Another contributing factor was the number of convicted felons serving their entire sentence in jail instead of in prison, where they would normally have been confined. As a result of crowded conditions, some jail administrators were concerned that they would need to prematurely release inmates into the community. Another concern of many jail administrators was that crowding made it difficult to classify inmates properly. Jail administrators commented that effective classification required identifying gang members, but doing so was sometimes difficult. Jail administrators also saw a need to better train their staffs to control gang activity within their facilities.
Agency initiatives Alternative sanctions.
These options, which enable an offender to be closely supervised, were designed to fill the gap between the probation and prison options available in most jurisdictions. About 70 percent of jail administrators had an electronic monitoring program, which tracks an offender's whereabouts by means of an electronic bracelet. Jail administrators supported this alternative sanction, but 62 percent of those who had electronic monitoring reported that their programs needed improvement. One jail administrator believed that although the program was good, it often lacked suitable candidates. Day reporting, another alternative sanction, was used by 40 percent of jail administrators.