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. 2011 Dec;101 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S347-52.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2010.300004. Epub 2011 Oct 28.

Diversity of release patterns for jail detainees: implications for public health interventions

Anne C Spaulding  1 , Sebastian D Perez, Ryan M Seals, Madhura A Hallman, Ravi Kavasery, Paul S Weiss
Affiliations

Diversity of release patterns for jail detainees: implications for public health interventions

Anne C Spaulding et al. Am J Public Health. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Objectives: We sought to develop a detailed description of the variety of jail release patterns and to learn what factors affect the length of stay (LOS).

Methods: The main data set for the study came from a biennial Bureau of Justice Statistics survey on felony defendants in large urban counties.

Results: The median LOS for the felony defendants was 7 days. One quarter of the jails had a median LOS of less than 2 days; median LOS for 75% of the jails was less than 15 days. Median regression showed that male gender, previous arrests, and violent charges were predictive of longer LOS.

Conclusions: The diversity in release patterns among jails has not been previously described. A public health intervention feasible in one jail may not be feasible in another because of the heterogeneity of release patterns. Individual inmate characteristics could predict a slower rate of release.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Duration of jail stay, by US county, 2004.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Portion of cohort remaining in 40 large US jails, by previous arrest, gender, and whether offense was violent: 2004. Note. Numbers assigned to curves represent estimates for coefficients determined by median regression–how many more days were spent in jail than the median for the referent subgroup before 50% of the subgroup in question departed. For all parameters, P < .5. See Table 2 available as a supplement to the online version of this article at http://www.ajph.org.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Duration of jail stay: Alameda County, CA; Cook County, IL; and Fairfax County, VA; 2004.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Duration of jail stay: Cook County, IL, 1990–2004.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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