{"id":14299,"date":"2022-12-21T09:24:06","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T14:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/?p=14299"},"modified":"2024-12-13T13:59:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T18:59:55","slug":"best-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/2022\/12\/21\/best-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"11 of our most important reports, briefings, and tools in 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Didn\u2019t catch everything we published in 2022? We\u2019ve curated a list of some of our best work from this year below. From a deep dive into how the bail industry exploits the legal system and deceives the public, to an extensive database showing where people in state prisons come from, to new tools for advocates, here are the highlights of our recent work:<\/p>\n<p><link href=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/css\/slideshow_2022.min.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\"><script type=\"module\" src=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/js\/slideshow_2022.min.mjs?v=rcipux\"><\/script>\n<script type=\"module\" src=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/js\/slideshow_2022_lib.min.mjs\"><\/script>\n<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"\/reports\/pie2022.html\">Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2022<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>Our annual Whole Pie report returned in 2022, after pandemic-related data problems forced us to cancel it last year. The report compiles national data sources to offer the most comprehensive view of how many people are locked up in the U.S. \u2014 and where they are being held \u2014 two years after the COVID-19 pandemic began. It explains how the pandemic has impacted prison and jail populations, and pieces together the most recent national data on state prisons, federal prisons, local jails, and other systems of confinement to provide a snapshot of mass incarceration in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p class=\"featureimage tightfeature\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/pie2022.webp 1x, \/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/pie2022-2X.webp 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/pie2022.png\" alt=\"whole pie graphic\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"\/reports\/bail.html\">All Profit, No Risk: How the bail industry exploits the legal system<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>Our report exposes how commercial bail companies and their deep-pocketed insurance underwriters almost always avoid accountability when they fail to do their one job: ensure their clients\u2019 appearance in court. We explain how the bail industry exploits \u2014 and works to expand \u2014 six loopholes in the system that allow it to avoid paying up when defendants don\u2019t show up. The report reveals the money bail system is not only cruel to defendants \u2014 as our 2016 report <a href=\"\/reports\/incomejails.html\"><i>Detaining the Poor<\/i><\/a> showed \u2014 it is also corrupt beyond repair.<\/p>\n<p class=\"center\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/bail_forfeitures_explainer.webp 1x, \/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/bail_forfeitures_explainer-2X.webp 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/bail_forfeitures_explainer.png\" alt=\"bail explainer graphic\" width=\"600\" height=\"777\">\n<\/picture><\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"\/reports\/beyondthecount.html\">Beyond the Count: A deep dive into state prison populations<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>In a groundbreaking report series, we used a new Bureau of Justice Statistics dataset to provide a demographic picture of the <a href=\"\/reports\/pie2022.html\">1 million people<\/a> in state prisons today. The first report in this series, <i>Beyond the Count<\/i>, shows that the national prison population comprises people struggling with poverty, substance use disorder, and housing insecurity, people who have been marginalized throughout their lives. (For instance, 38% of people in state prison were arrested for the first time before they were 16 years old.) The data show that not only does this country allow millions of children to grow up in poverty, but many of those children grow up to fill state prisons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"featureimage tightfeature\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/spi_2016_youthexperiences.webp 1x, \/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/spi_2016_youthexperiences-2X.webp 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/spi_2016_youthexperiences.png\" alt=\"childhood experiences of people in prison statistics chart\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" class=\"center\">\n<\/picture> <\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"\/reports\/chronicpunishment.html\">Chronic Punishment: The unmet health needs of people in state prisons<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>This national report offers the most recent data on the health of people in U.S. state prisons, showing that prisons continue to ignore the plight of people in their care. People in prison suffer from several chronic illnesses and infectious diseases at disproportionate rates \u2014 such as hepatitis C, HIV, and mental illness \u2014 and prisons fail to get many people the treatment they need. 50% of incarcerated people also lacked health insurance <i>before<\/i> prison, underscoring the reality that our criminal justice system punishes poverty.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"\/blog\/2022\/06\/30\/roe\/\">What the end of Roe v. Wade will mean for people on probation and parole<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>In the 13 states where the fall of <i>Roe <\/i>is expected to lead to abortion bans (or already has), a total of 216,000 women are on probation or parole. In a short but impactful briefing, we explain why these women are especially affected when states outlaw abortion: Supervision often comes with a ban on out-of-state travel, extending complete state control over someone\u2019s right to choose.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"\/origin\/\">Where People in Prison Come From: The geography of mass incarceration<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>What communities do people who are incarcerated come from? It\u2019s a simple question with huge implications, and one that, until recently, was impossible to explore. However, thanks to recent reforms to end <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prisonersofthecensus.org\/\">prison gerrymandering<\/a> in more than a dozen states, the data is finally available to answer it. We published datasets showing where people in 12 state prison systems come from, down to the county, city, and \u2014 in many cases \u2014 neighborhood level. We made the data sets publicly available online so that other researchers can use them to better understand how mass incarceration harms communities and correlates with other measures of community well-being.<\/p>\n<div class=\"slideshow-container width800 slideshow-2022\" id=\"slideshow1\">\n<div class=\"slide-wrapper\">\n<ul class=\"slide\">\n<li><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/nyorigin2022_counties.webp?v=6 1x, \/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/nyorigin2022_counties-2X.webp?v=6 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/nyorigin2022_counties.png?v=6\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/li>\n<li><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/njorigin2022_counties.webp?v=2 1x, \/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/njorigin2022_counties-2X.webp?v=2 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/njorigin2022_counties.png?v=2\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/li>\n<li><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/mdorigin2022_counties.webp?v=3 1x, \/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/mdorigin2022_counties-2X.webp?v=3 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/mdorigin2022_counties.png?v=3\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/li>\n<li><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/co_tracts.webp?v=2 1x, \/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/co_tracts-2X.webp?v=2 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/co_tracts.png?v=2\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/li>\n<li><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/vaorigin2022_counties.webp?v=2 1x, \/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/vaorigin2022_counties-2X.webp?v=2 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/vaorigin2022_counties.png?v=2\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/li>\n<li><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/nvorigin2022_counties.webp 1x, \/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/nvorigin2022_counties-2X.webp 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/nvorigin2022_counties.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/li>\n<li><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/waorigin2022_counties.webp 1x, \/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/waorigin2022_counties-2X.webp 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/waorigin2022_counties.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/li>\n<li><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/caaorigin2022_counties.webp 1x, \/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/caaorigin2022_counties-2X.webp 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/caaorigin2022_counties.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/li>\n<li><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/mtorigin2022_counties.webp?v=2 1x, \/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/mtorigin2022_counties-2X.webp?v=2 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/mtorigin2022_counties.png?v=2\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/li>\n<li><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/deorigin2022_statewide.webp 1x, \/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/deorigin2022_statewide-2X.webp 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/deorigin2022_statewide.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/li>\n<li><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/paorigin2022_tracts.webp 1x, \/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/paorigin2022_tracts-2X.webp 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/paorigin2022_tracts.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/li>\n<li><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/ctorigin2022_cities.webp 1x, \/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/ctorigin2022_cities-2X.webp 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/ctorigin2022_cities.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\n<\/picture><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<style> .custom-controls.text li {width: 60px;}\n.slideshow-2022 .custom-controls.text li::before {margin-top:12px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wrap-controls\">\n<div class=\"arrow-nav\">\n\t\t<button class=\"prev\"><\/button>\n\t<\/div>\n<ul class=\"custom-controls text\">\n<li>New York<\/li>\n<li>New Jersey<\/li>\n<li>Maryland<\/li>\n<li>Colorado<\/li>\n<li>Virginia<\/li>\n<li>Nevada<\/li>\n<li>Washington<\/li>\n<li>California<\/li>\n<li>Montana<\/li>\n<li>Delaware<\/li>\n<li>Pennsylvania<\/li>\n<li>Connecticut<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"arrow-nav\">\n\t\t<button class=\"next\"><\/button>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"slideshow-spacer width800\"><\/div>\n<h2><a href=\"\/phones\/state_of_phone_justice_2022.html\">State of Phone Justice: The problem, the progress, and what\u2019s next<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>How much should it cost to stay in touch with Mom or Dad when they\u2019re locked up? We built a nationwide database of the (often exorbitant) phone rates in 50 state prison systems, as well as thousands of local jails and other detention facilities of various types. Our data show that while some jails and their phone companies provide calls for as low as 1 or 2 cents a minute, the vast majority charge 10 times that amount or more. Working-class families\u2019 phone call costs are lining the pockets of corporations and boosting jail revenue, and even as regulators and legislators make attempts at reform, companies are finding new ways to price-gouge consumers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"featureimage tightfeature\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/sopj22_jailbystate_800x600.webp 1x, \/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/sopj22_jailbystate_800x600-2X.webp 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/sopj22_jailbystate_800x600.png\" alt=\"map showing average cost of a jail phone call in every state\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" class=\"center\">\n<\/picture> <\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"\/blog\/2022\/11\/17\/mail-scanning\/\">Mail scanning: A harsh and exploitative new trend in prisons<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>In the last 5 years, prisons in at least 14 states have replaced physical mail sent to incarcerated people with scans, we explained in a short report. The same companies that sell phone services to jails are also encouraging prison and jail systems to ban mail, claiming that it will deter dangerous \u201ccontraband\u201d from coming in. But there\u2019s no evidence that this policy \u2014 which has a chilling effect on family communication and therefore, quite probably, a negative effect on people\u2019s ability to succeed after prison \u2014 does anything to make incarcerated people safer.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"\/trainings\/\">Advocacy Toolkit<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>This year we released our new Advocacy Toolkit, a collection of guides and training materials that advocates can use to strengthen their campaigns to end mass incarceration. It provides tips on accessing <a href=\"\/trainings\/records.html\">public records<\/a>, <a href=\"\/trainings\/datasources.html\">securing and organizing data,<\/a> crafting <a href=\"\/trainings\/writing_guide.html\">persuasive narratives<\/a>, and creating impactful <a href=\"\/trainings\/design_resources.html\">visuals<\/a>. It also includes issue-based guides on <a href=\"\/visitation\/toolkit.html\">protecting in-person visits<\/a> in prisons and jails, <a href=\"\/jailtoolkit.html\">opposing jail expansion<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prisonersofthecensus.org\/toolkit\/\">ending prison gerrymandering<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"\/blog\/2022\/05\/03\/releasecards\/\">Insufficient funds: How prison and jail \u201crelease cards\u201d perpetuate the cycle of poverty<\/a><\/h2>\n<div class=\"image\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/maintenancefees_400x400.webp 1x, \/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/maintenancefees_400x400-2X.webp 2x\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/static.prisonpolicy.org\/images\/maintenancefees_400x400.png\" alt=\"chart showing cost of release card fees\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" class=\"center\">\n<\/picture> <\/div>\n<p>We\u2019re continuing our work showing how states \u2014 often at the encouragement of private companies \u2014 look for ways to punish incarcerated people even after their sentence is over. This briefing exposes how prisons and jails are increasingly disbursing the tiny amounts of money people are owed when they\u2019re released via prepaid debit cards. The cards, managed by companies that profit off incarceration, are riddled with fees for everything from checking your balance to making a purchase. Rather than helping people rebuild their lives post-release, these companies are sapping people of the little money they have.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"\/contracts\/documents.html\">Correctional Contracts Library<\/a> <\/h2>\n<p>Prisons and jails routinely contract with private companies to provide services, such as <a href=\"\/phones\/\">phone calls<\/a>, <a href=\"\/blog\/2021\/11\/09\/moneytransfers\/\">money transfers<\/a>, <a href=\"\/reports\/commissary.html\">commissary<\/a>, and <a href=\"\/releasecards\">release cards<\/a>. Through our work to <a href=\"\/exploitation.html\">expose the worst practices in this industry,<\/a> we\u2019ve developed a large database of contracts and other documents that spell out the terms of the agreements governments have with these companies. For the first time ever, we\u2019ve put these documents together in one place so researchers, activists, policymakers, and journalists can build upon our work to expose the harms of mass incarceration.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This is only a small piece of the important and impactful work we published in 2022. In total, we released <a href=\"\/reports.html\">19 reports,<\/a> more than <a href=\"\/blog\/\">35 briefings and blog posts<\/a>, hundreds of <a href=\"\/graphs\/\">data visualizations<\/a>, and added hundreds of new items to our <a href=\"\/research.html\">Research Library<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Our work is far from over, though. We\u2019ve got big things planned in 2023, when we\u2019ll continue to expose the ways mass incarceration has failed and highlight solutions that keep our communities safe without expanding prisons, jails, and the carceral system. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From a deep dive into the bail industry to new tools for advocates, here are the highlights of our work in 2022.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,1],"tags":[],"coauthors":[46],"class_list":["post-14299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-of","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14299"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16860,"href":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14299\/revisions\/16860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14299"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=14299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}