Jails, lower-security facilities than prisons, house about a third of America's incarcerated individuals, mostly people awaiting trial or with sentences of less than a year. Though their inmates are shorter term and often convicted of lesser crimes than people in prison, jails are home to many of the same problems—overcrowding, abuse and drug dependency. Photographer Susan Lankford spent two years interviewing and photographing the inmates and staff at several jails in San Diego. She can be heard conducting the interviews in this slideshow. Her book, "Maggots in My Sweet Potatoes," was published in September.
