What’s New
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Illinois legislature passes bill ending prison gerrymandering Illinois is poised to become the 10th state to end prison gerrymandering.
January 13: Prisoners of the Census Blog
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California’s Redistricting Commission votes to adopt prison gerrymandering reform Unanimous decision follows state legislature’s recommendation to count incarcerated people at home
January 12: Prisoners of the Census Blog
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More states need to use their “good time” systems to get people out of prison during COVID-19 Most states have statutes that allow incarcerated people to earn time off of their sentences. Why aren’t more states using this tool to safely reduce prison populations during COVID-19?
January 12: Briefings
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Prison Policy Initiative and allies oppose new banking rule Trump administration proposes to prohibit banks from considering morality when making loans to the prison industry. We say no.
December 31: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Stimulus, round 2: Incarcerated people will be eligible for new round of payments At the end of an otherwise disappointing session of Congress, the inclusion of incarcerated people in the stimulus program is a small ray of hope.
December 30: Briefings
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“Defunding the Police” and People With Mental Illness by Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
December 29: Research Library: Police and Policing
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Since you asked: do opponents of prison gerrymandering want voter-only districting? No. We oppose voter-only districting — even our recommendation that incarcerated people be excluded in some contexts lends no support to the practice of voter-only districting.
December 28: Prisoners of the Census Blog
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Prisons shouldn’t be charging medical co-pays - especially during a pandemic Our December survey of medical co-pay policies shows that some states are reinstating medical co-pays as COVID-19 continues to spread in prisons.
December 21: Briefings
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Since you asked: Just how overcrowded were prisons before the pandemic, and at this time of social distancing, how overcrowded are they now? As states mandate reducing the capacity of public spaces to slow the spread of COVID-19, we collect the data to show just how overcrowded almost every state prison system still is.
December 21: Briefings
Featured report
Failing Grades: States' Responses to COVID-19 in Jails & Prisons
We worked with the ACLU to evaluate — and grade — all 50 states’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in prisons and jails. Alarmingly, we found that when faced with this test of their leadership, most states ignored the pleas of incarcerated people and the warnings of medical experts and refused to implement widespread testing, provide protective equipment, and reduce prison and jail populations. The results have been as tragic as they were predictable: Hundreds of incarcerated people and staff have died from the virus, and most of the largest coronavirus outbreaks are behind bars.
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 2019-2020 annual report.
Recommended Reading:
Five ways the criminal justice system could slow the pandemic
Quick action could slow the spread of the viral pandemic in prisons and jails and in society as a whole
The "services" offered by jails don't make them safe places for vulnerable people
Even in the best of times, jails are not good at providing health and social services.
The most important statistics from our work on policing
Racial disparities, bloated budgets, the criminalization of homelessness, and more.
Is social distancing possible behind bars?
No. It's even harder than on cruise ships or in nursing homes.