This guide is intended for all jails, whether small, megasized, or somewhere in between; whether private or public; whether high security or minimum security; whether presentenced or sentenced. Whether a jail is a short- or long-term facility; a city, county, or regional facility; a holding facility or a full-service jail; emergency readiness is a crucial consideration, and the self-audit materials provided in this guide will be relevant.
Emergency preparedness is a central, even critical, issue throughout American corrections. Today, most public agencies must have emergency plans, and even private businesses have turned to disaster preparedness and business recovery planning. Jails, however, are not like other public agencies. They are responsible for the safety of large numbers of individuals who are usually locked up and cannot protect themselves in many emergency situations. Further, and perhaps ironically, the very people who are locked up and whose safety must be assured are the source of the most frequent and most serious jail emergency situations. Finally, the first priority for every jail is community protection, which means that even in the chaos of a major emergency, jails must ensure against escape.
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