern. Some responses mentioned staffing generally, while others specified custody and/or health care staffing issues.

After staffing, mental health – of incarcerated individuals, staff, or both – was cited most frequently; 24% of respondents ranked mental-health issues as the top challenge. Substance use (e.g., “overdose” and “substance use disorder”) and overpopulation/issues with physical space (e.g., “overcrowding” and “building design”) were each cited by 7% of respondents.

 Other topics mentioned frequently included funding, both generally and specifically for health care (e.g., “medical care/cost” and “funding for proactive activities”), a need for culture change in jails (e.g., “law enforcement culture change” and “bringing about and welcoming effective change”), and legal, political, and legislative factors (e.g., “unfunded mandates,” “legislative/political influences,” and “slow court movement”).

When asked about top challenges in the next five years, the responses largely mirrored those from the previous question, with staffing (42%), mental health (18%), and overpopulation/lack of space (16%) cited most frequently as the anticipated top challenge.

Takeaways
While these results largely align with what we know about the challenges facing jails, they reiterate important points that warrant discussion.

Within jails, current strategies to recruit and retain accountable and dedicated custody and health staff appear to be deficient. This is also true in the community in regard to health care workers, with shortages evident now and expected in the future. We recommend these recruitment and retention strategies, with the understanding that they may not all be immediately feasible:

Strengthen recruitment. Use targeted recruitment strategies, engage with local community and educational institutions to raise awareness about career opportunities in corrections, and implement a referral program that rewards current employees for recruiting new hires.

Cultivate your culture. Promote a safe and supportive work environment, creatively allow for sustainable work-life balance, provide resources for stress management and positive mental health, and appreciate and recognize staff’s hard work and dedication.

Seek feedback. Conduct exit interviews with both structured and open-ended discussion, provide dedicated time or a formal mechanism for both positive and negative feedback from current employees, be open to feedback and make relevant changes when possible.

Support personal growth. Offer training and continuing education opportunities that go outside the bounds of mandated topics, create and communicate clear career advancement pathways, and establish mentorship programs to support new employees and encourage professional growth.

The intersection between mental health, substance use, and incarceration is a long-standing public health problem that continues to put pressure on jails. Engaging in advocacy at the local and state levels can ensure that voices reflecting the needs of patients and staff in jails are heard.

Inside the walls, ensuring that proper behavioral and pharmacological treatment is provided for mental health and substance use disorders can reduce risks and adverse events. Sound policies, procedures, training, and external partnerships are crucial in ensuring comprehensive screening, timely assessments, evidence-based treatment, and reentry services.

Correctional leadership and policymakers must thoughtfully and intentionally consider the role that time in jail should be designed to play and implement policies that support such an environment, including those regarding the workforce. Additionally, it is increasingly imperative to investigate how community resources can be made accessible before and after incarceration to prevent and treat mental health and substance use issues. Sustained, long-term leadership and coordination at all levels and across disciplines is crucial. Despite constraints, solutions are clearly needed.

Claire Wolfe, MPH, MA, CCHP, is a program manager with NCCHC’s consulting arm, NCCHC Resources, Inc. Fred Meyer, MA, CJM, CCHP, is managing director.