Trends in Jail Admissions and Custody, New York City Department of Correction

• In Event: Understanding the Jail Population in New York City: Findings from the Misdemeanor Justice Project

Abstract

Although nationally jail populations have more than doubled, New York City is unique in that admissions and the average daily population have declined by almost 50 percent from 1995 to 2015. Further, the profiles of those being admitted pretrial have changed over this time. Individuals admitted pretrial in 2015, relative to 1995, were much more likely to be older (35 and older) and less likely to be admitted for felony drug charges. In 2015, violent crimes (rather than felony drug charges) accounted for the largest proportion of admission charges. Against this backdrop, there was an increase in the average length of stay and bail amount set. Further, the percentage of individuals within each discharge category (e.g., bail paid, released on own recognizance, etc.) remained relatively stable, with approximately 30 percent of individuals being discharged as bail paid. These results will be presented to provide the context for the next three presentations.

Authors

• Preeti Chauhan, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY

• Adam Gregory Fera, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY