Jail Population Policy Impact Tool
TM
The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) at Community
Resources for Justice continues to make criminal and juvenile justice systems
more efficient and cost effective by meeting the needs of its clients through
evidence-based and results-driven assistance. CJI's latest contribution
is the Jail Population Policy Impact Tool
TM
. Michael Wilson, an economist
partnering with CJI, worked to develop a model that criminal justice agencies
can use to forecast jail populations based on local data and user-selected
dynamic factors.
The resulting Jail Population Policy Impact Tool
TM
uses a jurisdiction's own historical jail data and county population
projections to dynamically estimate long term jail impact. Jurisdictions
may then select up to ten policy areas to create individual population effects.
Critical inputs for the population projections
include:
- • Estimated
or projected growth rates of jail bookings,
- • Average
length of stay in jail,
- • Size of
"at risk" population as defined by the jurisdiction, and
- • Estimated
impact of up to ten different policy areas, with respect to changes in
size and average length of stay.
Why Is This
Tool Unique?
The Jail Population Policy Impact Tool
TM
allows users to make their own assumptions about growth factors using historical jail
data and population forecast data. Users are then able to update the
assumptions and underlying historical jail populations at any time. While other
jail models are static and can quickly become outdated, this model can be
adjusted based on changing policies and population characteristics.
One of the significant benefits of this tool is its
ability to calculate the estimated impact of up to ten policy choices on the
long term jail population. Additionally, the user can select the timing of
policy changes, permitting a staggering of effects that is more accurate to
real-life implementation. Policy levers can target specific offending
populations, allowing the user to make adjustments to the size of the
population and the length of stay in the jail. For example, a jurisdiction
could target probation violators for a new jail alternative program, reducing
the population in jail and their length of stay. The local probation department
can identify the capacity of the new alternative program, and the model will
automatically calculate the impact of these changes based upon the
assumptions. The new program's population effect is shown over a ten year
period and visually depicts the results in a table and graph format.
Jail population management is an important fiscal
consideration in local jurisdictions throughout the country. The Jail
Population Policy Impact Tool
TM
, developed by the Crime and Justice
Institute, can provide local jail and county managers with valuable insight
into the future costs of current policies and projected costs or savings from
future policy changes. With the Jail Population Policy Impact Tool
TM
,
policy makers, budget writers and criminal justice leaders can make data-driven
decisions that are more accurate and cost-effective.
For
More Information If you would like permission to use the Jail Population Policy Impact Tool
TM
or more information, please contact Michael Kane at the Crime and Justice Institute at
Community Resources for Justice at mkane@crj.org or at 617-482-2520 x124 This Web site is funded in whole or in part through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this Web site (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).
Copyright © 2014 by Crime and Justice Institute at Community Resources for Justice.