Communities working to reduce the use of local jails with the Safety and Justice Challenge tracked their achievements with the tool Measuring Progress. CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance released two briefs that look at trends in SJC communities on racial and ethnic disparities and on the effects of COVID-19 on jail populations. The brief on COVID-19’s impact highlights how emergency measures accelerated reductions in jail bookings, but as the pandemic waned jail populations began to rise. And the data show that in many communities, racial disparities in jails persist despite reductions in the number of people in jail. The briefs provide context and insights into these trends.
