This study examines jail populations over time. More specifically, the purpose of this analysis is to identify cycles of local jail utilization for male and female populations. The identification of regularities in jail utilization is accomplished through the use of a finite Fourier spectral density function. This analysis is conducted on a large Midwestern jail for 1525 days from 1982 through 1986. The results show there are significant regular patterns in both the male and female populations. These results allow one to conclude that the stability of punishment hypothesis appears to be an appropriate conceptualization for the jail setting. They also demonstrate there may be a cyclical regularity in jail utilization.
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