Parsons (1986), and reports by Harrison and Beck of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2005), the numbers of 
jails has changed immensely. 
12 
Table 2-1 Jails in the United States 
This is due to a variety of reasons, to include: inclusion or exclusion of Youth Facilities, Native American 
Facilities, Privately Owned Facilities, and reporting structures (who reports a jail in a given year). Based on 
these fluctuations, it is difficult to get an exact count of jails each year. However, it appears that there are 
roughly 3,300 jails in the United States today. 
1. Cahalan, M. W., & Parsons, L. A. (1986). Historical corrections statistics in the United States, 1850-1984. U.S. Department of Justice. 
https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/hcsus5084.pdf 
2. Harrison, P. M., & Beck, A. J. (2005). Prisons and jail inmates at midyear, 2005.BJS Bulletin. https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/
pjim05.pdf 
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SANCHEZ
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