5 Key Considerations Before Making a Change in Jail Leadership

By Greg Eash, COO equivant Corrections

Before making a change in jail leadership, it’s essential to take a deliberate and strategic approach to ensure continuity, safety, morale, and long-term effectiveness. Here are five recommended steps to consider:

1. Assess the Current Leadership Performance and Challenges

   • Conduct a data-driven evaluation of the current leader’s performance, including compliance, operational effectiveness, inmate outcomes, staff engagement, and alignment with mission and values.
   • Determine whether issues stem from leadership, system limitations, culture, or external pressures. Avoid rushing to a decision without root cause analysis.

2. Engage Stakeholders and Solicit Input

   • Talk with key stakeholders including frontline staff, supervisors, county officials, community partners, and union representatives.
   • Understand the impact current leadership has had and what traits or priorities are most important in a successor.
   • Transparency and inclusivity help reduce resistance and build consensus.

3. Evaluate Timing and Operational Readiness

   • Consider the jail’s current status—are there major initiatives underway, recent critical incidents, or staffing shortages?
   • Determine whether the timing of the change minimizes disruption and allows for a stable transition.

4. Define the Desired Leadership Profile

   • Clearly outline the skills, values, and leadership style needed moving forward (e.g., reform-minded, disciplinarian, morale-builder, operational expert).
   • This profile should align with long-term strategic goals such as rehabilitation, compliance, budget control, or modernization.

5. Plan for Transition and Communication

   • Develop a structured transition plan, including interim leadership if needed, onboarding support, and communication strategies for staff and the public.
   • Ensure continuity in operations, reinforce expectations, and emphasize stability and vision during the change.

Each of these steps helps reduce disruption, build trust, and ensures the new leadership is positioned for success in a highly sensitive and complex environment. It also helps build consensus around the new leader which is important for staff, inmates, operations, and safety.  For more information about how to navigate leadership transitions or other changes or for help with strategic succession planning, please reach out.