What’s New
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Legal Resources
The legal resource database was updated with a new listing for California.
July 30: Legal Resources
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Legal Resources
The legal resource database was updated with a new listing for Vermont.
July 27: Legal Resources
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The federal system: A patchwork of agencies rapidly expanding federal surveillance and punishment
Because it is so fragmented, the federal system can be particularly hard to understand, which only makes it harder to change effectively through policy. We explain the agencies involved, the loophole that undermines ‘sanctuary’ policies, and overlooked problems with federal pretrial detention.
July 23: Briefings
Featured report
Following the Money of Mass Incarceration 2026
In this groundbreaking report, the Prison Policy Initiative aggregates economic data to offer a big picture view of who pays for and who benefits when millions of people are behind bars.
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.
Select your state:
If our work is new to you, you might want to check out our 2024-2025 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.