About County Jails

County jails house inmates who are awaiting court dates, have been sentenced to jail time or are awaiting transfer to another facility. Some county jails house inmates for nearby cities or law-enforcement agencies. Most county jails are considered to be minimum-security facilities.

Conditions

Generally, county jails have fewer services for inmates than state or federal prisons. This is because county jails are considered short-term facilities. Many state and federal prisons have work details and rehabilitation programs; county jails usually don't have these services. Basic health care and religious services are usually offered in county jails.

Inmate Housing

In most county jails, there are four distinct inmate housing units: men, women, juvenile female and juvenile male. These units enable the jail staff to house inmates in separate quarters, often without any interaction possible between inmate housing units. Some county jails house inmates in barracks, while others use a cell system. Some may use a combination of the two. Every county jail has some cells in which are housed dangerous, suicidal or problem inmates.

Dietary Services

County jails are required by federal law to provide the inmates in their care with a balanced diet. Each jail has to have an approved meal plan. Some county jails find this a difficult task, as funding for foodstuffs is sometimes very limited. In that case, creative measures, such as using beans for daily protein or having low-security inmates grow vegetables, are used to balance out the dietary requirements and budget shortfalls.

Interlocal Agreement

Some county jails house federal inmates to produce revenue--often around $48 per day per inmate--for vital services. An agreement to do this is considered an Interlocal Agreement. The agreement states the maximum number of federal inmates that will be accepted into the jail, the payment per day for each and the types of inmates the jail is allowed to house. In addition to prisoners sentenced in federal court, prisoners apprehended by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the United States Marshal Service are covered by the agreement.

Staff

County jails are staffed predominately by correctional officers. These officers are charged with ensuring inmate and officer safety. They must ensure that inmates follow rules set forth by the jail. County jails usually include an office staff, which handles dispatching county patrol officers and collecting fines for the county. A chaplain, an EMT and a mental-health professional are usually employed by the jail. In some cases, these positions are filled on an on-call basis only, meaning that the staff member only reports to the jail as needed.