NCJ Number
79484
Journal
Iowa Law Review Volume: 66 Issue: 5 Dated: (July 1981) Pages: 1071-1240
Date Published
1981
Length
170 pages
Annotation
Findings and recommendations are presented from a survey of Iowa jails, with attention to overcrowding, exercise and recreational activity, medical care, inmate supervision, visitation, inmate access to the courts, and liability for inmates' lawsuits.
Abstract
A proposed set of statewide standards for jails was presented in March 1981. These regulations, entitled the Local Detention Facilities (LDF) Rules, were written to regulate all aspects of jail operation, including physical plants, staff training, and inmate treatment. Implementation of these regulations has been postponed until further assessment of the needs of county jails has been completed by the Iowa Crime Commission. The survey (whose findings are presented) was designed to collect data bearing upon the relationship of current jail conditions to constitutional requirements, the proposed LDF Rules, and the American Correctional Association jail standards. Questionnaires were developed and distributed to three groups of officials involved in jail management--county sheriffs, county attorneys, and district court judges. The questions were designed to measure conditions, policies, and attitudes on the operation of county jails. The questionnaires also elicited responses on the anticipated effectiveness of the proposed LDF Rules. Questionnaire responses were supplemented by onsite inspections of 15 jails. Study findings and recommendations are presented concerning physical conditions of confinement (overcrowding, exercise and recreational activity, medical care, and supervision), visitation, and access to the courts. Case law is compared to the standards and the standards are compared to actual situations. The questionnaires and tabular data are appended; 929 footnotes are provided.