What’s New
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Mass incarceration is on the ballot A guide to how 19 offices you may be asked to vote on can help end mass incarceration in America.
September 11: Briefings
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Mass Incarceration 101: Resources to help students and teachers understand the carceral system It’s back to school season, so we’ve curated information and tools for students and teachers to use when researching the carceral system.
September 3: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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New research links medical copays to reduced healthcare access in prisons Using our prior research on prison wages and medical copays, researchers found that higher copays obstruct access to necessary healthcare behind bars, even as prison populations face increasing rates of physical and mental health conditions.
August 29: Briefings
Featured report
Mass incarceration is on the ballot
How can your vote help end mass incarceration? We’ve put together a guide to how elected offices — local, state, and federal — all have a role to play in dismantling the injustices of the criminal legal system. From county auditors to judges to state and federal representatives, our guide is meant to help readers understand both what’s at stake in elections and how to hold elected officials accountable.
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.
If our work is new to you, you might want to check out our 2022-2023 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.
The rapid & unregulated growth of e-messaging in prisons
It can strengthen connections, but instead has been used to sap money from incarcerated people.
Incarceration and supervision by states
Probation and parole are the leading forms of mass punishment in America.
Prison Gerrymandering Project
We are leading the movement to protect our democracy from the Census Bureau's prison miscount.
Events
- September 14, 2024:
Our advocacy department will host a workshop at the MacArthur Justice Center’s Realizing Releases convening. The workshop will provide strategies for investigating state parole systems.
Register for the convening here. - September 18, 2024:
Senior Research Analyst Emily Widra will join a panel discussion hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School about the health inequities people in the criminal legal system face. The webinar starts at 4:30 pm ET.
Learn more and register for the webinar here.
Not near you?
Invite us to your city, college or organization.