I need your help. I co-founded the Prison Policy Initiative to put the problem of mass incarceration — and the perverse incentives that fuel it — on the national agenda. Over the last 17 years, our campaigns have protected our democracy from the prison system and protected the poorest families in this country from the predatory prison telephone industry. Our reports untangle the statistics and recruit new allies.

But now, more than ever, we need your help to put data & compassion into the conversation.

Thank you.
—Peter Wagner, Executive DirectorDonate

What’s New



Featured report

Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019

women's pie 2019 report thumbnail Women in the U.S. experience a starkly different criminal justice system than men do, but data on their experiences is difficult to find and put into context. We fill this gap in the data with a rich visual snapshot of how many women are locked up in the U.S., where, and why. Alongside our "big picture" chart, this 2019 update to our 2017 and 2018 reports on women's incarceration features a close-up view of women in local jails.



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.





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