NCJ Number
166213
Date Published
1996
Length
76 pages
Annotation
This guide presents basic information for those interested in how jails operate and issues they face, describes how to handle special populations, and addresses treatment issues and alternatives to incarceration.
Abstract
The guide defines jails, prisons, and lockups and reviews the history of U.S. jails. Types of jails are identified, and cost and financing aspects of jail operations are detailed. The focus then turns to characteristics of the jail population and jail overcrowding. Consideration is also paid to legal issues associated with jail operations, including medical care, personal and property searches, cruel and unusual punishment, equal access to programs, and due process. Jail management of special populations is discussed for drug abusers, the mentally disordered, suicidal inmates, juveniles, women, violent inmates, gangs and extremist groups, inmates with disabilities, foreign and ethnic groups, and elderly inmates. The guide also covers treatment programs in jails, jail management by private companies, jail staff training, and jail-community relations. Future trends in the use of jails are examined in relation to community corrections, boot camps, and other alternatives to incarceration. References, tables, and photographs