U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Emerging Issues for Local Jails: The Year 2000 and Beyond

NCJ Number
177360
Journal
Corrections Management Quarterly Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: Spring 1999 Pages: 43-46
Author(s)
M A O'Toole
Date Published
1999
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The number of jails has grown rapidly over the past 25 years, with jail populations in 1995 more than three times those in 1972, and the same period has seen significant improvements in and professionalization of jail management and operations.
Abstract
The continued improvement of jails will depend on the development of a jail paradigm and less reliance on the prison- based conventional wisdom that has historically formed the basis of jail design and operations. New technologies will continue to be successfully introduced to improve specific jail and detention operations. Absent significant Federal support, however, these technologies will have little or no impact on overall operational efficiency and cost savings. Constitutional issues faced by jail administrators with respect to inmate rights and litigation are discussed, as well as cost issues and the trend toward privatization in corrections. 5 references