US Jails - Corrections

Examine the following report on Jail Inmates in 2017.  

What is considered a ‘jail’ for the purposes of this report?  What are the purposes that jails serve?  How do jails differ from prisons? 

How large was the average population of inmates locked up in jails during 2017?  How does this compare with previous years?  What percentage of these inmates were convicts serving a sentence?  What percentage were awaiting adjudication?   How long is the average detention for a jail inmate? 

What percentage of the inmates were female?  What about differences in race and ethnicity?  What percentage had a felony as opposed to a misdemeanor for their most serious charge? 

Have jails been become less or more crowded with inmates since 2005?  What is the average correction officer ratio in comparison to inmates?   What percentage of the correction officers are female?  What else did you notice that interesting?  What do you think explains these trends?