Legal & Liability Operations for Jails/Corrections

This two-day course provides correctional professionals with a practical understanding of the legal standards, responsibilities, and potential liabilities associated with correctional operations. Participants will learn key legal terminology and the basic process of a potential lawsuit, while examining how mistakes, omissions, shortcuts, or failures to act can create legal issues for both individual staff members and the facility. Day One focuses on intake and classification, including medical, dental, mental-health, and suicide-risk screening; MAT/OUD/MOUD and continuity of care; ADA considerations; PREA; protective custody; and appropriate housing decisions. Emphasis is placed on the importance of recognizing, documenting, and acting upon information obtained during the intake and classification process.
Day Two focuses on the legal and operational responsibilities associated with conditions of confinement and staff conduct. Topics include sanitation, nutritional and medical standards, religious meals and accommodations, restrictive housing, and religious rights under RLUIPA. Participants will also examine the duty to intervene, including staff responsibilities to stop inappropriate or excessive use of force, and how organizational culture, ethics, supervision, and leadership can contribute to institutional failures. The course also addresses grievances, due process, the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), and the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), emphasizing why proper grievance procedures and documentation are critical to identifying and addressing potential problems.