Mapping U.S. Jails' Use of Restrictive Housing: Trends, Disparities, and Other Forms of Lockdown

By Chase Montagnet, Jennifer Peirce, David Pitts

The use of restrictive housing (solitary confinement) in U.S. prisons and the rationales for or against it have been the subject of widespread research and debate. Much less is known, however, about restrictive housing in U.S. jails, due to lack of standardized policies, limited data, and the rapid turnover of people detained. Furthermore, many jails keep the general population in de facto restrictive housing conditions—such as 22 hours or more per day in a cell–because of space limitations without classifying this as solitary confinement. This study provides new, unique insights on the prevalence of restrictive housing in U.S. jails, the disparities in its use, and the conditions of confinement in specific types of housing units, with a 10 focus on restrictive housing units. This data was gathered through a mail-based survey sent to administrators at all jails in the United States.

New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2021. 80p.