Length of Pretrial Detention and Jail Disturbances: Evidence From a National Survey

• In Event: Issues Related to Bail and Pretrial Practices

Abstract

Pretrial detention is related to case disposition, type and length of sentence, and other outcomes in the criminal justice system. Most of the extant studies, however, investigated pretrial detention as a dichotomy (whether an accused was bailed out or not). Additionally, researchers have not investigated the impact of pretrial detention on jail conditions. Using a national survey on jail management, this paper investigates whether the length of pretrial detention of inmates discharged from the jail is related to jail level violence. Controlling for other relevant variables, we find that higher proportion of discharged inmates who were subjected to prolonged pretrial detention is related to higher incidents of jail disturbances. Implications to theory and policy on pretrial detention are discussed.

Author

• Raymund Narag, Southern Illinois University