The opening statement of the preface to this guide identifies its purpose as one of helping to create “better” and “more effective” jails. Because such terms can mean different things to different people, they should be defined. The findings of the original small jails research indicated that better, more effective jails are fundamentally those that satisfy the basic needs of their occupants, users, and owners for safety, security, effective inmate management, and efficiency. More specifically, evaluations of old and new jails throughout the country suggest that the following minimum operational and architectural characteristics are essential to attaining a better, more effective jail. Although these operational and architectural characteristics may seem obvious to many readers, many jails fail to realize them. Some jails lack even the most rudimentary of these design characteristics and are considered architectural disasters by their owners. Poor design can result in expensive mistakes laden with financial and political costs that can haunt local officials for years to come.