who require incarceration. Evidence indicates such facilities are most cost effective in terms of both construction and operation. The Board instructs the Director of the National Institute of Corrections to give emphasis to the dissemination of information; the training of jail and prison practitioners; the provision of technical assistance; the formulation of standards and policy; and a continuous evaluation of the effectiveness of the "Podular/Direct Supervision" concept of jail and prison design and management, in addition to existing NIC programs.
             The Podular/Direct Supervision Concept
             Despite claims of advanced practices and standards compliance, there is serious doubt as to whether most of the nearly 500 new jails will resolve fundamental custody problems that have traditionally plagued American jails. In the United States, it is estimated that 478 local jails of all shapes, sizes, and varieties are currently proposed or under construction, at a cost exceeding $3 billion. While there is a great variation in the design of these facilities, most have one thing in common: their proponents claim the jails will be "state-of- the-art," on the "leading edge," or "new generation." Few are inclined to claim credit for building a "past generation" jail.
             The term "new generation" can be legitimately applied to certain new jails that have made a significant departure from traditional management practices. Moreover, the physical structures of these new jails are designed to facilitate these practices. This non-traditional management and design concept has been called "non-barrier architecture" or "podular/direct supervision." But the more popular term is the "new generation jail."
             The Podular/Direct Supervision model was introduced in 1974 by the Federal Prison system's (FPS) Metropolitan Correctional Centers (MCCs). In 1969, the Federal Prison System devel...