What’s New
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What Jails Cost Statewide: Spending on Jails Across the Rural-Urban Spectrum by Vera Institute of Justice
March 5: Research Library: Jails
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Prison Policy Initiative Appoints Five New Board Members in Pursuit of Strategic Growth. Each will help propel the Prison Policy Initiative with new ideas, new energy and new partnerships.
March 4: Press releases
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Visualizing the unequal treatment of LGBTQ people in the criminal justice system LGBTQ people are overrepresented at every stage of our criminal justice system, from juvenile justice to parole.
March 2: Briefings
Featured report
Rigging the jury: How each state reduces jury diversity by excluding people with criminal records
Our first-of-its-kind report shows how all 50 states reduce jury diversity by excluding some people with criminal records from serving. Our report includes an easy-to-read map and detailed table describing each state’s policies, and explains how excluding people with criminal records makes juries less diverse — which in turn makes criminal trials even less fair.
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 2019-2020 annual report.
Recommended Reading:
Five ways the criminal justice system could slow the pandemic
Quick action could slow the spread of the viral pandemic in prisons and jails and in society as a whole
The "services" offered by jails don't make them safe places for vulnerable people
Even in the best of times, jails are not good at providing health and social services.
The most important statistics from our work on policing
Racial disparities, bloated budgets, the criminalization of homelessness, and more.
Is social distancing possible behind bars?
No. It's even harder than on cruise ships or in nursing homes.