Study: COVID-19 Response Policies Decreased Crime, Arrests, Jail Time

Research by the JFA Institute, which works with government agencies and local governments on criminal justice issues, has revealed that local and state criminal justice agency policies enacted to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in jails ultimately mitigated the number of individuals being arrested and the length of stay for those convicted, reports The Davis Vanguard. After analyzing 11 jurisdictions and their crime data, researchers found that, from March to May 2020, the number of inmates in the county jails under study decreased on average 26 percent compared to the same time frame in 2019. While inmate populations did not decrease, and actually made a gradual increase throughout the rest of the year, figures plateaued in October, and by Dec. 2020 still remained 14 percent below the population in Dec. 2019. From March to May 2020, bookings decreased by 41 percent, with a dramatic decrease in bookings for misdemeanors and lower level felonies.

Taking into account the whole year, bookings decreased on average 39 percent from 2019 to 2020. The decrease in the proportion of inmates charged with lesser crimes significantly increased the average length of stays in jail. Because those imprisoned typically faced higher gravity crimes, the average length of stay increased from 51 days in December 2019 to 63 one year later. During the first months of the pandemic, the reporting of serious crime dropped significantly, most relating to larceny-theft, and while crime reporting increased throughout the rest of the year, it still stayed below the numbers for the corresponding months in 2019. The researchers concluded that there was a general decrease in crime and the jail populations as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.