Operational Expertise at the Center: How Early Staff Engagement Shaped the New Jackson County Detention Center
Matthew Lewis and Kiva Hill
Across the United States, counties are confronting an increasingly urgent question: how to safely and effectively operate detention facilities built decades ago for populations and expectations that no longer exist. Rising behavioral health needs, increased medical complexity, higher constitutional standards, and demands for rehabilitative opportunities all place pressure on aging jails whose layouts and infrastructure lag behind modern practice.
Jackson County, Missouri, found itself in precisely this position in the mid-2010s. The county’s response distinguishes it from many of its peers: frontline correctional staff were not consulted late in the process; they were integrally involved from the very beginning.
From initial needs validation to architectural programming, design criteria development, site selection, and transition planning, correctional officers, supervisors, medical escorts, classification specialists, and operational leaders were consistent and central contributors. Their early engagement fundamentally shaped the design, workflow, safety philosophy, and operational readiness strategy of the new detention facility.
Jackson County’s experience affirms a simple but powerful lesson for the field: Detention facilities work best when the people who run them help design them.
Staff Interpretation of National Best Practices
As Jackson County sought to incorporate widely recognized correctional best practices into its new detention facility, the insights of frontline staff proved essential in translating national standards into operational reality. Modern jail design increasingly emphasizes behavioral health care, direct supervision, accessible programming, and human-centered environments. While well understood by architects and planners, the standards require grounding in day-to-day operational experience to function effectively. Jackson County’s correctional staff supplied that grounding.
One of the clearest examples was the development of the behavioral health housing continuum. Industry guidance from organizations such as the National Commission on Correctional Health Care offers strong frameworks for managing detainees with varying acuity levels, but it was staff who contextualized those frameworks in the rhythm of actual jail operations. Officers described how individuals in crisis present at different times of day, how quickly staff must be able to reach them, and how certain room configurations either support or undermine de-escalation. Their collective expertise helped refine a four-stage system ranging from psychiatric observation and crisis stabilization to inpatient-level treatment and step-down housing. This approach ensured that each level of care was matched not only to clinical needs but also to the supervision strategies that make such environments safe for both residents and staff.
A similar dynamic unfolded during planning for the medical clinic and medical housing units. Although national best practices clearly call for strengthened on-site medical capability, it was correctional staff who shaped the practical implementation. They described how escort routes function during peak hours, how high-risk individuals must be separated from vulnerable detainees during medical movement, and how chronic-care appointments can be conducted without disrupting wider operational flow. Their contributions informed decisions about clinic location, observation zones, acute care housing layout, and exam room access, ensuring that health care in the new facility would not only be clinically appropriate but operationally sustainable.
Programming design also benefited from staff interpretation. Research consistently shows that structured activity reduces institutional harm and strengthens reentry outcomes, but Jackson County’s officers emphasized a reality often overlooked in design: programming is only effective when detainees can reach it. In the former facility, program spaces were remote and required frequent escorts, which placed heavy burdens on staff and often limited participation. Their feedback led planners to embed program rooms directly within or adjacent to housing units, allowing officers to maintain supervision while dramatically reducing daily escort demands. The result is a design that makes programming more accessible without compromising security or stretching staffing resources.
Even the incorporation of biophilic and human-centered design—an increasingly common feature of modern detention facilities—was strengthened by staff experience. While architects proposed daylight, natural materials, and acoustically calmer environments based on research, officers and supervisors reinforced these ideas through their own observations. They spoke of how poor lighting exacerbated agitation in the old facility, how noise amplified tension during already stressful incidents, and how windowless areas heightened anxiety for both detainees and staff. Their candid descriptions of working conditions helped planners understand that biophilic design was not a luxury, but a safety-enhancing tool that could improve communication, reduce conflict, and support emotional regulation within housing units.
Ultimately, Jackson County’s adoption of national best practices was successful because staff helped interpret what those practices look like in use—not in theory. Their operational lens gave depth to the design, ensured practicality, and affirmed that the building would reflect not only national standards but also the nuances of real-world detention work. The staff did not merely validate best practices; they transformed them into strategies that could function reliably in the specific context of Jackson County’s daily operations.
Site Selection: Staff Realities at the Forefront
While site selection for a new detention facility is often viewed as a logistical or political decision, Jackson County approached it as a matter of operational strategy—one that required early and meaningful input from correctional staff. Rather than focusing solely on land availability or construction feasibility, the county recognized that the ultimate success of the facility would depend heavily on how its location supported daily staffing, transportation demands, emergency response, and public access. For that reason, the voices of frontline personnel helped shape the criteria used to evaluate potential sites.
Staff perspectives were especially influential in assessing how the site would affect workforce stability. Officers emphasized the importance of a location that was realistically commutable for employees working varied shifts, including nights and weekends. Their experience underscored that a remote or hard-to-reach site would create recruitment and retention challenges long after construction ended. Similarly, staff drew attention to the need for safe, adequate parking during peak shift-change periods. This practical consideration helped ensure that chosen sites could accommodate not only today’s workforce but also future staffing levels
Operational efficiency was another major factor shaped by staff insights. Because correctional operations depend on frequent movement between the jail, courts, and medical facilities, staff provided detailed input on acceptable travel distances and routes. They understood the implications of long or unpredictable transport times: increased staffing strain, heightened security exposure, and greater scheduling complications. Their feedback guided the county toward locations that balanced acreage and accessibility, ensuring the new facility would remain connected to the broader justice system rather than isolated from it.
Emergency response considerations also benefited from staff involvement. Officers and supervisors discussed how site layout affects incident response, evacuation procedures, and coordination with law enforcement and fire departments. Their operational lens clarified the importance of clear perimeter control, accessible staging areas, strong roadway connectivity, and the ability for emergency vehicles to reach all sides of the building quickly. These insights helped the county eliminate sites that posed hidden risks to safety or crisis management.
In the end, the selected property at 7000 E. U.S. Highway 40 reflected this staff-informed balance of operational practicality, accessibility, safety, and long-term flexibility. The parcel provided direct access to major transportation routes, predictable travel times to both county courthouses, and an on-site transit stop that supports staff, visitors, and community stakeholders. It also aligned with the daily realities described by the correctional workforce, who would ultimately sustain the facility’s operations.
A National Model for Staff-Centered Detention Design
Jackson County’s detention facility has quickly emerged as a compelling national example of what can be achieved when correctional staff are engaged as partners throughout the planning and design process. Rather than treating staff involvement as a procedural formality, the county embraced their operational knowledge as a core design driver, ensuring that the resulting facility reflects the realities of modern detention work. This approach, rooted in collaboration, transparency, and operational respect, offers a model for jurisdictions across the country undertaking similar projects.
What sets Jackson County apart is the recognition that frontline staff possess critical insight that cannot be replicated through studies or architectural precedent alone. Staff involvement began at the earliest stages, ensuring that operational needs informed planning before any concepts or drawings were produced. Their input helped identify blind spots in the old facility, refine operational assumptions, and articulate the functional requirements needed to support safety, supervision, and daily workflow. By incorporating staff perspectives from the beginning, the county avoided many of the pitfalls seen in other projects, such as late-stage redesigns or operational compromises introduced after construction had already begun.
Equally important was the continuity of staff engagement throughout the process. Rather than gathering input once and moving forward independently, the county facilitated ongoing dialogue among planners, architects, administrators, and correctional personnel. This sustained involvement ensured that the facility’s design could adapt to newly identified needs, emerging operational insights, and evolving policy expectations. The result is a building whose layout, workflows, and infrastructure align closely with how detention staff work, not how designers might assume they work.
Another defining feature of Jackson County’s model is the understanding that best practices in corrections are only effective when interpreted through an operational lens. National standards for behavioral health care, direct supervision, medical delivery, and rehabilitative programming provided a strong foundation, but staff provided the contextual detail necessary to make those models function in a real-world environment. Their interpretation of best practices transformed abstract principles into practical, implementable design strategies tailored to their daily responsibilities
The county also demonstrated that transition planning is an extension of design itself, not a separate administrative hurdle. Because staff had already helped shape the building’s operational logic, they entered the transition phase with a stronger sense of ownership and situational awareness. Early training, system testing, walkthroughs, and scenario-based exercises were smoother and more effective because staff were not simply learning a new facility; they were stepping into one they had helped create. This integrated approach strengthened safety, reduced uncertainty, and supported a healthier organizational culture as the new facility prepared to open.
Underpinning these elements is the broader impact that staff-centered design has on workforce morale and institutional stability. When correctional officers feel seen, heard, and valued during a major capital project, it reinforces a sense of professionalism and respect that carries into daily operations. It signals that their expertise matters and that the success of the facility depends on their insight and leadership. In Jackson County, this sense of shared investment helped build momentum behind the project and set the tone for a future in which staff are active participants in operational innovation and continuous improvement.
By embracing a planning process grounded in staff collaboration, Jackson County has established a model that other jurisdictions can adopt and adapt. Their experience shows that when correctional staff are meaningfully engaged, the resulting facility is not only more functional and efficient but also more humane, safer, and better equipped to meet the demands of modern detention work. The outcomes speak for themselves: operational alignment, reduced risk, stronger morale, and a facility prepared for decades of safe, professional service.
Conclusion: A Facility Built on Operational Wisdom
The new Jackson County Detention Facility is far more than a capital project. It is a statement about the value of correctional staff experience, the necessity of operational collaboration, and the power of a design process that treats staff expertise as indispensable.
By positioning correctional personnel as co-architects of its future, Jackson County achieved a facility with the following highlights:
• Enhances safety through clearer sightlines and reduced cross-traffic
• Integrates behavioral health and medical services into core daily operations
• Supports programming and reentry planning within housing units
• Embeds direct supervision facility-wide
• Provides staff with dignified, functional workspaces
• Creates a calmer, more regulated environment for both staff and detainees
• Is scalable for decades of evolving needs
For corrections professionals, architects, county executives, and policymakers, Jackson County’s project offers a replicable blueprint:
When staff shape the design, the design supports the staff.
When operational wisdom guides architecture, facilities become not only safer—but more humane, more efficient, and more resilient.
The future of detention design lies in this model of partnership. Jackson County has demonstrated what is possible when frontline expertise is elevated and integrated at every stage of planning and execution. The new detention facility is not just a new facility. It is a new way of building, one profoundly rooted in staff collaboration, operational insight, and shared commitment to public safety
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Matthew Lewis serves as a Physical Security & Safety Administrator for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. He manages security operations, facility technology, and executive-office continuity, enabling smooth daily detention-center functions. A seasoned project manager, he leads multiple initiatives and is the primary liaison and logistician for the Jackson County Justice Center build and inmate move. He has been honored with the Distinguished Public Safety Award. Matthew can be reached at MLewis@jacksongov.org
Kiva Hill serves as a Lieutenant at the Jackson County Detention Center in the Office of Information Management. She manages background checks, security threat group intelligence, administrative investigations, Sunshine Law requests, and internal/external complaints. As a CERT (Corrections Emergency Response Team) Commander, she leads the specialized unit for facility emergencies, high-risk transports, and quell disturbances, and will steer CERT’s role in the new facility transition. Kiva can be reached at KHill@jacksongov.org