NIC Training & Technical Assistance New Jail Planning Programs

Is your jurisdiction thinking about building or renovating a jail? Start here.

The Jail and Justice System Assessment is an intensive, on-site technical assistance process designed to help jurisdictions understand the full scope of their criminal justice system before committing to facility development. Over a structured three-day visit, our team works directly with your key stakeholders — commissioners, sheriffs, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, probation officials, and community members — to assess your current facility conditions, examine your justice system as a whole, and evaluate your readiness to begin a planning process.

The JJSA helps jurisdictions recognize that jail crowding and condition problems are not just a "jail problem" — they are justice system and community problems. By completing this process, your jurisdiction will be better equipped to make informed, defensible decisions about whether to build, explore alternatives, or pursue systemic reforms.

Ideal for: Jurisdictions in the early stages of exploring jail renovation or new construction. 

Build the right jail — before you build the building.

The Planning of New Institutions program is a structured multi-day training designed for the key decision-makers who will guide a new jail project from vision to reality. PONI walks your jurisdiction's leadership team through the Facility Development Process — providing a shared framework, a common language, and the foundational knowledge needed to make sound planning decisions.

Participants leave with a clearer understanding of their individual roles, a stronger planning team, and the tools needed to apply core concepts to their own jurisdiction's circumstances. Topics include needs assessment and data use, functional and space programming, scenario development, site evaluation, staffing and operating costs, and action planning.

Ideal for: Sheriffs, jail administrators, county commissioners, and other key leaders preparing to undertake a new jail project.

Keep your architects working for you — not the other way around.

Most jurisdictions and correctional administrators have only one opportunity to build a jail. Without the right knowledge, critical design decisions often get ceded to architects and contractors — and administrators are left trying to fit their operations into someone else's building. This program changes that.

Managing Jail Design and Construction is an on-site technical assistance program for agencies that have completed or are nearing the end of pre-architectural programming. It equips your team to actively participate in and oversee every phase of the design and construction process — from schematic design and design development through construction documents, bidding, and transition planning. Topics include project delivery options, staffing analysis, reading and reviewing construction drawings, managing change orders, and the role of the owner's team throughout construction.

Ideal for: Project teams actively engaged in jail design and construction, including project managers, facility operations staff, and jurisdiction leadership.

The building is almost ready. Is your operation?

Opening a new or expanded detention facility is one of the most complex operational undertakings a jurisdiction will face. History has shown that jurisdictions that fail to plan adequately for the transition — not just the move, but the full operational build-out — risk serious incidents, political fallout, and costly corrections after opening day.

The How to Open a New Institution program prepares policy officials, managers, and transition team members for the full scope of what lies ahead. This training covers the entire transition lifecycle: managing change, establishing mission and operating philosophy, policy and procedure development, master scheduling, staffing, furniture and equipment coordination, move logistics, staff training, and post-transition follow-up.

Ideal for: Policy-level officials, jail administrators, and transition team members preparing to occupy a new or expanded detention facility.