National Association of Counties
County officials are implementing data-driven and evidence-based policies, practices and programs to decrease jail populations, reduce associated costs and meet the social and safety needs of communities. Annually, county jails process 8 million admissions and spend $29 billion on correctional facilities. The Pew Charitable Trusts reported in 2021 that county corrections costs increased 521 percent from 1977 to 2017.
Through collaborative efforts such as local public safety planning boards or criminal justice coordinating councils, counties are looking at data from various departments and entities to identify factors that drive jail population growth and exploring solutions to improve outcomes.
Common drivers of jail populations include:
Counties are also increasingly using data to identify and reduce or eliminate racial disparities in their criminal legal systems.
In October 2022, NACo released its County Guide to Reducing Jail Populations and Costs, a web-based toolkit with key policies, practices and county examples for addressing local drivers of jail populations. Join NACo for a five-part virtual learning series that outlines key policies to address these drivers and features communities implementing impactful solutions that promote racial equity and reduce jail populations.
Webinars in this series include:
Reducing Jail Populations: Jail Data Initiative DemonstrationDecember 5 | 3 - 3:30 p.m. EDT |
When determining local jail population drivers, counties may choose to look at neighboring counties’ data or others within their state and/or nationally as comparisons. The Jail Data Initiative (JDI) at New York University, in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts, is gathering data on jail populations around the country. Using online data rosters from roughly a third of the jails in the United States, the project analyzes daily populations, lengths of stay, charge and demographic profiles of people incarcerated, admissions, release statistics and more. The tool can also help communities identify racial and ethnic disparities in the local criminal legal system. Join this webinar for a demonstration of the JDI platform and learn how your county can use the platform to inform local justice decisions. Moderator: Nina Ward, Senior Program Manager for Behavioral Health and Justice, National Association of Counties Speakers: Kyleigh Clark-Moorman, PhD, Principle Associate, Public Safety Performance Project, The Pew Charitable Trusts Orion Junius Taylor, Lead Data Scientist, NYU Public Safety Lab |
Reducing Jail Populations: Decreasing Pretrial Length of Stay by Improving Court Proceedings and Pretrial Services and SupervisionJanuary 5, 2022 | 2 - 3 p.m. EDT |
Reducing length of stay during the pretrial period will decrease jail populations and allow people to return to the community more quickly to assist with their defense and continue working, attending school, caring for their families and other obligations. Counties can reduce length of stay by shortening case processing times and creating alternatives to pretrial detention. Moderator: Nastassia Walsh, Director of Programs and Operations, Counties Futures Lab, National Association of Counties Speakers: Peggy Galloway, Director, Jefferson County Diversion Services Kristina Kaupa, Director of Policy, Cook County Justice Advisory Council Dr. David Olson, Criminal Justice and Criminology Professor, Loyola University Chicago |
Reducing Jail Populations: Revisiting Technical Violations of Community Supervision to Decrease Jail Admissions and Length of StayFebruary 2, 2023 | 2 - 3 p.m. EDT
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Reducing the number of people in jail for technical violations can help decrease jail populations and improve outcomes and compliance with supervision conditions. Counties can reduce this kind of incarceration by reducing case processing times and implementing specialized caseloads. Moderator: Nastassia Walsh, Director of Programs and Operations, Counties Futures Lab, National Association of Counties Speakers: Richard Powell, District Administrator, Missouri Department of Probation & Parole, St. Louis County, Mo. David Taylor, Division Director, Intensive Probation & Fugitive Apprehension Unit, Maricopa County Adult Probation, Maricopa County, Ariz. Kristi Ward, Division Director, Justice-Involved Women Unit, Maricopa County Adult Probation, Maricopa County, Ariz. Beth M. Huebner, PhD, Director and Watts Endowed Professor for Public Safety for the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University |
Reducing Jail Populations: Decreasing Bookings and/or Arrests through Diversion, Citations and Warrant Avoidance and ResolutionMarch 2, 2023 | 2 - 3 p.m. EDT |
Reducing the number of people arrested and booked into jails for low-level offenses and misdemeanors through diversion and citations, as well as outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court or not paying fines and fees, can help decrease jail populations by reserving detention beds for people who are a risk to public safety or a serious flight risk. This can also improve outcomes for individuals by keeping them connected to their communities. Moderator: Elise Simonsen, PhD, Associate Program Director for Behavioral Health and Justice, National Association of Counties Speakers: Tracy Velázquez, Senior Manager, Safety & Justice, The Pew Charitable Trusts Ellen S. Steinberg, Director, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Charleston County, S.C. Hon. Kirsten H. Pabst, County Attorney, Missoula County, Mont. |
Reducing Jail Populations: Lowering Recidivism through Jail- and Community-Based Treatment and ServicesApril 6, 2023 | 2 - 3 p.m. EDT |
Reducing recidivism through effective jail- and community-based services can decrease jail admissions and populations and improve outcomes for people with criminal histories. Moderator: Elise Simonsen, PhD, Associate Program Director for Behavioral Health and Justice, National Association of Counties Speakers: Lisa Daniel, Executive Director, The Olive Tree Virginia Lee, County Grant Manager, Sierra County, N.M. Dr. BJ Paige, Returning Citizens Liaison, Prince George's County, Md. Michael Williams, Director, Returning Citizens Affairs Division, Prince George's County, Md. |
