The mailed questionnaire focused on the number and type of jails, their age and physical condition, their capacity and use, lawsuits and court actions, the detention of juveniles in adult jails, the jailing of mentally ill persons, and inmate characteristics. Responses came from 79 percent of those contacted. Results showed that 45 percent of the jails were built 50 or more years ago, and a substantial proportion were rated as in poor or fair physical condition. Forty-nine percent of the jails routinely handle mentally ill persons. Suicides occurred in 10 of the 47 jails in the past 5 years. Twelve of those surveyed reported the need for a new jail as their most serious problem. The problems most often mentioned were the inability to pay medical costs for indigent prisoners, the detention of juveniles in jail, and the jailing of the mentally ill. The jails housed 740 adults, more than half of whom had been charged or convicted of a misdemeanor. Additional figures, tables, and appended instrument and further results