Using Jail Population Analysis to Enhance Offender Treatment Planning

Abstract

Prison population reductions have resituated many offenders and their treatment needs into community corrections. As local jurisdictions increasingly deliver recovery services for drug misuse and behavioral health disorders, examination of jail population trends can inform program enrollment, capacity, and services alignment—especially for jurisdictions offering multiple interventions. Accordingly, this study relates a jail population analysis of recent Jasper County, Missouri detention facility data to observe how jail flow effects program enrollment and sustainability. The discussion advocates for analysis of jail populations in the development of both new programs as well as expansions in jurisdictions offering multiple recovery opportunities.