What’s New
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The New Dynamics of Mass Incarceration by Vera Institute of Justice
June 18: Research Clearinghouse: Incarceration Rates Growth Causes
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Incremental declines can’t erase mass incarceration Mass incarceration grew at breakneck speed, year after year. Our reforms need to be equally ambitious.
June 5: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Comment letter: Florida’s Department of Corrections should not reduce visitation In our letter to the Florida Department of Corrections, we explain why cutting visiting hours is bad policy and an inhumane practice.
May 31: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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You Get What You Measure: New Performance Indicators Needed to Gauge Progress of Criminal Justice Reform by Harvard Kennedy School
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Welcome, Jorge Renaud! Our new Senior Policy Analyst brings a wealth of organizing, writing, and policy experience.
May 30: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Rethinking Restrictive Housing Lessons from Five U.S. Jail and Prison Systems by VERA Institute of Justice
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People in Prison in 2017 by VERA Institute of Justice
May 29: Research Clearinghouse: Incarceration Rates Growth Causes
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New report, The Company Store, questions fairness and purpose of prison commissaries In a first-of-its-kind data analysis, we explore the economics of prison commissaries in three states.
May 24: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Orleans Criminal District Court, Magistrate Court, & Municipal Court: 2017 Review by Court Watch NOLA
May 23: Research Clearinghouse: Trials
Featured report
States of Incarceration: The Global Context
This report and infographic directly situates individual U.S. states in the global context, and reveals that every region in the U.S. is out of step with rest of the world when it comes to incarceration.
We also have a parallel report focused on the incarceration of women.
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 2016-2017 annual report.
Recommended Reading:
Prison Gerrymandering Project
We are leading the movement to protect our democracy from the Census Bureau's prison miscount.
50 state incarceration profiles
All of our recent reports about prison/jail growth, racial disparities, and more, re-organized by state.
Intentional Prison Gerrymandering in Wyoming
Two incumbents avoid facing off by going 17 miles out of the way to use a large prison as a political pawn.
For-profit video visits in prisons & jails
This predatory industry wants to literally stand in between the incarcerated and their families by replacing human contact with computer chats.
Events
Nothing scheduled right now. Invite us to to your city, college or organization.