Corrections Planning Handbooks

With the availability of state and federal construction funds, many of California’s counties now have – or soon may have – the resources needed to build or expand juvenile detention facilities. To assist Chief Probation Officers and their facility planning teams, the Corrections Standards Authority (CSA) has updated the Corrections Planning Handbooks (revised in 1999) to reflect recent developments in facility design and operations as well as current minimum standards for local detention facilities.

The purpose of these handbooks is to encourage thoughtful planning that encompasses consideration of the best, most cost-effective options for construction, and that involves broad-based participation by all segments of county government and the public. Because counties have varying levels of experience and expertise in corrections planning and facility development, not every county will use all five handbooks. What follows are brief descriptions of the content of each handbook.  To order any or all of these guides, click on the email address that follows the descriptions.

• Handbook One: Learning About Corrections and Correctional Facilities: Introduces the series of  handbooks and acquaints readers with the major issues involved in corrections, including minimum standards, developments in facility operations and design, and building and operating costs.
• Handbook Two: Starting the Corrections Planning Process: Explains how to set up a participatory planning structure, identify detention system problems, develop a mission statement and goals, develop action plans for solving problems, and select needed consultants.
• Handbook Three: Assessing Current and Future Corrections Needs: Discusses the seven steps involved in conducting a needs assessment -- i.e., profiling the facility population, evaluating existing programs and services, documenting current justice system operations, evaluating alternative programs, documenting trends and projecting future volumes, forecasting capacity and program needs, and documenting your needs in a final report.
• Handbook Four: Determining the Feasibility of Developing a Facility: Describes a comprehensive process for evaluating the feasibility of your project -- a process that involves, among other things, developing and considering various options, calculating construction and operating costs, and pursuing funding sources.
• Handbook Five: The Correctional Facility Development Process: Presents detailed information about the five work phases involved in developing a detention facility (pre-architectural planning, site selection and master planning, architectural and engineering design, construction, and occupancy).

TO ORDERIf you represent a California unit of local government (e.g., city or a county) and would like to receive any or all of the Corrections Planning Handbooks, please contact charlene.aboytes@cdcr.ca.gov.   Be sure to specify which of the five handbooks you would like, how many copies of each, and the recipient's name and mailing address.