Americans in detention: a study of Americans detained in Delaware during fiscal year 1974

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to redesign the accounting system used by the Delaware Division of Adult Corrections to process and monitor the population of individuals held in pretrial detention. Under the present system, persons admitted to one of the State's detention facilities cannot be subsequently identified as separate Individuals. Consequently, for example, ten admissions may refer to the same person admitted ten times or ten persons each admitted once. ☐ The reporting system developed in this study is built on the concept of a central identification number to be assigned to the same individual each time that person is admitted to a State detention facility. The proposed admission form requires less information, can be more readily completed by facility personnel without additional training, and should provide more reliable responses to major subject Items than the existing form. When the data collected under the proposed system have been completely processed, they can be used to construct statistical profiles of the detention population, creating the opportunity for more efficient criminal justice planning in the area of client management.