Jails shrunk during the pandemic — here's how to keep

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America’s jails are at a moment of opportunity. They are emptier now than at any time in the last 20 years, providing a moment to rethink a system badly in need of repair. Jails — which typically house people awaiting trial and those facing sentences of less than a year — experienced some of the nation’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks. Starting last spring, the virus ran rampant through overcrowded and poorly ventilated jails like Riker’s Island in New York City.  
In response, jails expedited the release of people with low-level offenses. Further, police decreased their arrest rates in many cities and judges used more discretion to keep people who did not pose a substantial risk to public safety in the community prior to their court dates. The combination of these factors has contributed to a 25 percent drop in the jail population, equivalent to 185,400 fewer people in county jails from June 2019 to June 2020. 

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