The Multifunction Jail: Policy Makers' Views of the Goals of Local Incarceration

• Author: Bernard J. McCarthy,Robin King Davis,Charles W. Otto,Brandon K. Applegate,Ray Surette
• DOI: 10.1177/0887403403014002001
• Date: 01 June 2003
• Published date: 01 June 2003
• Subject Matter: Journal Article

10.1177/0887403403252431ARTICLECRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICY REVIEW / June 2003Applegate et al. / GOALS OF LOCAL INCARCERATION

The Multifunction Jail:

Policy Makers’ Views of the

Goals of Local Incarceration

Brandon K. Applegate

Robin King Davis

Charles W. Otto

Ray Surette

Bernard J. McCarthy

University of Central Florida

As scholars of local correctionshave noted, jails hold a myriad of inmates for widely

diverse reasons. What remains unclear, however, is what purpose or purposes jails

areexpected to serve. Despite considerable researchon the degree of support for vari-

ous correctionalgoals, little is known about what goals people want local jails to pur-

sue. Using a survey of local criminal justice leaders in Orange County, Florida, this

study examines the preferences policy makers hold regarding the appropriate func-

tions of jails. Our results suggest that these policy makerssupported several utilitar-

ian goals but were most supportive of rehabilitation and serving the needs of those

with mental health and substance abuse problems. Lesser support was expressedfor

incapacitation, deterrence,retribution, and detention. The implications of these find-

ings for criminal justice policy and for future research are discussed.

Keywords: jails; correctional goals; policy makers

The Dictionary of Criminal Justice defines a jail as

a confinement facility administered by an agency of local government, typi-

cally a law enforcement agency,intended for adults but sometimes also con-

taining juveniles and persons detained pending adjudication and/or persons

committed after adjudication, usually those committed on sentences of a year

or less. (Rush, 2000, p. 181)

155

AUTHORS’ NOTE: Data collection for this project was supported by the Orange County

Board of County Commissioners. Points of view in this document are those of the authors

and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the board.

Criminal Justice Policy Review, Volume 14, Number 2, June 2003 155-170

DOI: 10.1177/0887403403252431

© 2003 Sage Publications

This definition is useful for a beginning understanding of what jails are and

how they are used. As anycriminal justice scholar is aware, however, it falls

short of detailing the complexities of local secure correctional facilities.

One aspect that illustrates the complex nature of jails is the variety of

inmates they incarcerate. More than 30 years ago, the President’s Commis-

sion on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice (1968) in their out-

line of the criminal justice system, intimated the role of jails. Jails, an often-

reproduced diagram in the report suggests, are used to hold suspects who

have been arrested and booked, including felons, misdemeanants, and those

accused of petty offenses (President’sCommission, 1968, pp. 72-73). More

recent, and more detailed, diagrams based on this early model clarify that

defendants may be confined in jail until their cases are disposed (see, for

example, Bohm & Haley, 1997, p. 6). Jails also are indicated as a correc-

tional option for sentenced offenders; jails may be a direct sentencing

option, or they may be used for offenders who do not pay their fines or who

violate conditions of probation (Bohm & Haley,1997; President’s Commis-

sion, 1968). By examining correctional populations, it becomes clear that

jails may also hold juveniles, those sentenced to prison and awaiting trans-

fer, and inmates who are housed temporarily while being moved from one

state or federal institution to another (Gilliard & Beck, 1998).

Thus, as scholars of local corrections have noted, jails hold a myriad of

inmates for widely diverse reasons (Goldfarb, 1975; Kerle, 1998). What

remains unclear, however, is what purpose or purposes jails are expected to

serve. The simplest conception of jails might havethem focus solely on con-

taining inmates—holding those awaiting trial to assure their appearance

and protecting the public through incapacitation with short sentences. From

other perspectives, alternative or additional goals might be seen as impor-

tant. Recent remarks such as those of a California police chief, for example,

indicate an underlying desire for jails to serve a deterrent function: “There is

a lot more recidivism because there is no fear; many do the crime because

they know we cannot keep them [in jail]” (Welsh, Pontell, Leone, &

Kinkade, 1990, p. 358).

Others have expressed a preference for jails, as a more integralpart of the

correctional system, to pursue treatment and the rehabilitation of inmates

(President’s Commission, 1968, p. 424). The American Correctional Asso-

ciation (1991), for example, has adopted as part of its public policy on the

purpose of corrections “to provide humane program and service opportuni-

ties for accused [italics added] and adjudicated offenders” (p. 67). The

American Correctional Association (1992, p. 3) also has alluded to multiple

goals in a sample policy on jail management philosophy, stating that jails

156 CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICY REVIEW / June 2003