One of the most confounding recent trends in the criminal justice system is the disproportional increase in incarceration in rural areas. The main motivating factors of this trend have yet to be uncovered in their totality. This page seeks to explore the potential driving forces behind this pattern, along with highlighting the rural counties which are fighting this concerning, recent trend.
‘The figures underline what many have already noted as a “rural jail crisis” of overcrowded and outdated facilities, much of it caused by the increase in mentally ill or substance-abuser populations driven by the nation’s opioid epidemic. The data also showed a sharp racial disparity in New York City, which has experienced some of the deepest and longest sustained reductions in crime, as well as jail populations.‘
The Crime Report
December 14, 2018
Read More“One of the biggest barriers to fighting the spreading opioid epidemic in rural northeast Washington state is the lack of providers authorized to prescribe drugs for treating opioid dependence. That’s why local jails need support for providing medication-assisted treatment, says a local doctor.“
The Crime Report
September 14, 2018
Read More"To try and address these issues of overcrowding, the Population Review Team meets once a week to review the county’s jail cases to find ways to reduce bail, alter criminal offenses and, in some cases, eliminate or reduce jail time completely."
The Crime Report
September 5, 2018
Read More"With more than two million Americans behind prison and jail bars on any given day, many state leaders have been struggling with how to reduce that total while maintaining public safety. The Urban Institute released on Wednesday a new tool allowing users to project prison populations state-by-state by experimenting with different variables."
The Crime Report
September 5, 2018
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