Jails

Carmody, Justin. Effective County Practices in Jail to Community Transition Planning for Offenders with Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders. Washington, DC: National Association of

Counties, Community Services Division, 2008. This publication focuses on defining the essential components of effective transition planning for this population [of inmates with co-occurring disorders] and showcases studies of promising county practices from across the country. Sections of this report include: introduction; components of effective transition planning; six model programs; Allegheny County (PA); Auglaize County; Black Hawk County (IA); Macomb County (MI); Montgomery County (MD); and Multnomah County.

Christensen, Gary E. Our System of Corrections: Do Jails Play a Role in Improving Offender Outcomes?

Washington, DC: National Institute of Corrections, Community Corrections Division, 2008. “This document will review the role of jails and incarceration within United States’ correctional systems and propose opportunities for jail officials to interact and collaborate with local criminal justice entities with the shared purpose of enhancing long-term public safety” (p. ix). Sections following an abstract include: practice within corrections — does it work as a system; corrections within the U.S.—the current context; evidence-based practice — the effectiveness of criminal sanctions; communicating within a social learning environment; offender classification — to jail or not to jail; the work of jails—high-risk offenders and their effect on public safety; organizational/system change—the role of correctional leadership; high-risk offenders in jail transition programs; and conclusion/summary. Appendixes include: “An Example of a Successful Jail Transition Program: The Dutchess County Jail Transition Program [DCJTP]”; DCJTP 5-Week Plan—Checklist; and DCJTP Plan for Transition form.

Jail Reentry Roundtable Initiative. Washington, DC: Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center, 2006.

A digest of presentations and discussions regarding the reentry of jail inmates is supplied. Thirteen sections comprise this document: introduction and meeting overview; what we know about jails at the national level; inmate challenges; the NCCD-Zogby poll regarding public attitudes toward rehabilitation and reentry — findings; short-term interventions; the role of community supervision in addressing reentry from jails; what recidivism entails; evidence-based reentry practices in the jail setting; reentry from jails for females; the economics of jail reentry; jail/community linkages; reentry from rural jails; and final comments and next steps.

Jannetta, Jesse, Hannah Dodd, and Brian Elderbroom. The Elected Official’s Toolkit for Jail Reentry. Washington, DC: Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center, 2011.

Those individuals involved in creating a jail reentry program will find this publication very useful. Information about various issues related to jail reentry is provided on single topic handouts. These handouts are divided into two sections–fact sheets regarding jail reentry and its key components and tools and resources for implementing or expanding a jail reentry initiative.