This essay explains what is meant by the term “oversight” and frames it as an umbrella concept encompassing many distinct functions, including regulation, audit, accreditation, investigation, legal, reporting, and inspection/monitoring. The piece calls for a robust system of correctional oversight that is multi-faceted and multi-layered.

This state-by-state inventory of independent oversight mechanisms for correctional institutions was initiated to provide a baseline understanding about the extent of such oversight in the United States. This project was a monumental undertaking as it involved identification and analysis of prison and jail oversight mechanisms in all 50 states and the federal system. This information has never been compiled previously.