What’s New
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Webinar: Exercising our right to know: Making effective public records requests
Every state and the federal government has transparency laws on the books that allow the public to access a huge range….
September 28: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Marking twenty-five years of the Prison Policy Initiative
In our new annual report, we share highlights of our work from the past year while commemorating a milestone anniversary
September 25: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Legal Resources
The legal resource database was updated with a new listing for Delaware.
September 24: Legal Resources
Featured resource
Advocacy Toolkit
For more than two decades, we've combined compelling writing, striking visuals, and deep dives into data and public records to expose the harms of mass incarceration in America. We've learned a lot in this time. In our advocacy toolkit we've shared some of the resources, tips, and best practices we've picked up along the way. Our hope is that these guides help advocates in their efforts to address mass incarceration in their area.
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. Be sure to also check out our pages focused on D.C., and the incarceration of Native people.
Select your state:
If our work is new to you, you might want to check out our 2025-2026 annual report.
Recommended Reading:
50 state incarceration profiles
All of our recent reports about prison/jail growth, racial disparities, and more, re-organized by state.
Research Library
We curate a searchable database of 4,000+ original research reports, organizing each entry by topic and adding brief summaries.
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie
The U.S. incarcerates nearly 2 million people. Where are they locked up and why? Read our report.
Bad Behavior
This national report explains how prison disciplinary policies manufacture misconduct and severly punish incarcerated people.
Events
- October 27, 2026:
On October 27, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. EST, join the Prison Policy Initiative for a webinar focused on making public records requests. We’ll cover the basics of making a request and provide tips and tricks we’ve learned over decades of sending requests to jails, prisons, and other agencies that can make your requests more effective.
Register here
Not near you?
Invite us to your city, college or organization.