What’s New
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Natural hazards and prisons
Protecting human rights of people in prison in disaster prevention, response and recovery by Penal Reform International
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Policies for waiving medical copays in prisons are not enough to undo the harm caused by charging incarcerated people for health care access
Our review of copay policies show that exemptions are so limited, ill-defined, and inconsistent that they fail to make the copay system less harmful for incarcerated people.
May 15: Briefings
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WEBINAR: Fighting Jail Expansion: Lessons from the Front Lines
Learn how advocates are responding to shifting arguments for new jail construction.
May 14: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
Featured report
Arrest, Release, Repeat: How police and jails are used to respond to social problems
How many people go to county jails every year, and how many times do they go? These basic data points — essential to understanding whether counties are using police and jails properly — weren't available until now. In our report, we break down the number of people booked in jail every year, including how many return multiple times. We go on to analyze the demographic characteristics of people who go to jail, including rates of poverty, access to health care, and race. Lastly, we present policy recommendations for counties hoping to change how their jails are used.
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 2023-2024 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.
Events
- June 11, 2025:
Join us at 2:00 pm ET on June 11th, 2025, as we bring together a panel of activists who have pushed back against jail expansion proposals in Atlanta, Georgia, Sacramento, California, and Oahu, Hawai’i. We’ll discuss how arguments for new jail construction have shifted over time, go over strategies and tools for responding to these arguments, and talk about how our advocacy department can help support efforts to challenge new jail construction in your area.
Not near you?
Invite us to your city, college or organization.