Report

Data Analysis Jail Costs Jail Populations November 19, 2019

Broken Ground: Why America Keeps Building More Jails and What It Can Do Instead

Vera Institute of Justice

Jail construction has vastly expanded America’s capacity to incarcerate people. In 1970, there were 243,000 jail beds in the United States, but by 2017, there were 915,100. This report explores the persistence of jail expansion by examining a convenience sample of 77 counties in 31 states that considered or pursued jail expansion between 2000 and 2019. From this sample, Vera researchers identified three major arguments county officials make to support construction: health and safety concerns due to overcrowding or aging facilities; the need to provide specialized services, including mental health and drug treatment; and the opportunity for revenue from renting beds to other authorities. The report also outlines negative or unanticipated consequences counties experienced from the decision to build or expand and provides examples of places that have pursued better alternatives to new jails.

Implementation Guide

Interagency Collaboration Jail Costs Pretrial and Bail June 12, 2019

Paid in Full: A Plan to End Money Injustice in New Orleans

Vera Institute of Justice

The role that money—in the form of bail, fines and fees—plays in criminal justice systems has come under increased focus. These practices have long plagued New Orleans, driving jail incarceration and costing struggling families—most of them black—millions. By taking the actions set out in this report, Criminal District Court judges, the mayor, and city council members will make New Orleans the first city in the country to replace money bail and conviction fees with a fair, safety-promoting, and financially stable system of justice.

Implementation Guide

Data Analysis Interagency Collaboration Jail Costs May 6, 2019

Does our county really need a bigger jail?

Prison Policy Initiative

As jail populations have skyrocketed over the past three decades, jails around the country have become dangerously overcrowded. The reflexive response is often to start the long, expensive process of building a larger jail. However, this report provides a roadmap to easier, quicker, cheaper, and more just solutions to jail overcrowding. It is organized around a series of questions that local decisionmakers should be asking advocates of jail expansion, and then lays out a detailed briefing on best practices for reducing jail overcrowding.

Issue Brief

Data Analysis Jail Costs Racial Disparities June 14, 2018

The New Dynamics of Mass Incarceration

Vera Institute of Justice

Report

Data Analysis Jail Costs Jail Populations January 26, 2017

Following the Money of Mass Incarceration

Prison Policy Initiative

The cost of imprisonment—including who benefits and who pays—is a major part of the national discussion around criminal justice policy. But prisons and jails are just one piece of the criminal justice system. In this report and accompanying infographic, the Prison Policy Initiative examines how the justice system works by identifying some of the key stakeholders and calculating how much they benefit from the system.