Corrections_Today_March_April_2023_Vol.85_No.2

NIJ Update

and is the leading cause of deaths in jail. 22 The suicide rate in local jails is around 50 per 100,000, compared to fewer than 30 per 100,000 in state run prisons. 23 A number of factors could account for the higher rate of suicides in jails, including the likeli hood of overcrowding within the jail and an incarcerated individual’s elevated stress levels due to the life disruption resulting from their arrest and incarceration. 24 Procedural justice was the single greatest predictor of compliance ; it was even more influential than an individual’s history of misconduct. Correctional officers and deputies need to ensure stability and order in that chaotic environment, not only to protect physical safety, but also to aid the wellness of individuals as they navigate court proceedings or transition to serving their sentence. The impact of procedural justice on overall wellness of those in the facil ity requires further research. Jail staff may find it more chal lenging than their prison counterparts to consistently project an atmosphere of stability rooted in procedural justice. Jail staff have a relatively short time with individuals in jails

(the average stay in jail is just over one month) and have no control over the quality of an incarcerated indi vidual’s prior interactions with police and court officials. In addition, cor rectional officers and deputies often must compete with the overall often chaotic climate of a jail facility. Our research uncovered only one study that specifically addressed officer legitimacy in jails. The researchers surveyed individuals housed in a Florida jail. They found that procedural justice was a critical driver of an individual’s decisions to comply with the facility’s rules. Pro cedural justice was the single greatest predictor of compliance ; it was even more influential than an indi vidual’s history of misconduct. 25 This emphasizes and supports the role of procedural justice in promoting co operation with correctional officers in a particular jail setting. The presence and impact of procedural justice in other jails require further research. Conclusion Jails take custody of individu als who are often in the midst of a chaotic and stressful experience. Although an individual’s time in jail may be brief, jail leadership and staff can make a positive and pivotal impact on the trajectory of these individuals’ lives. In other correctional contexts, research has shown that policy and practice grounded in legitimacy and procedural justice can help deliver that positive impact. Evidence sug gests that the same positive impact can happen in jails, despite the chaos that characterizes many jail envi ronments. However, this requires further research.

Jails are an integral part of the criminal justice system. To the extent that one agency can reflect on the legitimacy of the system as a whole, jails can be linchpins of systemic legitimacy. ENDNOTES 1 J. Sunshine & T. Tyler (2003). “The Role of Procedural Justice and Legitimacy in Shaping Public Support for Policing.” Law & Society Review 37(3): 513-547. 2 Ibid. 3 See C. Campbell, R. Labrecque, R. Schaefer, M. Harvis, K. Zavita, L. Reddy, & K. LaBranche (2020). “Do Perceptions of Legitimacy and Fairness Matter in Prison?: Examining how Procedural and Distributive Justice Relate to Misconduct.” Criminal Justice and Behavior 47(12): 1630-1653. 4 Baker, T., F. Abderhalden, L. Alward, & L. Bedard (2021). “Exploring the Association between Procedural Justice in Jails and Incarcerated People’s Commitment to Institutional Rules” Corrections: Policy, Practice and Research 6(3): 189-202. 5 Prison Policy Initiative. (2019). Pew report, Arrest, Release, Repeat, reveals how many people go to jail each year and how many times they go. Available here: New report, Arrest, Release, Repeat, reveals how many people go to jail each year and how many times they go | Prison Policy Initiative 6 Jeffreys, D. (2018). America’s Jails : The Search for Human Dignity in an Age of Mass Incarceration . New York University Press. 7 Campbell et al. (2020). “Do Perceptions of Legitimacy and Fairness Matter in Prison?” 8 Tyler, T., & J. Fagan (2008). “Legitimacy ad Cooperation: Why Do People Help the Police Fight Crime in Their Communities.” Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law 6: 231-276. 9 See Steiner, B. & J. Wooldredge (2018). “Prison Officer Legitimacy, Their Exercise of Power, and Inmate Rule Breaking.” Criminology 56 (4): 750-779. 10 See Campbell et al. (2020). “Do Perceptions of Legitimacy and Fairness Matter in Prison?” 11 Tyler, T., J. Fagan J. &A. Geller (2014). “Street Stops and Police Legitimacy: Teachable Moments in Young Urban Men’s Legal Socialization.” Journal of Empirical Legal Studies 11 (4): 751-785. →

Corrections Today March/April 2023 — 19