This paper showcases the importance of collecting and analyzing data that can immediately benefit jails. Jails can harness available data to extract significant benefit from jail analysis. This paper also discusses how descriptive statistics and basic analysis of the daily activities of jails can support safety and help measure and improve performance. The paper is organized in three parts. Part 1 provides a short overview of the role of jail analysis. Part 2 discusses the fundamentals of collecting information from various information systems and proposes key data elements, essential for conducting jail analysis. Part 3 describes representative questions and contexts that jail analysts may encounter in practice and discusses ways analysts can generate insights about practice and performance. The author discusses the gaps in the Jail Data collection process and provides information to fill that gap by providing ideas, suggestions, and encouragement for jail analysts.

NIJ is the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science. Provide objective and independent knowledge and tools to inform the decision-making of the criminal and juvenile justice communities to reduce crime and advance justice, particularly at the state and local levels.

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^{Keywords: Jail, Jail-Data, Jail Analysis, Jail Analyst}

• Evidence-Based Practices