NCJ Number
235623
Date Published
August 2010
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This report is the first analysis of the data within Montana's Detention Data Information System (DDIS), which currently serves as the only statewide repository for jail-based offender booking information.
Abstract
The DDIS is a statewide repository housed at the Montana Board of Crime Control (MBCC). It was created in order to collect booking information from local jails on all offenders they have booked into custody. The MBCC created a DDIS reporting standard that guides the submission of this data. At the time of this report, 29 local agencies are participating in DDIS, which house approximately 75 percent of the total jail population and contain approximately 63 percent of all jail beds in the State. The DDIS data presented in this report cover the years 2008 and 2009. This analysis presents a preliminary booking profile of Montana jail inmates. Current data suggest that many offenders are booked into Montana jails, but are released in less than 24-48 hours. Male offenders are booked into jail at a rate of about four-to-one compared to females. Many offenders are booked into jail on charges of driving while intoxicated (DUI). This is consistent with other data that suggest Montana has very high rates of DUI. Male offenders, however, are more likely to be booked into jail due to violent crimes. The average age of jail inmates is approximately 30 years old, and this is consistent across gender. The report concludes that the DDIS has a strong foundation from which to continue to expand a statewide jail-based booking information system. Until now, very little was known about Montana's dynamic jail-based offender population. The report recommends the provision of training and technical assistance to jail administrators and staff regarding the importance, uses, and procedures of DDIS record-keeping and reporting. An appended listing of local jails that are reporting data to the DDIS is included.