Executive Director’s Remarks
It’s All About Jails
…our conference has one thing in common—it is focused on jails. That’s what makes AJA and our conference unique and valuable.
By many measures the AJA Conference & Jail Expo in Ft. Lauderdale was one of our most successful ever. Our registration numbers were strong, and we expect our final number of attendees to be nearly 900—not including exhibitors. We sold out our expo hall, so it was packed with vendors offering a variety of products and services to improve the safety and operations of your jail.
For those who attended our conference, you likely noticed that we are a diverse group of people; our workshops cover a variety of topics; our expo hall is full of vendors offering a variety of solutions; but everything at our conference has one thing in common—it is focused on jails. That’s what makes AJA and our conference unique and valuable.
When you flip through our award-winning magazine or visit iConnect, our online discussion forums—it’s all about jails. During the past year, AJA held numerous training seminars at jails around the nation, several leadership academies in various regions of the country, and the Jail Executive Institute; they also had one thing in common—they were all about jails.
AJA accomplished a lot this past year on behalf of the nation’s jails. That is in large part due to the hard work of our fantastic staff and volunteer leadership. I also want to express my appreciation to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the host agency, they put a lot of time and effort into ensuring the success of our conference.
Another thing that comes to mind when I reflect upon the past year, is the number of partnerships with other organizations and federal agencies that AJA participated in—well over 20! I will briefly mention two. AJA expanded its partnership with Justice Clearinghouse to significantly increase the number of webinars and online education available for corrections professionals. We also entered into a partnership with Police Legal Sciences. PLS offers Jail Pro, which provides online corrections case law training, legal updates, and liability training. AJA recognizes that staffing issues present challenges for training and that’s why we entered into these strategic partnerships to increase the amount of online training available.
It has been a remarkable year, during which we made a difference in our nation’s jails. Stay involved with AJA because there is more to come!
CHRIS D. DANIELS, MPA, CAE Executive Director American Jail Association
