good questions, better data for improved justice …...good questions, better data for improved...

GOOD QUESTIONS, BETTER DATA

FOR IMPROVED JUSTICE OUTCOMES 8:00 – 9:15 a.m.

County Jails at a Crossroads: Examining the Pretrial Population

and Pretrial Release

Natalie R. Ortiz, Ph.D.

National Association of Counties

United States 467,500 Pretrial

Detainees

A Comparison of the U.S. and China

China 250,000 Pretrial

Detainees

America’s Jails are County Jails

Insert Map from Emily

Who is in county jails? The majority of the county jail

population is pretrial and low risk

67% of the county jail

population is pretrial

Midwest

Northeast

West

Pretrial population differences

between county jails

75–100% of jail population is pretrial

50–74% pretrial

25–49% pretrial

Less than 25% pretrial

62% 47% All Counties

South

Who is in county jails?

of population in county jails using risk

assessment is low risk

40 percent

60 percent

County jails using a validated risk assessment

at booking

Take Away Questions

• What resources are currently used in your jail to reliably identify risk in the jail population?

• How is risk level information used throughout the county justice system?

• What release and supervision options are available when someone in the jail is categorized as low risk?

–Do these options depend on conviction status?

County jails are caught between courts’ decision-making and increases in the jail

population and jail costs. 900K $25 B

Pretrial Population

Convicted Population

44%

County boards willing to collaborate with jail to reduce

population and costs

County jails prioritizing

65%

Challenges, priorities & opportunities

reducing jail costs

Jail County board

Court

Effective management of pretrial population in jail

Take Away Questions

• How often is the court involved in meetings and discussion of the pretrial population in jail?

• Does the jail want to collaborate more with the court?

• How do you facilitate the conversation between the jail and the court?

• How does the jail and/or county use authority it has under state law in setting policies and developing practices related to pretrial release and supervision?

County jails with a program supervising pretrial detainees outside of confinement

What county jails do

Electronic monitoring

House arrest

Treatment programs

Day reporting

Work release

10%

18%

42%

44%

95%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Pretrial population Convicted population

Pretrial supervision (general)

Physical health care treatment

Behavioral health treatment

House arrest

Electronic monitoring

Top 5 Programs Supervising Pretrial Individuals

Take Away Questions

• How do current pretrial release and supervision programs contribute to managing the pretrial population in jail?

– How do you know the impact?

• What are the objectives and goals of current pretrial supervision programs?

– How often does the county evaluate whether it is meeting those objectives and goals

– What is the benchmark for evaluation?

www.naco.org/countyjails Report, Executive Summary and Case Studies

Interactive map: www.naco.org/countyexplorer

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Charge Secure

DWLR 99%

DWI 95%

Paraphernalia 99%

Resisting 97%

Possess Marijuana 98%

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2009 2015

Secured 49% 43%

Cash 8% 1%

Custody 2% 1%

Unsecured 5% 28%

Written Promise 4% 1%

Other 32% 26%

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1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2,000

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

County Jail Population

County Jail Population

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100

2010 2015

OUTCOME MEASURES

Public Safety Court Appearance

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Good Questions, Better Data for

Improved Justice System

Outcomes

John Clark

Senior Manager,

Technical Assistance

Dear Commissioners:

Here is your monthly jail report:

¶⏎⏏<±√€¢⌘⌫✪♬♯

We trust you will find these data helpful.

Sincerely,

The Jail

Report to the Commissioners

1. Who (pretrial, sentenced, probation

violations, etc?) is in the jail?

2. How many jail bed days are each group

using?

3. Which of these populations could be

safely reduced?

4. How much cost savings could result?

Key Questions

Who is in the jail?

Question 1

Inmate Sub-population ADP % of Total

Pretrial 442 52%

Probation violation 85 10%

Sentenced 298 35%

Contract 0 N/A

Other 26 3%

Total 850 100%

Shangri-La County:

ADP of Inmates

Pretrial Risk Level ADP % of Total

Low 124 28%

Medium 208 47%

High 110 25%

Total 442 100%

Shangri-La County:

ADP of Pretrial Inmates

Bond Amount ADP % of Total

$500 or < 44 10%

> $500 to $1,000 80 18%

> $1,000 to $2,500 66 15%

> $2,500 to $5,000 89 20%

> $5,000 163 37%

Total 442 100%

Shangri-La County:

ADP of Pretrial Inmates

Bodies Passing Through

vs. Beds Used

72%

11% 7%

5% 5%

2%

4% 6%

18%

70% (28,680)

(4,567) (2,856)

(1,930) (2,030)

(31) (61) (112)

(304)

(1,216)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Less than 3 Days 3 to 7 Days 8 to 30 Days 31 to 90 Days 91+ Days

Average Length of Stay in Days

% Inmates Released % Beds Needed

How many jail bed days

does each group use?

Question 2

Inmate Status Bed Days % of Total

Felony Sentenced 5,610 22%

Misdemeanor Sentenced 4,590 18%

Traffic Sentenced 510 2%

Felony Pretrial 5,865 23%

Misdemeanor Pretrial 4,335 17%

Traffic Pretrial 255 1%

Probation Violation 3,060 12%

Other 128 5%

Total 25,500 100%

Shangri-La County:

Jail Bed Days Used

Pretrial Risk

Level

Bed Days % of Pretrial % of Total

Low 2,405 23% 9%

Medium 4,182 40% 17%

High 3,868 37% 15%

Total 10,455 100% 41%

Shangri-La County:

Jail Bed Days Used Pretrial

Bond Amount Bed Days % of Pretrial % of Total

$500 or < 1,045 10% 4%

> $500 to $1,000 1,463 14% 6%

> $1,000 to $2,500 1,986 19% 8%

> $2,500 to $5,000 2,615 25% 10%

> $5,000 3,346 32% 13%

Total 10,455 100% 41%

Shangri-La County:

Jail Bed Days Used Pretrial

Which of these populations

can be safely reduced?

Question 3

How much cost savings could result?

Question 4

Questions and Answers

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