NCJ Number
110816
Date Published
1985
Length
105 pages
Annotation
Official records, interviews with criminal justiceofficials and others, and analyses of new databases formed the basis of an analysis of the causes of jail overcrowding in San Diego County, Calif., at the end of 1984.
Abstract
The analysis showed the main causes of jail overcrowding to be inmate overclassification and lack of data on system flow, lack of a countywide field citation program, the method and timing of charging practices by law enforcement and prosecuting agencies, and the lack of an explicit jail citation policy. Additional causes are the effects of bail practices, the lack of public defender access to the jails, the large number of inmates in the system due to public intoxication and vehicular and alcohol offenses, and the large number of aliens being held prior to trial. Further causes are the custody and court procedures, the lack of a multiagency screening process, the judiciary's lack of acceptance of recommendations for release on recognizance, the problem of unnecessary continuances and other court delays, and inefficiencies in postsentencing practices. The second phase of the report will develop options for a plan to manage crowding. Appended tables, list of interviewees, and 30 references. (Author summary modified)