Local jails across Georgia on any given day are strained with challenges that have caused problems across the criminal justice system.

A new study out this month that examines Georgia’s rural jails helps explain why this is happening and a key finding reveals that the vast majority of those being held are there for nonviolent offenses, such as driving infractions, drug possession or probation violations. Many of these problems are linked to poverty and the recurring cycle this causes for those in the criminal justice system, according to the study that the Vera Institute of Justice conducted in partnership with researchers from the University of Georgia.