The Nation's jails hold more pretrial than sentenced inmates and cost an average of $36 per day per inmate. All sizes of jails commonly hold inmates from other jurisdictions. Two-thirds of the jails surveyed hold State inmates and inmates from other local jurisdictions. Approximately half hold Federal inmates. Jail costs per inmate are highest in the Northeast and the West. Jails with large populations, usually city or county jails in metropolitan areas, have the highest costs. Jails of all sizes also have overcrowding and lawsuits in common. One-third of jails in the sample are operating under a court order, usually for overcrowding and substandard conditions. More than half of the surveyed jails have lawsuits pending, most often Federal civil rights claims. Pending suits also usually pertain to overcrowding and jail conditions. Medical care, law libraries, and suicides are primary jail litigation issues. A chart summarizes the survey data.