Corrections_Today_November_December_2020_Vol.82_No.6

NIJ Update

Conclusion Jails have access to vast amounts of data that, if leveraged properly, can improve decision-making, in - form resource allocation, and lead to better outcomes for the organization as well as for the inmate population. It can be highly challenging for jails to make the shift to a data-driven management approach, but the high-priority needs identified by the expert panel provide a roadmap of what must be accomplished to move toward that goal. Joe Russo is a researcher with the University of Denver. Russo is a co-author of the report that is the subject of this article.

Endnotes 1 “Jail Statistics,” American Jail Association , https://www.americanjail.org/ , undated, accessed on Sept 23, 2020. 2 Zhen Zeng, Jail Inmates in 2018 , Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, March 2020, NCJ 253044, https://www. bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ji18.pdf . 3 Wanda Bertram and Alexi Jones, “How Many People in Your State Go to Local Jails Every Year?,” Prison Policy Initiative, September 4 Measures for Justice, https://measuresforjustice. org/. (Jail data search portal on this website reflects a lack of jail data availability in many states and counties). 5 Patrick McKay et al., “2014 Facility Administrators Survey of Adult Jails in Montana,” Missoula: University of Montana, Criminology Research Group, August 2015, http://mbcc.mt.gov/ Portals/130/Data/Reports/JAILS.pdf . 18, 2019, https://www.prisonpolicy.org/ blog/2019/09/18/state-jail-bookings/ .

6 Sonya Tafoya, Ryken Grattet, and Mia Bird, “Corrections Realignment and Data Collection in California,” San Francisco: Public Policy Institute of California, April 2014, https://www.ppic.org/ content/pubs/report/R_414STR.pdf . 7 Gary Zajac and Lindsay Kowalski, “An Examination of Pennsylvania Rural County Jails,” Harrisburg: Pennsylvania General Assembly, Center for Rural Pennsylvania, December 2012, https://www.rural.palegislature.us/documents/ reports/rural_county_jails_2012.pdf . 8 The underlying research is part of NIJ’s Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative, a program of RAND, the Police Executive Research Forum, RTI International, and the University of Denver. 9 Jeanne B. Stinchcomb, Corrections: Foundations for the Future, 2nd ed. (NewYork: Routledge, 2011). 10 CompStat is a data-driven performance management system used by law enforcement agencies to reduce crime and achieve other operational goals. Key areas of emphasis are information-sharing, accountability, and improving effectiveness.

ACA extends Our deepest gratitude for your dedication to the Correctional Profession. We wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday season. Happy Holidays!

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