Abstract
Very little has been done in the United States to improve the thousands of county jails that hold sentenced petty offenders and persons awaiting trial. Because these inmates are not considered an immediate danger to society, the facilities that handle them are virtually ignored. They are usually operated by local law enforcement officials, who do not have the knowledge or the time to develop needed rehabilitative programs. Subjected to these jails, many minor offenders go on to commit felonies. The deplorable conditions that exist in these local facilities might improve if every jail became part of the state correctional program.
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