Welcome to National Institute for Jail Operations

Legal-Based Resources for Agencies and Professionals working the Corrections Field

The National Institute for Jail Operations (NIJO) is dedicated to serving those who operate jails, detention and correctional facilities across the country. NIJO recognizes and understands the enormous liability and increasing litigation facing administrators. We provide a compilation of legal-based resources and information to assist agencies in making facilities safer and more secure, helping you proactively defend against frivolous litigation to protect against adverse publicity and liability.

Our Services

Professional Certification

NIJO Professional Certification is a professional designation – earned not issued – for jail and detention officers, supervisors, administrators and sheriffs who have demonstrated to possess the requisite understanding, knowledge, skills, experience and abilities to function to a specific level.

Legal-Based Training

By keeping pulse with the hottest issues facing our nation's jails, we focus on important training topics yet remain flexible to adapt training based upon the needs of requesting agencies/organizations. There are many resources available to assist with the implementation of specific training, the development and assistance of jail training

Policy and Procedure

NIJO has partnered with DeLand & Associates to provide sheriffs and jail administrators with over 400 policies and procedures customized to your laws, state statutes, and individual operations.

Technical Assistance

Recognizing the need for legal technical assistance in the corrections field, NIJO offers a variety of services to assist agencies in successfully supporting the operations of the jail and defending against inmate-filed lawsuits.

Self Audit and Assessments

On a day-to-day basis corrections management faces an unpredictable, fluid, and potentially volatile environment. NIJO offers the most advanced web-based auditing tools designed specifically for corrections so that organizations can proactively manage their institutions affordably and with increased confidence.

Online Training

NIJO developed the Detention & Corrections Online Training Academy (DACOTA) to provide detention and correctional administrators, supervisors and line level officers with easy access to interactive and engaging legal-based online jail training.

NIJO Accreditation

NIJO National Accreditation is an established process to verify compliance to what courts have determined in operating constitutional facilities. The process relies on NIJO Legal-Based Jail Guidelines.

Legal-Based Jail Guidelines

NIJO's Legal-Based Jail Guidelines assist administrators in creating a safer, more secure environment while protecting against liability and adverse publicity. Comprised of over 600 guidelines to assist administrators with specific operational and policy driven areas including hot topics of use of force, religion, searches, and suicide.

Kansas Jail Training Academy (KJTA) – August 9-13, 2021
August 9 - August 13 at Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC)
JAILCON21 Southern Regional Conference
August 17 - August 19 at JW Marriott New Orleans
WSSA Regional Training – Cass County, Nebraska
August 31 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm at NE – City/County Law Enforcement Center
WSSA Regional Training – Cass County, Nebraska
September 1 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm at NE – City/County Law Enforcement Center
WSSA Regional Training – Bismarck, North Dakota
October 4 - October 5 at ND – Burleigh Morton Detention Center

Expert Blog

Why We Need to Defend Qualified Immunity in Jails

By Tate McCotter, Executive Director National Institute for Jail ...
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NIJO Case Brief: Barnes v. Ahlman , 591 U. S. ____ (2020)

By Tate McCotter, NIJO Executive Director Case Title and ...
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Litigation Alert: The Coronavirus (COVID-19), Prisons, and the 8th Amendment

Prison officials and correctional healthcare providers are doing their ...
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SHUT THE FRONT DOOR: Using Common Sense to COVID-19 During Uncommon Times

By Tate McCotter, Executive Director National Institute for Jail ...
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Changing for the Better by Understanding Where We Are Now: Salt Lake County Jail Dashboard

Years of data, and months of development in the ...
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Crisis and Conflict: Federal vs. State and Local Law Enforcement

by Stan Ellsworth I believe The Constitution to be ...
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Featured Spotlight

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Western Region Correction Professionals Awards

NIJO wishes to extend our congratulations to the recipients of the 2021 Western Regional Corrections Professionals awards presented at JAILCON21 Western Regional Conference in Scottsdale, AZ, on July 1, 2021. Several correctional professionals and agencies from the western region were recognized for their dedication and excellence in the corrections profession throughout their careers. Read more

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JAILCON21 West - Conference Summary

NIJO is pleased to report the success of another JAILCON! At the end of June, we celebrated our 5th year at the JAILCON21 Western Regional Conference at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Just like every year before, the conference sold out having over 400 corrections professions from several western states including Arizona, California, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico in attendance. Read more (#jailcon21, #jailcon)

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Register for LIVE or ONLINE JAILCON!

We hope you'll join us LIVE at one (or both!) JAILCON Corrections Training Conferences this year! But, just in case, you can't get away, we will also be offering JAILCON Online. Whether LIVE or ONLINE, JAILCON will continue to be the perfect gathering place for you and other detention and corrections professionals to learn more about what the law requires for running constitutionally-safe detention facilities. Find out more or register at www.jailcon.org.