Edelman, Mark

Review of Agricultural Economics Vol. 21 no. 1 (Spring/Summer 1999): 177-188.

Parameters from site visits to eight rural counties were used to estimate 1997 jail costs. Jail capacities ranged from five to 41 prisoners. The sample of jails exhibited a U-shaped cost curve. Costs varied by $21.43 per prisoner day, from a low of $35.20 per prisoner day for the 10 bed jail to $56.63 per prisoner day for the 40 bed jail. The threshold economies of size achieved by smaller jails was due primarily to (1) the shared staffing systems for jail operations and law enforcement and (2) the provision of less jail space per inmate. Costs for the rural county jails were also compared to costs for larger county jails and state prisons. Given the cost variations found in this study, a variety of inmate housing strategies are potentially feasible. The feasibility depends on the specific circumstances found in a given regional market.

Full Text