Mapping Addresses of Inmates Ages 18-24 in Metro Nashville-Davidson County Jail

NRC is a partner in the Transition from Jail to Community (TJC) project here in Nashville, sponsored by the Urban Institute.   The Davidson County Sheriff’s Department has organized meetings of agencies and community contacts to help inmates better make the transition from jail to the community.   However, there was no way to easily demonstrate the geographic concentration of need – which will help congregations and neighborhood organizations to become more involved.

Previously, NRC mapped addresses of the inmates in the Metro jail on one specific day by zip code, giving a beginning understanding of the need in different parts of the county.   In this report period, NRC mapped the actual home addresses of inmates in the jail who were aged 18 to 23.   NRC works with neighborhood groups that are concerned about youth violence and has partnered with Meharry Medical College to understand and prevent youth violence.  Since juvenile crime data is very difficult to access, NRC mapped the home addresses of the 18 to 24 year olds as an indicator.   The map was shared with agencies in the Transition from Jail to Community project as an example of ways that prevention and reentry work might be focused on geographic areas of need. Approximately 110 inmates leave jail each day, but are quickly replaced by new inmates – with many repeat offenders.

NRC has also begun holding meetings with congregations and neighborhood groups to explore their interest in inmates’ successful transition from jail to community.  Recently, NRC collaborated on a Second Chance reentry proposal with Matthew Walker Health Center to organize social services and mentoring for jail inmates returning to the North Nashville area.  Other such collaborations are being explored.