BJS: Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Jail inmate characteristics
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The Annual Survey of Jails collects basic information on the jail inmate population at midyear, including inmate counts and basic characteristics. Data on the jail population are also collected in complete censuses conducted every 5 to 7 years and in annual sample surveys in years when censuses are not conducted. Jail censuses include information on confined and nonconfined inmate populations, inmate counts and movements, staffing, and facility programs. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is only able to report state-by-state data on the jail inmate population during Census years—the Annual Survey of Jails is a sample, and does not allow for state-level estimates. The Survey of Inmates in Local Jails (SILJ), conducted periodically, provides national estimates of jail inmate characteristics (see Jail Data Collection and Surveys for more information). 

 

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Jail inmates Jail inmates are offenders confined in short-term facilities that are usually administered by a local law enforcement agency and that are intended for adults but sometimes hold juveniles before or after adjudication. Jail inmates usually have a sentence of less than 1 year or are being held pending a trial, awaiting sentencing, or awaiting transfer to other facilities after a conviction.
 
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