Roles and Responsibilities: Analyzing Local Leaders’Views on Jail Crowding From a Systems Perspective

Abstract

Jail crowding is a substantial concern for many local jurisdictions. Although several authors have suggested a system-wide approach to reduce crowding, relatively little is known about how top local criminal justice officials viewthis issue. Using interviews and surveys of criminal justice leaders in a large southern metropolitan county, this study examined perspectives on jail crowding and perceived interagency relationships. Consistent with prior studies, the respondents agreed that jail crowding is a problem and that the consequences of crowding extend beyond the correctional facility. Greater discord was observed on issues of agency responsibility for changing policies to effect reductions in crowding. Findings are interpreted within the context of a “loose coupling” framework of criminal justice organizations.