The charts below are based on Sheriff’s Annual Reports and the latest data up to the present for daily average incarceration in the Johnson County Jail. Click any image for a larger gallery view.
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Commentary. Below are some comments regarding the above data.
- “I think our low and declining incarceration numbers in Johnson County are something to be proud about. It shows that we’re doing something right, and could be a model for other areas in the country that are struggling with incarceration rates about 700% higher than ours. The only explanation I can think of for our success is the investment we make in education, libraries, social services, and public spaces. It seems to be proof that investing in communities at the front end can save high costs later on. Those against building a new jail don’t want to talk about these numbers because they suggest that there isn’t an incarceration crisis locally. Those who are in favor of building a new jail avoid these numbers because they suggest we may have a declining future need for incarceration. My feeling is that we need to bring our jail and courthouse into compliance with State and Federal laws. They are currently illegal in this regard and would not be approved were they proposed as new construction. An adequately sized jail is essential to ensure that everyone who is incarcerated has equal access to justice services. This is imperative for equality of justice. There’s still much more we can do as a community to foster racial equality. That’s not a responsibility we can push off on law enforcement or a dozen county administrators. It requires all of us to be united for change. Only then can we see justice equality.” ~ Greg Johnson, Volunteer at JCJusticeCenter.com
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Sources. The links below provide sources and further reading.
- Google Public Data – Johnson County, Iowa
- Wikipedia – United States Incarceration Rate and Global Incarceration Rates
Data. The data below is provided by the Sheriff’s office. The YTD Average Daily Population for 2013 is shown below based on data up to this point.
- 2010-2011: 162.4
- 2011-2012: 156.2
- 2012-2013: 144.7
- 2013-2014: 139.1 (All Inmates Incl. Overnight)
- 2014 May: 127 (Daily average as of 12 May 2014)
*120.8 (Pre-Trial + Sentenced Inmates)
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