What’s New
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New Jersey Governor signs bill ending prison gerrymandering Over 25% of U.S. residents now live in a state, county, or municipality that has ended prison gerrymandering.
January 21: Prisoners of the Census Blog
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One Year After the First Step Act: Mixed Outcomes by Sentencing Project
January 21: Research Library: General
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“What percent of the U.S. is incarcerated?” (And other ways to measure mass incarceration) Nearly one out of every 100 people in the United States is in a prison or jail.
January 16: Briefings
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“Do no harm” or “Do no expense”?: Ohio’s prisoners are dying from inadequate medical care by Prison Policy Initiative
January 14: Research Library: Health impact
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Should a one-point difference in I.Q. mean the death penalty? SCOTUS says no. by Prison Policy Initiative
January 14: Research Library: Death Penalty
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Why is West Virginia the federal prison capital of the country? by Prison Policy Initiative
January 14: Research Library: Incarceration Rates Growth Causes
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BJS victimization figures show slight decline in violent crime by Prison Policy Initiative
January 14: Research Library: Incarceration Rates Growth Causes
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Incarceration is not a solution to mental illness by Prison Policy Initiative
January 14: Research Library: Mental Health
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In prisons, Blacks and Latinos do the time while Whites get the jobs by Prison Policy Initiative
January 14: Research Library: Race and ethnicity
Featured project
Protecting families from the prison and jail phone industry
Executive Director Peter Wagner on Al Jazeera's America Tonight on September 30th.
In the era of smartphones and unlimited long distance, individual telephone calls are almost too cheap to measure. But for one group of people — families separated by incarceration — telephones are both a critical lifeline and an unaffordable luxury.
For these families, telephone calls can cost up to $1 a minute because companies compete to get monopoly contracts on the basis of who will charge the families of incarcerated people the most.
The Prison Policy Initiative joined the fight against this predatory industry, and, with our partners, we are winning. Armed with our research and organizing, the Federal Communications Commission recently capped the cost of all calls home from prisons and jails. We are currently developing a strategy to protect the FCC's historic regulations. Stay tuned.
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 2018-2019 annual report.
Recommended Reading:
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.
50 state incarceration profiles
All of our recent reports about prison/jail growth, racial disparities, and more, re-organized by state.
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie
The U.S. incarcerates 2.3 million people, more than any other country. Where are they locked up and why? Read our report.
Exploitation in the criminal justice system
Companies and correctional facilities exploit captive markets. We expose them.
Events
- Feb 14-15, 2020:
Alexi Jones will be at Yale Law School for the RebLaw Conference Feb. 14-15. Please contact us if you’d like to connect.
Not near you?
Invite us to your city, college or organization.