{"id":3180,"date":"2025-08-15T17:21:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T17:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/news\/disaster-response-in-rural-america-diana-bryant-highlights-urgent-policy-needs-copy\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T15:24:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T15:24:17","slug":"rural-justice-under-the-microscope","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/news\/rural-justice-under-the-microscope\/","title":{"rendered":"Rural Justice Under the Microscope: WSU Sociologists Investigate Surging Rural Incarceration Rates"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-3180\" data-postid=\"3180\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-3180 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n                    <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_6kt2490 tb_first tf_w\">\n                        <div class=\"row_inner col_align_top tb_col_count_1 tf_box tf_rel\">\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col-full tb_nszu595 first\">\n                    <!-- module fancy heading -->\n<div  class=\"module module-fancy-heading tb_sk5s000 \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <h1 class=\"fancy-heading\">\n    <span class=\"main-head tf_block\">\n                    Rural Justice Under the Microscope            <\/span>\n\n    \n    <span class=\"sub-head tf_block tf_rel\">\n                    WSU Sociologists Investigate Surging Rural Incarceration Rates             <\/span>\n    <\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module fancy heading -->\n<!-- Breadcrumbs module -->\n<div  class=\"module module-breadcrumbs tb_si22547 \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n\t<nav role=\"navigation\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"tbp_breadcrumb_trail\"><ul class=\"tbp_trail_items\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/BreadcrumbList\"><meta name=\"numberOfItems\" content=\"1\" \/><meta name=\"itemListOrder\" content=\"Ascending\" \/><li itemprop=\"itemListElement\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ListItem\" class=\"tbp_trail_item tbp_trail_end\"><a itemprop=\"item\" href=\"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/\" rel=\"home\"><span itemprop=\"name\">Home<\/span><\/a><meta itemprop=\"position\" content=\"1\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div><!-- \/Breadcrumbs module -->\n<!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_921x005   \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n        <p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW6557196 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW6557196 BCX0\">A study led by Washington State University sociologists is shedding light on rising jail incarceration rates in rural Washington counties. The research explores how limited resources, policy shifts, and social dynamics contribute to the growing number of rural residents behind bars.\u202f<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW6557196 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-start=\"669\" data-end=\"993\">\n<p><span class=\"TextRun Highlight SCXW47054144 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW47054144 BCX0\">\u201cThere is an interaction between the absence of resources in an area and an individual person\u2019s inability to navigate the different avenues of the criminal legal system<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW47054144 BCX0\">.\u00a0 <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW47054144 BCX0\">There are urban areas that have similar issues, but it\u2019s just endemic to these rural areas with the lack of mental health support, or actual heath support, or anything needed to help individuals navigate the system and get back on their feet post-arrest.\u201d\u2014<strong>Jennifer Sherman<\/strong>, Washington State University\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW47054144 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW94284464 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW94284464 BCX0\">The study is part of a larger effort to understand how rural justice systems\u202f<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW94284464 BCX0\">operate<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW94284464 BCX0\">\u202funder strain and what reforms might help address the disparities. The research team hopes their work will inform policymakers and advocates working to improve rural legal systems.\u202f<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW94284464 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"671\" data-end=\"993\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wsu.edu\/news\/2025\/06\/05\/wsu-researchers-investigate-rising-rural-jail-rates-in-washington\/?utm_source=WSUNews-enewsletter&amp;utm_campaign=wsunewsenewsletter&amp;utm_medium=email\">\ud83d\udd17 Read the full article<\/a><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->        <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WSU researchers, including RSS Member <strong>Jennifer Sherman<\/strong>, are examining the troubling rise in rural jail rates across Washington, uncovering systemic challenges in rural law and justice. <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wsu.edu\/news\/2025\/06\/05\/wsu-researchers-investigate-rising-rural-jail-rates-in-washington\/?utm_source=WSUNews-enewsletter&#038;utm_campaign=wsunewsenewsletter&#038;utm_medium=email \">\ud83d\udd17 Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3182,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","news_announcements":[25,43],"class_list":["post-3180","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news_announcements-member-in-the-news","news_announcements-rural-law-and-justice","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"ptb_metabox":[],"ptb_taxonomy":{"news_announcements":[{"term_id":25,"name":"Member in the News","slug":"member-in-the-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":25,"taxonomy":"news_announcements","description":"","parent":0,"count":45,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":43,"name":"Rural Law and Justice","slug":"rural-law-and-justice","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":43,"taxonomy":"news_announcements","description":"","parent":26,"count":15,"filter":"raw"}]},"ptb_featured_image":{"url":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ruraljails-1024x676-1.jpg","title":"Washington, DC, USA - 29 June 2020: Close-up of the Martin Luthe","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news_announcements","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ruralsociology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_announcements?post=3180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}