What’s New
-
Menstruation as misconduct: How prisons punish people for having their periods
Our analysis of prison rules and sanctions across all fifty states and the federal system — as well as accounts of incarcerated people — reveal troubling trends in how the carceral system punishes people for a physiological process they have no control over.
November 12: Briefings
-
Fourteen states ripe for prison gerrymandering reform
Despite major progress ending prison gerrymandering across the country, the problem continues to plague some state and local governments.
November 12: Prisoners of the Census Blog
-
New data on pregnancy prevalence, outcomes, and programs in prisons are welcome additions, but raise new questions
by Prison Policy Initiative
November 12: Research Library: Women and gender
Featured report
Cut-rate care: The systemic problems shaping ‘healthcare’ behind bars
In correctional healthcare systems, care is secondary to controlling costs and avoiding lawsuits — a problem plaguing both private and public healthcare delivery. What will it take to get people the care they need? In this report, we examine how healthcare in prisons and jails has gotten so bad and encourage governments to remove corrections agencies from the healthcare process altogether.
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 2024-2025 annual report.
Recommended Reading:
Tracking Trump's criminal legal system moves
The Administration is making America's criminal legal system harsher, less effective, and even more unjust.
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
- November 12-14, 2025:
Members of our Research team, Wendy Sawyer and Jacob Kang-Brown will be attending the American Society of Criminology annual meeting in Washington, D.C. from November 12 through the 14th. Please reach out if you’d like to set up a meeting.
Not near you?
Invite us to your city, college or organization.