Systematic Case Review Strategies: An Application for Jail Population Reduction

Abstract

Jails are a critical part of the criminal justice system but, until recently, have been omitted from discussions of reform. The goal of the current study is to describe and evaluate a collaborative, problem-solving initiative designed to reduce the jail population in St. Louis County, Missouri. The initiative was implemented as part of a research-practitioner partnership and is designed around a case review model, deemed the Population Review Team (PRT) commonly used in epidemiological analysis and problem-solving policing models. The outcome analysis suggests that the implementation of the PRT was associated with a significant decline in the total jail population, the number of individuals held on non-violent felonies, and those held for over 100 days. The collaborative project provides one model for criminal justice systems reform and a tool for decarceration.