Most people in jail are pretrial detainees, many of whom may never be convicted. Imposition of financial conditions for release keep thousands of people who pose a minimal risk to public safety in jail because they cannot afford to post bond. Offering services within the community that address the factors that often drive involvement with the criminal legal system can enable releases that support public safety and reduce the likelihood of future incarceration. Safety and Justice Challenge jurisdictions implemented several strategies to curb the overuse of pretrial detention and facilitate safe release to the community as cases were being resolved. This session lays out how and why some of these approaches were taken, what results were realized, and what peer jurisdictions can learn from them.

Speakers 

• Hon. Jake Coolidge, Judge, Missoula Municipal Court  
• Jesse Jannetta, Senior Fellow, Justice and Safety Division, Urban Institute
• Don Stemen, Professor, Loyola University Chicago  
• Stephen Thompson, Court Programs Administrator, Missoula Municipal Court 

Local Lessons on Rethinking Jail Use 

There are nearly 8 million admissions to local jails annually in the United States. Jails have received little attention until recently, despite impacting so many lives, consuming significant fiscal resources, and bearing the brunt of public safety and disorder challenges. Launched in 2015, the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) sought to change the way America thinks about and uses jails. More than 50 local criminal justice systems in communities nationwide became part of the SJC network and innovated to reduce jail incarceration in ways that improve public safety, address disparities, promote stronger, healthier communities, and reduce the financial costs associated with incarceration. 

Local Lessons on Rethinking Jail Use is a webinar series organized by the Urban Institute that will share practical lessons from this work, to assist decisionmakers in right-sizing their local use of jails to best support public safety, judicious use of limited resources, and community well-being. 

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. Please email [email protected] if you require any accommodations or have any questions about this event. 

Support for this event is provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation as part of the Safety and Justice Challenge, which seeks to safely reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails. For more on Urban’s funding policies, go to urban.org/about/organizational-principles.