But now, more than ever, we need your help to put data & compassion into the conversation. Any gift you can make today will be matched by other donors and go twice as far.
Thank you.
—Peter Wagner, Executive DirectorDonate
What’s New
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Our list of criminal justice campaigns that can win in 2019 The 2019 legislative session is almost upon us, and we’ve compiled - as we do every year - a list of under-discussed but….
December 12: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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New report ranks states on “correctional control,” showing huge state disparities in use of probation When it comes to ranking U.S. states on the harshness of their criminal justice systems, incarceration rates only tell….
December 11: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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We know how to prevent opioid overdose deaths for people leaving prison. So why are prisons doing nothing? Treatment programs offer promising results for recently incarcerated people, but prisons aren’t using them.
December 7: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Who’s really bringing contraband into jails? Our 2018 survey confirms it’s staff, not visitors When jails cut family visits in the name of security, advocates should demand evidence.
December 6: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Our most important successes over the last year We’ve had an incredibly productive year. In our new annual report, we share the highlights.
November 29: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Mujahid Farid dies at 69 Mujahid Farid, the founding organizer of a campaign to reduce the number of elderly and infirm people in New York State….
November 21: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Women’s Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2018 by Prison Policy Initiative
November 20: Research Library: Women
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Defendants Whose Death Sentences Have Been Reduced Because of a Finding of “Mental Retardation” since Atkins v. Virginia by Death Penalty Information Center
November 20: Research Library: Death Penalty
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The Continuing Leverage of Releasing Authorities: Findings from a National Survey: Executive Summary by Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice
November 20: Research Library: Sentencing Policy and Practices
Featured report
Correctional Control: Incarceration and supervision by state
When it comes to ranking U.S. states on the harshness of their criminal justice systems, incarceration rates only tell half of the story. 4.5 million people nationwide are on probation and parole, and several of the seemingly "less punitive" states put vast numbers of their residents under these other, deeply flawed forms of supervision. Our report aggregates data on all forms of correctional control in one nationwide chart and 100 state-specific pie charts. We find tremendous variation between states, largely due to state differences in the leading form of correctional control: probation.
Unpacking mass incarceration
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 2017-2018 annual report.
Recommended Reading:
Prison Gerrymandering Project
We are leading the movement to protect our democracy from the Census Bureau's prison miscount.
$1/minute to talk to Dad?
The federal government must act to protect families from the predatory prison telephone industry.
Compare your state's use of the prison to the world at large
Criminal justice policy in every region of the United States is out of step with the rest of the world.
Events
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