Controlling a jail population by partially closing the front door - An evaluation of a "summons in lieu of arrest" policy

    Authors

    T. L. Baumer;K. Adams

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Prison J.

    Keywords

    jails; overcrowding; summons; alternatives to arrest; Criminology & Penology

    Abstract

    This study reports on an evaluation of a strategy designed to reduce crowding of a county jail. The local judiciary sought to reduce the jail population by ordering local police agencies to issue a summons rather than arrest individuals accused of seven misdemeanor offenses. The study compares all cases booked during the first 8 months of the policy with all cases booked during the same months in the previous year. The results indicate that the policy was implemented, that it did reduce the intake population, and that there were minimal side effects; however, the potential impact was considerably over-estimated in the planning stage.

    Journal Title

    Prison Journal

    Volume

    86

    Issue/Number

    3

    Publication Date

    1-1-2006

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    386

    Last Page

    402

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000239791600006

    ISSN

    0032-8855

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