Jails
One out of every three people behind bars today is held in a county or city jail. The U.S. jail population has tripled over the last 30 years, driven by an increase in pretrial detention and money bail, policies that keep legally innocent people behind bars before trial and increase the likelihood that they will plead guilty.
We're putting the need for jail reform directly into the national conversation, helping both lawmakers and the public keep a close eye on jail growth and conditions. Below is some of our key research:
Reports and campaigns
Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Community Spread
Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Community SpreadOur report shows that over half a million cases of COVID-19 in the summer of 2020 — or 13% of all cases — were attributable to the passage of the virus into, through, and out of crowded prisons and jails.
Eligible, but excluded: A guide to removing the barriers to jail voting
In partnership with Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition, we offer a concise guide to understanding which people in local jails are eligible to vote, and how to bring down barriers that these voters face to casting a ballot.
Failing Grades: States' Responses to COVID-19 in Jails & Prisons
We worked with the ACLU to evaluate — and score — all 50 states’ criminal justice responses to the pandemic. Most states have ignored both the obvious risks to incarcerated people and the warnings of public health experts.
Other COVID-19 resources
Other COVID-19 resourcesIn addition to our two major reports on COVID-19 in prisons and jails, we've published a list of policy recommendations, an explainer on social distancing behind bars, a powerful fact sheet, and much more. We're also tracking where pandemic-related policy changes are taking place.
Arrest, Release, Repeat: How police and jails are misused to respond to social problems
Arrest, Release, Repeat: How police and jails are misused to respond to social problemsOur national analysis finds that at least 4.9 million people go to county and city jails each year, over 25% go multiple times, and people who go to jail are disproportionately likely to be impoverished and face serious health problems.
Does our county really need a bigger jail? A guide to avoiding unnecessary jail expansion
Does our county really need a bigger jail? A guide to avoiding unnecessary jail expansionWe lay out 33 questions that local decision-makers should ask before green-lighting proposals for jail expansion. We also explain ways that counties can reduce jail crowding without building additional jail space.
Era of Mass Expansion: Why State Officials Should Fight Jail Growth
Era of Mass Expansion: Why State Officials Should Fight Jail GrowthWhat's behind the rapid jail growth of the last three decades? Our report exposes the key drivers — pretrial detention and the renting of jail beds to other authorities — with over 150 state-level graphs and state-by-state comparisons.
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019How many people are in jail nationwide? Our report and graphics break down where people in the U.S. are incarcerated and why, including how many people are in local jails and what percentage are still legally innocent.
Detaining the Poor: How money bail perpetuates an endless cycle of poverty and jail time
Detaining the Poor: How money bail perpetuates an endless cycle of poverty and jail timeWe explain how the pretrial detention and bail process works. We also show why paying money bail is so difficult: For a typical defendant, money bail represents about eight months' pay, and even more for women and people of color.
Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019
Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019231,000 women are locked up in the U.S., and more are held in local jails than in state prisons — in stark contrast to incarcerated men. Our report explains this trend and explores the impact of jail on women.
Briefings
- The "services" offered by jails don’t make them safe places for vulnerable people, by Alexi Jones, March 19, 2020
In 2016, over 1,000 people died in local jails - many the tragic result of healthcare and jail systems that fail to address serious health problems among the jail population, and of the trauma of incarceration itself. - Technical violations, immigration detainers, and other bad reasons to keep people in jail>, by Wendy Sawyer, Maddy Troilo, and Alexi Jones, March 18, 2020
How ICE and probation and parole detainers (or “holds”) contribute to unnecessary jailing. - New BJS report reveals staggering number of preventable deaths in local jails, by Alexi Jones, February 13, 2020
In 2016, over 1,000 people died in local jails - many the tragic result of healthcare and jail systems that fail to address serious health problems among the jail population, and of the trauma of incarceration itself. - How race impacts who is detained pretrial, by Wendy Sawyer, October 9, 2019
The government hasn’t collected national data on the race or ethnicity of people awaiting trial in jail since 2002. We review the academic literature published since then to offer a more current assessment of racial disparities in pretrial detention. - How many people in your state go to local jails every year? by Wanda Bertram and Alexi Jones, September 18, 2019.
Building on our national report Arrest, Release, Repeat, we show that local jails impact more people in your state than the daily population implies. - Jails matter. But who is listening? by Peter Wagner, August 14, 2015.
Most of the people who go to prison or jail in a year go to jail, so why don't policymakers pay more attention to jails? - Some private prisons are, um, public by Peter Wagner, June 9, 2016.
Private prisons get all the attention, but the hidden truth is that many county jails are profiting off incarceration too. - Pretrial detention costs $13.6 billion each year by Bernadette Rabuy, February 7, 2017.
When we published our Following the Money of Mass Incarceration report, we also calculated the cost of locking people up before trial. - The life-threatening reality of short jail stays by Bernadette Rabuy, December 22, 2016.
BJS data shows suicide is still the leading cause of death in local jails. And most suicides occur shortly after jail admission. - Why expensive phone calls can be life-altering for people in jail - and can derail the justice process by Wendy Sawyer, February 5, 2019.
The cost of jail phone calls punishes people in the most desperate circumstances, most of whom have not been convicted of a crime. - How does unaffordable money bail affect families? by Wendy Sawyer, August 15, 2018.
Over half of the people held in jail pretrial because they can't afford bail are parents of minor children. - The downstream effect of 35 years of jail growth? A state prison boom by Joshua Aiken, June 14, 2017.
Mass incarceration is not a question of prison or jail growth, but both: Putting more people behind bars for low-level crimes leads to entire justice systems bursting at the seams. - Criminal justice reform at the ballot box: Even County Auditors are worth your attention by Wanda Bertram, October 31, 2018.
In some counties - like Multnomah County, Oregon - auditors are joining the movement to hold jails accountable. - Jails will separate 2.3 million mothers from their children this year by Wendy Sawyer and Wanda Bertram, May 13, 2018.
In some counties - like Multnomah County, Oregon - auditors are joining the movement to hold jails accountable. - Money and power: corruption in local sheriff departments by Stephen Raher, December 20, 2017.
A response to The New York Times's investigation of how corruption flourishes in some county sheriff offices. - Findings from Harris County: Money bail undermines criminal justice goals by Wendy Sawyer and Emily Widra, August 24, 2017.
A recent study confirms that money bail increases risks to public safety, affects case outcomes in ways that contribute to more incarceration, and infringes on constitutional rights. - Jail phone companies flood money into sheriff races by Aleks Kajstura, October 12, 2017.
New research shows jail phone companies contributing significant sums to sheriff's campaigns, even funding a quarter of one candidate's campaign spending. - BJS report: Drug abuse and addiction at the root of 21% of crimes by Wendy Sawyer, June 28, 2017.
The widespread drug use and dependence among incarcerated people underscores the urgent need to redirect people and resources toward treatment. - Analysis shows people in NYC jails would be better served in the community by Bernadette Rabuy, November 16, 2016.
A recent analysis finds that the most frequently incarcerated in New York City jails struggle with mental illness and are locked up for low-level offenses. - Suicide in jails is a national crisis by Bernadette Rabuy, August 4, 2015.
BJS report shows that suicide in jails has been leading cause of death from 2000-2013. - Who is in jail? Deep dive by Peter Wagner, December 8, 2015.
Jail churn and pre-trial detention are even more important than a quick look at the data suggests. Here, we correct for the fact that a sizable number of people are housed in jails for other agencies.
Related issues
Communication and contact
Communication and contactFor people in jail, few services are more critical than visits and phone calls, which allow them to stay connected with their loved ones and lawyers. But jails make staying in touch expensive and difficult, particularly for poor families.
Exploitation
ExploitationPeople in jail and their families are a captive market, one that private companies — in collusion with jail administrators — are all too eager to exploit. We are bringing these practices to light and fighting back.
Research Library
Didn't find what you were looking for? We also curate a database of virtually all the empirical criminal justice research available online. See the sections of our Research Library on jails and pretrial detention.
Recommended Reading:
Five ways the criminal justice system could slow the pandemic
Quick action could slow the spread of the viral pandemic in prisons and jails and in society as a whole
The "services" offered by jails don't make them safe places for vulnerable people
Even in the best of times, jails are not good at providing health and social services.
The most important statistics from our work on policing
Racial disparities, bloated budgets, the criminalization of homelessness, and more.
Is social distancing possible behind bars?
No. It's even harder than on cruise ships or in nursing homes.