Research On Jails - Michigan

Research on Jails and JailAlternativesJennifer E. Copp, Ph.D.Florida State UniversityPresented to the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial IncarcerationTraverse City, MIAugust 23, 2019

What we willcoverDo arrests make us safer?How does pretrial detention impactpublic safety?How does pretrial detention impactdefendants?What works to improve pretrial outcomes?What works to protect victims pretrial?Is jail an effective sanction for convictedpopulations?

Do arrests make us safer?

Being arrested inyoung adulthood maycontribute to laterincreases in arrest andsubstance disorders.AverageImpact of Arrest in Young Adulthood (17 to 32)on Rearrest and Substance Disorder amongAfrican 60.40.2 0.20.10.10.0Violent Rearrest0.1 0.10.0Property Rearrest Substance DisorderArrested MenArrested WomenNot Arrested MenNot Arrested WomenSource: Doherty, E., Cwick, J., Green, K., & Ensminger, M. (2016). Examining the consequences of the ‘prevalent life events’ of arrest and incarceration among an urban African-American cohort. Justice Quarterly, 33(6) 970-999.

Callback % by Race and Arrest1009080Having an arrest recordcan reduce access toemployment.Callback %706050403038.827.534.723.520100African AmericanNo ArrestWhiteArrestSource: Uggen, C., Vuolo, M., Lageson, S., Ruhland, E., & Whitham, K. (2014). The edge of stigma: An experimental audit of the effects of low-level criminal records on employment. Criminology, 52(4): 627-654.

There is evidence that alternatives to arrest can reducerearrest rates and are financially beneficial for jurisdictions. Citations in lieu of arrest Civil citations in lieu ofcriminal citations Summons in lieu of arrest Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) Law-enforcement driveninitiativesSee Reference List for source material.

How does pretrial detentionimpact safety?

Pretrial detentiontemporarily reducesoffending throughincapacitation butincreases arrests postdisposition.Probability of Rearrest During and AfterDetentionProbability of Rearrest During and rIn Detention-12.2FelonyAfter DetentionSource: Leslie, E., & Pope, N. G. (2017). The unintended impact of pretrial detention on case outcomes: Evidence from New York City arraignments. The Journal of Law and Economics, 60(3), 529-557.

How does pretrial detentionimpact defendants?

Employment Decreased likelihood of formal employment Reductions in earningsDependence onGovernment Programs Increased dependence on governmentprograms, including cash welfare receiptResidential Instability Greater residential difficulties, includingdisruptions in housingChild Well-Being Negative impact on dependent childrenSee Reference List for source material.

11%Being detained pretrial has beenshown toincrease the likelihood of:more Pleading guiltylikely to Receiving a jail or prison sentencepleadguiltySee Reference List for source material.

87%Do not failto appear89%Are notrearrestedPretrial failure is rare.Research consistently shows that the majority of releaseddefendants show up to court and are not rearrested.Source: Stevenson, M. (2018). Assessing risk assessment in action. Minnesota Law Review, 103, 303-384.

Financial bonds are not more effective than release onrecognizance (ROR) for certain types of defendants.Defendantscharged withlow leveloffensesLow- andmoderate-riskdefendantsMoney baildid notsignificantlyimprove courtappearanceratesPhillips, M. T. (2012). A decade of bail research in New York City. New York: New York Criminal Justice Agency, Inc.

Early alternatives to money bail show promising results fordefendants charged with lower-level offenses.Increasing number ofpeople released withoutIncreasingreleasemonetary conditions forwithoutmoneyoffensesbail forlow-levellow level offensesNo significant increasein failure to appearNo significant increasein rearrestSource: Ouss, A., & Stevenson, M. (2019). Evaluating the impacts of eliminating prosecutorial requests for cash bail. George Mason Legal Studies Research Paper No. LS, 19-08.

Secured bonds are not more effective than unsecured bondsat ensuring court appearance or public safety.Lower RiskDefendants No statistical difference % failure to appear No statistical difference % new chargesHighest RiskDefendants No statistical difference % failure to appear No statistical difference % new chargesSources: Bechtel, K., Holsinger, A. M., Lowenkamp, C. T., & Warren, M. J. (2017). A meta-analytic review of pretrial research: Risk assessment, bond type, and interventions. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 42(2), 443-467.;Brooker, C. M. B., Jones, M. R., & Schnacke, T. R. (2014). The Jefferson County Bail Project: Impact study found better cost effectiveness for unsecured recognizance bonds over cash and surety bonds. Rockville, MD: Pretrial JusticeInstitute.; Jones, M. R. (2013). Unsecured bonds: The as effective and most efficient pretrial release option. Rockville, MD: Pretrial Justice Institute.

There is no credible evidence that surety bonds aremore effective than other release mechanisms. Existing studies focused on the effect of surety bonds sufferfrom flawed methodology. To date, no trustworthy research has been publishedsupporting the use of money bail.See Reference List for source material.

What works to improve pretrialoutcomes?

Pretrial supervision does not appear toreduce pretrial failure. Intensive supervision is no more effective than other typesof supervision. In-person supervision is no more effective than automatedphone reporting systems.See Reference List for source material.

Electronic monitoring is no better(or worse) at reducing pretrialfailure than regular supervision.See Reference List for source material.

Court-date reminders increaseappearance rates. Several studies have shown thatcourt-date reminders improvecourt appearance among pretrialpopulation across a range ofnotification types.See Reference List for source material.

Drug testing does not increase appearance ratesor improve public safety. Numerous randomized control trials show that drug testing isineffective at reducing rates of failure to appear and rearrest.See Reference List for source material.

Pretrial risk assessments may help toassess who is at risk for pretrial failure,however there are significant questionsand concerns about their use forpretrial release decisions.See Reference List for source material.

What works to protect victims pretrial?

Protection orders appear to reduce physical abuse insome circumstances.Women withprotectionorders wereless likely toexperience: ContactsInjuriesAbuse-Related Medical CasesPhysical AbusePsychological AbuseEmotional AbuseThreateningSee Reference List for source material.

Victim advocacy, outreach, shelter,and safety planning services reduce re-victimization. Formal strategies (such as shelters or safety and advocateservices) reduce revictimization and the fear of victimization.See Reference List for source material.

Is jail an effective sanction forconvicted populations?

Percent Rearrested,by Sentence Type and Sex100%90%Jail sentences mayincrease rearrest.Percent obation11%WomenJailSource: Caudy, M., Tillyer, M.S., & Tillyer, R. (2018). Jail versus probation: A gender specific test of differential effectiveness and moderators of sanction effects. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 45(7): 949-968.

Longer jail terms are no more effectivethan shorter jail terms. Recent studies suggest that shortening jail terms and servingpart of a jail sentence in the community rather than in jail canreduce rearrest.See Reference List for source material.

Less likely toreoffendCommunity-basedsentences may bemore effective thanjail.No difference intime to nextviolationNo difference innumber ofviolationsNo difference insuccessful programcompletionSources: Wodahl, E. J., Boman, J. H., Garland, B. E. (2015). Responding to probation and parole violations: Are jail sanctions more effective than community-based graduated sanctions? Journal of Criminal Justice, 43, 242-250.; Mears,D., & Cochran, J. (2018). Progressively Tougher Sanctioning and Recidivism: Assessing the Effects of Different Types of Sanctions. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 55(2): 194-241.

Research Takeaways

Some interventions designed toimprove public safety mayactually undermine it.Not all pretrial interventions arecreated equal.Promising practices to promotevictim safety include protectionorders and victim-centeredsupports and services.Reductions to jail sentences andother community-basedalternatives appear moreeffective for promoting publicsafety.

Questions?Jennifer E. Copp, Ph.D.Assistant ProfessorFlorida State Universityjcopp@fsu.edu

The Jefferson County Bail Project: Impact study found better cost effectiveness for unsecured recognizance bonds over cash and s urety bonds. Rockville, MD: Pretrial Justice Institute.; Jones, M. R. (2013). Unsecured bonds: The as effective and most efficient pretrial release option. Rockville, MD: Pretrial Justice Institute.