Data collected included background information on inmates, current offense, prior record, confinement conditions, disciplinary problems, time and method of release, and nature and time of disposition. Because of the diverse organizations of the jail systems and law enforcement personnel across the three jurisdictions, the types of persons admitted to the jails and the reasons for their admissions differed significantly. Jails are apparently used for different purposes according to the concerns and values of the community served. The report recommends a central policy coordinating body to determine who needs detention, for what purposes, and at what costs. The study also recommends that the large number of drunks handled by the jails be diverted to alternative civil or alcoholic treatment facilities. Findings suggest that pretrial detention is itself a part of the punishment process. Most pretrial detainees are nonviolent; most are not ultimately sentenced to jail or prison; and many have their charges dismissed or dropped. Gross disparities among the three counties regarding who is sentenced for what types of crimes and the length of confinement indicate that the jail sanction does not serve the goal of just deserts. A high priority for future research on jails should be the measurement of the impact of jail confinement (length and conditions) on the subsequent criminal behavior of jail inmates. 1 table, 5 references.