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County jails are typically high security because they house individuals in pre-trial and trial status who have not been sentenced. They also hold individuals who have been sentenced to terms that could range from days to up to a year or more. In some instances the Sheriff's office (law enforcement) is in the building while other times the jail is in the courthouse or is a dedicated facility. Do we classify these as prisons? Should an included sheriff's office be given a separate entry? Also, should city police jails be deleted because they are typically short term holding facilities? |
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In Virginia, it is as HGeisler states, the local Sheriff's office runs the county or city jail. I've been classifying these jails as prisons because inmates can spend up to 12 months there. Also in Virginia the local jails can be nearby or separated from the sheriff's office. Sometimes it can be very difficult to identify the local jail. I try to be consistent from county to county as I do law enforcement edits to locate both the Sheriff's office and the jail. |
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See the post titled "Prison or Jail" (https://navigator.er.usgs.gov/QandA/questions/19/prison-or-jail) for more detailed information on dealing with county jails coded as law enforcement points. Also, if you know that a sheriff's main office is located at a jail, then a separate point for that sheriff's office should be collected. |
