MEDIA ADVISORY

BJS to Release Jails in Indian Country, 2019–2020 and the Impact of COVID-19 on the Tribal Jail Population

      WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics will issue a press release and report,  Jails in Indian Country, 2019–2020 and the Impact of COVID-19 on the Tribal Jail Population, EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021, 10 A.M. ET.  This report presents statistics on persons held in Indian country jails, including the impact of COVID-19 on jail facilities and persons held.  It describes the number and demographics, such as age, sex and most serious offense, of people held in Indian country jails.  The report provides the number of COVID-19 tests administered to persons held in Indian country jails and the percentage of tests that were positive.  It includes statistics on the number of people released early due to the pandemic and how those releases impacted the occupancy rate of Indian country jails.  The report also presents data on the number of staff employed in Indian country jails, their job functions and their COVID-19 positivity rates.

      WHAT:  Press release and report on Jails in Indian Country, 2019–2020 and the
                    Impact of COVID-19 on the Tribal Jail Population (NCJ 300801)

      WHO:  BJS Statistician Todd D. Minton

      WHEN:  Thursday, October 21, 2021, 10 a.m. ET

      WHERE:  bjs.ojp.gov

MEDIA COORDINATING INSTRUCTIONS:  To access the embargoed press release and the full report now available on the BJS website, send an email to [email protected].  You must type JIC-COVID in the subject line to receive instructions to access the embargoed press release and the full report.  Following publication, the report and press release will be available on the BJS website at bjs.ojp.gov.

      The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing and disseminating reliable statistics on crime and criminal justice in the United States.  Doris J. James is the acting director.

      The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law.  More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

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OFFICE:  bjs.ojp.gov
CONTACT:  Tannyr Watkins at 202-532-3923 or [email protected]