Articles by Wanda Bertram
- More states need to use their “good time” systems to get people out of prison during COVID-19
Most states have statutes that allow incarcerated people to earn time off of their sentences. Why aren't more states using this tool to safely reduce prison populations during COVID-19?
Jan 12, 2021 - New report shows that mass incarceration led to huge increase in national COVID-19 caseloads
The study provides the first estimates of how prisons and jails led to more coronavirus infections, both inside and outside prisons.
Dec 15, 2020 - The promise — and peril — of Biden’s criminal justice reform platform
We discuss Biden's plans for clemency, reentry support, drug courts, and juvenile justice reform.
Nov 13, 2020 - New BJS data reveals a jail-building boom in Indian country
Across the country, local governments are building more jail space rather than working to reduce incarceration. New data shows that this trend is especially visible on tribal lands.
Oct 30, 2020 - New 50-state report from Prison Policy Initiative and Rainbow PUSH Coalition provides a roadmap to normalizing voting from jail
This morning, the Prison Policy Initiative and the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr.’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition released Eligible, but Excluded, a roadmap to expanding voting....
Oct 2, 2020 - New Essie Justice Group survey exposes dangerous prison and jail conditions during COVID-19
Survey data collected from people with incarcerated loved ones confirms some of our worst fears about the treatment of people behind bars during the pandemic.
Sep 17, 2020 - Prisons and jails are rolling back free phone and video calls. They should be extending them instead
Amidst a pandemic and recession, policymakers should be fighting for extended — if not permanent — financial relief for incarcerated people and their families.
Sep 11, 2020 - Returning from prison and jail is hard during normal times — it’s even more difficult during COVID-19
We review the evidence and call for state and local governments to provide more support for success upon release from prison or jail.
Sep 2, 2020 - Compassionate release was never designed to release large numbers of people
With help from artist Kevin Pyle, we explain why very few people who apply for compassionate release are approved — even during a pandemic.
May 29, 2020 - Hundreds are still jailed for technical parole violations in NYC, which means decarceration is happening far too slowly
As cities attempt to reduce their jail populations, they should pay attention to the lesson of NYC’s slow decarceration: Even releasing "low-level offenders" is a complicated process liable to be bogged down by delays.
Apr 24, 2020 - New report, Reforms Without Results, lays out the case for including people convicted of violence in criminal justice reforms
The report includes an interactive map showing where people convicted of violence have been "carved out" of recent criminal justice reform laws.
Apr 7, 2020 - As pandemic threatens to devastate prison population, new report provides updated “big picture” view of incarceration in the U.S.
The Prison Policy Initiative's new "Whole Pie" report reveals what's at stake if prisons and jails do not take immediate steps to decarcerate.
Mar 24, 2020 - Jails and prisons are suspending visits to slow COVID-19. Here’s what advocates can do to help people inside.
Send our letter to your local jail, asking them to make video and phone calls free.
Mar 17, 2020 - Prison Policy Initiative releases detailed data on the “geography of incarceration” in New York state, opening doors for future research
The new resource uses data generated by New York’s law ending prison gerrymandering.
Feb 19, 2020 - “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.
Jan 16, 2020 - New report, Youth Confinement: The Whole Pie 2019, breaks down where children and teenagers are locked up in the U.S., where, and why
At a time when cutting the adult prison population by 50% seems radical to many people, states have already cut the number of confined youth by 60% since 2000.
Dec 19, 2019 - New report: State-level criminal justice reforms that can win in 2020
We list 24 high-impact policy ideas for state legislators looking to reform their criminal justice systems.
Dec 12, 2019 - The law is supposed to protect consumers from exploitation, but it’s not protecting people in prisons and jails
When the only way to get necessities in prison is to buy them from a single retailer, exploitation is the result.
Nov 14, 2019 - New report, Women’s Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019, reveals how many women are locked up in the U.S., where, and why
The report highlights the need for reforms to local jails, which now hold more women than state prisons do.
Oct 29, 2019 - How many people in your state go to local jails every year?
New data shows that local jails impact more people in your state than you may think.
Sep 18, 2019 - New report, Arrest, Release, Repeat, reveals how many people go to jail each year and how many times they go
Our analysis reveals that at least 4.9 million people cycle through county jails each year - and most have serious medical and economic needs.
Aug 26, 2019 - Momentum is building to end medical co-pays in prisons and jails
Three states have taken action in 2019 to change one of the most harmful policies in prison healthcare.
Aug 8, 2019 - Testifying before Congress about the mass incarceration of women
"Women’s experiences with the criminal justice system serve to highlight the faults of the whole system," our Legal Director explained to members of the House Judiciary Committee.
Jul 17, 2019 - Why haven’t presidential candidates proposed to end the criminalization of poverty?
The Democratic candidates are missing an opportunity to pitch sweeping criminal justice reform as an economic justice issue.
Jun 12, 2019 - New report, Does our county really need a bigger jail?, helps counties avoid needless jail growth
All too often, proposals to expand local jails receive no pushback or critical attention. A new report helps counties think twice.
May 6, 2019 - Victory for phone justice: Securus and ICSolutions abandon attempted merger
A merger between the two companies would have curtailed the ability of prisons and jails to choose a phone provider, to the detriment of incarcerated people and their families.
Apr 2, 2019 - New report, Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019, provides annual “big picture” view of confinement in the U.S. with 7 new infographics
With this year's updated edition of Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie, we once again answer the essential questions of how many people are locked up, where, and why.
Mar 19, 2019 - More states are signing harmful “free prison tablet” contracts
Tablet computers are delivering a captive audience to profit-seeking companies, while enabling prisons to cut essential services like law libraries. We investigate.
Mar 7, 2019 - New report uncovers the cost of phone calls in over 2,000 locally-run jails across the U.S.
The movement for phone justice has won huge victories in state-run prisons, but people in jail pretrial are on the front lines of exploitation.
Feb 11, 2019 - New report ranks states on “correctional control,” showing huge state disparities in use of probation
When it comes to ranking U.S. states on the harshness of their criminal justice systems, incarceration rates only tell half of the story. 4.5 million people nationwide....
Dec 11, 2018 - New report: The eight most efficient ways to shorten long prison sentences
Clemency isn't the only way for governors and legislators to show mercy. Our report provides a roadmap with several options.
Nov 15, 2018 - New report, Women’s Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2018, reveals how many women are locked up in the U.S., where, and why
The report includes a new, data-rich visualization of women in jails, highlighting a critical area for criminal justice reform.
Nov 13, 2018 - Criminal justice reform at the ballot box: Even County Auditors are worth your attention
In some counties - like Multnomah County, Oregon - auditors are joining the movement to hold jails accountable.
Oct 31, 2018 - New report, Getting Back on Course, shows that prison permanently hinders education
Our criminal justice system isn’t just sending people from school to prison – it’s locking them out of education altogether.
Oct 30, 2018 - Philadelphia Inquirer exposes Pennsylvania’s complicity in cutting off incarcerated people’s access to books
The Pennsylvania DOC introduces a telecom company to a large, captive market for e-books.
Sep 21, 2018 - New report, Nowhere to Go, breaks down the housing crisis among formerly incarcerated people
A stable home is all but required for successful reentry. How many formerly incarcerated people are locked out of housing?
Aug 14, 2018 - Victoria Law on Marketplace: How email services in prison exploit incarcerated people
As our research as shown, companies like JPay gouge people who are already overcharged and underpaid.
Aug 8, 2018 - The Idaho prison tablets “hack” is a lesson in how to cover the prison business
Stories about prison tablets are becoming more common. We offer tips to newsrooms for covering this issue fairly.
Aug 2, 2018 - How to spot the hidden costs in a “no-cost” tablet contract
There's no such thing as a free lunch - or a free tablet.
Jul 24, 2018 - New report, Out of Prison & Out of Work, calculates the first unemployment rate for formerly incarcerated people
Formerly incarcerated people overwhelmingly want to work, but they face huge obstacles in the job market.
Jul 10, 2018 - New report, The Company Store, questions fairness and purpose of prison commissaries
In a first-of-its-kind data analysis, we explore the economics of prison commissaries in three states.
May 24, 2018 - Jail will separate 2.3 million mothers from their children this year
80% of the women jailed each year are mothers. We're inflicting profound damage not only on them, but their children as well.
May 13, 2018 - New reports show probation is down, but still a major driver of incarceration
New data and analysis from BJS and Columbia University this week show the number of people on probation or parole is edging in the right direction, but states continue to set people up to fail with long supervision terms, onerous restrictions, and constant scrutiny.
Apr 26, 2018 - State-level studies identify causes of the national “gender divide”
Our January report showed how incarcerated women are being left behind, but to identify specific areas for improvement, state-level research is needed.
Apr 11, 2018 - New research ends the “Is it race or class?” debate about mass incarceration
Racial biases in the criminal justice system don't only apply to poor people, according to research from Harvard, Stanford, and the Census Bureau.
Mar 19, 2018 - New Report, Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2018, pieces together systems of confinement and provides 11 new infographics
With this year's updated edition of Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie, we once again answer the essential questions of how many people are locked up, where, and why.
Mar 14, 2018 - Video: Why states should stop punishing safe drivers for offenses unrelated to driving
At under two minutes, this is the shortest and sweetest version of our argument against license suspensions for drug offenses.
Mar 6, 2018 - New report, Youth Confinement: The Whole Pie, breaks down where youth are locked up in the U.S. and why
In a series of graphics, we explain how tens of thousands of youth who could be better served in their communities still end up in confinement.
Feb 27, 2018 - Pennsylvania may finally lift the burden of needless driver’s license suspensions
The push to end driver’s license suspensions for drug offenses is picking up steam in Pennsylvania.
Jan 24, 2018 - If you’ve got a minute to think about civil liberties, here’s how to spend it.
We share our favorite recent episodes of Bill Newman's excellent podcast, each just over a minute long and covering a current threat to civil liberties.
Jan 22, 2018 - Our Young Professionals Network, in the words of one volunteer
One of our most dedicated volunteers shares the highlights of his experience.
Jan 22, 2018 - New report, The Gender Divide, identifies state gender disparities in prisons
Women’s prison populations are largely growing faster than men’s. See our 50-state analysis.
Jan 9, 2018 - Our favorite criminal justice research of 2017
Useful and under-exposed research from 2017 that contributed to our movement's understanding of key issues in criminal justice.
Dec 28, 2017 - Our favorite investigative criminal justice reporting of 2017
Investigative reporters are illuminating little-known facets of the criminal justice system. We share our favorite work from 2017.
Dec 28, 2017 - Help us tell the whole story of mass incarceration
Can you support our work this Giving Tuesday?
Nov 28, 2017
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.