NCJ Number
247299
Date Published
September 2012
Length
81 pages
Annotation
This report provides information on Montana's jail population.
Abstract
This initial Detention Data Information System (DDIS) report by the Montana Board of Crime Control (MBCC) serves as a baseline data analysis for subsequent reports. The Detention Dilemma Project was initiated to fund the creation of reports for the records management systems of the various detention centers, to create a central repository of this detention information, and to perform analysis to determine what methods will provide the best chance of reducing the overcrowding of the detention centers and increasing the relative safety of Montanans both inside and outside of the detention centers. The first objective of the Detention Dilemma Project was to create a central repository for jail based booking information. The MBCC's Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) created the resulting DDIS which serves as the only statewide repository in Montana for jail-based offender booking information. Key findings from this initiative suggest: that there is a need for data to better inform an analysis of the crowding problem; that multiple conditions are contributing to the crowding problem; and that there is a need for a more strategic, cross-system collaborative approach to problem analysis. Ten recommendations were offered, including the recommendation to collect and analyze offender profile data and to build long term data and information system capacity. The first objective has been met with the creation of the DDIS. The second objective is ongoing. Continued analysis of the data will provide invaluable information about Montana's jail inmate population and the crimes they commit. Tables, figures, and appendixes