County Jail
State Prisoners in County Jails
February 2010
State Prisoners in County Jails
A Publication of the Research Division of NACo’s County Services Department Written by Brian Albert Research Intern February 2010
National Association of Counties
1
About the National Association of Counties
The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,068 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public’s understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. For more information about NACo, visit www.naco.org.
For more information about this publication or the programs included, please contact: National Association of Counties Research Division a Phone: 202.393-6226
� Web site: www.naco.org
2
State Prisioners in County Jails • February 2010
Introduction
Although the terms “jail” and “prison” are often used interchangeably, there is an important difference between the two. The variation in the roles of jails and prisons is capability level of operation. Prisons are built to hold more dangerous criminal offenders and to carry out rehabilitative programming at the state level. Prisoners are meant to be long-term residents. Conversely, a jail’s original purpose is to receive and hold individuals pending trial, conviction, or sentencing at the county level. They hold those who are awaiting pick-up from other sources (i.e., parole violators to be picked up by the state, mentally ill waiting to move to health facilities, etc.). They provide protective custody for those in contempt of court and for court witnesses. They are final points for inmates sentenced to short terms (less than one year), and jails
February 2010
State Prisoners in County Jails
A Publication of the Research Division of NACo’s County Services Department Written by Brian Albert Research Intern February 2010
National Association of Counties
1
About the National Association of Counties
The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,068 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public’s understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. For more information about NACo, visit www.naco.org.
For more information about this publication or the programs included, please contact: National Association of Counties Research Division a Phone: 202.393-6226
� Web site: www.naco.org
2
State Prisioners in County Jails • February 2010
Introduction
Although the terms “jail” and “prison” are often used interchangeably, there is an important difference between the two. The variation in the roles of jails and prisons is capability level of operation. Prisons are built to hold more dangerous criminal offenders and to carry out rehabilitative programming at the state level. Prisoners are meant to be long-term residents. Conversely, a jail’s original purpose is to receive and hold individuals pending trial, conviction, or sentencing at the county level. They hold those who are awaiting pick-up from other sources (i.e., parole violators to be picked up by the state, mentally ill waiting to move to health facilities, etc.). They provide protective custody for those in contempt of court and for court witnesses. They are final points for inmates sentenced to short terms (less than one year), and jails