Document Type

Policy Brief

Publication Date

1-2007

Abstract

This brief addresses the following questions: 1. What do we know about bookings of arrested persons at the Cumberland County Jail? 2. What do we know about pre-arraignment bookings by Cumberland County law enforcement agencies? In 2006, Cumberland County hired the Muskie School of Public Service to help provide information for county planning purposes. The Muskie School examined the rates of all bookings¹ (including pre-arraignment bookings) originated by all county law enforcement agencies to the jail in 2005.

Over the last ten years the average population in county jails has increased dramatically in Maine. In 2003, the total in-house population in county jails averaged 1,450 inmates, nearly double the average in 1994. This increase is consistent with other state and national county jail population increases. In a time of enormous fiscal constraints, state and county prison and jail expenses are steadily escalating. The result is overcrowding, which adds more wear and tear on existing facilities, and limits the availability of adequate treatment programs.

Comments

This brief is available on the Maine Statistical Analysis Center Website at: http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/justiceresearch


Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.