What’s New
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Working in “a meat grinder”: A research roundup showing prison and jail jobs aren’t all that states promise they will be No wonder prisons and jails face constant understaffing and that communities increasingly resist new facilities: Decades of research show that the physical and mental health problems associated with correctional officers’ jobs are inherent to the work, and that new prisons and jails fail to deliver on promises of economic development.
May 9: Briefings
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The Hidden Costs of Pretrial Detention Revisited by Christopher Lowenkamp
May 9: Research Library: Pretrial Detention
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Prisons and jails will separate millions of mothers from their children in 2022 58% of all women in U.S. prisons are mothers, and other important facts to know this Mother’s Day.
May 4: Briefings
Featured report
State of Phone Justice: Local jails, state prisons and private phone providers
The movement for phone justice has won huge victories in state-run prisons, but people in local jails - many of whom have not been convicted of a crime - still frequently have to pay $1 per minute or more for a phone call. State of Phone Justice uncovers the cost of calls in over 2,000 jails nationwide, explaining why sheriffs sign lucrative phone contracts that prey on pretrial detainees and enrich private phone providers.
The report allows readers to compare the cost of phone calls in thousands of locally-run jails and state-run prisons, and goes into unprecedented depth on the state of the prison and jail phone market.
Mass incarceration, state by state
Learn about the national prison crisis and how we can begin to turn the tide on mass incarceration. Then, drill down to your state.
If our work is new to you, you might want to check out our 2020-2021 annual report.
Recommended Reading:
The COVID-19 pandemic and the criminal justice system
Our central hub of data, research, and policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in jails and prisons.
Research Library
We curate a searchable database of 3,600+ original research reports, organizing each entry by topic and adding brief summaries.
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie
The U.S. incarcerates 1.9 million people, more than any other country. Where are they locked up and why? Read our report.
Jails and bail: Our research
One out of three people behind bars is in a local jail. Our research drives jail reform.