How It Works
JailClass follows the objective classification framework developed by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC): replace informal judgment with valid, reliable, and equitable criteria so similar inmates are classified similarly — every time, on every shift.
The Process
At booking, an objective screening form captures special-management and vulnerability indicators — suicide and mental-health risk, medical needs, substance withdrawal, gang affiliation, protective-custody and escape flags — used to identify inmates who need immediate separation.
Within roughly 48 hours of booking, each inmate is scored on research-validated risk factors. The total maps to a custody level using fixed cutoffs — no informal judgment about where someone "feels" they belong.
The score assigns a minimum, medium, or maximum custody level, matched to a housing unit whose physical security fits that level — keeping predators and potential victims apart.
When professional judgment or policy requires a different placement than the score, staff record a mandatory or discretionary override — with the reason captured for review.
After a set period (typically 60–90 days), or when status changes — pretrial to sentenced, new charges, or in-custody behavior — the inmate is reassessed. Reclassification is driven primarily by institutional conduct, giving inmates a structured incentive for good behavior.
Point-Based Scoring
Objective instruments score only factors that research has shown to predict institutional violence and escape. Weighted points sum to a total; stability factors subtract points to recognize maturity and reduce over-classification.
| Risk factor | What it captures | Example points |
|---|---|---|
| Severity of current charge | Seriousness of the offense the inmate is held on | 0 – 7 |
| Serious offense history | Most serious prior conviction | 0 – 7 |
| Escape history | Prior walkaways or escapes by security level | 0 – 7 |
| Institutional disciplinary history | Major reports or segregation while in custody | 0 – 3 |
| Prior felony convictions | Count of prior felonies | 0 – 4 |
| Alcohol / drug involvement | Severity of substance-related problems | 0 – 3 |
| Stability factors | Age 26+, employment/school, address stability | −1 each |
Illustrative of the NIC additive-point model (Austin, Objective Jail Classification Systems: A Guide for Jail Administrators, NIC, 1998). Real facilities validate and adjust point values and cutoffs against their own population. View the NIC guide.
Custody Levels
Custody is the level of supervision an inmate requires; security is the physical design of the unit. The goal is to place each inmate in housing whose security matches their custody level.
Lower-risk inmates, typically housed in dorm-style units. Objective systems consistently reveal more inmates qualify here than subjective methods assumed.
Moderate-risk inmates, housed in double cells or secure dorms with closer supervision.
Higher-risk inmates requiring single-cell housing and the highest level of supervision and physical security.
A good classification system reduces escapes and escape attempts, suicides and suicide attempts, inmate-on-inmate assaults, and the unnecessary incarceration of non-threatening people in high-security beds. Dedicated space is also reserved for special populations — administrative segregation, protective custody, mental-health, and medical housing.
Overrides
No instrument classifies every inmate perfectly, so the system allows staff to assign a different custody level than the score — but the reason is always recorded.
Override rates are a key health metric. NIC guidance puts discretionary overrides at roughly 5–15% of cases, with about 10% expected for a well-calibrated instrument — and recommends revisiting the tool if the rate exceeds 20%.
National Institute of Corrections, 1998Reclassification
An inmate's risk and needs change during confinement, so JailClass schedules periodic reassessment. Unlike the initial assessment — which scores demographics, offense, and criminal history — reclassification is dominated by in-custody behavior. Four factors typically trigger a review:
Automated alerts flag inmates due for reassessment, so reviews never fall through the cracks — and the behavior-weighted instrument gives inmates a clear incentive to earn a lower custody level.
We'll walk through scoring, cutoffs, override policy, and reclassification scheduling tailored to your population.
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