Background Millions of people pass through U.S. jails annually. Conducting research about these public institutions is critical to understanding on-the-ground policies and practices, especially health care services, affecting millions of people. However, there is no existing database of the number, location, or contact information of jails. We created the National Jails Compendium to address this gap. In this paper, we detail our comprehensive methodology for identifying jail locations and contact information. We then describe the first research project to use the Compendium, a survey assessing jails’ treatment practices for incarcerated pregnant people with opioid use disorder. Results This study sent surveys electronically or in paper form to all 2986 jails in the Compendium, with 1139 surveys returned. We outline the process for using the Compendium, highlighting challenges in reaching contacts through case examples, cataloging responses and non-responses, and defining what counts as a jail. Conclusion We aim to provide tools for future researchers to use the Compendium as well as a pathway for keeping it current. The Compendium provides transparency that aids in understanding jail policies and practices. Such information may help devise interventions to ensure humane, evidence-based treatment of incarcerated people.
Despite the growing use of both pretrial risk assessment and supervision as pretrial reform strategies, there has been limited investigation on the effectiveness of risk assessment-informed pretrial supervision. We conducted a multi-site, retrospective investigation in 1,505 pretrial defendants from four local jurisdictions to examine risk assessment-informed pretrial supervision decisions and associated pretrial misconduct outcomes. Our findings showed pretrial supervision decisions were generally consistent with structured guidelines and defendant risk classifications. Use of bond and electronic monitoring had little impact on pretrial misconduct. However, more frequent pretrial monitoring was associated with higher rates of pretrial misconduct across all risk levels. Reducing supervision conditions and monitoring for low-risk defendants, in particular, may help reduce rates of misconduct in pretrial populations.
Despite growing evidence on the harmful effects of pretrial detention on individuals' criminal case processing and community integration, there has been limited empirical investigation of strategies to facilitate early release from detention. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine the effects of risk assessment-informed early release decisions on case processing and recidivism outcomes. Participants were 1,327 individuals who were booked into a U.S. midwestern jail and assessed using a proxy risk assessment over a 1-year period. Multivariable logistic regression models examined the effects of early release on any criminal charge, any plea, any guilty disposition as well as any new or any arrest at 6-and 12-month postrelease. Results showed approximately 46.9% of the sample received early release an average of 3.5 hr after booking. Proxy assessments were moderate predictors of any arrest and any new arrest at 6-and 12-month follow-up. Proxy risk levels were moderately associated with early release decisions overall. Early release from detention did not predict likelihood of being charged, accepting a plea, or having a guilty disposition. However, defendants with lower risk scores who received early release were more likely to plead guilty relative to those who did not receive early release. Overall, early release was associated with a lower likelihood of any rearrest at 6-and 12-month follow-up. Our findings suggest brief screening strategies implemented at jail intake produce accurate assessments of risk and may serve as a mechanism to decrease exposure to the jail environment.
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