The Training Every Administrator Wishes They Had Sooner
How ELITE Academy Equips Leaders to Reduce Liability and Lead with Confidence
Filling a Critical Gap in Corrections Leadership Training
Across the country, jail administrators, executives, attorneys, and risk managers are navigating increasingly complex operational and legal challenges. Yet despite the high stakes, true corrections-focused leadership training remains rare. Much of the national training landscape still centers on law enforcement—not jails—leaving a significant gap for those responsible for operating constitutional, high-liability environments every day.
NIJO created ELITE Academy for Jail & Corrections Command Staff and ELITE Academy for Attorneys & Risk Managers to fill that gap.
Why Some Training Falls Short
Jails operate under a distinct legal, operational, and risk profile. Unlike patrol or investigative functions, detention environments require constant compliance with constitutional standards while managing vulnerable populations, staffing challenges, and evolving case law. Training that is not jail-specific often leaves administrators exposed to unnecessary liability.
A Higher Standard of Training for both Jail & Corrections Command Staff as well as Attorneys & Risk Managers working to Defend and Reduce Liability in Jails
Every jail administrator has the responsibility to operate a constitutional facility. That responsibility becomes even more demanding as courts reinterpret standards and facilities confront new high-risk issues. Operating without a clear understanding of legal minimums exposes agencies to avoidable liability—and places both staff and inmates at risk.
ELITE Academy for Jail & Corrections Command Staff was built specifically to address this challenge. Rather than telling administrators how to run their facilities, ELITE Academy teaches what the law requires as a minimum standard to remain compliant and defensible.
Recognizing that jail operations and legal oversight are deeply interconnected, NIJO developed ELITE Academy for Attorneys & Risk Managers alongside the program for Jail & Corrections Command Staff. This specialized academy provides legal professionals and risk managers with a comprehensive understanding of the unique operational and constitutional challenges facing correctional facilities. By aligning legal strategy with on-the-ground operations, the program ensures attorneys and risk managers are equipped to advise, protect, and support agencies in high-liability environments. Together, the two ELITE programs create a coordinated, facility-wide approach to compliance, leadership, and risk mitigation.
High-Liability Topics Addressed at ELITE Academy
Some of the topics addressed during the five-day training include:
- Transgender classification and housing
- Use of force
- Leadership development
- Staff retention
- Grievances
- Managing mentally ill inmates
- Limiting liability with in-custody deaths
Along with many other high-liability operational issues facing corrections today.
Expert Perspectives: What attendees are saying
The impact and uniqueness of ELITE Academy are best described by those who have experienced it firsthand.
“I attended the first NIJO ELITE Academy for Attorneys and Risk Managers in 2024. As a government attorney with over 25 years of experience, I was instantly impressed with the quality of topics covered and the breadth of legal experience of the instructors.
The legal topics presented were actual issues we encounter daily… There is no other training in the US that can come close to what NIJO ELITE offers!
I highly recommend and urge all attorneys representing a jail or prison facility to attend this training. The instructors are experts in this field and will provide you with invaluable information and resources to better represent your facility.”
— Wanda B. Rahman, Legal Advisor, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, LA
“After having the opportunity to attend NIJO’s Elite Academy, I brought their online platform to the Iowa County Jail. While not mandatory, I took their ABC courses and was very pleased with their information and the way it was presented. While being geared more for someone just starting their career in corrections, I found tremendous benefit for myself, even after working in this field for almost 18 years. When I was starting out back in 2007, a lot of our SOP was explained ‘because it’s always been done that way’. NIJO showed me the legal basis for quite a few of the policies we have always had here at Iowa County. My next step is to dive into NIJO’s DACOTA training, and I am very much looking forward to what it has to offer. I highly recommend any and all training that NIJO has to offer!”
— Lt. Chris Stephan, Head Jailer, Iowa County Sheriff’s Office, IA
“ELITE Academy was exceptionally well-structured, practical, and directly applicable to the complex legal and operational challenges faced in corrections.
NIJO’s instructors demonstrated deep expertise and a clear understanding of both constitutional requirements and the realities of jail management… NIJO provides an outstanding resource for sheriffs, jail administrators, and legal professionals alike.”
— Spring Sendele, Legal Advisor, Campbell County Sheriff’s Office (WY)
Training That Builds Community
Beyond the classroom, ELITE Academy is intentionally structured to foster collaboration and build a national network of trusted colleagues. Small class sizes allow meaningful dialogue, personalized guidance, and relationship-building with both instructors and peers.
Evening activities, shared experiences, and the setting—Midway, Utah—create an environment where participants connect authentically. Many attendees leave with not only new knowledge, but a professional network they rely on when urgent questions or high-liability incidents arise. In corrections, where challenges are often time-sensitive and unfamiliar, that network becomes invaluable.
A Profession Like No Other
Corrections is a demanding, often misunderstood profession. It requires unique skills, unwavering resilience, and a commitment to constitutional operations in increasingly difficult conditions. NIJO understands that reality—and ELITE Academy was created to support agencies with the tools, legal clarity, and community they need to succeed.
For administrators, legal advisors, and risk managers who want to strengthen operations, reduce liability, and elevate professionalism, ELITE Academy is setting the national standard.
You may also be interested in “The Definition of Legal-Based and Why It’s Important to Your Jail”