Jails

1
Section VIII

• Jails

2
Introduction

• Jails have a longer history than prisons.
• Still, they have often received less financial
  support and professional regard (Kerle, 1991,
  2003 Thompson Mays, 1991 Zupan, 1991).
• Most jails are operated by county sheriffs, whose
  primary concern is law enforcement...
• ...and as a result are often neglected as
  correctional institutions.

3
Introduction, cont.

• Jails
• Have experienced tremendous growth and,
  subsequently, overcrowding.
• Hold people who are only nominally criminal,
  particularly since the deinstitutionalization of
  the mentally ill.
• Recent trends
• A move toward podular-direct supervision designs,
  which often facilitate a shift in management
  philosophy as well.
• Increased attention to the central role that
  jails play in the community.
• A growing belief that programming and treatment
  that individuals receive on the outside should
  follow them into jail.

4
Jail Inmates

• Demographics
• The number of women in jails is growing, but they
  still comprise only 13 of jail inmates.
• Most jail inmates are adult minority men.
• This is linked to the drug war, which has
  targeted impoverished neighborhoods.
• Many jail inmates are poor and/or mentally ill
• 64 of jail inmates have a mental health problem
  (James Glaze, 2006, p. 1), relative to 10.6 of
  the overall U.S. population.
• More than 1/3 of jail inmates report medical
  problems more serious than a cold or flu
  (Maruschak, 2006, p. 1) inmates do have a
  constitutional right to reasonable medical care
  (Estelle v. Gamble, 1976).

5
Substance Abuse and Treatment in Jails

• One study found that 68 of jail inmates reported
  substance abuse or dependence problems (Karberg
  James, 2005, p. 1).
• Many had been under the influence of drugs or
  alcohol at the time of their offense.
• Still, providing adequate treatment is a
  challenge for jails.
• Most inmates are out of the facility within 1 ½
  weeks.
• Those who are being held on pretrial detention
  cannot be coerced into treatment.

6
Suicides in Jails

• The suicide rate in jails is three times that of
  prisons.
• Suicide within jails is most common
• Among white males under the age of 18 and over
  35.
• Among those with a more violent commitment
  history.
• Within the first few days of confinement (Mumola,
  2005).
• In the cell of the person who commits suicide.
• Within smaller jails.

7
Sexual Violence in Jails

• The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA - 2003)
  mandated the collection of data on sexual
  assaults in jails and prisons.
• Incidents most commonly occur at night in the
  victims cell, and involve the use or threat of
  force.
• Reported incidents are more common in prisons
  than jails.
• In about 49 of the cases, it was alleged that
  staff perpetrated the violations in the other
  51 of cases, it was other inmates.

8
Innovations in Jails

• Recent developments
• Podular architecture, which typically provides
• More direct supervision of inmates by staff.
• More goods and services in the living unit.
• Community Jails
• These entail the streamlining of programs within
  the facility with those in the community.

9
Innovations in Jails, cont.

• Recent developments (contd)
• Coequal Staffing
• Within sheriffs departments, there is an effort
  to provide comparable pay and benefits to those
  who work in the jail with those who work on the
  streets.
• Reentry Programs for Jails
• There is new attention being paid to how to
  prevent inmates from returning.

10
Section VIII Readings

• Jails

11
Readings

• Gang Intervention in Jails A National Analysis
• Recent Incarceration History Among a Sheltered
  Homeless Population
• Inmate Assaults in Texas County Jails
• Examining Implementation Issues With New
  Generation Jails

12
Gang Intervention in Jails A National Analysis

• by Rick Ruddell, Scott H. Decker, and Arlen
  Egley, Jr.
• Relative to prisons, little is known about gangs
  within jails.
• This study gathered information from 418 jails
  nationwide regarding special needs populations,
  including gangs.
• Findings
• Most respondents defined gang membership on the
  basis of tattoos, clothing (gang colors), or hand
  signs, or based on self-report.
• The mean level of gang involvement among inmates
  was reported to be 13.2.
• Larger jails were more likely to have higher
  percentages of suspected gang members within the
  inmate population.
• Preferred interventions included segregation or
  separation of gang members, intelligence
  gathering, and sharing this information with
  other agencies.

13
Gang Intervention Discussion Question

• How might gang intervention programs in jails
  lead to a reduction of the gang problem in
  prisons and in the free world?

14
Recent Incarceration History Among a Sheltered
Homeless Population

• by Stephen Metraux and Dennis P. Culhane
• This study explores the connection between
  homelessness and incarceration by comparing
  individuals who appeared in the following
  databases
• New York City Department of Homeless Services
  (DHS)
• Jail discharges from the New York City Department
  of Corrections (DOC)
• Prison releases to New York City from the New
  York State Department of Correctional Services
  (NYSDOCS).
• Findings
• 23.1 of persons staying in the studied shelter
  system had a history of incarceration 17.0 had
  a jail release, and 7.7 had a prison release.
• This is likely an underestimate.

15
Sheltered Homeless Population Discussion
Questions

• Why are jails the dumping ground for so many
  people in our communities?
• What are the consequences of this social policy?

16
Inmate Assaults in Texas County Jails

• by Mark Kellar and Hsiao-Ming Wang
• For this study, Texas jail administrators were
  surveyed regarding a number of managerial issues,
  including inmate assaults.
• Three models of prison violence have been
  proposed in the past the deprivation model the
  importation model and the managerial or
  institutional model.
• Findings
• Little/no relationship was found between an
  institutions rehabilitative philosophy and
  inmate assaults.
• Assaults were somewhat more common in
  institutions that had a greater proportion of
  maximum security inmates, providing support
  (though weak) for the importation model.
• The data did not allow a test of the deprivation
  model.

17
Inmate Assaults Discussion Question

• What is the relationship between high levels of
  male staff and inmate assaults on staff?
  According to the authors, how might this
  situation be dealt with?

18
Examining Implementation Issues With New
Generation Jails

• by Christine Tartaro
• This article reports on a study of 76
  podular/direct-supervision jails.
• Findings
• These jails did not universally adopt all
  components of new generation jails, such as
• Consistent direct supervision
• Single cells to provide increased opportunities
  for inmate privacy.
• Non-institutional furnishings.
• Increased contact with those back home.
• Recreation within the pods.
• Recommendations
• In addition to paying more attention to the
  above, the author recommends providing additional
  training for jail and prison officers.

19
New Generation Jails Discussion Question

• According to the author, most jails have not
  fully implemented the factors which have been
  identified necessary for a new generation jail to
  function as intended.
• Aside from funding issues, what other factors
  might contribute to less-than-full
  implementations?
• Do the benefits outweigh the cost of full
  implementation in the long run?