AJA Wraps Up its 35th Annual Conference & Jail Expo in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas — The American Jail Association’s (AJA) 35th Annual Conference & Jail Expo took place on May 22-25, in Austin. AJA’s Annual Conference & Jail Expo is the only national event that focuses on local jails, according to the association. Since the event took place in Austin, it was co-hosted by the Travis County Sheriff’s Department.

The conference brings together hundreds of correctional officers, jail managers, local detention facility professionals, industry manufacturers and service providers. In addition, the expo offers more than 60 educational workshops and over 200 vendors. This year the theme of the event was, “Be Part of the Voice,” which encouraged those involved in the jail industry to be an active participant in bettering the future.

The event was sponsored by several companies, including: Keefe Group, NaphCare, Aramark, Armor, Corizon Health, Trinity Services Group, Wexford Health, NCIC Inmate Phone Service, Telmate, Paytel, American Military University, Bob Barker, HDR, Alkermes, Texas Jail Association and the Correctional Management Institute of Texas at Sam Houston State University.

Among the workshops at the event included those on topics of direct supervision, medical/mental health, operations/security, programs and more.

In addition to the trade show floor and workshop opportunities, the event also featured the annual awards banquet for: Volunteer of the Year, Civilian Employee of the Year, Correctional Officer or the Year, Correctional Training Officer of the Year, Correctional Supervisor of the Year and Correctional Administrator of the Year. A list of the winners can be found here.

After the banquet, entertainment was provided by Jeff Ross, a stand-up comedian, actor, director, author and roast-master.

If you missed this year’s event, planning for 2017 is already underway as AJA announced the 36th Annual Conference & Jail Expo will take place in Orlando, Fla., on April 9-12. The Conference and Planning Committee for AJA is currently accepting workshop topics. To learn more, visit AJA’s call for presentations.