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.

AJAC 1st Quarter Training Session
March 10 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm at Marshall County Sheriff’s Office (AL)
Kansas Jail Training Academy (KJTA) – May 3-7, 2021
May 3 - May 7 at Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC)
Kansas Jail Training Academy (KJTA) – August 9-13, 2021
August 9 - August 13 at Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC)
Kansas Jail Training Academy (KJTA) – November 8-12, 2021
November 8 - November 12 at Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC)

Expert Blog

Why We Need to Defend Qualified Immunity in Jails

By Tate McCotter, Executive Director National Institute for Jail ...
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JAILCON 20/20 – Two Enrollment Sessions Added!

As of September 30, 2020, JAILCON 20/20 attendees have ...
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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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Popular This week

Inmates at St. Louis Jail Attack Corrections Officer, Set Fires in Their Unit

ST LOUIS, MO – About 115 inmates at a St....

Stimulus Debit Cards Unusable For Prison Inmates In At Least Four States

WASHINGTON, DC – Like other Americans, inmates and their families...

Dwindling Inmate Firefighter Population Forces California to Hire More Expensive Crews

CALIFORNIA – Governor Gavin Newsom is looking to hire firefighters...

Washtenaw Wipes Prisoner Jail Debt from 2013-20, Ending ‘Financial Burden of Incarceration’

WASHTENAW, MI – The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office announced this...

Inmates at St. Louis Jail Attack Corrections Officer, Set Fires in Their Unit

ST LOUIS, MO – About 115 inmates at a St ...
Read More

Stimulus Debit Cards Unusable For Prison Inmates In At Least Four States

WASHINGTON, DC – Like other Americans, inmates and their families ...
Read More

Dwindling Inmate Firefighter Population Forces California to Hire More Expensive Crews

CALIFORNIA – Governor Gavin Newsom is looking to hire firefighters ...
Read More

Washtenaw Wipes Prisoner Jail Debt from 2013-20, Ending ‘Financial Burden of Incarceration’

WASHTENAW, MI – The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office announced this ...
Read More

Featured Spotlight

Tribute to a Hero--Larry Amerson (1953-2020)

With a heavy heart we announce the passing of ret. Sheriff Larry Amerson (Calhoun County, AL). Sheriff Amerson passed away December 3, 2020, after a valiant battle with cancer. Sheriff Amerson was a six term sheriff in Calhoun County, who strongly supported jails and was instrumental in getting legal-based jail guidelines in Alabama...more

LEGAL-BASED TRAINING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

Did you know NIJO legal-based training is available right at your fingertips? DACOTA provides corrections professionals with the most interactive and engaging online training available. With over 40 courses and 4-5 NEW courses being added every month, you can find the training you and your agency need today! Get a FREE demo by clicking here.

40 Officers Graduate from November Kansas Jail Training Academy (KJTA)

Despite the pandemic, the Kansas Sheriff's Association, in partnership with the National Institute for Jail Operations, hosted final session of the Kansas Jail Training Academy (KJTA) held at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. Masked and socially-distance, 40 Kansas Corrections Officers were trained during the weeklong academy packed with over 40 hours of legal-based training.