WSU researchers investigate rising rural jail rates in Washington
A team of Washington State University researchers is exploring a critical question in the state’s legal system: Why are rates of incarceration rising in rural county jails, while dropping in urban ones? What they’ve found in examining data covering six rural counties over six years is that a significant proportion of those held in jails are there for […] Full article.
While Washington’s urban arrests trend down, rural incarceration rates are going up
For most of her career, Jennifer Schwartz has studied crime and punishment. As a sociology professor at Washington State University, she started to notice a pattern in her research. While urban area incarcerations in Washington are going down, the number of people imprisoned in rural areas is going up. Full article.
COVID reveals jail “cracks”
Jails are linked to their communities by a thousand intimate threads. Unlike prisons, jails are staffed by local clerks, corrections officers, doctors, and other employees. The inmates themselves are typically released back to their home neighborhoods within days of an arrest. It’s a risky recipe that turned crowded jails into infectious hot zones during the COVID-19 pandemic and […] Full article.
Vera Announces Partnerships with University of Georgia and Washington State University to Address the Growing Use of Jails in Rural America
Since 2017, the Vera Institute of Justice has documented the surprising and dramatic shift in the geography of mass incarceration: while big cities and urban areas are making strides to stem the tide of people entering local jails, rural counties and small cities are instead experiencing a staggering rise. As a result, the total U.S. jail population continues to increase, eroding the nation’s efforts to end mass incarceration. Research that could shed light […] Full article.
Sociologists examine rural justice systems
WSU sociologists are examining ways to reduce rising incarceration rates in rural areas as a part of grant-funded research project. Sociology professor Jennifer Schwartz and associate professor Jennifer Sherman will speak to people working in rural jails, law enforcement and other parts of rural justice systems. They will also collect data in those areas. Full article.
Combating rising incarceration in rural areas
While big cities across the U.S. make progress toward reducing the number of people entering local jails, smaller cities and rural counties are experiencing an alarming rise in incarcerations. Understanding the factors behind this shift and helping rural Washington communities overcome their justice system challenges […] Full article.