“Direct Supervision” is a method of incarcerated individual management developed by the federal government in 1974 for pre-sentenced incarcerated individual in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This method has slowly been adopted by county jails since 1981. There are about 350 such facilities operating throughout the country.
The “Direct Supervision” method places a single deputy directly in a housing pod with a group of incarcerated individuals generally ranging from 32 to 64 in number. A basic tenet of “Direct Supervision” is that we assume rational behavior and treat the incarcerated individuals as adult human beings. The deputy provides supervision and leadership while the incarcerated individuals are expected to follow direction and behave.
There is a low threshold for unacceptable behavior. Incarcerated individuals who do not behave, in accordance with the rules, will be locked in 17 hours a day. On the other hand, incarcerated individuals who behave and follow direction are given a high degree of freedom within the housing pod’s recreational area anytime during the day or evening. (The recreational area includes lounge seating, a television, passive recreational activities, educational programs, etc.).
HALT STATS (Statistics posted here reflect HALT STATS for both the Justice Center and Onondaga County Department of Corrections facilities)