Celebrate excellence in corrections-nominate someone today!
The American Jail Association honors outstanding individuals and governmental or tribal correctional facilities that promote innovative, progressive jail practices.
Please note that this year's award descriptions and nomination requirements have been updated. We encourage nominators to review the new requirements before submitting.
The Awards Committee will review nominations in the following categories:
Volunteer of the Year
Civilian Employee of the Year
Correctional Officer of the Year – Small Jail
Correctional Officer of the Year
Correctional Training Officer of the Year
Correctional Supervisor of the Year
Ray Coleman Correctional Administrator of the Year
Innovation Award-Large Jail (1000+ beds)
Innovation Award-Medium Jail (100 – 999 beds)
Innovation Award-Small Jail (under 100 beds)
Valor Award
Francis R. "Dick" Ford Distinguished Service Award
A completed nomination must include:
- A detailed narrative explaining how the nominee meets each applicable award criterion.
- Specific examples of actions, leadership programs, or results that distinguish the nominee from strong routine performance.
- Measurable or observable outcomes when available.
- Supporting materials, such as commendations, incident reports, news articles, program records, photographs, or letters of endorsement are strongly encouraged when available, but not required unless specifically stated for an individual reward.
The Committee may request clarification or additional information, and may decline nominations that offer only general praise without specific examples or sufficient evidence.
For more information, please see the attached or go to https://www.americanjail.org/awards.
All recipients receive conference registration, airfare, hotel accommodations, and one additional banquet ticket at AJA's 46th Conference & Jail Expo in Spokane, Washington, May 22-26, 2027.