Data were obtained from crime statistics and from personal interviews. Certain southern California single-family residential areas were chosen for their proximity to medium- and maximum-security jails. Residents were surveyed with a questionnaire about their feelings of living near a jail, and notes were taken on unsolicited responses. Law enforcement officers were also interviewed. Overwhelmingly, residents accepted the jails in their communities and did not consciously think about them. One resident who had originally opposed the construction of the jail in his community had even come to accept it. Even acknowledging needed improvements to the facilities, crime attributable to them was negligible.