O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — A new study has found that jail populations across the U.S. dropped by nearly a quarter at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, before rising slightly again in the heat of the summer. The report released Tuesday by the nonprofit MacArthur Foundation and City University of New York’s Institute for State and Local Governance examined jail populations at 26 locations and found that the average number of inmates decreased 24% from February 2020 to April 2020, largely due to fewer bookings. The study found that jail populations rose slightly over the summer, but were still down 14% in October compared to February 2020.
Study: Jail populations dropped, rose slightly in pandemic
