Expand or Expire: Jails in Rural America

• NCJ Number: 217190
• Journal: Corrections Compendium Volume: 31 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2006 Pages: 1,2,4,5,20,21,27
• Author(s): Rick Ruddell; G. Larry Mays
• Date Published: November 2006
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

In response to the gap in literature on small jails, this article examines national-level trends in the prevalence of small jails, and presents the results of a survey on jail characteristic, expansion, and partnerships and rural jail policy options.

Abstract

There are few attractive policy options for small jails. Approximately 10 percent of the respondents reported that their jurisdiction was likely to participate in a regional jail arrangement within the next few years. Based on 1,775 jails of fewer than 100 beds within the United States in 2003, this suggests that at least another 177 rural jails will disappear. In addition, 24.4 percent of the respondents indicated that their facilities would be increasing in size during the next 2 years. The trend, if both of these estimates are correct, is that there will be about 1,115 jails of fewer than 100 beds in the year 2010. The prevailing trend in rural American jails seems to be “expand or expire.” In summary, the study of a given jail’s circumstances must be understood within the context of the administrative, political, cultural, and operational nuances of a given location. These factors ultimately shape the survival of a particular jail. Small jails are most often located in rural areas. However, small jails are disappearing. There are a 1,000 fewer small jails today than there were two decades ago. However, there is little understanding of the reasons for this trend. Current knowledge of small jails is hampered by the fact that only a few articles have been published in the past two decades. This paper responds to this gap in the corrections literature by examining national-level trends in the prevalence of small jails, and reporting the results from a survey of 213 sheriffs, jail administrators, and jail commanders about crowding, plans for expansion, and partnerships with other facilities. References