NCJ Number
165484
Date Published
1991
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Using a unique longitudinal data set, this study investigated the purposes of confinement in three California jurisdictions.
Abstract
The three California jails in San Francisco, Yolo, and Los Angeles counties included in the study hold pretrial defendants charged with misdemeanors or felonies as well as sentenced misdemeanant offenders. The three jails differ greatly in size, urban/rural character, and the volume of people who pass through them. Two categories of the incoming pretrial population were sampled in each of the jails: those newly booked and those booked and eventually held 72 hours or more. Sentenced inmates at each jail were sampled as they were released from custody. The sentenced sample excluded offenders sentenced to time served only. A variety of quantitative information related to offense, prior record, length of stay, and other factors was collected on more than 2,100 inmates. The findings suggest that most pretrial inmates are charged with nonserious offenses, have relatively nonserious prior records, and come from marginal socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition, many eventually have their original charges dropped. Among those convicted, relatively few spend additional time in jail, and even fewer are sentenced to prison. The study concludes that pretrial detention for the purpose of ensuring appearance at trial is overused and is likely to contribute to jail crowding. 4 tables and 8 notes