HELP US END MASS INCARCERATION
The Prison Policy Initiative uses research, advocacy, and organizing to dismantle mass incarceration. We’ve been in this movement for 23 years, thanks to individual donors like you.
Can you help us sustain this work?
Thank you,
Peter Wagner, Executive Director Donate
Can you help us sustain this work?
Thank you,
Peter Wagner, Executive Director Donate
Data Source: Court Statistics Project STAT Criminal. Percent changes calculated by the Prison Policy Initiative based on data from states that reported data for all years 2019-2022. (Graph: Wendy Sawyer, 2023)
This graph originally appeared in Why did prison and jail populations grow in 2022 — and what comes next?.
In 2020, many courts shut down jury trials and other in-person operations, creating a backlog of cases that are still being cleared in many states. As more cases work their way through the courts, more people are sentenced to incarceration, resulting in more prison admissions.
