| Â |
Report, A Matter of Life: The Scope and Impact of Life and Long Term Imprisonment in the United States
One in six people in prison – nearly 200,000 people nationwide – are serving life sentences  Read More  01-08-2025
|
Federal Prisoners by the Numbers: BJS Releases Interesting Numbers
Numbers reflect the state of the federal prison population after the fifth year of the First Step Act  Read More  01-06-2025
|
A Data Wish List for 2025
PPI spotlights some of the most persistent data gaps in 2024.  Read More  01-04-2025
|
Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System: 3 Or More Ways for Effective Treatment and Support
Studies estimate that approximately 37% of inmates in state and federal prisons and 44% of those in local jails have a history of mental health issues  Read More  12-21-2024
|
Research Reveals Mental Health's Impact on Parole Rearrest Likelihood
Understanding the relation between mental health and recidivism can develop interventions that support successful re-entry  Read More  12-19-2024
|
How One State's Repeal of a Prison "Pay-to-Stay" Law Could Guide National Reform
Forcing the incarcerated to pay their prison expenses doesn't offset costs, and it hinders rehabilitation efforts  Read More  12-19-2024
|
10 Arresting Stats About Pretrial
More than 1 in 4 people who are arrested each year are arrested multiple times  Read More  12-18-2024
|
Biden Faces Backlash for Granting Clemency to "Cash for Kids" Judge
Judge was one of two who accepted $2.8 million in kickbacks for diverting hundreds of children to PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care, two for-profit juvenile facilities.  Read More  12-17-2024
|
Medical Debt Behind Bars
The Punishing Impact of Copays, Fees, and other Medical Debt  Read More  12-15-2024
|
Volunteers Spread Holiday Cheer to by Offering Giftbags to All 17,000 Incarcerated Individuals in One State
"Higher end" toothpaste, pens, notebooks, envelopes, candy and other treats brighten the lives of the incarcerated  Read More  12-13-2024
|
'Sleep Don’t Come': The Dangerous Problem of Sleep Deprivation Behind Bars
Moldy mattresses, 24/7 lights and constant noise contribute to a persistent health and safety crisis in prisons and jails  Read More  12-12-2024
|
The Real Cost of 'Bad News': How Misinformation is Undermining Youth Justice Policy in Baltimore
The Sentencing Project's analysis of six of Baltimore's leading media outlets revealed how the city's media reporting on youth crime misled residents and fueled poor public policy.  Read More  12-11-2024
|
Transgender Women in Florida Prisons Must Cut Their Hair and Submit to Breast Exams to Determine If They Will Be Allowed to Keep Their Bra
Under the new policy, the prisons will only provide those with gender dysphoria with psychotherapy — and not cross-gender hormones  Read More  12-10-2024
|
ICYMI, States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2024
The incarceration rates of every U.S. state and territory alongside those of the other nations of the world  Read More  12-08-2024
|
What Trump's Victory Means for the Private Prison Industry
The two largest companies that manage detention centers and correctional facilities are poised to profit from aggressive immigration policies  Read More  12-08-2024
|
New Report: 34 Criminal Legal System Reforms That Can Win in 2025
PPI highlights reforms that are ripe for victory in the new year and provide tips for advocates to oppose lawmakers pushing for failed "tough-on-crime" lawmaking.  Read More  12-06-2024
|
Dispatches From Mississippi's Parchman Prison
Incarcerated writers in their own words  Read More  12-05-2024
|
New Rule Means People on Community Supervision Now Qualify for Medicare
Under this new rule, more than 340,000 people over the age of 65 who are on probation or parole will have access to healthcare coverage  Read More  12-04-2024
|
Released from Prison. Now What?
Re-entry after incarceration is anything but simple. Experts provide innovative solutions.  Read More  12-02-2024
|
Incarcerated Individuals and Rescue Dogs Work Together for an Optimal Result
Program at FCI Marion teache how to work with dogs who may lack manners or confidence  Read More  11-30-2024
|
Imagine Being Pregnant in Prison
Studies indicate that approximately 5-10% of women—meaning tens of thousands of women—are pregnant when they enter prison  Read More  11-30-2024
|
Being Released Physically from Prison Does Not Necessarily Mean You Are Free Mentally
Inside the Only college class in Texas to help prepare incarcerated individuals for life after prison  Read More  11-27-2024
|
At One Prison Incarcerated Women Can Earn a Cosmetology License, Opening the Door for a Successful Reentry
A cosmetology license can cost anywhere between $16,000 and $24,000 outside of prison  Read More  11-26-2024
|
The Prison of the Future: A Humane, Evidence-Based Approach
Prisons aren't effective for rehabilitation. Here's what needs to change.  Read More  11-24-2024
|
Thousands of People in Prison Have ADHD. Why Aren’t They Receiving Treatment?
As many as half of all prisoners have ADHD. Research suggests treatment can help reduce recidivism and ease the reentry process.  Read More  11-23-2024
|
Life on the Inside: A Prison Rape Survivor Demands Smart, Safe and Humane Transfers
Being transferred to another prison because of being sexually abused doesn't mean the next prison isn't any safer  Read More  11-22-2024
|
Virginia Department of Corrections Streamlines Process Enabling Employers to Request a Federal Bond When Hiring Virginians with a Conviction
VADOC foresees such bonds an incentive for employers to hire those seeking a fresh start  Read More  11-21-2024
|
Tennessee County Receives Nearly $1 Million to Help Formerly Incarcerated People Obtain Housing
Office of Re-Entry will collaborate with local initiatives to connect newly released individuals to affordable housing and treatment including vocational training and employment opportunities  Read More  11-21-2024
|
How Young People Become Entangled in the Juvenile Legal System
There are better ways than incarceration to make young people in need feel safe  Read More  11-19-2024
|
Education Levels of Federally Sentenced Individuals
Federal sentencing guidelines provide that specific characteristics of sentenced individuals, such as education, may be considered at sentencing; yet there is little information published that examines differences across education levels.  Read More  11-16-2024
|
The Implications of AI for Criminal Justice
Key Takeaways From a Convening of Leading Stakeholders  Read More  11-15-2024
|
New Initiative on Improving Prisons
Dignity-first approach that aims to help people lead a life of social responsibility after release.  Read More  11-15-2024
|
OpenDoors Rhode Island Receives Funding to Help Women Navigate Reentry Successfully
Women released from prison will receive services tailored to them  Read More  11-13-2024
|
Retired Racehorses are Given a Second Chance by Individuals Who are Incarcerated
Rehabilitation and redemption are the goals of this unique program  Read More  11-12-2024
|
Criminal Justice Gaps Between Women and Men Narrow on Violence, Other Key Measures
Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch leads new national commission developing findings and recommendations to enhance women’s safety, health, and justice  Read More  11-09-2024
|
Corrections Staffing Shortages Offer Chance to Rethink Prison
Prioritizing punishment created dangerous prisons that harm the people who live and work in them  Read More  11-08-2024
|
New Digital Archive Makes Public the Trials and Triumphs of Jailhouse Lawyers
Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative seeks to provide legal curricula to jailhouse lawyers, forge relationships between law schools and jailhouse lawyers  Read More  11-08-2024
|
The Case Against Solitary Confinement: Explained
Prolonged isolation makes imprisoned people more violent and less likely to reintegrate into society  Read More  11-06-2024
|
Ten Things the New President Can Do to Advance Safety, Accountability, and Justice
The next president and their administration should commit to these 10 actions—some immediate, others over the course of a first term  Read More  11-05-2024
|
Less Than Half of U.S. Jails Offer Medications to Treat Opioid Use Disorder, According to a New JCOIN Study
Survey study of 1028 jails, found less than half of jails (43.8%) offered medications for opioid use disorder  Read More  11-01-2024
|
From Confinement to Community, Supporting Successful Veteran Reentry and Employment
Council of Criminal Justice released its third set of recommendations to support justice-involved veterans  Read More  11-01-2024
|
Report: Best Practices in Re-Entry, Re-Integration of Formerly Incarcerated Students
Colleges offering education for individuals in prison must provide information about how their students can access re-entry services to receive federal dollars  Read More  10-31-2024
|
New Research Provides Evidence How Felony Non Carceral Conviction and Incarceration Affect Recidivism
Cato Institute research finds that noncarceral conviction led to large and long-lasting increases in recidivism  Read More  10-31-2024
|
Can Prison Cause Dementia?
New Northwestern study explores how incarceration impacts health  Read More  10-29-2024
|
ICYMI: Seven Major Reports and 34 Research Briefings on Empowering the Reform Movement All in One Place
Prison Policy Initiative's annual report on how to empower the reform movement with the data it needs to counter "tough on crime” narratives"  Read More  10-27-2024
|
Equal Justice USA (EJUSA) Expands to Build New Restorative Youth Justice Diversion Programs
Eight core elements define the EJUSA's model of restorative justice diversion  Read More  10-25-2024
|
Myths and Realities: Prosecutors and Criminal Justice Reform
There is no clear relationship between pro-reform prosecutors and increased crime  Read More  10-24-2024
|
56 Facts about Mass Incarceration
Facts about prisons, jails, mortality and aging in prisons, and following the money of mass incarceration are at your fingertips  Read More  10-23-2024
|
Incarcerated Veterans Should Never Be Abandoned
Florida is one state that provides support through veteran treatment courts and to those reentering the community  Read More  10-22-2024
|
All-Female Inmate Firefighting Crew Graduates from California Reentry Program
Future Fire Academy equips participants with accredited training in numerous aspects of fighting wildfires  Read More  10-20-2024
|
"Complete Neglect": Thousands Were Not Evacuated from Florida Jails and Prisons Ahead of Hurricane Milton
Incarcerated people in jails and prison were left in mandatory evacuation zones  Read More  10-20-2024
|
Incarcerated Individuals Volunteer to Help Build 22 Beds for Children in Need
After the individuals in prison raised $7,300 for a non-profit its founder was inspired to work with prison to organize bed-building event  Read More  10-18-2024
|
Survey of 54,000 Incarcerated Individuals Show a Preference for the Election of Donald Trump for President
Roughly 46% of survey takers said they would vote for him if given the chance.  Read More  10-17-2024
|
New Report, One Size Fits None, Explores Counterproductive and Difficult Conditions of Probation in All 50 states
Report delves into "how standard conditions of probation set people up to fail"  Read More  10-16-2024
|
Hurricane-Struck North Carolina Prisoners Were Locked in Cells with Their Own Feces for Nearly a Week
"We thought we were going to die there. We didn’t think anybody was going to come back for us."  Read More  10-08-2024
|
2024 Palm Beach County Reentry Summit Postponed Due to Hurricane Milton
New Reentry Summit dates will be announced based on impact of the storm  Read More  10-08-2024
|
Incarcerated Woman Calls Out Newsom's California Model for Prison Reform as "All Smoke and Mirrors"
The failed model was supposed to help incarcerated people  Read More  10-06-2024
|
Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2024
Women are disproportionately stuck in jails. Mass incarceration targets girls, too.  Read More  10-04-2024
|
Not 'Mini-Adult Court': Lawyers Lacking Qualifications Defended 1,200 Cuyahoga County Kids
Marshall Project-Cleveland found defense counsel fell short on educational qualifications in 79% of felony-level assignments to private lawyer.  Read More  10-03-2024
|
The Drug Treatment Debate: Why Accessible and Voluntary Treatment Wins Out Over Forced
Forced "treatment" is rejected by scientific and health researchers for being ineffective or harmful  Read More  10-02-2024
|
Incarcerated People Say Routine Use of Lockdowns Has Led to More Violence and Suicides
Lockdowns have become a go-to response with serious consequences  Read More  10-01-2024
|
Seattle's 'Stay Out' Zones Will Curb Civil Liberties, Not Crime
The city plans to ban people accused of some drug and prostitution crimes from visiting designated areas  Read More  09-28-2024
|
Jails Should Be a Focus of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: Study
Researchers found over half of all recently incarcerated participants (54%) had at least one uncontrolled risk factor for CVD at baseline.  Read More  09-27-2024
|
More Women Charged with Pregnancy-Related Crimes Since Roe's End
The majority of the cases in the study came from just two states: Alabama with 104 and Oklahoma with 68  Read More  09-26-2024
|
Dismantling Mass Incarceration: A Handbook for Change
New book is divided into six sessions representing a stage of the criminal justice system: police, prosecutors, public defenders, judges, prisons, and "aftermath," or the lifelong consequences of having been imprisoned.  Read More  09-26-2024
|
Report: Expanding Education and Employment Pathways for Systems-Involved Young People
LEAP partnerships are implementing many interrelated strategies to improve educational and work outcomes for systems-involved young people  Read More  09-23-2024
|
Addressing Recidivism Rates and Challenges Faced by Incarcerated Black Men
While incarcerated rehabilitation programs key in successful reentry and anti-recidivism efforts  Read More  09-22-2024
|
Elevated Suicide Risk Post-Incarceration Demands a Response Rooted in 'Equity, Justice, and Human Dignity'
Study finds formerly incarcerated people had double the rate of suicide mortality compared to the general population three years after their release, with the highest risk of suicide occurring within the first two weeks of their release  Read More  09-22-2024
|
Mass Incarceration is On the Ballot
A guide to how 19 offices you may be asked to vote on can help end mass incarceration in America  Read More  09-20-2024
|
Former U.S. AG Speaks Out on Struggle Incarcerated Women Face against a System Built around Needs of Men
With the different system they face distinct parental, health and economic challenges that affect their rehabilitation.  Read More  09-19-2024
|
Fatal Peril: Unheard Stories from the IPV-To-Prison Pipeline
Many incarcerated women have histories of intimate partner violence may contribute to their criminalization  Read More  09-18-2024
|
'War on Drugs 2.0'
The California campaign to defeat Proposition 36 is hoping voters see the ballot initiative as a return to a hard line on drug enforcement  Read More  09-16-2024
|
Call for Proposals for Innovative Reentry Housing
Beginning in mid-2024, Impact Justice’s National Housing Incubator will fund a select group of organizations who are seeking to refine or scale their own reentry housing programs  Read More  09-14-2024
|
Federal District Court Rules Defendants Have a Right to an Attorney at Bail Hearings
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas found that indigent defendants have a constitutional right to counsel at the bail determination  Read More  09-13-2024
|
Lawsuit States California Illegally Withholds Money from People Released from Prison
Lawsuit claims over 1 million Californians who have served time may have been denied money owed them by law.  Read More  09-13-2024
|
A Farm in Rural North Carolina Provides a Refuge and Radical New Possibilities For Formerly Incarcerated Women
Alamance County's Benevolence Farm provides housing, job skills, and community connections to women leaving prison  Read More  09-11-2024
|
Mass Incarceration 101: Resources to Help Students and Teachers Understand the Carceral System
Prison Policy Initiative provides tools for students and teachers to use when researching the carceral system.  Read More  09-11-2024
|
Court Rules Posting Mug Shots Online Illegal
Claimant says mug shots cause "emotional distress and public humiliation...and permanently damaged business and personal reputations" especially for those who are found innocent
He filed suit on behalf of others who have found themselves in this situation. And now, with a formal court opinion, they, too, can file their claims  Read More  09-09-2024
|
The U.S. Secures the Release of 135 Political Prisoners Including American Missionaries
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's press release message on the Release of Political Prisoners in Nicaragua  Read More  09-06-2024
|
US Justice Department Settles with CT Correction Department Over Manson Youth Institution
DOJ found in 2021 the treatment of youth at Manson violated the 8th and 14th Amendments of the US Constitution, as well as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  Read More  09-05-2024
|
Women's Experiences of Abuse as a Risk Factor for Incarceration: A Research Update
This research "provides useful insight into the ways in which victimization can lead to incarceration and an estimate of the extent of victimization experiences among incarcerated populations."  Read More  09-04-2024
|
New Research Links Medical Copays to Reduced Healthcare Access in Prisons
Medical copays and fees block access to necessary healthcare  Read More  09-03-2024
|
Report: For People in Prison Every Day is (Coerced) Labor Day
The ACLU and the Global Human Rights Clinic of the University of Chicago Law School released a comprehensive report that details how American prisoners are coerced into providing labor  Read More  09-01-2024
|
Ten Ways That Mass Incarceration Is an Engine of Economic Injustice
Briefing reveals how mass incarceration further impoverishes the poorest people at every stage of the criminal legal process  Read More  08-30-2024
|
How Alabama Plans to Reduce Recidivism by Half in Six Years
Alabama commits to the Council of State Governments Reentry 2030 initiative  Read More  08-29-2024
|
New Documentary Film Sheds Light on Reentry After Incarceration
Project 180, a prisoner reentry nonprofit group that helps men and women make the difficult transition from incarceration to the community  Read More  08-28-2024
|
The High Price Of Minimum Security Federal Prisoners
The BOP states that the average cost of housing a minimum security prisoner in 2024 is $151.02 per day  Read More  08-27-2024
|
Louisiana's Billion-Dollar "Zombie Policies" Set to Double Its Prison Population
Louisiana a world leader in incarceration, will harm public safety with new policies  Read More  08-25-2024
|
A Free Ride Home, a Meal of Your Choice, and a Cellphone: Helping Newly Freed People Transition Out of Prison
Participants in the Anti-Recidivism Coalition support and career programs have a less than 10% recidivism rate  Read More  08-23-2024
|
Map Shows What States Have the Most Prisons
Levels of incarceration vary greatly across the U.S., as seenon a map created by Newsweek.  Read More  08-22-2024
|
Five Takeaways from AP's Reporting on Pell Grants for Incarcerated Individuals Who are Receiving College Degrees
Finding a job is difficult for formerly incarcerated people. Having a college degree can boost their chances.  Read More  08-21-2024
|
A Model for Jail-Based Voting
Denver's Confined Voter Program has boosted voter engagement in jails  Read More  08-20-2024
|
NIJ: Five Things about Reentry
Number Four: Community supervision works best when it includes robust support functions  Read More  08-18-2024
|
'Deliberate Indifference': Court Rulings Challenge Extreme Heat Conditions in Prisons
Working in sweltering heat outdoors in prison fields or being kept in cells with temperatures of 107-108 degrees without air condition "poses serious health risks"  Read More  08-16-2024
|
One Outsourced Private Medical Company is Accused of Causing the Deaths of 50 Incarcerated People
Turn Key Health Clinics has quickly expanded to jails in 10 states. Some of its policies and practices have endangered patients.  Read More  08-15-2024
|
Youth Justice by the Numbers
On a typical day, 74 out of 100,000 youth nationwide are held in juvenile facilities, pre- and post-adjudication,  Read More  08-14-2024
|
Cheap Jail and Prison Food Is Making People Sick. It Doesn’t Have To.
Most states spend less than three dollars per person per day on prison food services.  Read More  08-13-2024
|
Free From Prison But Haunted by Post Incarceration Syndrome (PICS)
PICS is not recognized as a psychiatric disorder to the detriment of people experiencing it  Read More  08-10-2024
|
Spotlight on Juvenile Justice Trends
JJIE offers a look at the latest reform trends concerning justice involved youth  Read More  08-09-2024
|
New Report Still Cruel and Unusual: Extreme Sentences for Youth and Emerging Adults
In 2020, over 8,600 people were serving either life with the possibility of parole (LWP) or "virtual" life sentences of 50 years or longer for crimes committed as minors  Read More  08-08-2024
|
Research Finds Even One Day in Jail Causes Immediate and Long-lasting Harm
What is pretrial detention's role in destructive cycles of arrest and incarceration?  Read More  08-07-2024
|
Podcast: Transforming Corrections, The Role of Data-Driven Strategies and the Human Element in Rehabilitation
"Shifting focus from solely punishing to actively preparing inmates for life outside can alter the typical outcomes of incarceration."  Read More  08-06-2024
|
The Pernicious Consequences of Building a Prison on Toxic Land
Half of U.S. prisons draw water from sources likely contaminated with toxic "forever chemicals" linked to cancer, kidney disease, and other serious health issues  Read More  08-05-2024
|
Formerly Incarcerated Women Create Felony Girls to Break Down Barriers and Support Formerly Incarcerated Women
The Starting Life After Prison (S.L.A. P.) is just one of the supportive programs Felony Girls provide  Read More  08-02-2024
|
A Review of Research on Modern Homelessness in America and the Role of Incarceration Within This Unethical Cycle
Shelters and Streets: The Struggle of Survival Amidst America's Homelessness Crisis  Read More  08-01-2024
|
New Resource: Action Guide to Promote Equity in Health and Opportunity for Justice-Impacted Individuals
Legal Action Center (LAC) lists actions to take on a variety of issues impacting justice-impacted individuals  Read More  07-31-2024
|
2030 Census Advisory Committee Flags Prison Gerrymandering Issues for the Census Bureau
2030 Census Advisory Committee's meeting ended in recommendations that future agenda include discussions of the Census Bureau’s approach to counting incarcerated people in the 2030 Census  Read More  07-30-2024
|
Four Takeaways from a New Report on the Status of U.S. Jails
Older individuals represented the largest increase of people held  Read More  07-28-2024
|
A Guide to Improve Your Criminal Justice Reporting
The Marshall Project provides guidance on key issues for those who cover the criminal legal system  Read More  07-26-2024
|
New Report Offers Comprehensive Facts on the Status of Incarcerated Women and Girls
The female incarcerated population is almost seven times higher than in 1980  Read More  07-25-2024
|
"Plant-Centered Culinary Skills" Aims to Reimagine Prison Food
Training to provide healthier food will be taught in multiple correctional facilities in NYC  Read More  07-24-2024
|
Forty-seven Years in Prison. Released at 70. Now What?
Most reentry programs expect that a client is able to work and fend for themselves after release from incarceration, but it's not that easy for the elderly  Read More  07-23-2024
|
RFP Reshaping Prosecution, Motion for Justice: Expanding Equitable Access to Diversion
Training, support, and quantitative and qualitative data analysis for prosecutor offices that partner with a community-based organization will be provided at no cost to prosecutor's office  Read More  07-20-2024
|
A "Massive Victory": FCC Votes to Slash Prison and Jail Calling Rates and Ban Corporate Kickbacks
New rules, the result of the bipartisan passage of the Martha Wright-Reed Fair and Just Communications Act  Read More  07-19-2024
|
Think Trans Women Who Win a Transfer to a Women's Prison are Safe? Think Again
Survey finds "... trans people behind bars are over five times more likely to be sexually assaulted by staff and over nine times more likely to be assaulted by other incarcerated people"  Read More  07-18-2024
|
Why Incarcerated Women Don't Have Equal Access to College
Vera Institute of Justice found in over half of all states, men's prisons offer more access to Pell Grant-eligible courses than women's prisons do  Read More  07-17-2024
|
VADOC Launches Mobile Welding Trailer Providing Training Opportunities for Incarcerated Individuals and Those on Probation
The mobile welding trailer will provide a three to five month training program  Read More  07-15-2024
|
Women's Justice: A Preliminary Assessment of Women in the Criminal Justice System
Report gives special attention to women's risk factors for criminal offending and their distinct challenges throughout all stages of the system  Read More  07-14-2024
|
Study: How Sibling Contact with Criminal Justice System Harms Children and Families
NCJA finds "a sibling's criminal legal system contact can disrupt home life for siblings and families alike, highlighting yet another way that mass criminalization may imperil families and children"  Read More  07-14-2024
|
A Case For Carceral Reform EMERGES On The Stage
Documentary features formerly incarcerated individuals hoping to open up minds about the need for carceral reform  Read More  07-12-2024
|
Report: Media Guide 10 Crime Coverage Dos and Don'ts Updated
The Sentencing Project's new media guide helps newsrooms and journalists to cover crime accurately  Read More  07-12-2024
|
The Federal Prison Oversight Act, Seeks President Biden's Signature
All 122 federal prisons will require a risk-based inspection by the DOJ Inspector General  Read More  07-11-2024
|
Up-to-Date Legal Resource Data Base for Incarcerated People
Find law firms and organizations that provide free legal assistance to incarcerated people on civil (non-criminal) issues  Read More  07-06-2024
|
County Launches Supplemental Income Pilot Program for Individuals Reentering the Community
Supplemental Income Pilot Program differs from similar program already in place  Read More  07-05-2024
|
New Report Highlights the Real Cost of Juvenile Incarceration
Youth detention costs on average $214,620 per youth per year but that is just the financial cost  Read More  07-03-2024
|
Why We Shouldn't Call Trump a "Criminal"
Dehumanizing language stigmatizes people with felony convictions who lack Trump's money and fame  Read More  07-03-2024
|
All of the Above: How Prosecutors Can Help End Mass Incarceration
"Prosecutors alone won't end mass incarceration. But their interventions can mean the world to people staring down the many harms of criminalization  Read More  07-01-2024
|
Where Parole and Probation Travel Restrictions Make Abortion Even More Oppressive for Women on Supervision
Where does your state stand on these restrictions?  Read More  06-29-2024
|
Incarcerated Teens Write Obituaries for "Forgotten" People Buried with a Number, Not a Name
Researching documents, the teens were able to identify 630 names  Read More  06-27-2024
|
Nebraska Enacts Landmark Law to Steer Troubled Veterans Away from Incarceration and into Treatment
The state is the first in the nation to adopt a policy framework from the Veterans Justice Commission, a CCJ panel led by 2 former U.S. Defense Secretaries  Read More  06-26-2024
|
New: Roadmap to Improve Nation's Crime Data
National crime data still fall short of what we need to sufficiently inform policy, practice, and political dialogue  Read More  06-25-2024
|
Research Finds the Fair Chance Act is Too Often Ignored by Employers
Aversion to hiring justice involved people is just one they are denied employment  Read More  06-23-2024
|
Letters One Justice Center Receives Provide a Raw View of What It's Like to Be Incarcerated
Letters also shine a light on areas of the carceral system that should be investigated  Read More  06-23-2024
|
With Temperatures Rising to Triple Digits, Incarcerated People in Prison and Prison Staff Are Facing Serious Heat Related Mental and Physical Health Issues
Heat stroke, an increase in violence, drinking water out of toilet bowls to stay hydrated are just some of the issues linked to the lack of air conditioning  Read More  06-20-2024
|
Golfers Raise $43,000 for Project That Aids the Release and Reentry of Those Incarcerated for Non-Violent Cannabis-Related Offenses
The Last Prisoner Project aims to reform America's criminal legal system via progressive drug policies  Read More  06-18-2024
|
How Prisons are Developing Community with Staff and People Who Live There
Restoring Promise initiative operates in six states across the country  Read More  06-16-2024
|
"A Slippery Slope": Will More Parents be Charged for Crimes Their Children Committed?
Prosecutorial digression plays a big part in which parents will be sentenced, and which will not  Read More  06-14-2024
|
New Research Brief "Incarceration and Crime: A Weak Relationship"
46 states have Reduced Incarceration and crime levels  Read More  06-13-2024
|
Jails Report Series: Preliminary Data Release (2023)
The BJS Statistics report includes "the number of inmates held in local jails, by inmate demographics and conviction status"  Read More  06-12-2024
|
ICE Says Immigrant Detention is "Non-Punitive." The Evidence Tells a Different Story.
Research shows immigrant detention facilities are rife with human rights violations  Read More  06-11-2024
|
Reimagining the Justice System to Support Smoother Reentry for Formerly Incarcerated People
The Brennan Center and a panel of experts and advocates discussed ways to provide the formerly incarcerated with opportunities for a fresh start  Read More  06-08-2024
|
Six Facts about the Mass Incarceration of LGBTQ+ People
One in six trans people have been incarcerated at some point,  Read More  06-07-2024
|
Judge Orders Arizona Department of Corrections to Fill Correction Officers Positions in Two of the States Prisons
After pilot program Arizona DOC will be required to fill remaining vacancies  Read More  06-06-2024
|
12 People with Criminal Convictions Weigh in on What They Think of the Verdict in Trump's Trial
An array of opinions displays a divide among incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals  Read More  06-05-2024
|
Utah Working Group Aims to Produce "Tangible Results" in Lowering Recidivism
61% of people released incarceration in 2023 returned to prison due to a parole violation  Read More  06-04-2024
|
Deputy's Idea to Save Ducks Evolves into a Criminal Justice Reform Program
incarcerated men find working with animals such as an ostrich, a lemur, fox, skunk kinkajou, barnyard animals and more to be therapeutic  Read More  06-02-2024
|
Survivors of Prison Staff Abuse Say Transfer to New Facilities Hasn’t Ended Harm
When FCI Dublin closed, people were transferred to a dozen prisons where they face ongoing mistreatment and retaliation.  Read More  05-30-2024
|
Hospital Without Psychiatic Ward Sends Some Needing Mental Health Help to Jail
Chief medical officer stated that he has no concerns about the practice  Read More  05-29-2024
|
'Unconventional College Students': How 12 Incarcerated Maximum-Security Individuals in CT. Earned College Degrees
In addition to providing a pathway to a degree, the program extends beyond the classroom to assist incarcerated students in reentry, through partnerships with community organizations  Read More  05-28-2024
|
Former Jail Programs Director Wants the Public to Understand the Value of Jail Programs
Author of article "would like to offer some commonsense advice about jail programs"  Read More  05-26-2024
|
Minnesota Governor Ends Prison Gerrymandering in the State
Prison Policy Imitative asks "‘Will the Census Bureau listen to the growing consensus on this issue, or will it cling to its outdated and misguided way of counting people in prisons and jails in 2030?"  Read More  05-24-2024
|
Pregnancy, Parenting, And Prison: The Dire Need for Reform In the Post-Dobbs Era
Four percent of women are pregnant upon admission to state prisons, and 58 percent of women in jails are mothers.  Read More  05-24-2024
|
Updated Report on Mass Incarceration Trends
Report highlights the growth in state and federal prison populations since the early 1970s, and its far reaching effect on families, communities, and society as a whole.  Read More  05-22-2024
|
HUD Targets Public Housing Discrimination Against Formerly Incarcerated People
For decades, tenants with criminal records have been restricted from accessing public housing. This may soon change.  Read More  05-21-2024
|
Data on Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes from Prisons and Jails: Results from a Feasibility Study
Report includes "the challenges of collecting data on the health and health care of pregnant women in custody at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels."  Read More  05-18-2024
|
Must Read Investigation: Incarcerated Workers Are Being Assigned Jobs That are Deadly or the Cause of Serious Injuries
"In many states, prisoners are denied everything from disability benefits to protections guaranteed by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration or state agencies that ensure safe conditions for laborers"  Read More  05-17-2024
|
The Move to Transfer an Empty Prison into a Shelter for the Unhoused
Will other states follow this idea?  Read More  05-16-2024
|
The Second Look Movement: A Review of the Nation’s Sentence Review Laws
The report provides an overview of the second look laws passed by 12 state legislatures that provide judicial sentence review hearings beyond opportunities provided to those with JLWOP sentences  Read More  05-15-2024
|
Report: Freedom and Justice: Ending the Incarceration of Girls and Gender-Expansive Youth in California
The report offers policymakers, funders, advocates, and communities the data and evidence they need to understand the scope of girls’ incarceration in California.  Read More  05-14-2024
|
How Profit Shapes the Bail Bond System
The for-profit bail bond industry is an overlooked but significant factor in pushback against attempts to reform or end the cash bail system.  Read More  05-13-2024
|
A Rare Bright Spot for a Canine Lover Doing Time: Raising Puppies to Become Service Dogs
Adam Roberts reflects on the highs and occasional lows of training Labrador retrievers for the Puppies Behind Bars program  Read More  05-10-2024
|
New Report Exposes How "Inmate Welfare Funds" in at Least 49 prison Systems Use Families' Money to Pad Prison Budgets
Prisons and jails have misused money in "Inmate Welfare Funds" to pay for bounce houses, ham gift cards, and even shooting range memberships.  Read More  05-09-2024
|
Why Are More and More Older People Spending Their Dying Years Behind Bars?
Vox: America’s prison system is turning into a de facto nursing home  Read More  05-08-2024
|
"To Be Free Is to Free Others": Formerly Incarcerated Women Urge Decarceration
The fight to free women and end mass incarceration is long and ongoing, but these activists aren’t giving up.  Read More  05-07-2024
|
Pilot Program to Provide Housing and Case Management to Men and Women Leaving Prison
Program is touted as a "coordinated, holistic approach" to reentry  Read More  05-04-2024
|
Opinion: The Slow Death of a Prison Profiter, How Activism Brought Securus to the Brink
Securus is on the brink of bankruptcy with a $1.3 billion dollar of dept  Read More  05-04-2024
|
Apprenticeship Programs Viewed as a Way to Reduce Recidivism among System Involved Youth
Statistics reveal that 55 percent of youth who were incarcerated are rearrested within one year of release  Read More  05-02-2024
|
Launched: Yale Recovery Finance Project, Multi-Year Reentry Program
Project will provide one-on-one financial coaching, peer support, and other interventions for individuals returning from incarceration with mental health or substance use challenges  Read More  05-01-2024
|
Approximately 3000 People Released from North Carolina Prisons in 2023 Were Homeless
Governor Roy Cooper put in place a reentry plan to cut that number in half by 2030  Read More  04-30-2024
|
What It's Like to be Trans in Prison
Members of the trans community tell their stories about being incarcerated  Read More  04-28-2024
|
Punishment Beyond Prisons 2023: Incarceration and Supervision by State
PPI report illustrates how each state rates in probation and parole, and gives a clearer picture of how it relies on punishment  Read More  04-25-2024
|
Transforming Corrections: The Role of Data-Driven Strategies and the Human Element in Rehabilitation
Exploring how technology and personalized coaching methods can revamp corrections systems, reduce recidivism, and improve safety for correctional officers and inmates alike  Read More  04-25-2024
|
How Communities Can Reduce Sexual Violence in Prison
Having survivor community services inside of institutions shows survivors that the community is still invested in them  Read More  04-24-2024
|
'Consequences of War'–Veterans Incarcerated at Higher Rates and Face Longer Sentences
Veterans are now twice as likely as nonveterans to face incarceration  Read More  04-23-2024
|
New Data and Visualizations Spotlight States' Reliance on Excessive Jailing
Report explains what exactly is driving jail growth and offers recommendations on solutions on how to stop it from increasing  Read More  04-21-2024
|
Eight Ways to Support Formerly Incarcerated Citizens Reentering Society
Society and business practices can play a part in helping formally incarcerated individuals succeed in reentering their community  Read More  04-20-2024
|
Protect and Redirect: America's Growing Movement to Divert Youth Out of the Justice System
The Sentencing Project offers four new issue briefs which offer critical lessons and highlight innovative efforts by state and local justice systems to address four critical challenges  Read More  04-19-2024
|
Locked In, Priced Out: How Prison Commissary Price-Gouging Preys on the Incarcerated
investigation find prison commissary prices up to five times higher than community prices with some markups as high as 600 percent  Read More  04-18-2024
|
ICYMI: Understanding Men, Trauma, and Cycles of Violence
Experiencing or witnessing violence in childhood contributes to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) which often leads to incarceration or sometimes suicide  Read More  04-17-2024
|
Bureau of Prisons to Close Women's Prison in California Due to Scandalous History of Sexual Abuse
Incarcerated women fear they will be transferred to prisons far away from family and support systems  Read More  04-16-2024
|
Many States Don't Educate People Sentenced to Life. Now Some are Coming Home
Thousands of people who thought they'd die behind bars are now getting out without an education  Read More  04-13-2024
|
New Report: Analyzing State Sentencing Reforms and Racial Disparities in Selected State Prison Populations
CCJ brief "examines whether and how sentencing law changes affected imprisonment disparities in 12 states"  Read More  04-12-2024
|
Digging Deeper into the Dark Web of Prison Profiteering
Worth Rises offers The Prison Industry Corporate Data Base  Read More  04-11-2024
|
Building the Table: A Right to Quality and Continuous Health Care for People Incarcerated and Returning from Incarceration
People released from prison are 12 times more likely to die than others  Read More  04-10-2024
|
Mental and Physical Health Morbidity among People in Prisons: an Umbrella Review
"People in prisons have a specific pattern of morbidity that represents an opportunity for public health to address."  Read More  04-09-2024
|
How The Criminal Legal System Coerces People into Pleading Guilty
Plea agreements are a dangerous yet pervasive cornerstone of the U.S. criminal legal system  Read More  04-08-2024
|
How Texas' Cash Bail System and Under-Resourced Jails Can Wreak Havoc on Women Who are Poor
In Texas, money can make a difference in how much time people who are legally presumed innocent sit behind bars awaiting the outcome of criminal cases  Read More  04-08-2024
|
Medicaid's New Role in Advancing Reentry: Key Policy Changes
Fact sheet summarizes recent changes that are taking effect.  Read More  04-08-2024
|
One Man's Account of Grieving in Prison
Experiencing the death of a loved one while in prison brings a range of emotions, especially when you can't say your final goodbye  Read More  04-08-2024
|
US Prisons Are Not "Equipped or Designed" for the Growing Population of Elderly People
Report reveals the number of incarcerated individuals 55 or older are nearly five times what it was thirty years ago  Read More  04-07-2024
|
Why Inclusive Criminal Justice Research Matters
Engaging with impacted community leaders can help contextualize data and drive solutions  Read More  04-02-2024
|
Research Spotlight: PrisonOversight.Org Equips the Fight for Accountability in Jails and Prisons
Acording to Prison Oversight's map 19 states and the District of Columbia have an external, independent prison oversight body, while 31 states do not.  Read More  03-31-2024
|
Unique Jail Workforce Training Instructs Individuals How to Become Beekeepers
Participants who complete the program are eligible to obtain a beekeepers apprentice certificate from the University of Florida  Read More  03-29-2024
|
For the Curious or Anyone Who Has Never Been Incarcerated: What a Day in Prison is Really Like
Life in prison is harsh, traumatizing, and isolating for the people forced to endure it  Read More  03-28-2024
|
Even Where Abortion Is Legal, People in Jail Face Huge Barriers
New reviews of jail policies in 13 states found vague, confusing or nonexistent guidelines and major hurdles to obtaining an abortion  Read More  03-27-2024
|
Five Reasons the U.S. Has the Highest Recidivism Rate
Article details how the justice system's foundation sets up justice-involved individuals to fail  Read More  03-26-2024
|
Protect and Redirect: America’s Growing Movement to Divert Youth Out of the Justice System
Jurisdictions across the country are advancing reforms to expand and improve diversion  Read More  03-24-2024
|
Overcoming the Housing Crisis Facing Returning Citizens
"Being houseless has broad implications on a person’s transition from incarceration to their community"  Read More  03-22-2024
|
How One Non-Profit is Helping Reentrants with Transportation
Ride 2 Work will provide e-bikes will provide e-bikes to travel to jobs, "appointments, and other places"  Read More  03-22-2024
|
Reentry and the Social Compact. "Becoming Free is a Process of Social Integration."
Talk of "second chances" is endemic, but many people never got a first one.  Read More  03-19-2024
|
Georgetown Prisons and Justice Initiative to Receive $963,000 Through Government Funding
Funding will be used for reentry, prison education, and workforce development   Read More  03-16-2024
|
New State Bill Seeks to Prohibit Colleges and Universities from Requiring Potential Students from Disclosing Their School Disciplinary History
Studies show that Black and Hispanic students are more likely to be suspended or expelled than white students  Read More  03-15-2024
|
Tenth-Anniversary Edition of The Whole Pie Report Provides the Big Picture of Mass Incarceration — and Busts 10 of the Most Persistent Myths about Prisons, Jails, and Crime
New report shows prison and jail populations rebounding after the pandemic and warns of the return of so-called "tough-on-crime "laws  Read More  03-15-2024
|
He’s in an Ohio Prison for Exposing Someone to HIV - Even Though He Couldn't Transmit the Virus
Ohio has six laws that criminalize living with HIV, leading to at least 200 prosecutions in recent years  Read More  03-13-2024
|
Second Warden of Problematic Federal Women's Prison Fired
Government claims warden retaliated against an incarcerated woman who testified in a lawsuit against the prison  Read More  03-12-2024
|
New Report, Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2024
Report shows the unique and troubling role that jails play in women’s incarceration.  Read More  03-10-2024
|
Is Early Release for Some a New Approach to Rehabilitation?
Groundbreaking initiatives are merging early release with education for prisoners, aiming for successful societal reintegration and reduced recidivism  Read More  03-09-2024
|
What Are Clemency Voters?
The National Council For Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls demand commitments from politicians running for office that they will support clemency  Read More  03-07-2024
|
Over 60 Prosecutors from Across the U.S to Visit Prisons in Their Localities
Visits will allow prosecutors to witness "the often deeply disturbing realities of incarceration"  Read More  03-06-2024
|
New Report Scrutinizes Private Prisons in the U.S.
Political influence plays a part in the growth of private prisons  Read More  03-05-2024
|
Keeping Service Members Transitioning into the Community Out of the Criminal Legal System
More than 25 percent of all veterans have difficulty transitioning from military to civilian life  Read More  03-02-2024
|
Are Prisons "Food Deserts"?
Three dollars a day to feed each incarcerated person does not allow a healthy diet  Read More  03-01-2024
|
A Closer Look at How Many Women and Men Were Released from Prison Last Year
Using data from 2019, Prison Policy Initiative "drilled down" into the most recent data available to come up with the numbers  Read More  02-29-2024
|
How One State is Tackling the High Recidivism Rate in Its Rural Counties
Successful reentry is more difficult when resources are miles away  Read More  02-28-2024
|
Recommendations to Improve Correctional Policy and Practices Relating to Incarcerated Trans People
In their own words incarcerated Trans people shed light on their daily lives in prison  Read More  02-27-2024
|
County Receives Nearly $5 Million to Give a Boost to Transitional Employment for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
Temporary employment gives individuals a chance to learn new skills to join the workforce  Read More  02-25-2024
|
Prison Ministry's Reentry Program Successful in Reducing Recidivism Rate
Program has a 4 percent recidivism rate compared to a fifty percent national rate  Read More  02-23-2024
|
Reentry Centers Ask: Where is the Money from Prison Closures?
Organizations helping run the locations for people released from prison warned that without state funding, the centers "won't survive"  Read More  02-22-2024
|
Cautionary Jails: Deconstructing the Three "C"s of Jail Construction Arguments
Building a new jail can lead to "buyers remorse"  Read More  02-21-2024
|
Prison System Works to Combat Health Care Coverage Gap by Enrolling People in Medicaid before Release
Effort is a win-win situation for prisons and people reentering their community.  Read More  02-20-2024
|
A History of Holding Parents Responsible for Their Child's Crime
Efforts to hold parents accountable for their children’s behaviors go back to the early 1900s  Read More  02-18-2024
|
"How Mandatory Minimums Perpetuate Mass Incarceration and What to Do About It"
Eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing laws is essential to creating a more just and equitable criminal justice system.  Read More  02-16-2024
|
The Problem with Criminal Records: Discrepancies Between State Reports and Private-Sector Background Checks
Study shows private-sector background checks are laden with false-positive and false-negative errors  Read More  02-15-2024
|
What You Can Do to Make a Campuses More Welcome to Justice Involved Students
Five actions you can take to advocate for a more inclusive, equitable campus  Read More  02-14-2024
|
"Somebody's Child", A New Project Brings Families to Federal Death Row
"The Death Row Visitation Project was an attempt to make something good out of something horrific."  Read More  02-13-2024
|
A Proposal to Reduce Unnecessary Incarceration
Report introducing the Public Safety and Prison Reduction Act  Read More  02-10-2024
|
Chicago Program Aids Formerly Incarcerated Individuals in Rebuilding Their Lives
Helping Others Obtain Destiny (H.O.O.D) provides essential skills to better aid in achieving a successful reentry  Read More  02-10-2024
|
"Endless Nightmare": Torture and Inhuman Treatment in Solitary Confinement in U.S. Immigration Detention
Report cites President Biden for failing to keep his campaign promise to end solitary confinement as "the recent trend under the current administration reflects an increase in frequency and duration."  Read More  02-08-2024
|
How Research Can Improve Disability Access in the Legal System
New report and expert panel demonstrate the need to focus research and implementation on people with lived experiences  Read More  02-07-2024
|
A Must Read: Prisoners in the U.S. Are Part of a Hidden Workforce Linked to Hundreds of Popular Food Brands
AP investigation into prison labor tied hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of agricultural products to goods sold on the open market  Read More  02-06-2024
|
Data on Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes from Prisons and Jails: Results from a Feasibility Study
Through various data collections, BJS has historically collected basic information on maternal health on an ad-hoc basis,  Read More  02-03-2024
|
Vera Institute of Justice Issues Report on the Growth of Electronic Monitoring in the United States
The number of people on electronic monitoring grew almost tenfold between 2005 and 2022 despite the costs and harms that surround it  Read More  02-03-2024
|
Responding to Crimes of a Sexual Nature: What We Really Want Is No More Victims
Research brief examines misconceptions around crimes of a sexual nature (CSN) that contribute to the rise in imprisonment rates and the lengthening of sentences  Read More  02-02-2024
|
Recommendations for Transforming California's Infamous San Quentin Prison
A new state report's innovative recommendations reimagine the facility as one focused on rehabilitation, not just punishment  Read More  01-31-2024
|
Why States Should Ban "Crime Free" Housing
Study show "crime free: housing violates civil rights and doesn't reduce crime  Read More  01-30-2024
|
Dignity Principles: A Guide to Ensure the Humane Treatment of People in U.S. Carceral Settings
Links to numerous resources from organizations working to make prisons more humane provided  Read More  01-27-2024
|
Right on Crime Asks Oklahoma's Pardon and Parole Board to Consider Conservative Principles of Justice, Fairness, and Community Well-being
National conservative criminal justice campaign assert changes pose unwarranted restrictions  Read More  01-26-2024
|
Zombie Politics: The Return of Failed Criminal Legal System Policies
Briefing proposes the best arguments states can use to fight tough-on-crime laws before attempts are made in their states  Read More  01-25-2024
|
The Long and Unequal Burden of Criminal Justice Debt
Compared with civil debts, criminal are subject to longer enforcement periods in 68% percent of states  Read More  01-25-2024
|
Fear of Flying: Trans People in Utah Could Face 6 Months in Jail for Bathroom Use Under New Bill
What does that mean for trans people catching connecting flights at Utah's airports?  Read More  01-23-2024
|
Is It Prison Overcrowding or Understaffing That Causes Chaos?
The Board of Parole can grant more paroles to help stem overcrowding and understaffing  Read More  01-22-2024
|
The Council on Criminal Justice Annual Report
CCJ 0ffer reports on trends in ten major crimes  Read More  01-22-2024
|
An Incarcerated Woman Exposes the Consequences of Food Insecurity in Prison
Some officers leave half eaten food for prison workers in recognition of the small portions and substandard food they are allotted.  Read More  01-18-2024
|
New Report: "How Mass Incarceration Deepens Inequality and Harms Public Safety."
The report the final installment in the “One in Five” series, examines numerous criminal legal laws and policies – such as fines, fees, predatory pricing, exploitative wages, collateral consequences  Read More  01-17-2024
|
Should Video Visits for Families of People in Jail and Prison Be Free?
Video visits connect people in prison with their loved ones, but there are draw backs  Read More  01-16-2024
|
How Bad is the Shortage of Prison Staff Workers?
Staffing shortages take a toll on the workers and incarcerated individuals alike  Read More  01-13-2024
|
What Percentage of Adults with Mental Illness is on Probation?
A lack of resources contributes to people with a mental health illness being put on probation, rather than obtaining the help that they need,   Read More  01-12-2024
|
Check out Employment Opportunities, $50,00 Purpose Prize Award, Policy and Culture Pilot Project Site Sought
Don't miss the deadlines to respond  Read More  01-11-2024
|
Correctional Industries: How Governments Exploit Prison Labor to Subsidize Their Budgets
For over a century states have used the Thirteenth Amendment's exception clause to implement slavery and involuntary servitude as criminal punishment  Read More  01-10-2024
|
Force Multipliers: How the Criminal legal and Child Welfare Systems Cooperate to Punish Families
Report: "Child welfare investigations bring parents and children in closer contact with the criminal legal system"  Read More  01-09-2024
|
The Federal Prison System Faces Several Crisis Situations in 2024
Program facing cuts will cause overcrowding. A $2 billion backlog for maintenance and repairs, as well as short staffing are some of the problems cited  Read More  01-07-2024
|
Eight Ways YOU Can Advance Justice Reform This Year
"Every person can play a part in ending mass incarceration"  Read More  01-05-2024
|
Lawsuit Accuses Major Fast Food Restaurants in One Stat Depend on "Prison Slavery"
A federal lawsuit claims in Alabama is guilty of a "labor trafficking scheme"  Read More  01-05-2024
|
Opinion: Trauma-Informed 'Hubs' Reduce Chicago Youth Incarceration
Hubs include mental health and behavioral therapies, information-packed tours to
places including a Black History Museum and academic and vocational classrooms and workshops at Chicago State University and the City Colleges of Chicago  Read More  01-03-2024
|
Public Comments Requested on Proposed New Collection: National Prisoner Statistics Program: Maternal Health Supplement
BJS encourages comments for 60 days through January 22, 2024, on the National Prisoner Statistics program: Maternal Health Supplement  Read More  01-02-2024
|
Georgetown Detention Center's Boat-Building Program Aids Incarcerated Men in Reintegration
Incarcerated individuals learn valuable skills, even if they don't go into the boat building business  Read More  12-31-2023
|
Not a Luxury: How Technology Can Protect Inmate Mental Health
Corrections 1 declares ..."we must understand how technology can provide opportunities and instill the hope central to successful rehabilitation and reintegration"  Read More  12-31-2023
|
Fact Sheet: Justice Department Improvements to the Clemency Process
The Justice Department reports it is "committed to improving the clemency application process to make it more transparent, accessible and user-friendly"  Read More  12-29-2023
|
How Often Do People Actually Return To Prison? It's Unclear
States define recidivism differently, which can result in misleading interpretations of the statistics.  Read More  12-28-2023
|
The Innocence Project Shares 11 Best Books of 2023
"A list of powerful reads, both new and old, that will take your understanding of justice to the next level"  Read More  12-27-2023
|
ICYMI:: Updated Data and Charts: Incarceration Stats by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender for all 50 States and D.C.
PPI provides new data visualizations and updated tables show the national landscape of persistent racial disparity in state prisons and local jails.  Read More  12-26-2023
|
Top Trends in Criminal Legal Reform, 2023
Explore key changes formerly incarcerated activists, lawmakers, and advocates took to challenge mass incarceration in at least 10 states in 2023.  Read More  12-23-2023
|
2024 Is the Year to Keep Shrinking Mass Incarceration
Vera Institute: "We can continue turning the injustices of today into tomorrow's dark history."  Read More  12-22-2023
|
Federal Bureau of Prisons Celebrates Fifth Anniversary of the First Step Act
FBOP explains the positive results of the First Chance Act  Read More  12-21-2023
|
Unlocking Hidden Talent: A Handbook for Employers
"If you want to reduce crime, and you want to provide a strength to your communities a job is the best indicator for success," said Right On Crime Executive Director and former U.S. Attorney, Brett Tolman.  Read More  12-20-2023
|
The Crime Report Will Close Down Operations December 31
For 15 years The Crime Report was recognized as a premier source for news concerning the criminal legal system  Read More  12-19-2023
|
What It's Like Watching My Friends Die in Prison
Sitting with death as a hospice worker in a maximum-security prison  Read More  12-17-2023
|
Jail Inmates in 2022 – Statistical Tables
At midyear 2022, local jails held 663,100 persons in custody, 4% more than the year before  Read More  12-15-2023
|
Delegation Pushes Bureau of Prisons to Open Vermont's First Federal Prison Reentry Center
Vermont is one of two states in the country without an RRC, also known as a halfway house.  Read More  12-14-2023
|
New Fact Sheets Reveal Racial Disparities in Youth Incarceration Remain Stagnate
Despite significant drops in youth incarceration over a decade, youth of color remain vastly more likely to be incarcerated than their white peers  Read More  12-13-2023
|
Hundreds of Californians Released from Prison Could Receive $2,400 Under New State Re-Entry Program
New program is a 'game changer' and the 1st of its kind in the nation, CEO of nonprofit says  Read More  12-12-2023
|
Meet Fury Young Who Brings Music from the Inside of Prison to Those on the Outside
On Dec 16, there will be a celebration of the 10 year historic milestone of "Die Jim Crow" with the premiere of "DJCX or How We Got FREER. The event will be live streamed.  Read More  12-12-2023
|
How Chicago's Electric Monitoring Program Fail Women and Domestic Violence Survivors
Advocates say the Cook County Sheriff’s Department’s house-arrest policies trap women in unsafe situations  Read More  12-10-2023
|
One in Five: Racial Disparity in Imprisonment — Causes and Remedies
Report examines three causes of racial disparity in imprisonment and presents a series of promising reforms from over 50 jurisdictions across the country that can mitigate their impact.  Read More  12-08-2023
|
Anti-Recidivism Program Targeting Previously Incarcerated Individuals Identified to be at Higher Risk of Involvement with Firearms Lands $2M from Feds
The $2 million federal grant is aimed at expanding the PRESS (Program for Reintegration, Engagement, Safety, and Support) initiative  Read More  12-07-2023
|
ICYMI: Study Connects Early Life Trauma with Violence later in lLfe
Nearly 2 out of every 3 men surveyed (62%) experienced between 5 and 9 different adverse childhood experiences (ACES) just at home  Read More  12-06-2023
|
Juvenile Detention Fees Cripple Families Financially, Opponents Say
31 states continue to charge families for the costs of managing their children behind bars  Read More  12-05-2023
|
Homecoming Project Matches People Returning from Prison to Temporary Homes with Hosts
Five years in, none of the participants have gone back to prison. And hosts are paid by the program.  Read More  12-02-2023
|
Winnable Criminal Justice Reforms in 2024
Guide is designed to facilitate the sharing of ideas and information across states.  Read More  12-01-2023
|
High Fees, Long Waits Cast Shadow Over New Criminal Expungement Laws
One state is facing a backlog of approximately 46,000 expungement applications, and has fallen up to two years behind in processing  Read More  11-30-2023
|
In Washington State, Prison Closure Divides Abolitionist Community
"The prison may have closed, but for me, shackled in the back of the transport, removed from my support networks, advocacy community, platform, and education, this did not feel like abolition."  Read More  11-29-2023
|
Norwegian Prison Model Comes to a Missouri Prison. What Does the Warden Think about That?
Some Missouri incarcerated run their own corner of the prison  Read More  11-28-2023
|
Sweet Potatoes Magee: Thanksgiving in Prison with a Service Dog in Training
A writer gives thanks for the community that has helped him endure incarceration.  Read More  11-25-2023
|
The Collaborative Courtroom: A Proposal
The fact that the defense is always seeking the "best" for the accused does not mean that the prosecution must always be seeking the “worst."  Read More  11-25-2023
|
Why Isn't Philanthropy Doing More to End Solitary Confinement?
A movement to end solitary confinement is gaining momentum, but criminal justice donors feel their money is better spent elsewhere. That’s a mistake.  Read More  11-22-2023
|
Report, System Reforms to Reduce Youth Incarceration: Why We Must Explore Every Option Before Removing Any Young Person from Home
New report highlights reforms that states and local youth justice systems can and should adopt to combat the overuse of incarceration and maximize the success of youth who are placed in alternative-to-incarceration program  Read More  11-21-2023
|
A New Home for Formerly Incarcerated Women Opens in Madison WI
Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing (EXPO) and A New Way of Life joined forces to make this home possible.  Read More  11-19-2023
|
A New Warden Was Hired to End Abuse at a Federal Prison. His Own Officers Bribed Incarcerated Individuals to Attack Him
14 people incarcerated in one of the highest security federal prisons signed a letter with an urgent warning for prison officials: Several corrections officers were trying to bribe prisoners to attack the warden and one of his captains.  Read More  11-17-2023
|
New Study Finds Why Jail Deaths are Often So High
Study suggests that ongoing initiatives geared at reducing incarceration – and by extension, jail turnover – could help save lives  Read More  11-16-2023
|
Guilty by Association: When Parole and Probation Rules Disrupt Support Systems
Requiring people on supervision to avoid others with criminal legal system contact can actually hinder their success in the community  Read More  11-15-2023
|
How Education Creates a Pathway for Formerly Incarcerated People’s Reintegration
Supporting directly impacted students through the college application process is the key to ensure equitable access to higher education.  Read More  11-14-2023
|
Making the Grade: New Report Grades States on Their 2020 Redistricting Processes — Including Whether They Ended Prison Gerrymandering
Report highlights growing bipartisan support for counting incarcerated people in their home communities.  Read More  11-11-2023
|
Veterans in Prison: New Report Looks at Ways to Improve Incarceration and Reentry in Florida
Florida Policy Project outlines recommendations  Read More  11-10-2023
|
Pilot Walking the Last Mile Reentry Program Aims to Help Incarcerated People Gain Skills and Resources Necessary for a Successful Reentry
"By investing in rehabilitation and removing barriers to employment, we are creating opportunities for successful reentry,” says Georgia Commissioner of Labor  Read More  11-09-2023
|
Elections are Warped by Prison Gerrymandering Year After Year
How lawmakers miscount incarcerated people on the census and distort ballots  Read More  11-08-2023
|
Exploring Racial Disparities in Arrests among Native Americans in Flagstaff, Arizona
Native Americans were arrested at nearly 12 times the rate of white people, most often for misdemeanor "quality-of-life crimes"  Read More  11-07-2023
|
Must-Read: The Scandal That Never Happened. It Begins With a Suicide Note from a High Level Court Employee
This is the story of a horrendous injustice and the three people who tried to expose it.  Read More  11-05-2023
|
Children of Incarcerated People Are Being Denied the Right to Parental Care
Child separation policy — routinely, legally, and methodically — is commonly imposed upon incarcerated people in the US.  Read More  11-03-2023
|
On Resilience: Being Convicted of a Sex Crime Can Extend Restrictions Until Death
For some, having your life constrained and restricted, even after your sentence is over, has become a fact of life  Read More  11-02-2023
|
One in Five. Disparities in Crime and Policing
The Sentencing Project releases the second installment of the "One in Five" series.  Read More  11-02-2023
|
Not an Alternative: The Myths, Harms, and Expansion of Pretrial Electronic Monitoring
The expansion of pretrial electronic monitoring across 70 counties threatens to undermine Illinois’ groundbreaking Pretrial Fairness Act, despite both the lack of evidence of EM's efficacy and its well-documented flaws and harms.  Read More  10-31-2023
|
Why Punishing People in Jail and Prison Isn't Working
States spend billions of dollars each year on corrections. Imagine if these resources were redirected to jobs, education, health care, and other solutions that help people lead safe and healthy lives.  Read More  10-29-2023
|
Ten Statistics About the Scale and Impact of Mass Incarceration in the U.S.
A curated list of some of the most useful statistics to help the public comprehend the magnitude of criminalization in the U.S.  Read More  10-27-2023
|
$6.5 Million'Pathways to Hope' Grant to Support Women in Aliceville Federal Prison
"$6.5 million grant is designed to give women in the prison training and education for a successful reentry into the community and be successful in their future full-time jobs.”  Read More  10-26-2023
|
The Path Out of 'Post-Conviction Poverty'
Ingrid Archie is the Organizing Director for TimeDone speaks on the importance of expungement  Read More  10-25-2023
|
Using Formerly Incarcerated Individuals to Help People Who Were Just Released from County Jails Cuts Recidivism
During the first year in the program, about 72% of participants were not re-arrested or incarcerated in jail, as compared to 66% for those who were not participating in the program.  Read More  10-24-2023
|
Abolitionist Prison Litigation
There has long been a perceived tension between abolition and prison-conditions litigation. This piece offers a path forward for such litigation that is consistent with abolitionist goals.  Read More  10-22-2023
|
Mother Sues Alabama Jail After Being Forced to Give Birth Alone in a Shower
Ashly Caswell Caswell reportedly screamed in pain for hours after her water broke, demanding medication and asking to go to the hospital, but she was dismissed or ignored by jail staff  Read More  10-20-2023
|
New Resource: Prison Discipline Policies in 50 States
Prison Policy Initiative collection of prison discipline policies covers all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and highlights how each system classifies the severity of offenses and punishments  Read More  10-19-2023
|
Expanding the Vote: State Felony Disenfranchisement Reform 1997 - 2023. Where Does Your State Stand?
Over 2 million Americans have regained the right to vote since 1997  Read More  10-18-2023
|
Incarcerated Women from VADOC's State Farm Work Center Care for Retired Horses, Gaining Valuable Job Skills
The horse program at State Farm Work Center is a public/private partnership between the VADOC and the James River Horse Foundation  Read More  10-17-2023
|
A Place to Be Free: Life is Hard. Coming back home shouldn't be harder.
Of the more than 500 reentry facilities in the United States today, most operate under rules that mirror the prison environment  Read More  10-14-2023
|
Autism and the Criminal Justice System
Policy brief outlines recommendations for the criminal justice system to improve outcomes and exitways for autistic individuals  Read More  10-13-2023
|
One in Five: Ending Racial Inequity in Incarceration
One in five Black men born in 2001 is likely to experience imprisonment within their lifetime, a decline from one in three for those born in 1981. Pushback from policymakers threatens further progress in reducing racial inequity in incarceration.  Read More  10-12-2023
|
School-to-Prison Pipeline Uncovered and Explained by Expert Panel
The school-to-prison pipeline event was inspired by the experiences of two formerly incarcerated men who were "processed through the pipeline"  Read More  10-11-2023
|
Redemption Songs: The Forgotten History of American Prison Music
From blues to gospel, country to rap, people have been making music behind bars for decades. Here’s why we should all tune in.  Read More  10-10-2023
|
People Need Transportation Access After Release from Jail and Prison
Studies show that transportation access lowers the chances of recidivism  Read More  10-09-2023
|
A Lab Test That Experts Liken to a Witch Trial Is Helping Send Women to Prison for Murder
The "lung float" test claims to help determine if a baby was born alive or dead, but many medical examiners say it’s too unreliable.  Read More  10-07-2023
|
Research Roundup: Incarceration Can Cause Lasting Damage to Mental Health
Incarceration can trigger and worsen symptoms of mental illness — and those effects can last long after someone leaves the prison gates.  Read More  10-06-2023
|
Youth Justice: Lessons From the Last 50 Years
Commentary discusses the evolution of youth justice policies in the United States and offers valuable insights into the successes and failures of these approaches  Read More  10-06-2023
|
WA Prison Deters Participation in Restorative Justice by Ordering Strip Searches
Strip searches, a practice that dates back to auctions of enslaved people, have long been common in U.S. prisons  Read More  10-06-2023
|
Updated Data and Charts: Incarceration Stats by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender for All 50 States and D.C.
New data visualizations and updated tables show the national landscape of persistent racial disparity in state prisons and local jails.  Read More  10-03-2023
|
The Criminal Justice Issue Nobody Talks About: Brain Injuries
"There is a demographic that experiences TBI at an alarming rate: prison inmates. Many inmates arrive in prison with TBIs, though some experience TBIs in prison."  Read More  09-30-2023
|
Departments of Labor, Justice Award More Than $63M in Grants to Provide Workforce Training, Support for People Returning from Jail, Prison
Grants will enhance successful reentry outcomes by expanding access to good jobs  Read More  09-29-2023
|
Walk In Their Shoes: Program Simulates Prisoner Reentry
The special event helps participants simulate what the first month out of prison is like for inmates returning home.  Read More  09-28-2023
|
Our Evidence-Based Obsession
Better research won’t get us out of our crisis of mass incarceration  Read More  09-27-2023
|
Why JPMorgan, Delta and Frontier Co-op Support 'Second Chance' Hiring
By overlooking individuals with criminal records, businesses are ignoring a big pool of potential candidates.  Read More  09-26-2023
|
How to Get into College If You have a Criminal Record
"There are structural factors and inequalities in criminal justice, such as poverty, that can shut out individuals from getting an education"  Read More  09-25-2023
|
Muslim Jailhouse Lawyers Are Reshaping the Fight for Prisoners Rights
Incarcerated Muslims are building on a legacy of community resistance that goes way beyond our current moment  Read More  09-25-2023
|
When Prisons Privilege Family Ties, Who Gets Left Behind?
Incarcerated "State Raised" former foster children are denied participation in programs and events geared toward successful reentry  Read More  09-22-2023
|
How Many Puerto Ricans Are Incarcerated in the U.S.?
Researcher discovers the answer is highly complicated  Read More  09-21-2023
|
Cite and Release is Keeping People Out of Jail
Too often, arrest and incarceration are the default responses for people suspected of low-level, nonviolent crimes. They shouldn't be.  Read More  09-20-2023
|
Hospice News: Incarcerated Seniors Lack Access to Hospice Care
Few prisons in the United States have hospice programs that are well-staffed, according to Lisa Deal, executive director of the Humane Prison Hospice Project.  Read More  09-19-2023
|
ICYMI, Punishment Beyond Prisons 2023: Incarceration and Supervision by State
An estimated 3.7 million adults are under community supervision (sometimes called community corrections) — nearly twice the number of people who are incarcerated in jails and prisons combined  Read More  09-16-2023
|
He Fled a Traffic Stop in Louisiana. Now He’s in Prison for Life.
After 12 years behind bars, Markus Lanieux thought he had a deal for his release. Then Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry filed a legal challenge  Read More  09-16-2023
|
Seeking Shelter from Mass Incarceration: Fighting Criminalization with Housing First
Providing unconditional housing with embedded services can reduce chronic homelessness, reduce incarceration, and improve quality of life  Read More  09-14-2023
|
The Footprint: Tracking the Size of America's Criminal Justice System
The Council on Criminal Justice unveils a collection of 40 interactive charts that trace long-term changes in crime and victimization, arrests, incarceration, and community supervision.  Read More  09-13-2023
|
"E-Carceration" Is the Newest Surveillance Trend Spreading Across the Globe
As the use of "e-carceration" spreads globally, invasive, AI-powered surveillance comes with it.  Read More  09-12-2023
|
Vocational Village to Assist Incarcerated Men with Careers
The 20,000-square-foot facility will feature a 180-bed reentry unit and training in plumbing, electrical, HVAC, Commercial Driver’s License, and welding  Read More  09-10-2023
|
Understanding Men, Trauma, and Cycles of Violence
To end cycles of violence, boys and men of all ages need pathways to safety, healing, and opportunity, this includes the 1.1 million men, disproportionately men of color, who are currently in prison  Read More  09-08-2023
|
The Criminal Justice System is Broken. Restorative Justice Can Help Fill the Gap
Rarely will a defendant take any meaningful responsibility for their actions, and rarely, too, will a victim's family get any type of closure  Read More  09-07-2023
|
Removing Barriers to Pretrial Appearance
essons Learned from Tulsa County, Oklahoma, and Hennepin County, Minnesota  Read More  09-07-2023
|
Minnesota Prison Reaches Resolution with Incarcerated Men Who Refused to Return to Their Cells in Heat Wave
The prison was under an afternoon heat advisory for temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit  Read More  09-05-2023
|
Beware the Healthier Cage
In Atlanta politicians are pushing for a bigger jail they claim will be more humane. But health-care workers are pushing back.  Read More  09-03-2023
|
It's Nearly Labor Day, and Congress Has a Chance to Abolish Prison Slavery
Formerly incarcerated workers are leading a push for basic labor rights in prisons that could change everything.  Read More  09-01-2023
|
California Shut Down Its Youth Prisons, But Is Where the Juveniles Were Sent A Good Thing?
Juvenile halls were never equipped to confine youth sentenced for long periods of time for committing serious offenses.  Read More  08-31-2023
|
Extreme Heat is killing People in Prison. What's Being Done About It?
As advocates fight to provide relief to incarcerated people, officials are resisting many measures that could help prisoners combat the heat.  Read More  08-30-2023
|
Don't Blame Drug Decriminalization for What the Housing Crisis Has Caused
Corporate media outlets like The New York Times are misleading the public on drug decriminalization in Oregon  Read More  08-29-2023
|
Hidden Investors Took over Corizon Health, a Leading Prison Healthcare Company. Then They Deployed the Texas Two-Step.
In a lawsuit, a former Corizon CEO describes the company's maneuver as "an old-fashioned bankruptcy fraud scheme." Hundreds of malpractice cases have now been stayed.  Read More  08-27-2023
|
Why Do We Treat Sex Crimes Differently Than Other Violent Crimes?
Sex exceptionalism is the idea that sexual behavior and desires are seen as fundamentally different from other human behavior and deserve special treatment.  Read More  08-25-2023
|
New York is Building the World's Tallest Jail in Chinatown. Can Anyone Stop It?
Planners say the facility will help heal the criminal justice system. But local residents see a brutal symbol of incarceration  Read More  08-24-2023
|
Report Claims Prioritizing Reentry From Prison Will Boost a State's Economy
Staff at reentry centers told researchers they would likely have to shut down in 2024 unless the state provides additional funding  Read More  08-23-2023
|
Youth Justice By The Numbers
States can learn important lessons from both the rise and then the sustained fall in youth arrests and placements.  Read More  08-22-2023
|
First Step Act: An Early Analysis of Recidivism
Recidivism rates were 37% lower for people released under the FSA.  Read More  08-21-2023
|
Advocates: Maine's New Prostitution Law Could Push Sex Workers Into a Black Market
Legislation designed to help sex workers may actually hurt them, according to experts  Read More  08-21-2023
|
Why Women's Wrongful Convictions Are So Difficult to Overcome
Outdated stereotypes and crimes that never occurred create unique challenges for women seeking exoneration  Read More  08-17-2023
|
High Stakes Mistakes: How Courts Respond to “"Failure to Appear"
PPI briefing compiles research on who tends to miss court, why they miss court, and how different jurisdictions react.  Read More  08-16-2023
|
New Book Edited by Incarcerated Writers Explores Oppression Beyond Prison Walls
"American Precariat" explores the ways in which people have been pushed to the edge by myriad social ills.  Read More  08-14-2023
|
The Criminalization of Poverty in Kentucky
How economic crises and flawed reforms fueled an incarceration boom  Read More  08-11-2023
|
Revised ABA Ten Principles: A New Public Defense Roadmap for Policymakers
The Ten Principles is revised after 21 years and comes at the perfect time. Independent state oversight, statewide data collection, elimination of public defender fees, and early access to counsel are highlights from this revision.  Read More  08-10-2023
|
Ending Mass Incarceration: Safety Beyond Sentencing
Explore five social interventions that can improve public safety in the United States without increasing the reliance on mass incarceration  Read More  08-09-2023
|
How Employers Can Remove Barriers to Second Chances
Drug convictions create a permanent record that can lead to significant barriers to opportunity, including loss of employment, housing, and vital support services.  Read More  08-09-2023
|
Can Improving Prison Safety Stem the Corrections Workforce Crisis?
A report from Chicago Beyond and a recent conference of the Correctional Leaders Association help us understand how to enhance conditions for staff and incarcerated people alike.  Read More  08-05-2023
|
Solitary Confinement Survivors Rally Support for Proposed Federal Ban
With over 122,000 people in solitary nationwide, lawmakers are seeking to end the practice in federal facilities.  Read More  08-05-2023
|
See If Police in Your State Reported Crime Data to the FBI
Nearly one-third of law enforcement agencies are missing from the FBI’s 2022 crime statistics. Use our tables to check on your state and local agencies.  Read More  08-04-2023
|
The Aging Prison Population: Causes, Costs, and Consequences
In this briefing, PPI examines the inhumane, costly, and counterproductive practice of locking up older adults.  Read More  08-03-2023
|
Youth Placed in Adult Prison Have Their Lives Cut Shorter, Study Says
A University of Cincinnati co-authored study found that in the U.S. youth who are incarcerated in adult correctional facilities are at a 33% higher risk for an early death between the ages of 18 and 39.  Read More  08-02-2023
|
Family Courts: No Place for Families
Only an end to family court can lead to a radical reimagining of how we support children and their loved ones.  Read More  07-30-2023
|
The County That Declared War on Pregnant Women Who Use Drugs
Some women were prosecuted for smoking marijuana
before they even knew they were expecting  Read More  07-26-2023
|
Jacksonville's Jail Death Rate Tripled After Privatizing Medical Care
Missed prescriptions. Jail deaths tripled. A $98 million contract. Inside Jacksonville's for-profit jail health care.  Read More  07-26-2023
|
In an Alabama Jail, People Withdraw in the "Drunk Tank’' Without Medical Aid
Sources inside the system say that more than half of the people placed on the Alabama Department of Mental Health's waiting list for residential substance abuse treatment either die, drop off the list, or end up incarcerated,  Read More  07-26-2023
|
Patrol Dogs are Terrorizing and Mauling Prisoners Inside the United States
In Virginia alone there were 271 attacks in state prisons from 2017 to 2022  Read More  07-24-2023
|
Lisa Lesyshen: Release the Elderly in Prison
From 1993 to 2013, the number of people aged 55 and older in state prisons increased 400 percent.  Read More  07-23-2023
|
How Do You Say Goodbye to Your Kids?
Minnesota’s Healthy Start law allowed Victoria Lopez to begin her seven-year prison sentence at home with her infant twins. Now comes the separation.  Read More  07-23-2023
|
Kids Are Being Kept in Solitary Confinement, Former Death Row Unit With No AC
“The state’s treatment of kids in Angola has been a series of broken promises,” said one civil rights lawyer.  Read More  07-23-2023
|
What the Road to Redemption Looks Like for Incarcerated People
In at least three states more Black people are incarcerated with felony murder convictions than other races, a report shows.  Read More  07-23-2023
|
Bring Back the Jury Trial
Jury trials have all but disappeared from the criminal legal system  Read More  07-23-2023
|
The Council on Criminal Justice Report Crime Trends in U.S. Cities: Mid-Year 2023 Update July 2023
This study updates and supplements previous U.S. crime trends reports by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ}  Read More  07-20-2023
|
Heat, Floods, Pests, Disease, and Death: What Climate Change Means for People in Prison
Without consistent access to relief or safer environments, incarcerated people are punished  Read More  07-19-2023
|
Boulder County Breaks Ground on New Alternative Sentencing Facility, Jail Updates to Come
The plan for how to use the space may change over time but right now a behavioral unit is more likely  Read More  07-17-2023
|
Prison Policy Initiative: Legal Resources. Check Out Your State
The legal resource database was updated with new listings for California, Texas and Vermont.  Read More  07-17-2023
|
Jail Can Be Secure and Humane, Everything Rikers Isn't: A Former NYC Detainee Sees How Norway Does it Better
The philosophy in Norway understands that treating detainees humanely isn't "coddling," it’s smart  Read More  07-17-2023
|
Justice Reform 101: What to Read, Watch, and Listen To
Vera provides a guide to a variety of issues and solutions.  Read More  07-17-2023
|
While Doing Time in a California Prison, I Was Given a Hysterectomy Without My Consent
Moonlight Pulido believed she was having surgery to remove growths from her uterus. In a brutal bait-and-switch, she was sterilized.  Read More  07-16-2023
|
How Bureau of Prison Incompetence Murdered Whitey Bulger
The Bureau of Prison’s treatment of the former Mob boss, who was 89 at the time of his death, was at least incompetent and perhaps criminal.  Read More  07-16-2023
|
We Founded a Youth Mentoring Program While in Prison, and It’s Saving Lives
CCFW co-founders are committed to hosting anti-gun violence events all over New York State in order to curb gun violence.  Read More  07-05-2023
|
New Resource: Contending with Carveouts: How and Why to Resist Charge-Based Exclusions in Reforms
Carveouts dramatically lessen the impact of criminal legal system reforms.  Read More  07-05-2023
|
U.S. Department of Education to Launch Application Process to Expand Federal Pell Grant Access for Individuals Who Are Confined or Incarcerated
Historic moment marks the start of a nationwide effort that could help over 760,000 individuals who are currently incarcerated pursue credentials, and skills.  Read More  07-05-2023
|
How LA County’s Zero-Bail Rules Can Help Others Like Me
Today, Los Angeles County jails are overcrowded and nearly half of the more than 13,000 people incarcerated there are awaiting trial.  Read More  07-05-2023
|
I Survived Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression in Jail. Now I Guide Others Like Me
As a doula in Georgia prisons and jails, Tabatha Trammell supports incarcerated clients through pregnancy, childbirth — and giving up their newborns.  Read More  07-05-2023
|
A Dozen Cities Set Youth Curfews This Year, Even Though They Don’t Reduce Crime
Texas recently banned juvenile curfews, while cities like Baltimore and Memphis have doubled-down on them'  Read More  07-05-2023
|
In 'Historic' Moment, Incarcerated Women at MCI-Framingham Prison Testify Live at Moratorium Hearing
The state estimates that it would cost $50 million to build a new women's prison.  Read More  06-30-2023
|
Analysts Say Curfews Don't Work; Cities Bet on Them as a Tool Against Youth Gun Violence
Youth homicides have risen, but will a youth curfew stop the killings?  Read More  06-29-2023
|
NYC Buying $90,000 in Submachine Guns for Officers at Rikers
The city Department of Correction, which this month eliminated $17 million in job training and social services for detainees due to budget cuts, is buying more than $90,000 in high-powered submachine guns.  Read More  06-28-2023
|
Fights, Beatings and a Birth: Videos Smuggled Out of L.A. Jails Reveal Violence, Neglect
Brutal fights, a woman affixed to a wheelchair giving birth and her baby falling to the jail floor, and an incarcerated person trying to commit suicide are some of videos from jails  Read More  06-27-2023
|
How College in Prison is Changing Lives
For nearly 30 years, only a small percentage of people have been able to get college degrees in prison. That’s about to change.  Read More  06-25-2023
|
Report: Girls' Arrests Rose; Incarceration Rates Were Highest Among Black and Native American Girls
Girls accounted for more than half of youth incarcerated for being runaways  Read More  06-24-2023
|
People in Jail and Prison in 2022
Data compiled by Vera for 2022 shows that most county jails and state and federal prisons have started to refill  Read More  06-23-2023
|
Behavioral Health IMPACT: Addressing Mental Health Disparities in Local Jails
About 5% of the general population has a Serious Mental Illness (SMI), compared with 5% of men and 31% of women incarcerated in local jails  Read More  06-22-2023
|
Ohio Prison System Bans Java Computer Manual, But Allows Hitler's Mein Kampf
Incarcerated people are baffled by the state's book screening process.  Read More  06-21-2023
|
Breaking News from Inside: How Prisons Suppress Prison Journalism
Building on data from the Prison Journalism Project, PPI finds that most states enforce restrictions that make practicing journalism extremely difficult and sometimes risky.  Read More  06-20-2023
|
Criminalized Survivors Face Judgement and Abuse From Their Own Defense Attorneys
Criminalized survivors routinely encounter defense lawyers who are dismissive at best and abusive at worst.  Read More  06-19-2023
|
Report: Private Prisons in the United States
Twenty-seven states and the federal government incarcerated 96,370 people in private prisons in 2021  Read More  06-16-2023
|
The War on Drugs Is Getting Meaner and Dumber, and Texas and Florida Show How Bad It Can Get
Conservatives are bringing back some tactics from the original drug war. They’re cruel—and they also don’t stand a chance of working.  Read More  06-15-2023
|
Focusing on Latinos in the U.S. Criminal Justice System
Three new policy briefs have major implications for Latinos in the justice system, including in American jails, based on data and research  Read More  06-14-2023
|
Don't 'Punish Them More.' Effort Grows to Ease Job Barriers After Prison Release
Nearly 2,000 formerly incarcerated people return to Cleveland each year with few job prospects. Some lawmakers want to change that.  Read More  06-14-2023
|
New Data on HIV in Prisons During the COVID-19 Pandemic Underscore Links Between HIV and Incarceration
The percent of people in prison with HIV barely budged despite the heightened risks of COVID-19 to immunocompromised individuals. We review the evidence connecting the parallel epidemics of HIV and incarceration, which disproportionately impact Black men in the South.  Read More  06-11-2023
|
A Battle Over First Amendment Rights in Prisons
New York state tried to limit writings and artistic works from prisoners — illustrating a growing issue across the country.  Read More  06-11-2023
|
Unhoused and Under Arrest: How Atlanta Polices Poverty
New research from the Atlanta Community Support Project finds 1 in 8 city jail bookings involve a person experiencing homelessness  Read More  06-09-2023
|
‘They Are Attempting to Criminalize Every Part of Our Identity’
Lawmakers introduced nearly 500 bills this year in an attempt to legislate gay and trans people out of existence, according to the American Civil Liberties Union  Read More  06-08-2023
|
New Report, Left to Die in Prison: Emerging Adults 25 and Younger Sentenced to Life without Parole
The Sentencing Project released a report that finds a large portion of people sentenced to die in prison were emerging adults 25 and younger when sentenced to life without parole (LWOP)  Read More  06-07-2023
|
ICYMI: 'I Spent Over 40 Years Working in Corrections. I Wasn’t Ready for Rikers.'
Rikers Island jail complex "reflects our nation's racist and destructive fixation on imprisonment," writes former New York City jails commissioner Vincent Schiraldi.  Read More  06-06-2023
|
The Sentencing Project Offers Updated Media Guide: 10 Crime Coverage Dos and Dont's
Newsrooms should strive to more accurately and critically cover these issues  Read More  06-03-2023
|
Doctors Call for Changes to Laws That Criminalize Drug Use During Pregnancy
Overdoses are a leading cause of preventable death among pregnant and postpartum women, yet fears of child abuse laws stop them from seeking help.  Read More  06-02-2023
|
A Proposal to Reduce Unnecessary Incarceration
For decades, the federal government used its grant-making power to spur states to incarcerate more people and to impose longer sentences. It should now use that power to reverse course.  Read More  06-01-2023
|
Justice Reinvestment in Action: Eliminating Concurrent Supervision in Kansas
In Kansas "the system design can cause a person involved in several court cases to be under supervision by one, two, or all three supervision agencies simultaneously."  Read More  05-31-2023
|
Children Suffer When Parents Are Imprisoned
An estimated 2.7 million children have a parent who is incarcerated, with children of color and children experiencing poverty being more likely to have parents targeted for criminalization..  Read More  05-30-2023
|
New Data on Poverty and Criminal Records in New York State
More than 2 million New Yorkers have a criminal record, costing them some $12.6 billion in reduced earnings annually.  Read More  05-27-2023
|
Prison Can't Prevent Domestic Abuse. Transformative Accountability Programs Can.
Prison is a trauma-producing institution that does nothing to prevent those who have used violence from doing so again.  Read More  05-25-2023
|
Excessive, Unjust, and Expensive: Fixing Connecticut's Probation and Parole Problems
"Connecticut has a momentous opportunity to reshape the probation and parole
systems and deliver racial, economic, and procedural justice to people under supervision", but will it?  Read More  05-25-2023
|
New Report Reveals Over 122K are Held in Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons and Jails
Figures Exceed Previous Counts Because They Include All People in Solitary in Prisons and Jails for 22 or More Hours a Day  Read More  05-24-2023
|
How a 'Blue Wall’' Inside New York State Prisons Protects Abusive Guards
Records and interviews reveal a culture of cover-ups among corrections officers who falsify reports and send beating victims to solitary confinement.  Read More  05-23-2023
|
Federal Bureau Releases New Data on Reported Sexual Assault and Harassment in Juvenile Facilities
Roughly 28.3% of the incidents involved adult staff victimizing youth and 71.6% involved youth victimizing youth.  Read More  05-21-2023
|
New Report, Louisiana Locked Up: A Problem in Every Parish
Vera's datahub provides illuminating access to parish-level data on arrests, pretrial detention, incarceration, and local spending on the criminal legal system.  Read More  05-21-2023
|
What is Civil Commitment? Recent Report Raises Visibility of This Shadowy Form of Incarceration
Vera's datahub provides illuminating access to parish-level data on arrests, pretrial detention, incarceration, and local spending on the criminal legal system.  Read More  05-18-2023
|
Youth Justice by the Numbers
Between 2000 (the peak year) and 2020, the number of youth held in juvenile justice facilities on a typical day fell from 108,800 to 25,000, a 77% decline.  Read More  05-17-2023
|
Crime Trends in 2021–22: What We Know So Far
Murder rates appear to be declining, but the full story is much more complicated.  Read More  05-16-2023
|
To End the Age of Incarceration, Three Communities Pioneer a Developmental Approach
People ages 18 to 25 are over-represented at every stage of the criminal legal system and have the highest recidivism rate of any age group.  Read More  05-13-2023
|
JustUS Coordinating Council Called "Spearhead for the Criminal Justice Reform Movement"
The JUSTUS Coordinating Council officially launched.  Read More  05-12-2023
|
Punishment Beyond Prisons 2023: Incarceration and Supervision by State
An estimated 3.7 million adults are under community supervision (nearly twice the number of people who are incarcerated in jails and prisons combined).  Read More  05-11-2023
|
The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls Launches CDL Training Program
Participants will receive comprehensive instruction and hands-on training from experienced instructors and compensation for participating.  Read More  05-10-2023
|
NYC Schools Handcuff and Haul Away Kids in Emotional Crisis
Despite a pledge to stop relying on police to deal with students who have mental health episodes, New York City schools have continued to call 911 on kids in distress thousands of times a year, an investigation by THE CITY and ProPublica found.  Read More  05-09-2023
|
These Women Face Death by Incarceration, But They’re Organizing for Their Lives
A new report highlights the experiences those sentenced to death by incarceration in Pennsylvania’s women’s prisons.  Read More  05-06-2023
|
Rampant Plea Bargaining Is a Raw Deal for Defendants
A new report details how plea bargaining can hurt defendants and warps the justice system.  Read More  05-05-2023
|
States to the Census Bureau: You Created Prison Gerrymandering, You need To End It.
National Conference of State Legislatures report outlines experiences and recommendations from states that implemented reforms in the 2020 redistricting cycle  Read More  05-04-2023
|
Restarting Your Life after Prison: Providing Medicaid at Reentry Can Help
In the period immediately following release, formerly incarcerated people are 12 times more likely to die than the general population  Read More  05-03-2023
|
Why Inflation Price Hikes Are Even Worse Behind Bars
An additional "tax" on commissary goods means incarcerated people are paying far more for staple items like peanut butter and soap, a Marshall Project analysis found.  Read More  05-02-2023
|
President Biden Commutes the Sentences of 31 People Convicted of Drug Crimes, While Hundreds More Languish Behind Bars
Those whose sentences were commuted were on home confinement.  Read More  05-01-2023
|
"A Way to Throw Kids Away": Texas' Troubled Juvenile Justice Department is Sending More Children to Adult Prisons
Youth justice advocates say Texas is giving up on the children who most need help  Read More  05-01-2023
|
Second Chance Month: The Church and Prisoners Go Together
Co-leader of the prison and reentry mission team at National Community Church urge all believers to envision a society where restorative justice prevails.  Read More  04-27-2023
|
Florida Passes Bill That Allows for "Legal Kidnapping" of Transgender Children
The bill would allow courts to intervene in custody disputes and remove trans children from gender-affirming parents.  Read More  04-26-2023
|
Report From Crisis to Care: Ending the Health Harm of Women's Prisons
This report exposes the catastrophic health harms of incarceration in women’s prisons and provides evidence in support of investments in health-promoting social determinants of health instead of incarceration.  Read More  04-26-2023
|
Arkansas Ranks Third in the Country for Incarceration. A Senator Wants to Change That.
Legislator claims when it comes to arresting violent criminals and ensuring incarcerated offenders don't recidivate, Arkansas has failed.  Read More  04-23-2023
|
"Everyone Against Us": Public Defenders and the Making of American Justice." A Must Read Adaption of Former Public Defender's New Book
In this exclusive adaptation of his new book, a former Cook County public defender describes what it’s like advocating for the accused?—?and recounts the injustices he witnessed.  Read More  04-21-2023
|
CT Public Defenders Warn of Lawsuit If Hourly Pay Remains Static
Low pay means not enough lawyers to handle a backlog of cases, officials said  Read More  04-20-2023
|
New Report: Sentencing Reform for Criminalized Survivors
Learning from New York's Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act  Read More  04-19-2023
|
The Social Determinants of Justice: 8 Factors That Increase the Risk of Imprisonment
The incarceration rates of certain groups of people remain shamefully high.  Read More  04-18-2023
|
How the Juvenile System Forces Minors into Unsafe Institutions
Even in states with a drive for reform, many children and teens face long confinement and dirty, dangerous conditions.  Read More  04-15-2023
|
Some Are Jailed in Mississippi for Months Without a Lawyer. A Court Just Barred That.
The Mississippi Supreme Court moved to end the “dead zone” before indictment in a notoriously dysfunctional public defender system.  Read More  04-14-2023
|
Highlighting US Sentencing Commission's Significant Amendments to Federal Guidelines' Criminal History Rules
Two items concerning "status points" and "zero-point-offenders" are the big ticket criminal history matters  Read More  04-14-2023
|
California: The State of Incarceration
On an average day in California, around 60,000 people are held in county jails and close to 100,000 people are incarcerated in state prisons  Read More  04-12-2023
|
White Collar Crime is Still Crime
Why in America do we still minimize these types of felonies?  Read More  04-11-2023
|
Transgender Federal Prisoner Who Fought for Gender-Affirming Care for All Inmates Undergoes Surgery
ACLU declares this victory will benefit other transgender people in BOP custody  Read More  04-10-2023
|
Employment Opportunities: A New Way of Life
Formerly incarcerated individuals or those impacted by the criminal justice or child welfare system are encouraged to apply.  Read More  04-10-2023
|
What Arrest is Like If You Aren't Donald Trump
The 31,000 people arraigned for felonies in New York each year have very different experiences in court than the former president.  Read More  04-07-2023
|
Employment Opportunity: ACLU Senior Policy Counsel
The ACLU seeks to achieve change as profound in the legislative, administrative and electoral arenas as it has accomplished through the courts.  Read More  04-07-2023
|
Employment Opportunity: National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement Seeks Director of Training
Director of Training to oversee the development and delivery of all training and technical assistance programs  Read More  04-06-2023
|
Young Shooting Victims and Witnesses Face Higher Risks of PTSD, Addiction, Being Desensitized to Gun Violence
Shooting victims — but also bystanders who see or hear such violence — are at heightened risk of externalizing and internalizing disorders, post-traumatic stress, diminished social competence, school problems, and desensitization to violence  Read More  04-06-2023
|
More States Allow Residents With Felony Convictions to Vote
Nationally, 4.6 million Americans are locked out of the democratic process because of laws targeting people with felony convictions  Read More  04-04-2023
|
Mortality, Health, and Poverty: The Unmet Needs of People on Probation and Parole
Unique survey data reveal that people under community supervision have high rates of substance use and mental health disorders and extremely limited access to healthcare, likely contributing to the high rates of mortality.  Read More  04-03-2023
|
Fact Sheet: Incarcerated Women and Girls
Research on female incarceration is critical to understanding the full consequences of mass incarceration and to unraveling the policies and practices that lead to their criminalization  Read More  04-03-2023
|
CT Lawmakers Curtail Push to End Routine Strip Searches in Prisons
Members of the Judiciary Committee made significant changes to a bill that sought to place severe limits on the practice  Read More  04-01-2023
|
Reentry Pilot Tests $500 Cash Transfers to People Released from Prison
Year-long program in New Haven will make monthly payments to people newly released from prison  Read More  04-01-2023
|
SMH: The Rapid and Unregulated Growth of E-Messaging in Prisons
Little is known about how companies use the data they collect  Read More  03-30-2023
|
New Partnerships Help Incarcerated People Find Jobs
Corrections departments, educators, and employers are increasingly working together to create job opportunities for people leaving prison  Read More  03-30-2023
|
'Prison Within a Prison': New Mandate Offers Lifeline for Deaf People in Custody
The new rule, which goes in effect in January 2024, applies to phone companies serving prisons, jails and detention facilities nationwide  Read More  03-23-2023
|
A Sledgehammer Instead of a Scalpel: New Rules Proposed by the Biden Administration on Money Earned by or Sent to People in Federal Prison are the Wrong Way to Go
Federal prison officials are proposing to garnish 75% of any deposits made into incarcerated people's personal accounts if those people have court-related debts  Read More  03-22-2023
|
Firing Squads Could Return as States Debate the Death Penalty
Twenty-seven states and the federal government have the death penalty, but only a handful use it regularly  Read More  03-22-2023
|
"The Carceral System was Not Developed with Women in Mind"
The Prison Policy Initiative looks at a fast-growing group in the incarceration system and the challenges they are more likely to face  Read More  03-22-2023
|
Disabled Students at Higher Risk For Arrests, Dropping Out and Being Unready for Adulthood
Court officials often misunderstand disabilities  Read More  03-22-2023
|
How Long is Long Enough? Task Force on Long Sentences Final Report
How the criminal justice system should grapple with some of the most important social and political problems  Read More  03-21-2023
|
It Took Almost 30 years for Pell Grants to Return to Prison. But, for Many, College is Still Out of Reach
Pell's return holds promise, and problems  Read More  03-20-2023
|
CT Lawmakers Aim to Help Formerly Incarcerated Get IDs, Fresh Start
Bill would close loophole preventing those leaving prisons from getting identification cards  Read More  03-17-2023
|
Elizabeth Holmes Has Two Young Children. Should That Keep Her Out of Prison?
Sending new moms to prison has devastating consequences. Some states are starting to rethink the practice.  Read More  03-16-2023
|
New Report Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2023 Shows That as the Pandemic Subsides, Criminal Legal System Returning to "Business as Usual"
30 visualizations expose long-standing truths about mass incarceration in the U.S. and highlight the need for change  Read More  03-16-2023
|
Good Intentions Don't Blunt the Impact of Dehumanizing Words
Of course not everyone means harm when they use prison labels. But that doesn't make the language any less damaging.  Read More  03-14-2023
|
Freedom Libraries to Open in Maine Prisons
Freedom Libraries conceived by former prisoner-turned-acclaimed-poet open at Maine Correctional Center and Maine Correctional Women's Center.  Read More  03-11-2023
|
Racial Disparities in Diversion: A Research Roundup
Studies suggest diversion is routinely denied to people of color, sending them deeper into the criminal legal system.  Read More  03-11-2023
|
Prosecutors Who Want to Curb Mass Incarceration Hit a Roadblock: Tough-on-Crime Lawmakers
In an age-old battle over local control, some legislators seek to wrest power from prosecutors who aim to curb mass incarceration  Read More  03-11-2023
|
Reentry Programs to Help Former Prisoners Obtain Health Care Are Often Underused
A Connecticut study found that when people are connected with primary care after incarceration they are less likely to be hospitalized or to be re-incarcerate  Read More  03-09-2023
|
Opinion: Girls Reporting Sexual Abuse Shouldn't Have to Fear Being Prosecuted
Why we must stop the "abuse-to-prison pipeline"  Read More  03-08-2023
|
Stopping the Systems That Keep Sending People Back to Prison
"Quality of Life Unit", identify people charged with crimes who could benefit from a diversion program that would address their housing and treatment needs  Read More  03-07-2023
|
New Report, Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2023
New report reveals how many women are locked up in the U.S., where,and why  Read More  03-05-2023
|
Must Watch Video: This Woman Was Sentenced for Manslaughter for a Stillbirth
Also, watch how Tarra Simmons went from incarceration to writing legislator as a lawmaker  Read More  03-03-2023
|
Honoring Service, Advancing Safety: Supporting Veterans from Arrest Through Sentencing
“Once ensnared by the system, veterans often present a complex set of needs and risk factors that are distinctive from those characteristic of civilians without a military background."  Read More  03-02-2023
|
Unique Colorado Reentry Center Sees Low Recidivism Rate Among Clients
Recidivism rate of clients of the Homeward Alliance at the Murphy Center is just 9 percent  Read More  03-01-2023
|
Report: Court Fines Promote Juvenile Recidivism, Not Rehabilitation
According to the report, 19.4 percent of youth who were assigned fees committed a new crime compared to 15.7 percent who were not charged fees  Read More  02-26-2023
|
Profile of Native Incarceration in the U.S.
New page provides data and visualizations about the overrepresentation of Native people in the criminal legal system  Read More  02-24-2023
|
Black Leaders Who Used the Law to Reform Prisons from Within
Vera celebrates the stories of Black incarcerated people whose fight for human rights helped improve prison conditions for people of all races  Read More  02-23-2023
|
Voices from Solitary: Seg Song
Creating a song helped one woman during her placement in solitary confinement. After her release she launched a non-profit music program for formerly incarcerated people to help process trauma and PTSD.  Read More  02-22-2023
|
How Your Local Public Housing Authority Can Reduce Barriers for People with Criminal Records
Millions of people with criminal records likely meet the income eligibility requirements for public housing assistance. But needlessly strict local policies lock them out of housing  Read More  02-21-2023
|
Formerly Incarcerated People Seek Discrimination Protection as “Protected Class”
Formerly incarcerated people in Atlanta won collective protection from discrimination, inspiring organizing nationwide  Read More  02-18-2023
|
'I Was Sentenced to Life as a Juvenile. Now I Help Kids Build Brighter Futures'.
Imprisoned for 25 years, Fred Weatherspoon was shocked to return to a Chicago he didn’t recognize. He found belonging in an unexpected way — working with vulnerable young people and their families.  Read More  02-17-2023
|
A National Initiative to Advance Racial Equity in the Criminal Legal System
Stakeholders recognize that administering justice and making communities safer requires authentic community engagement and elevating the voices of people directly impacted by the criminal legal system  Read More  02-16-2023
|
One of the Deadliest Federal Prison Units is Closing
An investigation last year by The Marshall Project and NPR found that Thomson Penitentiary had quickly become one of the deadliest federal prisons  Read More  02-15-2023
|
Individuals with Criminal Justice System Experience are Encouraged to Apply to the Office of the Pardon Attorney for Paralegal and Legal Assistant Positions
The Office of the Pardon Attorney is seeking to hire two paralegals and two legal assistants  Read More  02-14-2023
|
Unraveling Carceral Feminism
The push to increase the state's power to punish led to more incarceration but failed to create a more just, safe society for victims of sexual violence.  Read More  02-11-2023
|
'Revolutionary' Housing: How Colleges Aim to Support Formerly Incarcerated Students
The number of formerly incarcerated people heading to college is poised to grow. Designing supportive housing for these students could help ensure they graduate  Read More  02-10-2023
|
Recidivism and Reentry: What Makes People More or Less Likely to Succeed upon Release?
Prison Policy Initiative curated virtually all of the research about reentry and recidivism available online  Read More  02-09-2023
|
Report: Ending 50 Years of Mass Incarceration
Urgent Reform Needed to Protect Future Generations  Read More  02-08-2023
|
Criminalizing Survival
The criminal legal system heaps more violence on victims of gender based-violence. Ending these structures is the only way to protect them.  Read More  02-07-2023
|
Joe Biden Hasn't Kept His Promise to Reduce the Prison Population. Congress Can Step up Where the President Has Failed.
Under the Biden administration, the number of people incarcerated in federal prisons has risen after years of decline.  Read More  02-04-2023
|
Opinion: Strip Searching is State-Sanctioned Sexual Violence
  Read More  02-04-2023
|
'Unconstitutional' Public Defense Systems Upend Lives Freedom, Across West
Across the West, public defense systems face crushing caseloads, historic underfunding, structural problems, and severe staffing shortages, imperiling criminal defendants lives  Read More  02-02-2023
|
Report: Mass Incarceration Trends
Report highlights the growth in state and federal prison populations since the early 1970s, and its far-reaching effect on families, communities, and society as a whole  Read More  02-01-2023
|
Council on Criminal Justice 2022 Annual Report
CCJ brought together a diverse group of experts in various sectors to determine which policies and practices that are mostly likely to have the greatest impact on safety and justice  Read More  01-31-2023
|
The U.S. Probation System Has Become a Quagmire
What was originally intended as an alternative to incarceration has become a system for mass state control  Read More  01-30-2023
|
Violent West Virginia Prison, Where "Whitey" Bulger Was Murdered, Plagued by Officer Shortages,Pushing Staffers to Exhaustion
During one shift this in January, 30 knives were seized  Read More  01-30-2023
|
How Saint Louis University is Using Education to Change Lives – and Outcomes – in the Criminal Justice System
Prison Education Program reports that those who graduated from the program have a zero recidivism rate  Read More  01-30-2023
|
Report: Native Americans Significantly Overrepresented In US Prisons
Native American people are incarcerated 38 percent over the national average  Read More  01-30-2023
|
Proposed Amendments to the Sentencing Guidelines (Preliminary)
Sections include First Step reduction in sentences, firearm, drug, and sexual abuse offenses, as well as alternative to incarceration programs  Read More  01-19-2023
|
Data-Driven Decarceration
A close analysis of prison data can help us think strategically about tradeoffs of different approaches to ending mass incarceration  Read More  01-14-2023
|
The Public Safety Impact of Shortening Lengthy Prison Sentences
Long sentences are often imposed with an expectation that they will prevent some crime by incapacitating individuals and deterring them from engaging in future crime after release  Read More  01-14-2023
|
A New Beginning for Formerly Incarcerated Women
Stacey Borden had developed the idea of the New Beginnings residential reentry program while walking the prison yard —  Read More  01-13-2023
|
"Not for Human Consumption": Prison Food's Absent Regulatory Regime
Article aims to draw attention to the dire food conditions in prisons, and explain the lax federal administrative law that permits these conditions  Read More  01-12-2023
|
Maine's Prisons Taught Washington a Crucial Lesson in Fighting Opioids
Using drugs to treat addicts inside prison might just be the best way to stem the crisis of overdose deaths  Read More  01-10-2023
|
Arizona Inducing the Labor of Pregnant Prisoners Against Their Will
Three women said they were told by prison medical providers they were being induced because it was a policy of the Arizona Department of Corrections  Read More  01-08-2023
|
Prison Gynecologist Justified Forced Sterilizations By Saying It Saved "In Welfare Paying for These Unwanted Children—As They Procreated More"
Survivors finding it difficult to obtain reparations that they won  Read More  01-06-2023
|
Home Confinement: A Safe Alternative to Mass Incarceration
The BOP released nearly 5,000 people during the pandemic, only 17 released into home confinement reoffended  Read More  01-05-2023
|
Must Read: Poverty is Violent
Why are so many Black men shot to death in certain American neighborhoods?  Read More  01-04-2023
|
Let 2023 Be the Year of Dismantling Incarceration
Maya Schenwar of Truthout asked organizers working to dismantle incarceration what is giving them hope for 2023. Here’s what they shared  Read More  01-03-2023
|
Oklahoma Has Tried to Lower its Incarceration Rate. But Many Obstacles Face the Newly Released
Difficulty with housing, employment and transportation are the most common barriers  Read More  12-31-2022
|
Why Is there So Much Cancer in Prison?
  Read More  12-31-2022
|
As Temperature Drops, Incarcerated People Brace for Dangerously Cold Conditions
For the millions of people incarcerated in the U.S., freezing temperatures amid failing infrastructure can be deadly.  Read More  12-29-2022
|
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights is Growing and Hiring!
Employment opportunities offer a competitive salary and extensive benefits  Read More  12-28-2022
|
ICYMI, Insufficient Funds: How Prison and Jail "Release Cards" Perpetuate the Cycle of Poverty
Prison Policy Initiative examined release card companies' fee structures to learn how this industry has evolved, and what government leaders can do to stop its worst practices  Read More  12-27-2022
|
My Son Khaaliq Was Killed Over a Parking Space. Now I Help Other Mothers Grieve.
After a neighbor fatally shot her son in 2001, Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight started the anti-violence group Mothers in Charge. "I thought maybe two people would show up; the room was jam packed."  Read More  12-25-2022
|
Small School for Children with Behavioral Disabilities Has the Highest Student Arrest Rate in the Country
Students— some as young as 9 — have been arrested more than 100 times in the last five school years  Read More  12-23-2022
|
State of Phone Justice 2022: The Problem, the Progress, and What's Next
Report compiles phone rates for almost every jail and prison in the country  Read More  12-22-2022
|
The Books Banned in Your State's Prisons
About half the states keep a list, which includes more than 50,000 books that prisoners may not own  Read More  12-21-2022
|
'Despite Sensationalist Media Coverage, the Famous People at My Prison Aren't in Any Special Danger'
Celebrities get a lot of attention on both sides of the wall. But ultimately, we are all the same: warehoused property.  Read More  12-20-2022
|
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations: Sexual Abuse of Females in Federal Prisons
Trigger Warning: Some may find the content of this report disturbing.  Read More  12-18-2022
|
Girls Embracing Mothers (GEM) Report: Love Beyond Bars
At least 5.2 million children under the age of 18 have an incarcerated parent  Read More  12-18-2022
|
Top Trends in Criminal Justice Reform, 2022
Formerly incarcerated activists, lawmakers, and advocates achieved important changes in criminal justice policy last year  Read More  12-15-2022
|
Outgoing Oregon Governor Commutes Death Row Sentences, Orders Execution Chamber Dismantled
Brown has continued Democratic efforts to end the death penalty in Oregon on her way out of office  Read More  12-14-2022
|
Federal Prisons Were Told to Provide Addiction Medications. Instead, They Punish People Who Use Them
Congress directed the Bureau of Prisons to make Suboxone and other medications widely available, but only a small fraction of those who need the help have received it  Read More  12-13-2022
|
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2022
Prison Policy Initiative's annual report dispels some modern myths to focus attention on the real drivers of mass incarceration and overlooked issues that call for reform  Read More  12-11-2022
|
Why Youth Incarceration Fails: An Updated Review of the Evidence
Report examines how incarcerating youth undermines public safety, damages young people's physical and mental health, impedes their educational and career success, and often exposes them to abuse  Read More  12-09-2022
|
DOJ Investigation and Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Handling of the Transfer of Inmate James “Whitey” Bulger
Inspector General's report finds murder of Bulger the result of management failures, widespread incompetence, and flawed policies  Read More  12-08-2022
|
Federal Prisoner Statistics Collected Under the First Step Act, 2022. Population Increased.
The federal prison population increased more than 3%, from 151,283 at yearend 2020 to 156,542 at yearend 2021  Read More  12-07-2022
|
Connecticut's Turnaround of Troubled Juvenile System Sets a Standard, Says Justice-Equity Organization
Connecticut has since turned its troubled juvenile facilities into what federal officials have cited as exemplary national models.  Read More  12-06-2022
|
Improving Justice System Responses to Individuals with Mental Illness: A Toolkit for Prosecutors
FJP’s new toolkit offers examples of best practices, promising approaches, and compassionate innovations that prosecutors can help implement  Read More  12-03-2022
|
Louisiana Justice: Pre-trial, Incarceration, & Reentry
Louisiana leads the nation in mass incarceration  Read More  12-03-2022
|
Inquest's The Year in Books
Books that informed, inspired, and empowered us to envision a world without mass incarceration  Read More  12-03-2022
|
Why States Should Change Medicaid Rules to Cover People Leaving Prison
Making sure they are covered upon release from prison would save lives and reduce recidivism  Read More  11-30-2022
|
Sentenced to Trauma: Inside the Volatility and Disorder of Prison
One woman's report on trauma behind bars  Read More  11-29-2022
|
Highest and Lowest Female State Imprisonment Rates: Where Does Your State Fall?
Fact sheet provides research on female incarceration that is critical to understanding the full consequences of mass incarceration  Read More  11-26-2022
|
Opinion: The Close to Home Act Shows There's a Better Way to Youth Incarceration
After 10 years, youth arrests in New York City declined by 86%, helping to overturn a juvenile system that was once riddled in chaos.  Read More  11-25-2022
|
Youth Curfews Feed Kids into the Criminal System. But Cities Keep Expanding Them.
Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue: "At best, curfews are an ineffective band-aid; at worst, they criminalize our most vulnerable and at-risk children."  Read More  11-23-2022
|
As Police Arrest More Seniors, Those With Dementia Face Deadly Consequences
Many cities are changing how they respond to mental health calls, but less attention has been paid to the unique risks for people with Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases  Read More  11-22-2022
|
As Public Defenders' Cases Rise, Lawyers Contracted by New Mexico to Represent Clients, Including Those Charged with Murder, Make an Average of $13.81 an Hour
N.M. public defenders beg lawmakers for funding as workloads grow heavier  Read More  11-21-2022
|
Scanned Mail Benefits Private Companies, Not Incarcerated People or Their Families
In at least 13 states, people in state prisons are falling victim to a scan  Read More  11-19-2022
|
Violence, Torture, and Isolation: What It’s Like to Be Trans in Prison
Complaints to departments of corrections that come from people in the community often carry more weight than complaints from incarcerated people  Read More  11-19-2022
|
Federal Inmate Tried to Shoot Visitor at Arizona Prison Camp
The incident marked a major security lapse and massive breach of protocol, raising serious questions about the security practices in place at the Bureau of Prisons  Read More  11-17-2022
|
31 Criminal Justice Reforms Ripe for Victory in 2023 Legislative Sessions
New Winnable Criminal Justice Reforms report provides state lawmakers with resources and information to secure victory on these important reforms  Read More  11-16-2022
|
Prosecutors in These States Can Review Sentences They Deem Extreme. Few Do.
Five states now allow prosecutors to seek shorter sentences in old cases. Louisiana shows why many DAs haven’t.  Read More  11-16-2022
|
Prisoners, Guards Face Danger from Chronic Understaffing by Managing & Training Corporation
Mississippi demands that private prison giant MTC pay nearly $2 million after the company improperly billed for prison guard shifts that were never worked  Read More  11-15-2022
|
Louisiana Saved $150 Million Because a Robust Package of Criminal Justice Measures Was Passed
Savings are tied to a roughly 10,000-person reduction in the state’s prison population between 2021 and 2016  Read More  11-12-2022
|
Filling Out Federal Student Aid Applications Behind Bars
Next year—for the first time in nearly three decades—all incarcerated people who are academically eligible will be able to apply for Pell Grants  Read More  11-12-2022
|
Arnold Ventures Pledges $7.4M for Nationwide Prosecution Research
The funding is awarded to 14 prosecution-related research projects that cover 19 states and 40 prosecutor offices  Read More  11-10-2022
|
Policing Doesn't End Homelessness. Supportive Housing Does.
People living on the street are more likely to be arrested for minor offenses  Read More  11-10-2022
|
New Illinois Law Gives Cops Choice Not to Jail People for Small Amounts of Drugs
The change follows a Sun-Times/Better Government Association investigation last year that documented the impact of "dead end" drug arrests  Read More  11-08-2022
|
Analysis: Higher Arrest and Incarceration Rates for Florida Girls vs. Boys
Black girls — 21% of Florida’s general population — accounted for 45% all juvenile female arrests  Read More  11-05-2022
|
Voices from Within the Federal Bureau of Prisons: A System Designed to Silence and Dehumanize
Report concluded that an independent oversight body must be created and
given the authority to audit FBOP facilities, publicize its findings and push for
reform  Read More  11-05-2022
|
When It Comes to Addiction, Americans' Word Choices are Part of the Problem
Who gets better medical care in the United States: “addicts,” or “people with substance use disorders”?  Read More  11-03-2022
|
Prosecutors Who Want to Curb Mass Incarceration Hit a Roadblock: Tough-on-Crime Lawmakers
In an age-old battle over local control, some legislators seek to wrest power from prosecutors who aim to curb mass incarceration  Read More  11-02-2022
|
Search for the Crime Bills That Target Voting and Elections in Your State
Records from LegiScan, catalogs virtually every bill introduced by state-level lawmakers in all 50 states  Read More  10-29-2022
|
Being Pregnant in Prison Is a Nightmare That Won"t Be Ended by One Bill Alone
The vast majority of pregnant people who are incarcerated are not in the federal systems so many laws don't apply to them  Read More  10-28-2022
|
Jail-Based Polling Locations: A Way to Fight Voter Disenfranchisement
Evidence from seven jail-based polling locations shows that it is not only feasible but effective.  Read More  10-27-2022
|
New US Prisons Chief Pledges Truth, Reform for Ailing System
Skeptics within the federal prison system's rank and file have derided her approach as "hug a thug."  Read More  10-26-2022
|
San Diego Jails' Most Medically Vulnerable Incarcerated People to Get Health-Monitoring Devices Under Sheriff's Program
Devices will work similarly to commercial fitness trackers, monitoring the vital signs and movement of people deemed the jail’s most medically vulnerable  Read More  10-25-2022
|
Never-Before-Seen Images Show Rikers Inmates Locked in Caged Showers, Left in Soiled Pants
The call to close Rikers Island is getting louder each day  Read More  10-24-2022
|
Opinion: California Made Prison Phone Calls Free. Others Should Follow.
Last year, Connecticut’s governor became the first in the country to sign legislation making prison phone calls free  Read More  10-22-2022
|
Double Punished: How Education Policy Fails Students Behind Bars
Governance models for juvenile justice education vary widely across states, but "fragmentation" is the most common policy design.  Read More  10-22-2022
|
Autism and the Criminal Justice System
Brief can help spark a discourse focusing on preventing root causes for offending and levying justice grounded in supporting and rehabilitating rather than punishing  Read More  10-20-2022
|
"Outraged" Judge Issues Order Holding the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in Civil Contempt for Allowing Incarcerated Man to Waste Away from Treatable Cancer
Bipartisan legislation introduced in both the House and Senate that would create an independent ombudsman to act as a BOP watchdog  Read More  10-19-2022
|
Florida Inmate Starves to Death, Unable to Reach His Food after Officers Paralyzed Him
At least 11 inmates in his cell block reported that Ridley never moved from his bunk, did not pick up his food trays, and that the officers ignored him and said he was faking.  Read More  10-18-2022
|
New Data Reveals Where People in Montana Prisons Come From
There are dramatic differences in incarceration rates within communities  Read More  10-17-2022
|
Jail by Another Name: The Rise of Pretrial E-Carceration in San Francisco Has Created a New Class of People for Whom Freedom Remains Elusive
Pretrial Electric Monitoring can end up trapping participants in cycles of interaction with the criminal legal system  Read More  10-17-2022
|
Diversion: A Hidden Key to Combating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice
New juvenile justice analysis reveals the system’s unequal and limited use of diversion from court involvement, particularly for Black youth.  Read More  10-17-2022
|
Inside the Nation's First and Only Statewide Prison Radio Station
Though low wattage, the programming is as plentiful and varied as any commercial station on the outside, with shows covering everything from heavy metal to self-improvement  Read More  10-17-2022
|
Survey: Crime Victims Want More Help, Less Punitive Justice
More than six in ten survey respondents said they were victim of a crime in the previous decade  Read More  10-12-2022
|
Philadelphia Apologizes for Experiments on Black Inmates
300 incarcerated people were intentionally exposed to viruses, fungus, asbestos and chemical agents including dioxin - a component of Agent Orange.  Read More  10-11-2022
|
VADOC Launches 'Cool Down' Room Pilot Program in 9 Prisons
85% of inmates who have spent time in a Cool Room have returned to general population  Read More  10-08-2022
|
Dementia in Prison Is Turning into an Epidemic: The U.S. Penal System Is Badly Unprepared
Older prisoners will make up a third of the prison population in a decade, and many of them will develop dementia  Read More  10-07-2022
|
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the Justice System
Authors of the report say the impact of FAS should be part of an approach they call "therapeutic jurisprudence"  Read More  10-06-2022
|
New Report: How Bail Bond Companies Exploit Legal Systems to Profit While Avoiding Risk
The bail industry has lobbied for several loopholes that make their business virtually risk-free - and highly lucrative  Read More  10-05-2022
|
New Data Reveals Where People in Connecticut Prisons Come From
  Read More  10-05-2022
|
Estimating the Earnings Loss Associated with a Criminal Record and Suspended Driver's License
The estimate of the annual earnings loss associated with misdemeanor and felony convictions to be $5,100 and $6,400, respectively, and that of a suspended license to be $12,700  Read More  10-05-2022
|
What an Alabama Prisoners' Strike Tells Us About Prison Labor
Exploitation of incarcerated people isn’t limited to lockups. Voters in some states have a chance to curtail it  Read More  10-05-2022
|
Prison Staff Shortages Take Toll on Guards, Incarcerated People
Prison systems across the country are desperate to reverse an exodus of corrections officers that administrators and prison experts describe as the worst ever  Read More  10-05-2022
|
Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States 2022
Black people are seven times more likely than White people to be convicted of serious crimes they did not commit  Read More  09-28-2022
|
Many U.S. Veterans Land Behind Bars. A Unique New Law May Change That.
In an alarming statistic, roughly one-third of U.S. military veterans say they have been arrested and jailed at least once in their lives  Read More  09-28-2022
|
In Oklahoma, a Red State Model of Criminal Justice Reform
A Republican-led coalition has led a successful campaign to shrink the prison population, improve reintegration, and expand diversion courts  Read More  09-25-2022
|
The Art of Bidding, or How I Survived Federal Prison
When Eric Borsuk went to prison with his two best friends, they found their 'bid' — their purpose — together. Then one day, everything changed.  Read More  09-25-2022
|
How Much Do States Spend on Prisons?
Southern states spend the least per inmate and have some of the highest prison incarceration rates in the nation  Read More  09-23-2022
|
Justice System Disparities: Black-White National Imprisonment Trends, 2000 to 2020
How have Black-white Disparities in the justice system changed since 2000?  Read More  09-22-2022
|
Brittney Griner's Sentence Should Be a Wakeup Call About Cruel Prison Sentences in the United States
Better alternatives exist and harsh sentences do not make us safer  Read More  09-21-2022
|
No Bail for Pretrial Detainees Means No Vote
The Supreme Court has upheld protections for presumed innocent pretrial detainees to access ballots and register to vote, but several obstacles restrict these individuals of that right  Read More  09-20-2022
|
Lawmakers Eye Legislation to Rein in Commissary Costs, Medical Debt for Incarcerated People
Audit found incarcerated people owed NDOC $10.4 million in outstanding and uncollected debt, including medical debt.  Read More  09-17-2022
|
Hiring Formerly Incarcerated People Is Good, Actually
Some conservative media outlets and politicians lambast the practice. But if you care about public safety, that opposition doesn't make sense.  Read More  09-16-2022
|
New Data Reveals Where People in Delaware Prisons Come From
Report shows every community is harmed by mass incarceration  Read More  09-15-2022
|
Protecting the Connection Between Parents in Prison and Their Children
The child of a formerly incarcerated person writes about how bad policies make the hardships of separation even worse.  Read More  09-14-2022
|
Class-Action Settlement Reveals Global Tel*Link's Addiction to Seizing Customer Money
Evidence from court case shows why the FCC should act to stop abusive practices in the industry  Read More  09-13-2022
|
Florida Activating National Guard to Help Support Staff in Florida Prisons
State prisons have long been plagued with safety concerns, stressful work environments and low pay resulting in shortage of staff  Read More  09-11-2022
|
Report: More Than Half of Imprisoned Americans Are Serving Sentences of 10 Years or More
In 2019, nearly one in five people in U.S. prisons – over 260,000 people – had already served at least 10 years  Read More  09-11-2022
|
Use of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Criminal Justice Settings
People released to the community are between 10 and 40 times more likely to die of an opioid overdose within the first few weeks after returning to society  Read More  09-09-2022
|
Detention Center Holds Pregnant and Postpartum Women in Jail Under "Special" Bond Conditions
Bond condition for women who have exposed their fetus or newborn to drugs drugs require rehab and $10,000 cash  Read More  09-08-2022
|
Pew Poll Finds 9 in 10 Black Americans Think Major U.S. Institutions Need Large-Scale Changes to Ensure Fairness
About half of Black Americans say policing, prison system and the judicial process need to be completely rebuilt  Read More  09-07-2022
|
The State Prison Experience: Too Much Drudgery, Not Enough Opportunity
Prison work is often compulsory, does little to build useful skills, and pays almost nothing  Read More  09-07-2022
|
Travel Court Will Reach Out to People in Rural Area with Limited or Nonexistent Transportation to Resolve Outstanding Warrants
Green Valley traveling court highlights barriers to justice in rural southern Arizona  Read More  09-04-2022
|
They Lost Their Pregnancies. Then Prosecutors Sent Them to Prison
Dozens of women who used drugs while pregnant have faced criminal charges. Experts expect even more cases now that Roe has been overturned.  Read More  09-02-2022
|
Chaplain Who Sexually Abused Women in Prison Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison
Chaplain is among five workers charged in the last 14 months with sexually abusing inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California  Read More  09-01-2022
|
New Data Reveals Where People in California Prisons Come From
Report shows every community in California is harmed by mass incarceration  Read More  09-01-2022
|
A New Path Forward for Community Supervision
The 3G Sunset could be a chance to leave harmful electronic monitoring practices behind  Read More  08-30-2022
|
Op-Ed: The Plea Bargain Originated as a Means to Undermine Working-Class Solidarity
The U.S. has used its sleek, expedient system to create the largest "criminal" class in the history of the world  Read More  08-27-2022
|
At $249 per Day, Prison Stays Leave Ex-Inmates Deep in Debt
All but two states have so-called “pay-to-stay” laws that hinders rehabilitation by putting former inmates in debt for life  Read More  08-27-2022
|
The Reality Of Re-Entry
Fact sheet lays out challenges of reentry back into the community  Read More  08-25-2022
|
Salt Lake County's Pre-Filing Diversion Program Helps Keep People Out of Jail
In two years, only 8.5% of program graduates committed a new crime  Read More  08-24-2022
|
Private Prisons in the United States
Private prisons incarcerated 100,151 American residents in 2020, representing
8% of the total state and federal prison population  Read More  08-23-2022
|
FAMM Survey on Independent Prison Inspections Finds 80% of Americans Support Them
Survey found overwhelming support across party identification  Read More  08-21-2022
|
How to Lower the High Level of Jail Suicides
Until we sustainably invest in public health and health care both in and out of jail, preventable deaths will continue  Read More  08-19-2022
|
Where People in Prison Come From: The Geography of Mass Incarceration in Colorado
11 detailed tables to help you find incarceration data from your Colorado community  Read More  08-18-2022
|
Do Prison Rehabilitation Programs Really Work?
New study concludes that skill training and counseling programs in state correctional facilities are a "critical tool" in curbing recidivism  Read More  08-17-2022
|
Both Sides of the Bars: How Mass Incarceration Punishes Families
Government survey results illuminate the broader consequences of locking up people with children  Read More  08-16-2022
|
The Cost of Solitary Confinement
Why Ending Isolation in California Prisons Can Save Money and Save Lives  Read More  08-13-2022
|
Repurposing Correctional Facilities to Strengthen Communities
Twenty-one states partially closed or fully closed at least one correctional facility since 2000  Read More  08-12-2022
|
A Market for Holding Humans: The Correctional and Detention Bed Trade
Excessive incarceration and immigration detention has resulted in a perverse system where people in custody are shuttled among facilities around the country for money  Read More  08-11-2022
|
An Extraordinary Story of Forgiveness: From Life Without Parole to Finding Grace
A new project gives a voice to people serving life sentences in Louisiana – and brought together two men whose lives collided in tragedy  Read More  08-10-2022
|
Welfare Check: Here's How Federal Cash Assistance for Low-income Youth Impacts Whether They Come in Contact with the Criminal Legal System
Report finds that SSI removal at age 18 increases the number of criminal charges by 30%  Read More  08-09-2022
|
Research Report: New Programs for, and Approaches to, Justice System Challenges
Case Studies of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative in Arkansas, Louisiana,
Oregon, and Pennsylvania  Read More  08-06-2022
|
Angola 3 Member, Albert Woodfox, Who Served 43 Years in Solitary Confinement Dies
Convicted twice in a correctional officer's death, courts overturned both convictions  Read More  08-05-2022
|
Social Connections Called Key to Prison Reform
One recurring theme for success was the maturity of incarcerated people and a desire to reconnect with family and children and leave a life of crime behind  Read More  08-04-2022
|
Beyond the Count: A Deep Dive into State Prison Populations
PPI analysis of a unique, large-scale survey of incarcerated people provides a richer picture of just who is locked up in state prisons  Read More  08-03-2022
|
The Psychological Impact of Wrongful Imprisonment
New research sheds light on how to better support wrongly convicted individuals.  Read More  08-02-2022
|
Idaho Mentor Program Benefiting Incarcerated People Preparing for Community Re-entry
Mentoring program reduced the recidivism, or reoffending, rate by about 10 percent  Read More  07-30-2022
|
New Data Reveals Where People in Virginia Prisons and Jails Come From
The report provides ten detailed data tables — including neighborhood-specific data for Arlington, Norfolk and Richmond for advocates, organizers, policymakers, data journalists, academics  Read More  07-29-2022
|
'Night of Terror': Female Inmates Raped When Male Detainees Bribed Guard, Lawsuit Says
Jail officer received $1000 from male detainees for giving them keys to restricted area that housed women  Read More  07-28-2022
|
Outgoing Federal BOP Director Refuses to Take Responsibility for Corruption and Misconduct Under His Watch
Michael Carvajal claims ignorance on issues of suicides, sexual abuse, and the free flow of drugs, weapons and other contraband in federal prisons during his tenure  Read More  07-27-2022
|
Prison Is Already Hell, and Climate Change Is Making It Worse
In Texas prisons that lack air conditioning, temperatures routinely exceed triple digits  Read More  07-26-2022
|
Parole, Power, and Punishment
The Massachusetts parole board's discriminatory treatment of people with mental health disabilities  Read More  07-23-2022
|
Transgender Woman Put in a Cell with Three Cisgender Men with Horrific Results
Review board investigators cite the assault and injury were the result of a systemic failure on the part of the Sheriff’s Department  Read More  07-22-2022
|
The Effect of Long Prison Sentences on Public Safety
Report outlines the most current and comprehensive data available on the nature and extent of long sentences  Read More  07-21-2022
|
Literacy Education is as important as Housing and Employment for People Released from Prison
An estimated 70% or more of incarcerated people can't read at the fourth-grade level  Read More  07-20-2022
|
Driver's License Suspensions for Unpaid Debt: Punishing Poverty
Counterproductive laws that suspend driver's licenses for unpaid fines and fees make it harder for millions to work and provide for their families  Read More  07-19-2022
|
Imagine One Out of Every 50 People You Know Just Disappeared and Went to Prison Tomorrow
Roughly 65 percent of the Colorado's prison system comes from three cities  Read More  07-16-2022
|
New Fair and Just Prosecution Brief: Drug-Induced Homicide Prosecution
FJP's new brief explains why DIH prosecutions are ineffective and can actually exacerbate our nation's overdose epidemic  Read More  07-15-2022
|
Can California's CARE Court Can Rid Its Mental Health System of 'No Treatment Until Tragedy'?
Governor Newsome proses Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Courtfor cases of people with severe mental health  Read More  07-14-2022
|
New head of the Bureau of Prison is Hailed As "Uniquely Qualified" for the Job
Colette Peters is said to have a "proven track record as a visionary leader in the field of corrections and public safety"  Read More  07-13-2022
|
New Correctional Contracts Library Shows You What Companies are Profiting Off of Incarcerated People in Your Area
Database contains hundreds of contract documents to help advocates identify and combat the exploitation of incarcerated people and their families  Read More  07-12-2022
|
Dire US Labor Shortage Provides Opportunity for Formerly Incarcerated People
Reentry programs are one way employers are trying to fill some of the 11.3 million open jobs in the U.S. amid a dire national labor shortage  Read More  07-11-2022
|
Federal Judge Finds Arizona's Prison Health Care Is "Plainly Grossly Inadequate" and Unconstitutional
After almost a decade of broken promises by Arizona state prison officials, Judge ruled the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) systematically violates the constitutional rights of people incarcerated in the state's prisons  Read More  07-10-2022
|
People in Prison Learn Not to Say the D-Word
Saying "I'm depressed" to jail staff landed Nicholas Brooks in solitary. But with his peers, he has found a way to speak freely  Read More  07-08-2022
|
The Deadly Link Between Climate Change and Incarceration
People in prison may be disproportionately susceptible to climate-driven extreme temperatures, disasters, diseases, and displacement  Read More  07-07-2022
|
What the End of Roe v. Wade Will Mean for People on Probation and Parole
On any given day in the U.S., 666,413 women are on probation or parole.  Read More  07-06-2022
|
Death Penalty Information Center Analysis Finds Prosecutorial Misconduct Implicated in More than 550 Death Penalty Reversals or Exonerations
DPIC found the most common types of misconduct were withholding favorable evide  Read More  07-05-2022
|
Surviving Prison is 90% Mental: How One Man in Prison Teaches Workouts That Strengthen the Mind
Sessions work on relieving the stress of rejected phone calls, denied visits, humiliating random pat-downs and other microaggressions  Read More  07-02-2022
|
How the Opioid Crisis is Driving Deaths and Abuse in Prisons
The alcohol and drug overdose death rate increased fivefold in prisons from 2009 through 2019  Read More  07-01-2022
|
Captive Labor: Exploitation of Incarcerated Workers
Incarcerated workers are forced to work and stripped of standard workplace protections  Read More  06-30-2022
|
Op-Ed: As a Former Sex Worker, I know How Anti-Loitering Laws Target the Wrong People
California's Senate Bill 357, the Safer Streets for All Act, would rescind the California law that makes it a misdemeanor to loiter in public with the intent to engage in prostitution  Read More  06-29-2022
|
Chronic Punishment: The Unmet Health Needs of People in State Prisons
Survey of people in Prison show that state prisons are full of ill and neglected people  Read More  06-28-2022
|
For the First Time, There are No Girls at Hawaii Youth Correctional Center
Systems collaborate and work together to provide interventions earlier, and to
provide healing and support instead of punishment  Read More  06-25-2022
|
I Joined the Parole Board to Make a Difference. Now I Call It 'Conveyor Belt Justice'
Parole board members would often be busy preparing to lead the next interview instead of watching and listening closely to the one taking place  Read More  06-25-2022
|
Nothing but Time: Elderly Americans Serving Life Without Parole
The Sentencing Project released an analysis of 40,000 people serving life without parole (LWOP) in the U.S., revealing that almost half (47%) are at least 50 years old  Read More  06-24-2022
|
New Data Reveals Where People in New Jersey Prisons Come From
Six New Jersey counties are home to more than half of the state's prison population  Read More  06-22-2022
|
"Mental Health Units" in Prison Are Solitary Confinement by Another Name, Activists Say
New York now puts people with mental health needs in prison units that claim to be therapeutic but are harshly punitive  Read More  06-21-2022
|
Santa Clara County, Calif. is Looking to Automate Batch Expungements of Low-Level Criminal Records
The district attorney's office and public defender's office is expected to institute a system that could greenlight upward of 10,000 expungements a year  Read More  06-19-2022
|
New Report: Recidivism and Federal Bureau of Prisons Vocational Program and Federal Prison Industries Participants Released in 2010
Study examines whether completion of vocational programs offered by the BOP impacted recidivism  Read More  06-17-2022
|
Potentially Violating State Law, Some Kids from Louisiana are Being Sent to Juvenile Detention Facilities in Other States
Juveniles are sent to detention centers hundreds of miles away from families and lawyers  Read More  06-16-2022
|
Fact Sheet on the Criminalization and Over-Incarceration of LGBTQ+ Adults and Youth
High rates of poverty, homelessness, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQ+ adults and youth perpetuate their overrepresentation in the criminal legal system  Read More  06-15-2022
|
Keri Blakinger: Why We Didn't Celebrate Gay Pride Month in Women's Prison
Research shows that 1 in 3 women in prison identify as lesbian or bisexual  Read More  06-14-2022
|
Michigan Prisons Ban Spanish and Swahili Dictionaries "to Prevent Disruptions"
Seven books in both Spanish and Swahili have been banned from the state's prisons in the last year  Read More  06-11-2022
|
Right On Crime Releases New Study: Addressing Florida's Parole System
Florida is 1 of 16 states without a parole system  Read More  06-10-2022
|
Rethinking Prison Tourism
Many former prison sites draw on the spooky and salacious to entertain visitors, but some are having second thoughts  Read More  06-09-2022
|
Where People in Prison Come From: The Geography of Mass Incarceration
Starting with New York, this summer will see reports on 13 states  Read More  06-08-2022
|
N.J.'s Top Cop and Judge Agree: Stop Jailing People for Minor Fines
This reform also has the support of the state association of police chiefs and the state's largest police unions  Read More  06-07-2022
|
Why One County is Pushing for Formerly Incarcerated People to Serve on Boards and Commissions
Mayor states formerly incarcerated people have something to say, and an important perspective that's needed  Read More  06-05-2022
|
Google Earmarks $8M for Job Skills Training for Formerly Incarcerated
Half of the funds will be allotted for grants to support Code for America in developing an automatic record clearance technology  Read More  06-03-2022
|
977 People Incarcerated in Connecticut Receive Hep C Treatment as Part of Lawsuit Settlement
Under an agreement with the court, all incarcerated people until Aug. 1 will be tested for Hepatitis C and treated with direct-acting antiviral drugs  Read More  06-02-2022
|
Congress Needs to Invest in Returning Citizens
The U.S. Spends $80 Billion On Prisons and Corrections but Only $100 Million on Reentry Employment training  Read More  06-01-2022
|
Lessons to be Learned: How the Newest Federal Prison Became One of the Deadliest
Fatal beatings. A “torture room.” Pairs of men held around the clock in tiny cells, tempers rising. “They’re literally afraid for their lives,” one lawyer said.  Read More  05-31-2022
|
MacArthur Foundation Gives $20 Million to Four Jurisdictions to Break Cycle Between Jail and Homelessness
The Prison Policy Initiative found a single incarceration makes you seven times as likely to experience homelessness later  Read More  05-28-2022
|
Why Do the Mentally Ill, People Who Use Drugs, and Homeless People Who Are Given a Chace to Avoid Jail in L.A. Pass?
Since its launch last summer, only 17 people completed the Alternatives to Incarceration Diversion Program  Read More  05-27-2022
|
A Chaplain on Florida's Death Row Tells a Story of Hope
Chaplain finds a "brother in Christ" in a most unlikely place  Read More  05-26-2022
|
Study Aims to Gauge Prevalence and Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on Juveniles in Detention
University of South Florida researchers will enroll 13- through 22-year-old men and boys in detention facilities  Read More  05-25-2022
|
Updated Charts Provide Insights on Racial Disparities, Correctional Control, Jail Suicides, and More
New data visualizations expose the harms of mass incarceration  Read More  05-24-2022
|
Delaware Charges Indigent Defendants $100 for a Public Defender, and There's More Punishing Costs
People on probation are charged $200 for supervision, and some defendants are charged a $100 "prosecution fee"  Read More  05-22-2022
|
New National Initiative Aims to Break Down the Barriers People Leaving Prison Face
Initiative's goal is to make reentry smoother and more effective  Read More  05-20-2022
|
Growing Group of Prosecutors Pledging Not to Enforce Abortion Ban
Elected prosecutors who work in states that criminalize pregnancy outcomes and abortions will be required to decide whether to use their discretion and limited resources to prosecute  Read More  05-19-2022
|
Working in "A Meat Grinder”: A Research Roundup Examines the Reality of Prison and Jail Jobs
Report sheds light on why prison jobs remain vacant  Read More  05-18-2022
|
How the Criminal Legal System Fails Poor Communities
Why one judge says poverty should not be a crime  Read More  05-17-2022
|
NJ Reentry Corp.to Offer Mental Health and Addiction Services to Veterans with an Other-Than Honorable Discharge
Services will include acute short-term psychiatric care, and programs for substance use and mental health disorders  Read More  05-14-2022
|
New Report: Incarcerated Women and Girls
Research on female incarceration is critical to understanding the full consequences of mass incarceration and to unraveling the policies and practices that lead to their criminalization  Read More  05-13-2022
|
The Hidden Costs of Pretrial Detention Revisited
Increasing the amount of time spent in pretrial detention was not consistently related to the odds of failing to appear in court  Read More  05-12-2022
|
U.S. Sentencing Commission Compassionate Release Data Report Fiscal Years 2020 to 2021
Report contains percentages of those released or denied release in each state or region, well as reasons for release or denial of release  Read More  05-11-2022
|
In Texas Prisons, Men Have Access to Significantly More Higher Education Programs Than Women
Earning a degree drastically reduces recidivism for incarcerated people, but the gender disparity in offerings makes the process even harder for many  Read More  05-10-2022
|
Carceral Psychology: Cops and Counselors
Sometimes mental health professionals call the police, work with the police, and act like the police  Read More  05-08-2022
|
CT’s Right To Collect Money From Former Prisoners is Curtailed, But Not Ended
A bill to end the state's authority to collect 'prison debt' failed, but budget bill kept part alive  Read More  05-06-2022
|
Diversion Programs, Explained
Vera explains programs ranging from pre-police encounters to pre-trial diversions  Read More  05-05-2022
|
Insufficient Funds: How Prison and Jail "Release Cards" Perpetuate the Cycle of Poverty
Prison Policy Initiative examined release card companies' fee structures to learn how this industry has evolved, and what government leaders can do to stop its worst practices  Read More  05-04-2022
|
Media Guide: 10 Crime Coverage Dos and Don'ts
The Sentencing Project's new media guide can help media outlets develop coverage that will better inform the public and policymakers on how to pursue the most effective and humane public safety policies.  Read More  05-03-2022
|
Executive Inaction: States and the Federal Government Fail to Use Commutations As a Release Mechanism
PPI survey of eight states found an average of one commutation for every 10,000 imprisoned people each year  Read More  04-30-2022
|
Formerly Incarcerated People in Louisiana Receive Second Chance at Career Through Monroe Employer
Workplace is a "no judgment" zone  Read More  04-29-2022
|
Maine Will Soon Hire Its First Five Public Defenders. Most of the State Remains Without Them
The vision is to allow MCILS both to contract with court-appointed attorneys and to employ public defenders in 16 offices to handle the county’s criminal, child protection and juvenile cases  Read More  04-28-2022
|
"Do the Crime, Do the Time," But What Happens After Release?
Second chances start with prison programming in preparation for reentry  Read More  04-27-2022
|
Justice-involved Individuals in the Labor Market Since the Great Recession
Flattening employment rates for the justice involved does correspond with
the incomplete recovery of the labor force participation of the working class  Read More  04-26-2022
|
Compassion is Hard to Come by in Pennsylvania's Broken Prison System/Editorial
People over 50 years of age represent 27% of Pennsylvania's prison population  Read More  04-23-2022
|
The Truth about Marijuana and the Criminal Legal System
On 4/20 The Appeal set the record straight on myths surrounding marijuana  Read More  04-22-2022
|
Toxic Prisons: A Daily Environmental Injustice
Society's calls for a healthier environment rarely extend to incarcerated people  Read More  04-22-2022
|
Justice Department Works to Curb Racial Bias in Deciding Who's Released From Prison
DOJ seeks to overhaul the troubled risk assessment algorithm  Read More  04-20-2022
|
The Cruel Practice of Banning Books Behind Bars
Restrictions vary from state to state, facility to facility with Florida banning 20,000 books, and Texas banning 9,000  Read More  04-19-2022
|
Exclusive: HUD Unveils Plan to Help People with a Criminal Record Find a Place to Live
As it stands now people with criminal records aren't a protected class under the Fair Housing Act of 1968  Read More  04-17-2022
|
April is Second Chance Month, But What Does That Mean for Someone Getting Out of Prison?
While the concept is appealing, many people find reentry challenging  Read More  04-15-2022
|
New Report, Beyond the Count, Uses Demographic Data to Show the Social Disadvantage of People Locked Up in State Prisons
People in prisons have endured disadvantage and poverty all the way back to childhood, the Prison Policy Initiative's new report shows  Read More  04-14-2022
|
The National Registry of Exonerations 2021
The 2021 exonerations included one hundred and three exonerations of Violent Felonies, including 77 homicides, and nine sexual assaults  Read More  04-13-2022
|
Making Headlines: It Takes Courage to Impose Well-Considered Sentences in Sex Offenses Cases
The criminal legal system is massively punitive toward people who commit sex offenses. How we treat them jeopardizes their health and safety — and our own.  Read More  04-12-2022
|
Train Up a Child: Many Kids Learn Violent Behaviors Through Intergenerational Harm — And are Then Met with More Harm by the State
Four million children in the United States are exposed to violence each year, and about half of those children experience lasting trauma  Read More  04-05-2022
|
Buying a Home is Hard, Doing It While Incarcerated is Nearly Impossible
With many landlords not renting to people with felony convictions, buying a home is a long shot at stability  Read More  04-05-2022
|
Online Network Matches Returning Citizens with Services
Former volunteer chaplain creates the Inside Out Network  Read More  04-05-2022
|
Second Chances: Golf Courses Part of Prisoner Reentry Program
Golf course maintenance work is a steppingstone to a new life for the incarcerated people employed at two municipal courses in Tallahassee, Fla.  Read More  04-05-2022
|
Correctional Populations in the United States, 2020 – Statistical Tables
At yearend 2020, about 2,140 per 100,000 adult U.S. residents were under correctional supervision  Read More  04-05-2022
|
Criminal Justice Algorithms: Being Race-Neutral Doesn't Mean Race-Blind
The Department of Justice found that PATTERN overpredicts recidivism among minority inmates by between 2% and 8% compared with white inmates  Read More  04-02-2022
|
New Initiative to Advance Employment Opportunities for Youth and Adults with Criminal Records
National education and workforce nonprofit JFF launches the Center for Justice and Economic Advancement to mobilize employers and boost career trajectories for people with criminal records  Read More  04-02-2022
|
Analysis: Former Juvenile Lifers Cite Strengths and Weaknesses of Reentry Preparation
More training and programming that would help find a job after release is needed, say juveniles being released from life sentences  Read More  04-01-2022
|
More and More Prisons Are Banning Mail
There's no evidence that these bans improve security, but for-profit contractors stand to benefit from these arrangements  Read More  03-31-2022
|
Felon Voting Ban is Racially Motivated and Unconstitutional, NC Judges Rule
Ruling affects approximately 55,000 people  Read More  03-30-2022
|
Solutions to Help End Policing of the Homelessness and Mental Health Crises
"We must not rely on the false comfort of criminalization and coercion."  Read More  03-26-2022
|
The Disillusionment of a Rikers Island Doctor
The impossible journey of trying to keep people alive in a notorious jail  Read More  03-26-2022
|
Waiting to Go to Court Shouldn't Be a Death Sentence
As of March 14, 2022, there were 4,682 people waiting for their trials in New York City jails. Of them, 2,206 waiting for six months or more, and 1,474 had been waiting more than a year  Read More  03-24-2022
|
New Report: Felony Murder An On-Ramp for Extreme Sentencing
Several specific reforms are needed to narrow the felony murder rule, advance public safety, and address a troubling cause of mass incarceration and racial
disparities in the criminal legal system  Read More  03-23-2022
|
Piper Kerman on Being Responsible When Writing About People Who Are Incarcerated
Asking yourself what's the intention of your writing will help you make humane choices about your portrayals of other people, according to Kerman  Read More  03-22-2022
|
Captive Consumers: How Government Agencies and Private Companies Trap and Profit Off Incarcerated People and Their Loved Ones
Incarcerated people, and often their families, are increasingly forced to directly pay for the various costs of operating the system in which they are confined  Read More  03-19-2022
|
New report Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2022 Provides the Most Comprehensive Look at U.S. Incarceration Since the Start of the Pandemic
Roughly 1.9 million people are incarcerated in the U.S.  Read More  03-18-2022
|
New Resource: The Landscape of Recent State and County Correctional Oversight Efforts
Since 2018, many jurisdictions have tried to strengthen transparency and accountability in their correctional systems with mixed results  Read More  03-17-2022
|
Criminal Justice Reform Advocate Pamela Winn And HH Sayyida Basma Al Said On Overcoming Stigma And Shame
Winn's group, RestoreHER, advocates for pregnant women in prison  Read More  03-16-2022
|
New Report Reveals the Scope of Youth Confinement Is Vastly Understated
American Children Incarcerated Roughly 250,000 Times in 2019  Read More  03-15-2022
|
150 Years Is Enough: The Case for Abolishing New Jersey's Youth Prisons.
New Jersey has the worst Black-to-white youth incarceration disparity rate in the entire nation  Read More  03-13-2022
|
State Action to Narrow the School-to-Prison Pipeline
$122 billion in federal support was allocated to help students return to school
safely and successfully in 2021-22  Read More  03-11-2022
|
Beyond the Ban: A Toolkit for Advancing College Opportunity for Justice-Impacted Students
Michigan justice fellowship provides a toolkit that examines 8 states to see how they are they are providing higher education to currently and formerly incarcerated people  Read More  03-10-2022
|
Women Beaten, Sexually Assaulted, by Gang Members in Understaffed Prison, (Warning: Graphic Details)
Attacks tied to female gang members transferred to facility, with outnumbered guards failing to intervene  Read More  03-09-2022
|
A New Toolkit for Advocates Working to End Mass Incarceration
The tool kit includes tips and information from over two decades of using data, visuals, and narratives to expose the harms of mass incarceration  Read More  03-07-2022
|
Beyond Private Prisons
Simply targeting the corporations caging migrants and other people for profit won’t create a future without mass incarceration.  Read More  03-07-2022
|
Disrupting the Cycle: Re-entry Leaders Push Post-Incarceration Reform at Mississippi Capitol
With an objective of "disrupting the cycles of incarceration" the Mississippi Center for Re-entry teamed up with other re-entry organizations to advocate for bills that will help people coming out of prison  Read More  03-07-2022
|
Guaranteed Income Experiment Provides Hope for Formerly Incarcerated
The program is being tested in Gainesville, Florida  Read More  03-02-2022
|
Five Black Heroes Who Took on the Fight against Mass Incarceration
Black History Month is over, but that doesn't mean we can't continue to learn  Read More  03-01-2022
|
'Heart of Safety' Is First Ever Juvenile Restorative Justice Diversion Program in VA County
Restorative Arlington is also looking to create a referral pathway to allow schools to directly refer students to Heart of Safety in an effort to close the school-to-prison-pipeline  Read More  02-26-2022
|
Why It’s So Impossible to Get Decent Mental Health Care in Prison
Prison systems deliberately blur the line between the health care and security staffs  Read More  02-25-2022
|
'Staggering' Study Reveals Nearly Half of Unemployed U.S. Men Have Criminal Convictions
Employers should "rethink" using criminal histories in hiring decisions, researchers say  Read More  02-24-2022
|
Prisons, Nursing Homes, and Medicaid: A COVID-19 Case Study in Health Injustice
How political and legal choices made prior to the pandemic contributed to the tragic and unjust burden of illness and death that Black and disabled people have borne  Read More  02-23-2022
|
Oakland County, Michigan Creates Conviction Integrity Unit Seeking Justice for Innocent Incarcerated People
The unit has already received 50 letters, dating back to the 70s  Read More  02-22-2022
|
More People Were Arrested for Drug Possession Than Any Other Type of Crime in 2019
Drug possession arrests held steady at more than a million a year, in stark contrast with a large reduction in overall arrests, which dropped 29%.  Read More  02-19-2022
|
Senate Launches Group to Examine Embattled US Prison System
The working group, being led by Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., is aimed at developing policies and proposals to strengthen oversight of the beleaguered federal prison system  Read More  02-18-2022
|
The U.S. is Limiting Compassionate Release in Plea Deals
AT least six jurisdictions around the nation are using the provisions, barring defendants from filing any motions for early release or limiting them to only one such request and barring appeals  Read More  02-17-2022
|
Climate and Punishment: Boiling Behind Bars, Dark Smokey Cells, Trapped in Floods
The Intercept mapped climate risks for 6,500 detention facilities. In some already miserable places, the suffering is set to intensify  Read More  02-16-2022
|
Prison in California Forced Incarcerated People to Drink Arsenic for Years
The EPA’s Safe Water Drinking Information System shows that from 2008 to 2012, the prison's water had arsenic levels consistently around 20 micrograms per liter, twice the EPA limit of 10 micrograms  Read More  02-15-2022
|
The Rise and Fall of a Prison Town Queen
A family feud over drugs, money and fried fish roils the heart of the Texas prison system.  Read More  02-13-2022
|
Brandon Brown's Path from Prison to Redemption
Becoming the first person in Maine's prison system to receive a degree, he teaches restorative since his release  Read More  02-13-2022
|
The Ties That Bind: Corrections Tells Us There's No Such Thing as a Friend in Prison. They Are Wrong
Imprisonment violently separates us from those we love most — even those we come to love on the inside  Read More  02-13-2022
|
New Data on Formerly Incarcerated People's Employment Reveal Labor Market Injustices
Formerly incarcerated people face huge obstacles to finding stable employment, leading to detrimental society-wide effects  Read More  02-13-2022
|
Criminal Legal Reform One Year into the Biden Administration
There's still tremendous work to be done to live up to Biden's promise to make the criminal legal system more just  Read More  02-08-2022
|
2022: The State of Mental Health in America
More than half of adults with mental illness do not receive treatment  Read More  02-05-2022
|
"How I Went From Gangster to Geek"
Jy-Aire Smith-Pennick writes of his journey to get out of prison and become an agent for change  Read More  02-04-2022
|
CT Correction Officers Working with Youth Offer Ideas to Address Concerns of DOJ
More vocational training, and more staff including teachers and mental health workers are some of the ideas correction officers put forward  Read More  02-03-2022
|
122 Federal Prisons Put on Lockdown
Fear that violence would spread to other federal prisons after two people were killed in the federal penitentiary in Beaumont, Texas  Read More  02-02-2022
|
RICO: Rethinking Interpretations of Criminal Organizations
RICO prosecutions have an inappropriate and disproportionately negative impact on young Black and Brown men (including adolescents) in low-income communities  Read More  02-01-2022
|
Broken Rules: How Pennsylvania Courts Use Cash Bail to Incarcerate People Before Trial
ACLU Pennsylvania report examines the use of bail in all 67 counties across the commonwealth  Read More  01-30-2022
|
Availability of Medications for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Among Pregnant and Postpartum Individuals in US Jails
Investigation found 60% of jails reported continuing to provide MOUD to pregnant individuals who were receiving medication before incarceration, but only 32% of jails initiated MOUD during pregnancy.  Read More  01-30-2022
|
Connecticut's Senators Wanted to Investigate COVID Concerns in Danbury’s Federal Prison. They Were Denied Full Access
Senators are "incredibly concerned about the conditions inside the facility"  Read More  01-27-2022
|
American Bar Association Finds Oregon Has Just 1/3 of Needed Public Defenders
Oregon has only 592 full-time public defenders, but needs 1,888 to meet current caseload  Read More  01-26-2022
|
Opinion: Abolition is Public Health
The largest public health professional Organization in the U.S. took a stand against carceral systems as fundamentally antithetical to our nation's health  Read More  01-25-2022
|
What If? 10 Questions for Sparking Local Pretrial Change
If not risk assessment, then what? What's the replacement?  Read More  01-23-2022
|
The Paid Jailer: How Sheriff Campaign Dollars Shape Mass Incarceration
Report claims businesses and sheriffs extract every available resource
from those captured in the carceral net  Read More  01-21-2022
|
A Victory for Seattle's Homeless Population When Court Rules a Person's Vehicle is "Their Castle"
Homeless people living in their vehicles will no longer have their vehicles impounded, or face stiff fees for towing and storage, or have their vehicle sold at auction to pay off their debts  Read More  01-20-2022
|
Building Exits Off the Highway to Mass Incarceration: Diversion Programs Explained
Report provides key differences in how diversion programs might alleviate (or complicate) someone's experience going through the system  Read More  01-19-2022
|
1 in 8 People in Florida Prisons Is in Solitary Confinement, Advocates Say
Experts, advocates, and those who have been incarcerated have criticized the state prison system for using various forms of isolation that they say constitute solitary confinement  Read More  01-19-2022
|
People in the Scandal-Plagued Federal Prison System Reveal What They Need in a New Director
"This is kind of like AA: To move forward, first you have to admit there's a problem"  Read More  01-16-2022
|
New Data: The Changes in Prisons, Jails, Probation, and Parole in the First Year of the Pandemic
Newly released data from 2020 show the impact of early-pandemic correctional policy choices and what kind of change is possible under pressure  Read More  01-16-2022
|
Cages in the Coalfields
The United States Bureau of Prisons threatens to take over swaths of Central Appalachia  Read More  01-16-2022
|
Reforms without Results: Why States Should Stop Excluding Violent Offenses from Criminal Justice Reforms
Based on research, report offers six reasons why lengthy sentences don't make sense  Read More  01-14-2022
|
A Year After NJ Released Thousands Early From Prison, Only 9% Are Back in Custody
Recidivism rate is now lower than the state's overall pre-pandemic, one-year recidivism rate of 16%  Read More  01-14-2022
|
The Criminal Justice Issue Nobody Talks About: Brain Injuries
Studies suggest that between 40% to 80% of incarcerated people suffered a brain injury  Read More  01-08-2022
|
The Invisible Violence of Carceral Food
"There's no such thing as a 'humane' eating environment in a penal system that inherently produces illness and death," claims Kanav Kathuria  Read More  01-08-2022
|
Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal Resigning After Accusations of "Crippling" the Agency
Increasing pressure to fire him over crisis situations plagued his tenure  Read More  01-06-2022
|
Since He's Been in Office President Biden Hasn't Granted Clemency to Even One of the 18,000 Applicants Who Seek It
Biden seems to have forgotten his promise to use his clemency powers to release people from prison  Read More  01-06-2022
|
He Went Undercover to Expose Police Officers, Prison Guards, and Other Law Enforcement Officers Who Were Members of the KKK
FBI claims members of hate groups hold positions in law enforcement  Read More  01-04-2022
|
D.C.'s AspireEntrepreneur Program Helps Formerly Incarcerated People Start or Grow Businesses
While some businesses thrive, others are harder to get off the ground  Read More  01-03-2022
|
Are Pleas Bargains Really Bargains?
Paper calls for bringing plea bargaining "out of the shadows"  Read More  12-31-2021
|
The Collateral Consequences of Exoneration
Troy Burner wants people to know that even after an exoneration, obstacles still block the path to freedom  Read More  12-30-2021
|
Prison Time Shortens Life Spans for Black Americans, But Not Whites
Black Americans who have spent time in jail or prison are 65% more likely to die prematurely  Read More  12-29-2021
|
Pathways to Desistance from Crime Among Juveniles and Adults: Applications to Criminal Justice Policy and Practice
White paper describes the known correlates of desistance from crime as well as the features associated with continued involvement in crime  Read More  12-28-2021
|
Vera Institute of Justice Unveils Updated Incarceration Trends Website
Revised site includes a trove of data, visualizations, and analytical tools on local jail and state prison populations and demographics  Read More  12-26-2021
|
The Positive Impacts of Family Contact for Incarcerated People and Their Families
In-person visitation is incredibly beneficial, reducing recidivism and improving health and behavior  Read More  12-23-2021
|
Justice Department Reverses Sending Federal Prisoners on Home Confinement Back to Prison
Advocates call on Biden to issue commutations to those on home confinement who still have prison time left on their sentences  Read More  12-22-2021
|
Too Little Too Late: Those in Charge of Parole in Georgia Overlook the State's Prison System is a "Hotbed of Death and Despair"
At least 450 people died in state custody from January of 2020 through September of 2021  Read More  12-21-2021
|
New Resource: Youth in Adult Courts, Jails and Prisons
Resource reviews the history, harms, pathways and trends that treat children as if they were adults  Read More  12-18-2021
|
Top Ranking Official at NJ Women's Prison One of 15 Officials Charged with Assault
Officers violently extracted women from their cells, causing multiple injuries  Read More  12-18-2021
|
A Prosecutorial Solution to the Criminalization of Homelessness
Criminalizing homelessness will never solve the problem  Read More  12-18-2021
|
New Criminal Justice Policy Lab to Focus on Correctional Oversight and Improved Conditions in Prisons and Jails Nationwide
PJIL promotes the urgent need for initiatives that draw on the best available research to reduce harm inside prisons and jails  Read More  12-15-2021
|
What Does Reproductive "Choice" Look Like in Prisons and Jails?
States that are otherwise hostile to abortion rights are especially likely to make it difficult for incarcerated people  Read More  12-15-2021
|
Activists Still Waiting for Biden to Overhaul the Justice System
The federal prison population has increased by 5,000 people during Biden's tenure  Read More  12-14-2021
|
How Jails Are Making Us Die Young
People in counties with higher jail populations are getting sicker and dying younger  Read More  12-12-2021
|
Justices Get Imaginative in Dispute Over Attempted Robbery and "Crimes of Violence"
The question "Is it a violation of the Hobbs Act if a person attempts to threaten but does not actually threaten?" was raised  Read More  12-10-2021
|
Success in Criminal Legal Reform, 2021
Briefing paper highlights key reforms undertaken in 2021 prioritized by The Sentencing  Read More  12-09-2021
|
$67 Million Settlement Reached in Atlanta Suit Over Jail Phone Calls
Global Tel*Link Corp. will establish a $67 million settlement fund to reimburse customers whose deposits were taken by the company from April 2011 to this past October  Read More  12-08-2021
|
"Daddy, If I Come See You, Will I Have to Be Locked Up, Too?"
One man's poignant story of reconnecting with his daughter while in prison  Read More  12-07-2021
|
Crime Prediction Software Promised to Be Free of Biases, New Data Shows It Perpetuates Them
etween 2018 and 2021, more than one in 33 U.S. residents were potentially subject to police patrol decisions directed by crime prediction software called PredPol  Read More  12-06-2021
|
Vulnerable Places: American Communities Are Being Poisoned by Current Conceptions and Practices of Punishment
Understanding how entire communities are exposed to punishment is the key to combatting mass incarceration  Read More  12-05-2021
|
Opinion: We Can't End Mass Incarceration without Ending Solitary Confinement First
What happens when a person damaged by solitary confinement is released back into the community?  Read More  12-05-2021
|
Show Me the Money: Tracking the Companies That Have a Lock on Sending Funds to Incarcerated People
Prison Policy Initiative looks at all fifty state departments of corrections to figure out which companies hold the contracts to provide money-transfer services and what the fees are to use these services  Read More  12-02-2021
|
Banned From Jobs: People Released From Prison Fight Laws That Keep Punishing Them
Post-conviction employment bans put many on the road back to prison  Read More  12-02-2021
|
Race and the Jury: Illegal Discrimination in Jury Selection
  Read More  11-30-2021
|
DOJ Finds Bureau of Prisons Failed to Apply Earned Time Credits to 60,000 Incarcerated Individuals
The Inspector General fears those who were incarcerated could have received sentence reductions  Read More  11-29-2021
|
U.S. Sentencing Commission Compassionate Release Data Report 2020 to 2021
Documentation for all compassionate release motions, regardless of whether they were granted or denied up to August 31, 2021 is presented  Read More  11-27-2021
|
Beyond Jails: Community-Based Strategies for Public Safety
On any given day in 2019, jails in the United States held more than 750,000 people  Read More  11-24-2021
|
A Prosecutor's Guide to Advancing a Public Health Response to Drug Use
Currently about one in five incarcerated people are jailed or imprisoned for a drug offense  Read More  11-24-2021
|
Reentry Central Founder Dr. Sandra Martin Passes Away
Her advocacy for ending mass incarceration is largely recognized  Read More  11-22-2021
|
Program Helps Formerly Incarcerated Mothers to Launch Tech Careers
10-week training program focuses on "sustainable liberation," that centers on economic security  Read More  11-21-2021
|
Tackling a Huge Taboo: Sexual Desire Behind Bars
People in prison, and their loved ones, suffer without intimacy  Read More  11-19-2021
|
Fact Sheet on Parents in Prison
Fact sheet provides key facts on parents in prison and policies that impede their ability to care for their children when released from prison  Read More  11-18-2021
|
Crimes by Federal Prison Employees "Festering"
AP reveals more than 100 BOP employees have been arrested, convicted, or sentenced for crimes since 2019  Read More  11-17-2021
|
Prevalence, Comorbidity, and Continuity of Psychiatric Disorders in a 15-Year Longitudinal Study of Youths Involved in the Juvenile Justice System
This study's findings suggest that persistent psychiatric disorders may complicate the transition from adolescence to adulthood among youths who have been detained in a juvenile justice facility  Read More  11-16-2021
|
Treating Unfreedom: Medical Care in Prison
Practicing correctional medicine is fundamentally an exercise in harm reduction  Read More  11-14-2021
|
Veterans Fought for Our Freedom: To Return the Favor, Fight for Criminal Justice Reform
30 percent of the veterans in federal prison are there for drug convictions  Read More  11-14-2021
|
Two Strikes and You're in Prison Forever
Why Florida leads the nation in people serving life without chance of parole  Read More  11-11-2021
|
"Desistance-Focused Criminal Justice Practice"
Paper argues that recidivism should not be abandoned as a measure of desistance  Read More  11-10-2021
|
The CFPB's Enforcement Order Against Prison Profiteer JPay, Explained
The company was fined $6 million for exploiting people leaving prison  Read More  11-09-2021
|
Jobs Court Matches People Arrested for Low-Level Crimes to Employers That Offer Good-Paying Jobs
Jobs Court pilot program seeks to give 450 people the opportunity to become gainfully employed  Read More  11-08-2021
|
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: Guide to Advancing Justice-Related Goals
Guide outlines need-to-know information about how state and local leaders can leverage American Rescue Plan funding  Read More  11-05-2021
|
The Perils of Probation: How Supervision Contributes to Jail Populations
In 2019, one in 73 adults in America was on probation  Read More  11-04-2021
|
"It Feels Like Your Life Doesn't Matter": How Anti-Prostitution Laws May Make Sex Workers Less Safe
Criminalizing sex work in the name of preventing exploitation can endanger sex workers and drive them to the fringes, workers and experts say  Read More  11-02-2021
|
Report Focuses on Veterans in Prison
The most common crime type committed by veterans in prison was drug trafficking  Read More  11-01-2021
|
The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice
Report looks into several issues including how pocketbook policing affects the amount and patterning of racialized police violence  Read More  10-29-2021
|
The Impact of Incarceration on the Desistance Process Among Individuals Who Chronically Engage in Criminal Activity
White paper considers how imprisonment shapes the desistance process for individuals who chronically engage in criminal activity  Read More  10-28-2021
|
All New York Jails and Prisons to Provide Treatment for Substance Use Disorders
Medication-assisted treatment reduces the risk of death by 85% and the risk that a person will die of an overdose in the weeks following release from incarceration by 75%,  Read More  10-27-2021
|
Released From Prison With No Place to Live
Many of the 600,000 people released from prison each year struggle to find a safe to live  Read More  10-27-2021
|
Saying Their Names: How Public Defenders in NYC Organized to Speak Up for Those Who Died on Rikers Island
Five Boro Defenders is an informal collective of public defenders, civil rights attorneys, and advocates are fighting for the rights of indigent New Yorkers  Read More  10-25-2021
|
Hernán Carvente-Martinez, Founder of Healing Ninjas, Wins Reebok Human Rights Award
After prison, Carvente-Martinez saw the need for a digital wellness platform especially for BIPOC communities searching for mental health and healing resources  Read More  10-23-2021
|
Citing "Unfair and Abusive Acts," The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Ordered JPay to Pay a $6 Million Fine
JPay is a major provider of financial services to prisons, jails, and people who are incarcerated  Read More  10-21-2021
|
Carceral Wisdom: People Who Experienced the Harms of the Penal System Have Much Knowledge to Bring to Jury Trials
Knowledge derived from a carceral experience has value in all contexts — the jury included  Read More  10-20-2021
|
A Toolkit for Jail Decarceration in Your Community
Vera Institute asserts no matter your role in the community, you have the power to push for change that will make a powerful difference  Read More  10-20-2021
|
The Color of Justice: Racial and Ethnic Disparity in State Prisons
New report addresses the scale and causes of disparity in prisons state-by-state  Read More  10-18-2021
|
Solitary Confinement Increased by 500% During Pandemic
300,000 people were held in solitary confinement last year  Read More  10-15-2021
|
Incarceration in "Indian Country" Jails and Native Incarceration in Local Jails Has Exploded Since 2000
Over the past 10 years, the Native jail population is up a shocking 85%, and people in Indian country jails increased by 61%  Read More  10-14-2021
|
New Report: New York State’s New Death Penalty: The Death Toll of Mass Incarceration in a Post Execution Era
Every three days someone dies inside a NYS prison, compared to every 12 days in 1976  Read More  10-13-2021
|
Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn't Exist
Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge  Read More  10-12-2021
|
Study: Impact of a Prison Therapeutic Diversion Unit on Mental and Behavioral Health Outcomes
Study finds that TDUs have considerable promise to lead to better outcomes than restrictive housing while incarcerated  Read More  10-11-2021
|
California Ends Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Non-Violent Drug Crimes
Governor Newsome gets pushback from the California Association of Highway Patrolmen  Read More  10-07-2021
|
Housing First Breaks the Homelessness-Jail Cycle
Results from Denver’s five-year supportive housing program show a better way to invest in people and communities  Read More  10-07-2021
|
Bridging the Gap: A Practitioner’s Guide to Harm Reduction in Drug Courts
Strategies to help drug courts re-align with their original stated purpose: to offer a truly therapeutic and health-based alternative to carceral drug strategies  Read More  10-04-2021
|
Washington DOC Ends Use of Solitary Confinement As Punishment After Study Shows It Doesn't Work
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee calls the DOC's decision "the right thing to do"  Read More  10-04-2021
|
U.S. Sentencing Commission Compassionate Release Data Report Calendar Years 2020 to 202
Report provides an analysis of the compassionate release motions filed with the courts during the COVID-19 pandemic  Read More  10-02-2021
|
Child Support and Reentry
How are child support, criminal justice, and reentry related?  Read More  09-30-2021
|
Report Finds Electronic Monitoring Sets People Up for Failure and Reincarceration
George Washington University researchers express concern about excessive surveillance and risk of reincarceration  Read More  09-29-2021
|
Sex Offender Registration Doesn’t Help Victims, Hurts Young Offenders
States across the country place children as young as 8 years old on sex offender registries  Read More  09-28-2021
|
Butler University Research Finds Benefits Of Hiring Workers With A Criminal History
Authors of study would like to see the work ethic of the formerly incarcerated people researched on a national level  Read More  09-27-2021
|
When Fines and Fees Ruin Lives
Critics say police are being used as debt collectors  Read More  09-24-2021
|
In The Extreme: Women Serving Life Without Parole and Death Sentences in the United States
Report concludes a wealth of evidence suggests that women encounter gender-based stigma and bias that negatively affects their court outcomes  Read More  09-23-2021
|
Man Who Paid 43 Cents Less For Soda Arrested and Given a $50,000 Bond
In Pennsylvania, if someone is convicted of theft twice, a third time is a felony, no matter what the cost  Read More  09-22-2021
|
Justice Department Reviewing Policies on Transgender People in Prison
Approximately 1,200 people in federal prison identify as transgender  Read More  09-21-2021
|
Cracking the Black Box
Shedding light on the vast discretion prosecutors have to charge crimes  Read More  09-20-2021
|
Should Jurors Be Told What the Penalties Would Be For A Guilty Verdict?
Advocates claim informed juries would be more democratic in sentencing if they were aware of the consequences  Read More  09-17-2021
|
Shackling Pregnant Prisoners Should Be Against Federal Law: Paper
Shackle on pregnant women have been known to cause health risks to mothers and babies  Read More  09-16-2021
|
Global Tel*Link Seeks Patent for Robots That Will Perform Many Tasks Corrections Officers Currently Carry Out
Tasks include "non-lethal force" with "an electroshock weapon, a rubber projectile gun, gas, or physical contact by the robot with an inmate."  Read More  09-15-2021
|
Back-to-School Action Guide: Re-Engaging Students and Closing the School-to-Prison Pipeline
The Sentencing Project report provides a wide variety of promising and proven strategies to close the school-to-prison pipeline  Read More  09-14-2021
|
Self-Harm Is Exploding In New York City Jails, Internal Numbers Show
Board of Corrections issued a statement urging officials to "do something"  Read More  09-13-2021
|
States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2021
Where does your state's incarceration rate stand in comparison to other states and countries?  Read More  09-10-2021
|
Christopher Poulos: What I Learned Visiting Alaska's Only Maximum-Security Prison
The reforms at the Spring Creek prison show what can be done when people are treated humanely and prepared for life on the outside  Read More  09-09-2021
|
A Holistic Approach to Legal Advocacy
For poor, persecuted communities, helping them overcome legal challenges isn’t nearly enough  Read More  09-08-2021
|
What you Need to Know About School Policing
In every state, the rate at which students with disabilities were referred to law enforcement was higher than the rate for all students  Read More  09-08-2021
|
New National Recidivism Report
The return-to-prison rate has dropped considerably  Read More  09-03-2021
|
States of Emergency: The Failure of Prison System Responses to COVID-19
So far, 2,700 people in prison lost their life to the COVID-19 Virus  Read More  09-03-2021
|
A Hard Look at Prison Labor Programs
Critics say some lose millions of dollars, while not teaching usable skills for jobs outside of prison  Read More  09-03-2021
|
Georgetown University Launches National Project Certifying Correctional Officials in Practices Designed to Limit Solitary Confinement of Juveniles
"Ending Isolation in Youth Facilities" certificate program includes juvenile justice executives, rank-and-file detention facility staffers, and representatives from nonprofits working with justice-involved youth  Read More  08-30-2021
|
Business Owners Ask Biden Not to Transfer Back to Prison Their Employees Transferred to Home Confinement under CARES ACT
ACLU and FAMM join in to support employers and employees in keep them home  Read More  08-29-2021
|
Opinion: How the Language of Criminal Justice Inflicts Lasting Harm
Research shows that negative language is associated with making dehumanizing associations about a person  Read More  08-27-2021
|
People Detained at Jail Given Medicine Used to Treat Animals for Parasites as a Treatment for COVID-19
FDA has warned against using Ivermectin in treating COVID-19  Read More  08-26-2021
|
Life After White-Collar Crime
Every week, fallen executives come together, seeking sympathy and a second act  Read More  08-25-2021
|
Would You Rather Have Your Wallet Stolen on the Street or Spend Two Weeks in Jail?
Relative Harm Valuation (RHV) explained  Read More  08-24-2021
|
Report: The Business Case for Criminal Justice Reform: Second Chance Hiring
At the national level, economists estimate that the Gross Domestic Product (G.D.P.) is reduced between $78 billion and $87 billion due to excluding formerly incarcerated job seekers from the workforce  Read More  08-23-2021
|
Federal Loophole Thwarts State Curbs on Police Seizures of Property
People who have not been arrested or convicted of a crime can still have their property seized  Read More  08-20-2021
|
Mentoring Programs for Youth: A Promising Intervention for Delinquency Prevention
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) awarded nearly $1 billion in grants to mentoring organizations from 2008 to 2019  Read More  08-19-2021
|
Investing in Evidence-Based Alternatives to Policing: Community Violence Intervention
Vera Institute of Justice makes recommendations for jurisdictions, states, and the federal government  Read More  08-19-2021
|
The Case for Prison Nurseries
Evidence shows that prison nurseries benefit the infants, mothers, and taxpayers  Read More  08-17-2021
|
Gerrymandering Explained
Gerrymandering has been around for centuries, but now redistricting is seen as more of a threat  Read More  08-16-2021
|
Formerly Incarcerated Teens Share Their Research, Ideas to Improve the Juvenile Justice System
Group helps rework probation agreement, block curfews, and work toward new approaches  Read More  08-13-2021
|
Jailhouse Lawyers Take on COVID-19, and More
Despite many restrictions and obstacles brought about by the pandemic, jailhouse lawyers persevere in seeking justice for those behind bars  Read More  08-12-2021
|
The First Step Act Required the Federal Prison System to Treat People With Opioid Dependence. What Happened?
Less than 2% of the 15,000 who were deemed eligible received treatment  Read More  08-11-2021
|
Shon Hopwood, Who Know Firsthand, Tells How Atrocious Prisons Conditions Make Us All Less Safe
The American prison system seems designed to ensure that people return to incarceration instead of successfully reentering society  Read More  08-11-2021
|
Race, Disability and Criminal Justice
55 percent of Black people with a disability are arrested before the age of 28  Read More  08-09-2021
|
Vera Announces Funding for Organizations in Rural America Seeking Alternative Solutions to Incarceration
Third round of community grants intended to sustain existing work in smaller cities and rural communities to reduce incarceration and address inequities in the criminal justice system  Read More  08-08-2021
|
"Lettuce Grow," a Sustainable Gardening Program Prepares People in 16 Oregon Prisons and Juvenile Detention Centers for Employment upon Release
Graduates find jobs in nurseries and horticultural –related businesses  Read More  08-06-2021
|
Four Ways The Pandemic Made Us Rethink Our Criminal Legal System
Evan with decarceration jails and prisons continue to be epicenters of COVID-19  Read More  08-04-2021
|
Unfinished Business: A Former U.S. District Judge Reckons with the Men She Sentenced
Judge: "I could not shake my horror at the laws I was obliged to apply, even as I was applying them."  Read More  08-04-2021
|
Nine Ways That States Can Provide Better Public Defense
Prison Policy Initiative provides questions to ask to assess the strength of your state's public defense system  Read More  08-02-2021
|
Is Closing Prisons Decarceral Progress?
Inquest finds closing prisons creates overcrowding, the compounding of geographic disparities, and elimination of pro-social, programming-dense environment  Read More  07-30-2021
|
Monetary Sanctions as a Pound of Flesh
America has established a two-tiered system of justice: one for people with financial means and one for people without  Read More  07-29-2021
|
Klansmen Working As Corrections Officers
Murder plot by Florida corrections officers revealed  Read More  07-28-2021
|
Advocacy Groups File Complaint with Homeland Security Over Conditions of Immigrants at Bergen County Jail in N.J.
Allegations include sexual assault, medical and physical abuse, religious discrimination, and "deplorable" conditions  Read More  07-28-2021
|
Plea Tracker Project Will Produce Aggregated Data Showing Patterns in How Prosecutors Use Their Discretion
90-95% of all criminal case dispositions end with a plea bargain  Read More  07-26-2021
|
Four Steps to Increase COVID-19 Vaccinations Among Correctional Officers
Former chief medical officer of the New York City jail system offers recommendations to increase COVID-19 vaccination among correctional officers  Read More  07-23-2021
|
The 50-Year War on Drugs Sent Millions of Black Americans to Prison
Background checks can prevent people with decades-old drug convictions from getting jobs, housing, and higher education  Read More  07-23-2021
|
Philadelphia Detectives 'Offered People in Jail Sex and Drugs for False Testimonies'
"Sex for lies" contributed to men serving life sentences in the 80's according to a new report  Read More  07-21-2021
|
Building Exits Off the Highway to Mass Incarceration: Diversion Programs Explained
Prison Policy Initiative lists five exits that will divert people from incarceration  Read More  07-21-2021
|
L.A. County Jail Gives Overdose Reversal Treatment Directly to Incarcerated People
The L.A. County Office of Diversion and Reentry also provides doses of Narcan to people being released from jail  Read More  07-19-2021
|
South Carolina Has Lowest US Rate of People Who Return to Jail
Less than 22% of people released in 2017 returned to prison within three years  Read More  07-18-2021
|
Examining the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Involvement in the Justice System
The National Institute of Justice presents seven studies to better understand and improve responses to children exposed to violence and childhood trauma  Read More  07-16-2021
|
Inside The Nation's Overdose Crisis in Prisons and Jails
Behind bars, drug use is rampant and uniquely deadly, new data shows  Read More  07-15-2021
|
Brennan Center for Justice: The Dehumanizing Work of Immigration Law
  Read More  07-15-2021
|
People in Prison and Doctors Who Battle Over Transgender Medical Care
WIRED introduces us to the psychiatrist who most times nixes gender confirmation surgery for incarcerated people who seek it  Read More  07-13-2021
|
United States Sentencing Committee Releases Easy-to Read Quick Facts on a Variety of Federal Crimes
Topics include sentencing issues, drugs, groups of people who commite crimes, economic crimes, sex offenses, firearm, immigration, escape, national defense and robbery  Read More  07-10-2021
|
Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia Jails are in a Crisis, and a Tactic Used During COVID-19 is the Solution
90% of people in Philadelphia jails are awaiting trial  Read More  07-10-2021
|
What More can Be Done To Keep Black Youth Out of Florida's Juvenile Justice System?
Only 40.8 percent of Black Juveniles who were eligible served in a diversion program  Read More  07-10-2021
|
Checking The Success Of Your State's Efforts To Restore Voting Rights To The Formerly Incarcerated
The Marshall Project found no more than 1 in 4 of the newly eligible voters had registered for the 2020 election in four key states. Here's how to examine yours.  Read More  07-10-2021
|
Policy Assessments: Task Force Conducted Two Dozen Assessments of Proposed Policing Reforms
Examining measures focused on preventing excessive use of force, reducing racial biases, increasing accountability, and improving the relationship between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve  Read More  07-10-2021
|
Diversion, Positive Youth Development, Restorative Practices: Connecting the Dots
Report concludes that youth with diverse and complex needs struggle to complete diversion programs  Read More  07-05-2021
|
Susan Sered on the Ineffectiveness of Prison-Based Therapy
Noted sociologist finds that there is little evidence that mental health services in prison are of benefit to women after they are released  Read More  07-04-2021
|
On Independence Day, Whose "Freedom" Do We Celebrate?
For many Black and brown people "freedom" is just an illusion  Read More  07-04-2021
|
New Report Finds Evidence That People Convicted of Violent Crimes Rarely Commit New Crimes of Violence After Release
In addition to findings, report offers recommendations to advance the criminal legal system to become fair, efficient, and humane  Read More  07-03-2021
|
The People's Plan for Prison Closure
Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB)  Read More  07-03-2021
|
Prisons Have a Health Care Issue — And It Starts at the Top, Critics Say
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit those responsible for overseeing the health care and safety of people incarcerated in 120 lockups had no formal medical training  Read More  07-01-2021
|
Probation and Parole as Punishment
Community supervision must be transformed in order to help people caught up in the justice system, not hurt them further  Read More  06-30-2021
|
A Grandmother Didn't Answer Her Phone During a Class. She Was Sent Back to Prison
Her lawyer was told by BOP because she could have been robbing a bank, she will be treated as if she was robbing a bank  Read More  06-30-2021
|
Fully Free Campaign Seeks to End System of 'Permanent Punishments'
Human rights activists prefer the term permanent punishments over “collateral consequences” because its "punishment after the punishment after you’ve been released from incarceration"  Read More  06-29-2021
|
Text Reminders of Court Appearances Leads to a Drop in Pre-Trial Detentions in Massachusetts
Failure to appear rates have dropped to 12.6 percent in Massachusetts  Read More  06-28-2021
|
The Marshall Project Issues Its Final Report on the Coronavirus in Prisons
From the start of the pandemic until June 2021 398,617 people in prison were infected by the virus  Read More  06-25-2021
|
AP Sources: Officials Mulling Ousting US Prisons Director
A final decision to fire Michael Carvajal has not been made  Read More  06-24-2021
|
Collateral Consequences and the Enduring Nature of Punishment
For some people, punishment can continue years after the sentence ends, even decades  Read More  06-23-2021
|
Female Reentry and Gender-Responsive Programming
Recommendations for Policy and Practice  Read More  06-22-2021
|
Opinion: Most Women Don't Need Prison, They Need Support
Once in custody, women find themselves in a system created for and by men  Read More  06-21-2021
|
CT Readies For Free Phone Calls From Behind Bars
Law also stipulates that the state Department of Correction can't reduce the number of in-person visits to inmates because calls are now free  Read More  06-20-2021
|
Report: 25,000 Years Lost to Wrongful Convictions
More than $2.9 million paid in compensation, but over half of exonerees received nothing  Read More  06-17-2021
|
10 Crime Coverage Dos and Don'ts
The Sentencing Project offers media can help media outlets develop coverage that will better inform the public and policymakers on how to pursue the most effective and humane public safety policies  Read More  06-16-2021
|
Study Finds Lack of Statewide Oversight Causes Excessive Caseloads for Illinois Public Defenders
Sixth Amendment Center report cites Illinois is one of seven states in the country without a state commission, agency or officer that sets standards for indigent representation  Read More  06-15-2021
|
Opinion: Youth Justice Needs Specialized Training of Judges, Lawyers, Court Employees, and Courtroom Language that Doesn't Demean
Young people might get fairer treatment in court if judges, lawyers and court employees are trained in youth behavior and how to interact with youth in legal settings  Read More  06-14-2021
|
Despite Promises of Reform, Investigation Found "Death, Neglect, and Disrepair" in Tribal Jails
As of April, 236 of the 1,133 correctional officers — 1 in 5 — working in tribal detention centers had not completed the required basic training  Read More  06-11-2021
|
New Data: State Prisons Are Increasingly Deadly Places
New data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that state prisons are seeing alarming rises in suicide, homicide, and drug and alcohol-related deaths.  Read More  06-10-2021
|
New Jersey to Shut Down Only Women's Prison
Gov. Phil Murphy "disturbed and disgusted" over violent incidents against incarcerated women  Read More  06-09-2021
|
Minnesota Will Be the First State to Stop Separating Incarcerated Moms and Newborns
As it stands now, after two or three days in the hospital, the baby goes on to a new caregiver  Read More  06-08-2021
|
Laws Criminalizing HIV Are Obstructing Efforts to End the AIDS Epidemic
32 states have laws designed to punish HIV+ people by creating or enhancing criminal penalties for various behaviors  Read More  06-07-2021
|
More States Expand the Ballot to Previously Incarcerated
5.2 million Americans are are not allowed to vote because of their felony convictions  Read More  06-04-2021
|
A Person Who Is Incarcerated Explains, Yet Again, Why the Word "Inmate" Is Harmful
The term is dehumanizing, so why is it still being used?  Read More  06-03-2021
|
NBA Champion Caron Butler Speaks Out Against Solitary Confinement
Once locked up in solitary confinement, Butler knows how damaging it can be  Read More  06-03-2021
|
Opinion: End, Don’t Move, Solitary Confinement
Connecticut is closing its notorious supermax prison, but planning to continue its restrictive solitary confinement policy in other state prisons  Read More  05-28-2021
|
Western District of Louisiana Announces DOJ Grants for Reentry Programs and Others
Funding is also considered for gang violence and gun violence reduction, and enforcement, adjudication and supervision programs, as well as other programs  Read More  05-28-2021
|
Over One-Third of Miami-Dade County Drivers Have Suspended Licenses
Those who can't pay their initial fine face even steeper fines, as well as arrest  Read More  05-28-2021
|
'I Let Go of the Outcome': Jeff Grant, Convicted of a Felony, Shares His Journey of Overcoming Addiction and Winning Back His Law License
The co-founder of Progressive Prison Ministries offers a weekly white-collar online support group for people convicted of white-collar crimes  Read More  05-27-2021
|
Out of Prison, Doing Well, Seeking a Relationship, and Getting Shut out by Dating Apps
Does banning people convicted of felonies from dating apps really make people safer?  Read More  05-26-2021
|
Arrest Trends in Action
What the data tells us about police practices  Read More  05-26-2021
|
Someone Facing Life without Parole Could Die in Prison, but They Won’t Get the Same Caliber of Legal Representation That Someone Facing the Death Penalty Will
56,000 people are serving life without parole, but most states don’t have minimum qualifications for their lawyers  Read More  05-25-2021
|
Women's Voices: Stories from Women Changing the Criminal Legal System
Women impacted by the criminal legal system shed light on the compounding harms of incarceration  Read More  05-24-2021
|
Federal Prisons Forced to Use Cooks, Nurses to Guard Inmates Due to Staff Shortages
Prisons are struggling to maintain control as fights, homicides, and suicides rise  Read More  05-22-2021
|
How Corporations Buy, and Sell, Food Made with Prison Labor
That mozzarella on your pizza might have been produced by prison labor  Read More  05-21-2021
|
Study Brief: Adequacy of Healthcare in Louisiana State Prisons
Review found several substantial issues with healthcare delivery, access, and administration with the DPSC system  Read More  05-19-2021
|
Fact Sheet: Trends in U.S. Corrections
The Sentencing Project's key fact sheet provides a compilation of major developments in the criminal justice system over the past several decades  Read More  05-18-2021
|
Energy Company Is Using People Incarcerated in Florida to Make Robocalls to Consumers in Other States
While the state makes money, some incarcerated people receive only 15% of their paycheck after numerous deductions  Read More  05-17-2021
|
Why Self-Care Isn't Enough: Resilience for Trauma-Informed Professionals (R-TIP)
R-TIP incorporates best-practice recommendations for recognizing and addressing Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS)among those implementing trauma-informed practices  Read More  05-14-2021
|
A Second Look at Injustice
Ending mass incarceration and tackling its racial disparities require taking a second look at long sentences  Read More  05-13-2021
|
The War Over the 13th Amendment and Modern Day Slavery
Senator Jeff Merkley and a band of activists are fighting back against the 13th Amendment  Read More  05-12-2021
|
Prisons and Jails Will Separate Millions of Mothers from Their Children in 2021
80% of the 2,019,900 women incarcerated each year are mothers  Read More  05-11-2021
|
Youth Justice System Punishes Poverty: Study
Families of justice involved juveniles pay a heavy price  Read More  05-09-2021
|
Three Ways to Increase the Impact of the First Step Act's Earned Time Credits
Urban Institute report suggests reconsidering and increasing the amount of ETC expand opportunities for early release  Read More  05-09-2021
|
'This is My Home.' Texas Lawmakers Consider Statewide Ban on Camping in Public Places
Critics say the proposal would further criminalize homeless people  Read More  05-06-2021
|
Reflections On Mother's Day in Prison
It's hard to be a mother in prison, but that doesn't stop women from trying  Read More  05-05-2021
|
College in Prison Adapts as COVID-19 Upends Education in Schools Everywhere
COVID-19 upended education in schools everywhere and prisons were no exception  Read More  05-04-2021
|
Lawyers for Juveniles Trained in Racial Justice Trials
Ambassadors for Racial Justice, trains juvenile defenders across the nation on how to combat systemic racism through case advocacy, community activism and legislation  Read More  05-03-2021
|
Tool to Predict Recidivism in People in Federal Prisons Could Make More Eligible for Early Release
PATTERN (the Prisoner Assessment Tool Targeting Estimated Risk and Needs). PATTERN, was designed to be gender-responsive and customized to the BOP population.  Read More  05-02-2021
|
Citing "An Egregious Lack of Concern for the Health and Safety of All Who Enter," Virginia Seeks to Shut Down Notorious Jail
Jail Review Committee also asserts the jail poses "a significant public safety threat to inmates and correctional officers"  Read More  04-29-2021
|
Connecticut Legislative Leaders Signal An End to Prison Gerrymandering
Legislators and others are promoting a bill that would require the state to count people in prison prisoners as members of the communities they came from  Read More  04-29-2021
|
Urban Institute: Police Traffic Stops Have Little to Do with Public Safety
Advocates suggest removing officers from traffic enforcement activities, listening to the people most harmed by traffic stops, and shifting the power to community members to define and address their public safety concerns  Read More  04-27-2021
|
The Importance of Racial Impact Statements
Racial impact statements are a tool for lawmakers to evaluate potential disparities of proposed legislation prior to adoption and implementation  Read More  04-26-2021
|
"Smart on Crime, Soft on Taxpayer Conservative Reform"
Mississippi governor signs bill that could make 2,000 people in prison eligible for parole  Read More  04-24-2021
|
Disability Rights Organization Sues Oregon DOC
Incarcerated people in Oregon are forced to pay for prosthetic limbs, eyes. and other necessary medical equipment  Read More  04-23-2021
|
What Is It Like to Survive COVID-19 in Prison?
Four incarcerated people tell what they witnessed and how they coped  Read More  04-23-2021
|
Manhattan to Stop Prosecuting Prostitution
Manhattan DA Cyrus R. Vance Jr. asserts that prosecuting sex work doesn't make the city safer  Read More  04-22-2021
|
Tennessee Legislators Seek to Right Wrongs through Sentencing Reforms
500 people were left behind in prison after a new, reduced drug-free zone law was enacted  Read More  04-19-2021
|
We Can "Reimagine Justice," But how Do We Make It Work?
Local efforts will decide how justice evolves  Read More  04-16-2021
|
Juvenile Life Without Parole: An Overview
Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia have banned life sentences without the possibility of parole for juveniles  Read More  04-15-2021
|
Experts Weigh in on Punitive Excess
Essays reflect on ways to end excess punishment that permeates America's criminal justice system  Read More  04-14-2021
|
Fentanyl Ban Complicates Biden’s Plan to Shift Drug Policy
Civil rights groups want fentanyl-like substance ban to end  Read More  04-14-2021
|
To End Mass Incarceration, We Need to Bust the Myths That Prop It Up
Victoria Law addresses myths related to the belief that prisons make us safer  Read More  04-12-2021
|
The Call to Apply Brain Science to Plea Bargains for Developmentally Informed Approach
Research on decision-making shows that adolescents are more likely to take risks and make impulsive choices  Read More  04-11-2021
|
New Jersey Congresswoman Leads Bipartisan Letter Calling on President Biden to Reverse "Cruel" Trump Justice Department Legal Memo
CARES Act requires people on home confinement to return to prison  Read More  04-10-2021
|
Hundreds of Transgender People in California Prisons Get to Choose Whether to be Housed in a Male or Female Prison
One study found the rate of sexual assault is 13 times higher for transgender people  Read More  04-10-2021
|
Words Matter: Don’t Call People Felons, Convicts, or Inmates
Vera Institute offers a list of words and phrases that are more humanizing  Read More  04-04-2021
|
PA. Justice Encourages Courtroom Reforms to Serve Those on Autism Spectrum
Judge had wake-up call when he found out juvenile before him was on the autism spectrum, not incorrigible as he thought  Read More  04-04-2021
|
Faulty Forensics and Wrongful Convictions
New report demonstrates how forensic methods are only as good as the scientist or technician using them  Read More  04-02-2021
|
New Bureau of Justice Statistics Report: Time Served in State Prison, 2018
Two-thirds of people released from state prison in2018 served less than two years  Read More  04-01-2021
|
President Biden Announces Intent to Nominate 11 Judicial Candidates
Nominees include four public defenders  Read More  03-31-2021
|
The Economic Costs of Pretrial Detention
A Brookings report reveals defendants detained pre-trial lost $29,001 in income on average over a lifetime compared with defendants who weren’t detained pre-trial  Read More  03-30-2021
|
New York State Trial Penalty: The Constitutional Right to Trial Under Attack
The trial penalty manifests in numerous ways including forcing defendants to waive various appellate rights  Read More  03-29-2021
|
Reuters Investigation: Lamentable Medical Care in Jails and Prisons Exposed During Pandemic
More than 480,000 people held in jail are presumed legally innocent  Read More  03-26-2021
|
Is Lead Poisoning a Partial Explanation for Low-Income Neighborhood Crimes?
A Florida attorney claims studies show lead poisoning has a harmful
effect on the development of brains in young children  Read More  03-26-2021
|
Iowa Grieves the Murder of a Nurse and Corrections Officer
Corrections Officer Robert McFarland and Nurse Lorena Schulte died trying to prevent a prison escape  Read More  03-24-2021
|
Trauma Informed Prosecution Resource is Available
The Trauma-Informed Prosecution Project aims to develop guidance for prosecutors to incorporate trauma-informed best practices into their work  Read More  03-23-2021
|
Louisiana Department of Corrections Has a Year-Over-Year Turnover Rate of 73% among Correctional Officers
Gov. John Bel Edwards is seeking $21.5 million to raise the pay for entry-level correctional officers and to add incentives  Read More  03-22-2021
|
JustLeadershipUSA is Calling for a Voice in the Biden Administration
JLUSA created a roadmap executive actions, administrative rules, constitutional reforms, and more  Read More  03-19-2021
|
New Data on Jail Populations: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
A drop in jail populations, jail reductions not going far enough, and racial disparities in jail incarceration widening during the pandemic are some of the topics covered  Read More  03-18-2021
|
What Comes Next For the Men Who Used to Be On Death Row?
In CT the call is to "put them in a situation that is just like death row."  Read More  03-17-2021
|
Incarcerated Parents and Termination of Parental Rights in Connecticut: Recommendations for Reform
Everything you need to know about The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), and why it needs reform  Read More  03-16-2021
|
Homeless, Mentally Ill, and Behind Bars
Research shows that forty-five percent of homeless people have mental illness  Read More  03-15-2021
|
Congress Delivers Nearly $4 Billion for Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health
Office of National Drug Control Policy lists areas where the funding will be awarded  Read More  03-12-2021
|
World's Largest Evangelical Prison Ministry Supports Democrat Bill to Eliminate Sentencing Disparity Between Crack Cocaine and Cocaine Powder
81% of those convicted of crack offenses between 2015 to 2019 were Black  Read More  03-11-2021
|
CT Federal Prison: Refuse a Vaccine against COVID-19, Forget about Home Confinement
Worries about the vaccine's safety, and lack of trust, are some reasons people in Danbury FCI would rather forgo home confinement than get the vaccine  Read More  03-10-2021
|
What Jails Costs In Kentucky and Tennessee Counties
An interactive map allows one to select a county and view a breakdown of its jail budget  Read More  03-09-2021
|
People in Prison Have Access to Pell Grants Again, But Now What?
Questions have been raised about the quality of the programs, as well as how racial equality gaps will be closed  Read More  03-07-2021
|
Private Prisons in the United States
Thirty-one states and the federal government incarcerated 116,000 people in private prisons in 2019, representing 8% of the total state and federal prison population  Read More  03-07-2021
|
Local Spending on Jails Tops $25 Billion in Latest Nationwide Data
Costs increased despite falling crime and fewer people being admitted to jail  Read More  03-07-2021
|
Jail Lockup Tied to Early Death in U.S. Counties
A new analysis suggests jail incarceration rates may help drive causes of death like infectious disease and suicide among county residents.  Read More  03-03-2021
|
Does Restorative Justice Stabilize Racist and Toxic Systems?
Critics claim oppressive systems must be dismantled before justice can be restorative  Read More  03-02-2021
|
Physical Mail Could Be Eliminated at Federal Prisons
Will Biden reverse a pilot program started by Trump that converts mail to electronic scans?  Read More  03-01-2021
|
New Massachusetts Rules Would Eliminate Handwritten Letters in Prison
MADOC's proposed rules would allow for photocopying legal mail  Read More  03-01-2021
|
Poverty and Mass Incarceration in New York: An Agenda for Change
Criminal justice reform can save New York State money and reduce the racial wealth gap  Read More  02-27-2021
|
U.S. Government Accountability Office Report: U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Prisons Should Better Align Policies with National Guidelines
GAO offers six recommendations for executive action  Read More  02-25-2021
|
No End in Sight: America's Enduring Reliance on Life Imprisonment
One out of every seven in prison.  Read More  02-24-2021
|
Rigging the Jury: How Each State Reduces Jury Diversity by Excluding People with Criminal Records
More than 20 million people with a criminal conviction are barred from jury service  Read More  02-23-2021
|
The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls Calls on Biden to Grant Clemency to 100 Women in his First 100 Days in Office
Over 231,000 women and girls are incarcerated in the U.S.  Read More  02-22-2021
|
Activists Rally against Building a New "Trauma Informed" Women's Prison in Massachusetts
Families for Justice as Healing, in calling for community-based rehabilitation, argues that trauma informed care isn't possible in a prison setting  Read More  02-21-2021
|
Extracting Punishment from Our Civil Systems: Drug Policy Alliance Launches New Initiative with Series of Reports Illustrating How the Drug War Has Contaminated Six Critical Systems
'Uprooting the Drug War' Highlights Need to Remove Drug War's 'Roots' from Education, Employment, Housing, Child Welfare, Immigration, and Public Benefits  Read More  02-20-2021
|
Charities are Not Put in Jail For Asking for Money, So Why are Panhandlers?
In Florida, asking people who panhandle can be sent to jail for upto 60 days, and fined $500.  Read More  02-19-2021
|
Injustice in the Lowest Courts: How Municipal Courts Rob America's Youth
Report finds municipal courts expose youth to significant harm without providing them with adequate procedural protections  Read More  02-19-2021
|
New Data: The Revolving Door Between Homeless Shelters and Prisons in Connecticut
Unsheltered people in other states face the same problem  Read More  02-15-2021
|
"Invisible Disabilities are Still Disabilities," Bill Requiring Consideration of Autism, Mental Illness in Criminal Justice System Passes in Virginia
Bill also repeals a state law that currently bans defendants from introducing evidence about their mental health conditions/disabilities  Read More  02-13-2021
|
New Report: Policing by the Numbers
Charts provide information on trends in key areas, including the size and makeup of the nation's police agencies, spending, and, crime and victimization rates  Read More  02-12-2021
|
COVID-19 and a Violent Uprising in a St. Louis Jail
Incarcerated individuals throughout the country are feeling fear and anger over not receiving the COVID-19 vaccination  Read More  02-11-2021
|
Connecticut to Close Its Notorious Supermax Prison
Prison was under heavy criticism for solitary confinement policies, including its treatment of incarcerated individuals with mental health issues  Read More  02-10-2021
|
First-Of-Its-Kind National Poll Reveals Broad Consensus for Fines and Fees Reform
82% of U.S. voters support stopping the collection of fines and fees during the Covid-19 economic downturn  Read More  02-09-2021
|
People in Jail and Prison 2020
Report: Despite an historic drop in incarceration, the decrease was neither substantial nor sustained enough to be considered an adequate response  Read More  02-07-2021
|
Lessons from 2020: A Racial Awakening for Prosecutors
Guide recommends how prosecutors can create an office culture that embraces racial justice and supports prosecutors of color  Read More  02-05-2021
|
After the Sentence, More Consequences: A National Report of Barriers to Work
A complex web of local, state, and federal statutes and regulations can make it impossible for some people with criminal records to rebuild their lives  Read More  02-04-2021
|
Florida Criminal Justice Advocate and Entrepreneur Knows the Importance, and Benefits, of Hiring Formerly Incarcerated People
Mykal Tairu hopes to expand his business to give other formerly incarcerated people a second chance  Read More  02-04-2021
|
New Report Shows Youth Incarceration Disparities State-by-State
African American and American Indian youth are five times and three times as likely, respectively, as their white peers to be incarcerated  Read More  02-03-2021
|
16 Deadlines Extended for National Institute of Justice Funding
Most of the NIJ funding are for Research and Evaluation  Read More  02-02-2021
|
New Study Shows Low-Level Contact with the Criminal Justice System Negatively Impacts First Time Home Buyers
More research is needed to find solution to problem  Read More  02-01-2021
|
Newspapers Are Helping People Remove Negative Information from Old Articles
Old arrests and mug shots are just some of the items being removed from the newspapers' digital files  Read More  01-29-2021
|
Behavioral Challenges Can Push Youth With Disabilities Into School-to-Prison Pipeline
Fourteen percent of public school students receive special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)  Read More  01-28-2021
|
Dozens of Staff Members at NJ Prison Suspended Over Allegations of Severely Beating Several Incarcerated Women
30 officers, supervisors and other staff have since been put on "administrative paid leave" during ongoing criminal investigation  Read More  01-27-2021
|
Margo St. James, Leader of the Sex Workers Rights Movement, Dead at Age 83
St. James advocated for decriminalization of sex work, as well as for treating sex workers with dignity and respect  Read More  01-26-2021
|
Columbia University: Innovate Criminal Justice Reform
Columbia faculty members identify the most pressing criminal justice issues facing the country, and offer possible solutions  Read More  01-24-2021
|
The Reintegration Agenda During Pandemic: Criminal Record Reforms in 2020
In 2020, 32 states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government
enacted 106 legislative bills, approved 5 ballot initiatives, and issued
4 executive orders to restore rights and opportunities to people with a
criminal record  Read More  01-24-2021
|
The Sentencing Project Asks, and Answers: Can We Wait 60 Years to Cut the Prison Population in Half?
At the going rate, the decline will take 57 years  Read More  01-24-2021
|
Visualize Savings to Unburden Your State Corrections Budget
Course Corrections Cost Calculator shows how changes to revocation rates can help reduce prison populations and save costs  Read More  01-20-2021
|
Only Nine States Have Laws against Prison Gerrymandering, will Illinois be the 10Th?
Illinois' HB 3653 is the culmination of 10 years of effort to end prison gerrymandering in that state  Read More  01-19-2021
|
Top Trends in Criminal Justice Reform, 2020
The Sentencing Project’s briefing paper describes key reforms that were prioritized in 2020  Read More  01-18-2021
|
Letter from Birmingham Jail: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Honoring Dr. King as we celebrate his birthday  Read More  01-17-2021
|
The Call for More States to Use Their "Good Time" Policies to Release People From Prison During the COVID-19 Epidemic
People in prisons earn credits by participating in educational, vocational and other programs, as well as complying with prison rules  Read More  01-15-2021
|
500 People in CT Prisons Cured of Hepatitis C after Lawsuit against the CT DOC Was Filed
CT DOC required to test and treat incarcerated people for Hep-C and file a report to the court every three months until March of 2022.  Read More  01-14-2021
|
"It Is Time to Free the Press in Prison"
Concerns arise when freedom of the press is severely curtailed when it applies to access to prisons  Read More  01-13-2021
|
Virginia State Crime Commission Votes to Eliminate Mandatory Minimum Sentences
Proposal would eliminate mandatory jail and prison terms attached to 224 offenses  Read More  01-12-2021
|
Innovative Music Program in Ohio Women's Prison Puts Moms' Words to Music
Healing songs on Zoom calls bring kids and their incarcerated mothers closer  Read More  01-11-2021
|
A Civilians Guide to Insurrection Legalese
The Marshall Project breaks down what it means to commit sedition, treason and conspiracy, and how the laws against those crimes are enforced  Read More  01-08-2021
|
Reason: Biden's Judicial Picks Should Include Lawyers Who Battled the Government in Court
The incoming president can bring some much-needed professional diversity to the federal bench  Read More  01-07-2021
|
An Alternative to Police That Police Can Get Behind
Eugene, Oregon’s Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets, (CAHOOTS) has staff of unarmed outreach workers and medics is trained in crisis intervention and de-escalation  Read More  01-06-2021
|
Mississippi to End Tobacco Ban in Its Prisons
Profits from tobacco sales will fund MDOC’s Reentry Program  Read More  01-03-2021
|
Incarcerated Men at Soledad State Prison Raise $32,000 For a High School Student's Tuition
At a base wage of 8 cents an hour for many, it took three years  Read More  01-03-2021
|
A State-by-State Look at Coronavirus in Prisons
The Marshall Project is collecting data on COVID-19 infections in state and federal prisons. See how the virus has affected correctional facilities where you live.  Read More  12-29-2020
|
Ex-Prosecutors on Federal Bench Reinforce Police Impunity: Report
The report cites three examples of how the beliefs of federal judges have biased constitutional law and expanded police power  Read More  12-29-2020
|
Vera Institute of Justice Annual Report 2020: Reckoning with Justice
Vera recounts criminal justice issues of 2020, and the changes they implemented  Read More  12-27-2020
|
How Kentucky in Keeping Youth Out of the Juvenile Justice System
Kentucky is recognized for its juvenile diversion efforts  Read More  12-27-2020
|
Racial Disparities Found in Police Enforcement of Warrants
Report found "substantial racial disparities" in warrant arrests, mostly having to do with non-violent or low-level charges  Read More  12-24-2020
|
The Department of Justice Issues "Blistering" Report Concerning Staff's Rampant Sexual Abuse of Incarcerated Women at Florida's Lowell Prison
DOJ investigation found staff members have "raped, sodomized, beaten and choked" numerous incarcerated women at the prison for years  Read More  12-24-2020
|
Dallas Works to Avoid Sending People in Crisis to Emergency Rooms or Jails
Pilot program shows early success in rethinking responses to mental health emergencies  Read More  12-20-2020
|
How States Transformed Criminal Justice in 2020, and How They Fell Short
Report contains nearly 90 state-level bills and initiatives, with 17 themes, and 7 maps  Read More  12-19-2020
|
One in Every Five Individuals in State and Federal Prisons Tested Positive For The Coronavirus
In some states more than half of incarcerated people have been infected  Read More  12-19-2020
|
Learned Helplessness, Criminalization, and Victimization in Vulnerable Youth
Paper offers community-based solutions to help vulnerable youth overcome challenges that may have lifetime consequences  Read More  12-17-2020
|
New Report Claims Mass Incarceration Led to Over a Half a Million New COVID-19 Cases Nationwide
The study provides the first estimates of how prisons and jails led to more coronavirus infections, both inside and outside prisons  Read More  12-17-2020
|
As Fires are Being Set in Texas Prisons, 200 of Them Don’t Have Working Fire Alarms
A 2019 inspection report found 2,925 safety violations in the prison system, only six which were corrected  Read More  12-14-2020
|
Incarcerated Women Are Punished for Their Trauma With Solitary Confinement
Too often women are thrown into solitary confinement for mental health issues  Read More  12-13-2020
|
The Data That Can Make Prosecutors Engines of Criminal Justice Reform
Shifting the focus from convictions and sentences to fairness and community wellbeing is key to transforming the system.  Read More  12-11-2020
|
Why Focusing On Women, Girls Could Reduce Gun Violence
Women are often left picking up the pieces following a shooting or when a loved one is killed, injured or incarcerated  Read More  12-10-2020
|
Reducing Violence Without Police: A Review of Research Evidence
Report represents the consultants' best advice for funding organizations and community leaders  Read More  12-09-2020
|
Pandemic, Social Unrest, and Crime in U.S. Cities
Study examined crime rates for ten different offenses in
28 American cities during the COVID-19 pandemic  Read More  12-09-2020
|
States Can Shorten Probation and Protect Public Safety
Wide variations in policies and term lengths across states point to opportunities for reform  Read More  12-06-2020
|
When Prison Grievance Systems Fail to Protect Incarcerated People
Formal complaints about egregious prison conditions and sub-standard medical care are most often denied redress  Read More  12-06-2020
|
No Escape: The Trauma of Witnessing Violence in Prison
A study found that 30% to 60% of men in state prisons already had PTSD before entering prison which was compounded by witnessing more violence in prison  Read More  12-06-2020
|
Opinion: Bring Back Black Girls Before They're Herded Into Foster Care, Justice System
Black girls are more likely to get suspended or expelled from school than white girls and disproportionally placed in foster care  Read More  12-06-2020
|
New Report: Incarcerated Women and Girls
Between 1980 and 2019 the number of incarcerated women increased more than 700%  Read More  12-06-2020
|
Quantity and Quality: The 1994 Crime Bill and the Role of the Federal Government in Local Law Enforcement
Report breaks down the 1994 Crime Bill, what was learned, and the "rigorous" need for evaluation of outcomes  Read More  11-17-2020
|
The Promise - and Peril - of Biden’s Criminal Justice Reform Platform
How Biden implements his goals will be a factor in their success or failure  Read More  11-17-2020
|
First Class: Starting a Postsecondary Education Program in Prison
Every dollar invested in prison-based education yields $4 -$5 in dollars taxpayer savings from reduced incarceration costs  Read More  11-17-2020
|
Once Again the Brooklyn Federal Detention Center is Slammed, This Time Concerning the Poor Response to COVID-19
Previous issues include inhumane treatment of people locked up, sexual abuse by staff members, and the suicide of Jeffrey Epstein while in custody  Read More  11-11-2020
|
Credit Overdue: How States Can Mitigate Academic Credit Transfer Problems For Youth In The Juvenile Justice System
On any given day 48,000 youth are locked up and away from school, most not given academic credit for classes taken in juvenile facilities  Read More  11-10-2020
|
New BJS Data Reveals a Jail-Building Boom on Tribal Land
Expanding more jails incarceration led to more incarceration and as a result, more overcrowding  Read More  11-10-2020
|
From the Big House to the State House, Tarra Simmons Beat the Odds
Having a felony conviction and imprisoned, then pursuing a law degree and fighting successfully to take the bar exam, spurred Simmons to run for office  Read More  11-07-2020
|
How Do Your Political Views Match Up with People in Prison?
There are sharp differences and a few areas of agreement.  Read More  11-05-2020
|
On the Autism Spectrum and In Prison
Autistic people who can’' understand prison rules have a harder time in prison and are more vulnerable to exploitation  Read More  11-04-2020
|
Federal Certificate Offers New Hope for Americans in 'Internal Exile'
Currently offered in 12 states, Certificate of Rehabilitation has support of law reform organizations  Read More  11-04-2020
|
A State-by-State Look at Coronavirus in Prison, Updated
Find out the infection and death rate in a state or federal prison near you  Read More  11-02-2020
|
Why Juvenile Records Should Not Be Used in Adult Sentence Enhancements
Plea bargaining convictions as a juvenile can haunt adults decades later  Read More  10-30-2020
|
Just and Well: Rethinking How States Approach Competency to Stand Trial
Report outlines the 10 state officials can pursue to improve the competency to stand trial process  Read More  10-29-2020
|
How Bad is Prison Health Care?
Corizon Health has had thousands of law suits, including class action suits, filed against them  Read More  10-28-2020
|
Incarcerated People Tell What Could Have Kept Them Out of Prison
Some answers are surprising, some are heartbreaking, and some answers have been repeated for years  Read More  10-27-2020
|
Bill Would Provide Grants to Fund America's Smallest Communities to Support Families and Promote Public Safety
Bipartisan legislation introduced to support local efforts to reduce and address racial inequities in incarceration rates  Read More  10-26-2020
|
U.S. Sentencing Commission First Step Act of 2018 Resentencing Provisions Retroactivity Data Report
Nearly 92% of persons receiving these FSA sentence reductions were Black  Read More  10-24-2020
|
New Report: Misdemeanor Enforcement Trends Across Seven U.S. Jurisdictions
Misdemeanor charges a moved away from drug-related offenses but increased in person-related offenses  Read More  10-24-2020
|
Photographer Helps Survivors of California Youth Training School Tell Their Horrific Stories of Life Inside of the Notorious "Gladiator School"”
Formerly incarcerated youth claims that if you weren't violent you became a victim of violence  Read More  10-24-2020
|
App Sends Free Email to People in Prison, and Helps Them Register to Vote
Ameelio, a tech nonprofit founded by Yale students, launched a voter registration campaign targeting people incarcerated in Maine  Read More  10-21-2020
|
New Data: Solitary Confinement Increases Risk of Premature Death after Release
Any amount of time spent in solitary confinement increases the risk of death after release from prison, including deaths by suicide, homicide, and opioid overdose  Read More  10-18-2020
|
Judges in Tennessee are Training in the Physiology of Substance Use Disorder, Evidence-Based Interventions, and Medical-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
Pilot program, originally created for healthcare professionals, helps judges better understand how they can contribute to recovery, rather than hand down a prison sentence  Read More  10-17-2020
|
If Prison Walls Could Talk: Personal Stories about COVID-19 and Prison
Incarcerated people and their loved ones speak on the fear, stress, and anger that the public is unaware of behind prison walls  Read More  10-17-2020
|
Locked Out 2020: Estimates of People Denied Voting Rites
5.2 million people remainare denied the right to vote due to a felony conviction  Read More  10-17-2020
|
What the Surge in Juvenile Homicides Means, and What to Do About it
Homicide cases spiked by 35% between 2014 and 2018  Read More  09-21-2020
|
Latest Bureau of Justice Report Shows Crime Down
The rate of violent victimization in urban areas declined 20% from 2018 to 2019  Read More  09-21-2020
|
Failing Grades: States' Responses to COVID-19 in Jails & Prisons
Shockingly most states received an F+  Read More  09-17-2020
|
Investigation Called For after Nurse Whistleblower Alleges Numerous Unnecessary Hysterectomies Performed at Ice Detention Center
Accused doctor was also a subject of a Justice Department investigation five years ago  Read More  09-16-2020
|
Conviction, Imprisonment, and Lost Earnings: How Involvement with the Criminal Justice System Deepens Inequality
People who have spent time in prison find their subsequent annual earnings reduced by an average of 52 percent  Read More  09-16-2020
|
Bipartisan Bill Introduced That Could Keep Unconvicted People Charged with Federal Drug Crimes Out of Prison
22,000 people are now being held in prisons on pretrial detention for federal drug charges  Read More  09-14-2020
|
The Many Roads to Reintegration: A 50-State Report on Laws Restoring Rights and Opportunities
Each state is assigned a grade state for each type of relief  Read More  09-13-2020
|
Federal Appeals Court Overturns Ruling That People with a Felony Conviction Don't Have to Pay off Court Fees and Fines in Order to Vote
Ruling is expected to be appealed to Supreme Court  Read More  09-13-2020
|
In the Shadows: A Review of the Research on Plea Bargaining
Trial penalty and other coercive factors result in 90% of people taking a plea bargain instead of utilizing their constitutionally guaranteed trial rights  Read More  09-11-2020
|
1,400 People Evacuated from Oregon Prisons as Fires Rage Nearby
Emergency evacuations comes as attempts are made to curtail spread of COVID-19 in prisons throughout the state  Read More  09-10-2020
|
When Facial Recognition Technology Used By Law Enforcement Goes Wrong
Facial recognition technology has a "substantial error rate" among black and brown people  Read More  09-09-2020
|
New Study Finds Private Prisons Increase Cost of Incarceration
People in private prisons serve longer sentences  Read More  09-06-2020
|
Effects of School Resource Officers on School Crime and Responses to School Crime
Study suggests increasing SROs doesn't improve school safety  Read More  09-06-2020
|
Trends in U.S. Corrections
Updated fact sheet states changes in policy and laws, not increase crime rates are responsible for 500% increase in people in prisons and jails  Read More  09-06-2020
|
Prison Policy Initiative: What You Should Know about Halfway Houses
The underreporting of COVID-19 cases is just the tip of the iceberg  Read More  09-06-2020
|
How to Reduce Repeat Encounters: A Brief for Law Enforcement Executives
Identifying people in the community who are high utilizers is the first step  Read More  08-25-2020
|
Perspectives on Incarceration and Abolition from People with Experience in the Criminal Punishment System
Activists and writers Albert Woodfox , Lyle May, and Reginald Dwayne Betts offer critical insight  Read More  08-24-2020
|
No Access to Justice: Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness and Jail
The criminalization of homelessness leads to a never-ending cycle that shuffles people from the streets to the jail and back again  Read More  08-22-2020
|
California Severely Short on Firefighting Crews after COVID-19 Lockdown at Prison Camps
Only 30 of California's 77 prison firefighter crews are able to fight the raging fires  Read More  08-20-2020
|
A State-by-State Guide to Prison Visiting Restrictions During the Coronavirus Pandemic
An added link is included for tracking court openings  Read More  08-19-2020
|
The Call to Dismiss Misdemeanor Cases During the Pandemic
Each year 13 million misdemeanor cases jam courts in this country  Read More  08-18-2020
|
Susan Burton Truly Shows Women Released from Prison A New Way of Life
Formerly incarcerated herself, Ms. Burton provides safe, transitional housing  Read More  08-17-2020
|
What People Released from Prison Found Most Shocking
Colors, choices, and nature are some of the things that took getting used to  Read More  08-14-2020
|
Strategies to Help Police Address Citizens With Special Needs
A study showed one in five teens with autism are stopped and questioned by police before age 21  Read More  08-14-2020
|
U.S. Marshalls Accused of Spreading COVID-19 Across Federal Prison System
Incarcerated people being transported to and from federal prisons are not tested for coronavirus  Read More  08-13-2020
|
Vera Institute of Justice Announces Expansion of Initiative Designed to Change Restrictive Public Housing Policies
Opening Doors to Public Housing Initiative seeks to reduce barriers in housing for formerly incarcerated people  Read More  08-12-2020
|
Revoked: How Probation and Parole Feed Mass Incarceration in the United States
The Council of State Governments reports 45 percent of all US state prison admissions stemmed from probation and parole violations  Read More  08-12-2020
|
U.S House of Representatives Votes to Lift the Ban on Pell Grants for People in Prison
The House joins governors, businesses, education organizations, and justice groups in supporting Pell reinstatement  Read More  08-02-2020
|
Visualizing the Racial Disparities in Mass Incarceration
Prison Policy Initiative offers key statistics compiled into a series of charts  Read More  08-02-2020
|
New Report: Federal Probation and Supervised Release Violations
The report examines the prevalence, types, and locations of federal supervision violations as well as the characteristics of more than 82,000 violators  Read More  08-02-2020
|
Decarceration and Crime During COVID-19
ACLU report finds fewer crimes were committed between March and May 2020 than the same period in 2019  Read More  07-29-2020
|
How the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office Has Used a Shadowy Charity Fund in Criminal Cases
It is reported that defendants fearing criminal convictions and prison time have handed over thousands of dollars into the funds  Read More  07-28-2020
|
Why the Senate Should Pass the Driving for Opportunity Act
Suspending drivers license for unpaid fines and fees creates an unnecessary cycle of punishment and poverty  Read More  07-27-2020
|
Judge Sends Juvenile to Detention for Not Doing Online School Work
A Michigan family court judge claims 15-year old black girl is "exactly where you are supposed to be"  Read More  07-24-2020
|
The Popularity of YouTube Prison Lifestyle Videos
Videos by people with authentic prison experiences help the curious understand what life behind bars really is like  Read More  07-24-2020
|
The New Jane Crow: Women's Mass Incarceration
Black women shown to be the victims of a racist, broken, criminal punishment system  Read More  07-22-2020
|
A Vision for the Modern Prosecutor
The Institute for Innovation in Prosecution contrasts traditional practice with a vision of the future  Read More  07-21-2020
|
Can Religious Ideals That Helped Shape the Broken U.S. Prison System Also Help Fix Them?
America's criminal justice system holds the ‘fundamental belief that the harm caused by crime is resolved by state-imposed suffering'  Read More  07-20-2020
|
Ending Police Violence: What Do Defund and Divest Mean?
Vera Institute of Justice outlines two perspectives and offers key tenets for bringing about systemic change to policing in America  Read More  07-18-2020
|
Updated: State-by-State Covid-19 Numbers in Juvenile Facilities as of July 15
Since March 20 there has been a continuous spike of COVID-19 diagnoses among juveniles and staff  Read More  07-16-2020
|
The Last Prisoner Project's Goal Is to Free All 40,000 People Incarcerated for Nonviolent Cannabis Offenses
LPP's Prison to Prosperity program also provides cannabis executives to mentor newly released individuals and lead them to employment in the cannabis industry  Read More  07-15-2020
|
How Long Can You Hide a Dead Body in a Prison Cell?
Mental-health problems, short staffing plague a Texas lockup in COVID lockdown  Read More  07-14-2020
|
In the Wake of the Pandemic, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Sets to Release 8,000 People
Those released must fit eligibility requirements  Read More  07-13-2020
|
New Report Finds No Significant Difference in Recidivism Rates of Those Released Early and Those Who Served a Full Sentence
A third of those who did recidivate were sent back to prison for a asupervision violation  Read More  07-12-2020
|
Three New Publications on Juvenile Court Statistics, Arrests, and Residential Placement
National Institute of Justice releases the latest reports on juvenile court statistics, juvenile arrests, and juveniles in residential placement  Read More  07-09-2020
|
Shifting the Blame for Coronavirus Deaths in Texas Prisons from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to the Governor and His Appointed Board of Pardons and Parole
Critics claim Governor and board refused call for releasing those near end of sentence or with short sentences  Read More  07-08-2020
|
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Gives $5.3 Million to Distribute Books to Prisons
Distributing curated books to prisons is a part of Mellon Foundation's decision to invest in social justice issues  Read More  07-07-2020
|
Prison Policy Initiative Offers Up-to-Date List of Legal Resources for People Incarcerated on Civil Matters
PPI calls upon other organizations to add to their list  Read More  07-06-2020
|
State-by-State Guide to Prison Visiting During the Pandemic
With new spike in COVID-19 infections, reopening visits may be delayed  Read More  07-04-2020
|
Did Three Women at FCI Aliceville Die of "Natural Causes" or Medical Neglect?
Investigation by Reason is stymied by BOP's refusal to answer questions about the deaths  Read More  07-03-2020
|
What Policing Costs: A Look at Spending in America's Biggest Cities
Every three seconds a person is arrested in America, and more than 80% of arrests are for low-level, non-violent offenses  Read More  07-03-2020
|
How a Group of Lifers Cracked the Code of Prison Reform
National Lifers of America is a powerful organization that believes people with lived experience should be the drivers of prison policy reform  Read More  07-01-2020
|
44,000 Indirect Consequences of a Criminal Conviction Make Successful Reintegration Challenging
The ramifications of a conviction can be temporary or permanent  Read More  06-30-2020
|
The Crisis of Self-Harm in Arizona Prisons
Self-harm incidents in Arizona prisons have increased over 360% during the past five years  Read More  06-27-2020
|
Five Tips for Youth Leaders on the Front Lines of Advocacy, Change, and Justice
Youth advocate Grant E. Loveless guides others on advocacy, activism and social entrepreneurship  Read More  06-27-2020
|
Prison Policy Initiative Shares Ten Key Facts about Policing
Only five percent of all arrests are for serious violent crimes  Read More  06-24-2020
|
Why One Man Asked for a Second Chance for the Killer of His Only Son
Believing young people can change, a father fought against a life sentence for the 14-year old who took his son's life  Read More  06-23-2020
|
ICYMI: Before He Was Killed, Rayshard Brooks Spoke About the Struggles of Life after Incarceration
In a February interview with Reconnect, Brooks was hoping for a better future despite the obstacles in his path  Read More  06-22-2020
|
Paying on Probation: How Financial Sanctions Intersect with Probation to Target, Trap, and Punish People Who Cannot Pay
People on probation who can't afford to pay court-sanctioned fines, fees, and restitution face harsh consequences  Read More  06-20-2020
|
"I Begged Them To Let Me Die": How Federal Prisons Became Coronavirus Death Traps
BOP accused of failing to follow its own pandemic response plan and other committing other egregious acts  Read More  06-18-2020
|
Vera Announces Funding for Organizations Transforming State and Local Justice Systems in Rural America
The new grants will help shift resources to community-based movements in small cities and rural counties across the country  Read More  06-17-2020
|
Studies Show That City Violence Prevention Programs Save Lives and Lots of Money
Looking at violence a communicable disease the Cure Violence program has a remarkable record for reducing shootings  Read More  06-16-2020
|
Tennessee Looks to Reduce the Size of Its Drug-Free School Zones
Currently, judges are required to incarcerate anyone possessing drugs within 1,000 feet of a school, even if that person is inside their own home  Read More  06-15-2020
|
Protecting Black Lives: The Crisis of American Policing
Vera Institute of Justice commits to work to ensure systemic change  Read More  06-12-2020
|
A Legislative Guide for Winnable, High-Impact Criminal Justice Reforms
Prison Policy Initiative offers sound policy ideas for state legislators to reform their criminal justice system without expanding it  Read More  06-11-2020
|
Failure to Protect: An Oklahoma Child Abuse Law Treats Women Differently Than Men
60 Minutes segment found that 15 women who were never found to have abused their children have received harsher punishments than the man who did  Read More  06-10-2020
|
One Woman's Story about What Life is Like the First Year after Prison
Freedom from prison can be exhilarating, but also downright scary  Read More  06-09-2020
|
Survey: 52% Drop in Admissions to Youth Detention in Two Months Matches Reduction Over 13 Years
While admissions into detention slowed, so have rates of release  Read More  06-08-2020
|
Senators Portman, Cardin, Lankford, and Booker Introduce the Paycheck Protection Program Second Chance Act
Act will allow small business owners with criminal records to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)  Read More  06-06-2020
|
Persistent and Aggressive Interactions with the Police: Potential Mental Health Implications
Study concludes there is evidence of an association between high lifetime police stops and PTSD symptoms  Read More  06-04-2020
|
All of Federal Prisons are on Lockdown after Nationwide Protests against the Killing of George Floyd
Lockdown is strictest since mass rioting in federal prisons in 1995  Read More  06-03-2020
|
Why So Many Police are Handling Protests Wrong
Disproportionate use of force can turn a peaceful protest violent, research shows  Read More  06-02-2020
|
Obstacles to Successful Reintegration During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Obtaining an ID is necessary for employment, housing, and public benefits are near impossible with DMVs closed due to COVID-19  Read More  06-01-2020
|
Hawaii Is Trying to Arrest Away Homelessness and It’s Not Working
In the midst of a pandemic, Honolulu conducted 23 sweeps, arresting and displacing people and not providing shelter for them  Read More  05-29-2020
|
When Parole Doesn't Mean Release
Prison Policy Initiative reveals "senseless program requirements" that keep people locked up during the COVID-19 pandemic  Read More  05-28-2020
|
A Look into Jail-Based Behavioral Health Diversion Interventions
The Council of State Governments offers practical information for developing a community-wide diversion plan  Read More  05-27-2020
|
Utah Residents Can Find Themselves Incarcerated If They Default on Loans
With an average interest of 652 percent a $700 loan can cost over $18,000 at the end of one year  Read More  05-26-2020
|
Cal State Fullerton Offers Off-Campus Housing for Formerly Incarcerated Students, the Only Such Housing in the U.S.
CSU Fullerton's Project Rebound program provides stable housing to formerly incarcerated men earning their degrees  Read More  05-25-2020
|
New Report: People in Prison 2019
Vera report fills gaps on people who were incarcerated until Bureau of Justice Statistics report is released in 2021  Read More  05-21-2020
|
U.S. Prison Decline: Insufficient to Undo Mass Incarceration
Slow-Walking an End to Mass Incarceration Amidst Pandemic  Read More  05-20-2020
|
COVID-19 in Juvenile Facilities
The Sentencing Project provides daily updates of youth and staff testing positive for the coronavirus in juvenile facilities  Read More  05-19-2020
|
National Institute of Justice Solicitations Closing Soon
ICYMI, NJI is offering funding opportunities, but hurry!  Read More  05-19-2020
|
Women Dying of COVID-19 in Prison Shed a Spotlight on Female Incarceration in America
Historically, women have been overlooked in the criminal justice system, and today that's true of COVID-19 victims  Read More  05-18-2020
|
New Documentary Reveals an Intimate Look at What It’s Like to Be Pregnant in Prison
Pregnancy and birth are difficult under normal situations, but in prison it's worse  Read More  05-15-2020
|
How to Aid People Transitioning from Prison Back into the Community During a Pandemic
Report finds that providing phones, adequate medication, hotel rooms, and job training to people released from prison is necessary, and has bipartisan support  Read More  05-14-2020
|
How Bad is Prison Food? The Proof is in the Photos
As bad as it is, people in Texas prisons claim they are going to bed hungry  Read More  05-13-2020
|
Vera Issues New Guidance to Protect People Behind Bars from COVID-19 as Prisons and Jails Grow into America's Biggest Pandemic Clusters
Vera reports prisons and jails account for 10 out of 15 of America’s biggest COVID-19 clusters.  Read More  05-13-2020
|
Heavy Criticism Greets Connecticut's Decision to Send Incarcerated People Who Test Positive for COVID-19 to a Maximum Security Prison
As Connecticut plans on testing everyone in its prisons, critics claim that isolation of sick patients in a maximum security prison "is a punitive measure, not a public health one"  Read More  05-11-2020
|
New Report: Voting in Jails
Report highlights jurisdictions across the country that support ballot accessing for people in jail  Read More  05-08-2020
|
Prisons Described As "Nursing Homes Behind Bars"
In 10 years older people are expected to account for one-third of America's prison population  Read More  05-07-2020
|
A Dangerous Limbo: Probation and Parole in the Time of Covid-19
The Marshall Project reports on how closed courts, technical violations and faulty technology are keeping people, who are eligible for release, in prison during the COVID-19 pandemic  Read More  05-06-2020
|
Track the Reported Number of COVID-19 Infections in Your State and Federal Prisons
Cases of infections has grown three-fold in past week  Read More  05-05-2020
|
Resentencing of Juvenile Lifers: The Philadelphia Experience
Report finds released juvenile lifers pose little risk to public safety  Read More  05-04-2020
|
Current Government Funding Opportunities Deadlines Looming
If you haven't already checked out the solicitations, do so now  Read More  05-03-2020
|
67 More Educational Facilities Invited to Participate in Second Chance Pell Experiment
Pell Grant Experiment expansion brings total to 130 colleges in 42 states and the District of Columbia  Read More  05-01-2020
|
VICE Exclusive: Whistleblower Warned of Coronavirus Danger in Prison Where a Woman Just Died After Giving Birth
The president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1006, the union for staff and correctional officers at FMC Carswell, was the signee  Read More  04-30-2020
|
Over 70 Percent of Incarcerated People Who Were Tested in Federal Prisons Have COVID-19
With 150,000 people incarcerated in federal prisons, concern grows that many more who were not tested will spread the virus  Read More  04-30-2020
|
COVID-19 in Juvenile Facilities
Information is updated daily to show numbers of youth and staff in juvenile facilities diagnosed with COVID-19  Read More  04-28-2020
|
Crushing Blow for People Incarcerated in Federal Prisons as BOP Changes Early Release Policy
Incarcerated people and their families expected BOP to abide by AG Barr’s directive to release the elderly and at risk who served at least 50% of their sentence  Read More  04-27-2020
|
Washington Post: American Prison Factories Becoming Incubators for Coronavirus
Despite warnings from health experts, incarcerated people are being sent to work on prison production lines and in prison factories  Read More  04-24-2020
|
Often Dumped into the Category of "Others," There is Little Information on Native Americans in the Criminal Punishment System
What is known is that Native Americans are disproportionally represented in jails and prison populations  Read More  04-23-2020
|
Software Being Used to Scan Prison Phone Calls for Mention of Words Relating to Coronavirus
While scanning is being touted as a way to curb the spread of Covid-19 in prison, advocates for incarcerated people view it as having a darker side  Read More  04-22-2020
|
How Prepared Are State Prison Systems for a Viral Pandemic?
Prison Policy Initiative was not encouraged by the answers they received from prisons that replied to their survey  Read More  04-21-2020
|
Seven Things to Know Before You Take Coronavirus Disaster Relief Money: I Went to Prison for S.B.A. Loan Fraud
Co-founder of Progressive Prison Ministries offers sage advice for those who mistakenly believe rules are suspended in times of crisis  Read More  04-20-2020
|
Bloody Riot at Youth Detention Center Being Blamed On "Misguided" Covid-19 Policy
Fear and uncertainty among staff and youth became flashpoint for violence when youth were suddenly moved between two facilities  Read More  04-17-2020
|
New Tool from Vera Institute of Justice Allows Monitoring of Jail Populations across America
Tracking data can be used to hold policymakers accountable for not reducing jail populations enough during the COVID-19 pandemic  Read More  04-16-2020
|
The Atlantic: Can't We at Least Give Prisoners Soap?
Hand sanitizers are contraband in prison, so why isn't free soap being distributed?  Read More  04-15-2020
|
Federal Investigation Report Concludes Women at NJ Prison Suffered Serious Harm from Staff Sexual Abuse
Incarcerated women were sexually assaulted by prison staff and forced to have sex with other incarcerated women as staff watched  Read More  04-15-2020
|
Upcoming Webinar on Influencing the Congrssional Response Covid-19 in Prison
Webinar will be held April 16 at 2 p.m. ET  Read More  04-13-2020
|
Reforms without Results: Why States Should Stop Excluding Violent Offenses from Criminal Justice Reforms
Prison Policy Initiative finds people convicted of violence have lower recidivism rates  Read More  04-10-2020
|
Small Business Administration Denies Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Loans to People with a Criminal Record
People who built small businesses, and a new life, need CARES Act loans to overcome devastating economic crisis  Read More  04-09-2020
|
Connecticut Juvenile Justice Advocates Call for the Release of Juveniles in Detention Centers
Preventative measures to protect juveniles in detention are also urged  Read More  04-08-2020
|
Why Some People in Prison Say They Are Afraid to Be Released During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Lack of housing and not knowing if they have been exposed to the coronavirus is unnerving to some who were abruptly released  Read More  04-07-2020
|
Under AG Barr’s Directive Federal Bureau of Prison Begins Releasing People
Priority for release given to the most at risk for the coronavirus and those near the end of their sentence  Read More  04-06-2020
|
Advocates for Releasing People from Prison Fear That 100,000 Incarcerated Individuals Can Die From the Coronavirus If U.S. Doesn't Act Now
Business Insider reports the 2.8% infection rate at Rikers Island is 10 times higher than New York State and 18 times higher than Italy  Read More  04-03-2020
|
The New Statesman on Why the US Criminal Justice System Locks Up So Many Women
The notoriously high prison population in the US is starting to decline - so why is the number of jailed women rising?  Read More  04-02-2020
|
New York City Offering Pay of Six Dollars Per Hour to Incarcerated People, But Not Mentioning It's to Bury Victims of Coronavirus
Some critics of Rikers Island claim incarcerated people would be better off in fresh air with PPE than in the notorious jail  Read More  04-01-2020
|
Vera Institute of Justice Offers Coronavirus Guidance for the Criminal and Immigration Legal Systems
Fact sheets available with guidance for courts, prisons and jails, detention centers and police departments  Read More  03-31-2020
|
Prison Policy Initiative Offers Responses to Covid-19 Pandemic Resource Page
Page is updated daily with the latest information and PPI invites others to share resources  Read More  03-30-2020
|
Shocking Photos of Overcrowded Prisons as a Pandemic Rages Across the Country
Social Distancing is impossible in jails and prisons  Read More  03-27-2020
|
New Solicitation: National Youth Gang Survey, Fiscal Year 2020
Deadline for application submission changed to May 26, 2020  Read More  03-26-2020
|
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2020
Once again, Prison Policy Initiative breaks down where and why people in America are locked up, and dispels myths about what drives mass incarceration  Read More  03-25-2020
|
Some National Institute of Justice Funding Opportunities Closing Soon
April solicitations and later funding opportunities listed  Read More  03-25-2020
|
Register for Webinar on FY 2020 Second Chance Act Solicitations
Several funding opportunities will be covered  Read More  03-20-2020
|
FY 2020 Competitive Research Grant Solicitation: Research on Juvenile Reoffending
Total amount anticipated to be awarded under solicitation is $1.25 million  Read More  03-19-2020
|
Utah Bill Would Help Those with a Criminal Conviction Obtain a Professional License
Bill would make it harder for Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing to refuse to issue or renew license simply based on a prior conviction  Read More  03-18-2020
|
Parole and Probation Heads Call for Drastic Reduction of New Probationers and Parolees over Covid-19 Concerns
Call to monitor people on parole and probation by phone, postcards  Read More  03-18-2020
|
Tennessee Bill Would Reform the State's Strict Drug-Free Zone Law
Drug-free zone crimes often carry harsher penalties than rape and murder  Read More  03-16-2020
|
First of Its Kind Survey of Political Views of People in Prison and Jail
Trump gains support from white people who are incarcerated  Read More  03-13-2020
|
Alabama’s Despicable "Felon ID Card"
Few other places in the U.S. require those who have felony convictions to register and carry felony ID cards.  Read More  03-13-2020
|
Study Finds Harsher Sentences Imposed on Immigrants in Nontraditional Georahic Areas
Hostility and fear of undocumented immigrants plays a big role in sentencing  Read More  03-13-2020
|
People in Prison Denied One of the Most Recommended Methods to Reduce the Spread of the Coronavirus
Alcohol-based products are forbidden in prisons, but will that change to allow items like Purell to be given to a vulnerable population?  Read More  03-10-2020
|
Are Prisons and Jails Doing Enough to Prevent the Covid-19 Virus From Spreading ?
So far the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and many other prisons and jails, have not come up with a contingency plan  Read More  03-09-2020
|
Prison Policy Initiative Reveals Five Policies That Can Reduce a Viral Pandemic in Prisons and Jails Now
PPI urges swift reform to prevent the Covid-19 virus from infecting incarcerated people and staff members  Read More  03-08-2020
|
What Was on the Menu at Federal Prisons? Caution, You Might Gag
People in prison are often correct when they say they are served "mystery meat"  Read More  03-05-2020
|
Report: The Criminal History of Federal Economic Crime Offenders
Approximately fifty percent of those who committed a federal economic crime had at least one prior conviction  Read More  03-04-2020
|
12 Thousand People are Released from Prison Each Week, Why are So Many Dying?
The death rate of people who were in prison is 3.5 higher than those who were never locked up  Read More  03-03-2020
|
The Alarming New Report on Women in Prison
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights finds women treated more harshly than men and classified at higher security levels  Read More  03-02-2020
|
New Vera Institute Report: Changing Course in the Overdose Crisis
How to move away from punishment and toward harm reduction and health  Read More  03-01-2020
|
The High Cost of Juvenile Life-without-Parole Sentences
Pennsylvania, Michigan and Louisiana account for two-thirds o juvenile LWOP sentences  Read More  03-01-2020
|
Republican Senator from Florida Denounces Unequal Sentences for Black and White Defendants Charged with the Same Crime
Senator Jeff Brandes seeks to put some sense in sentencing  Read More  02-21-2020
|
Virginia to Join Seven Other States in Ending Prison Gerrymandering
People in prison will be considered as residents of where they lived before incarceration  Read More  02-21-2020
|
People Serving Life Exceeds Entire Prison Population of 1970
Report reveals state-by-state comparison of life-sentenced population in 2016 to prison population in 1970  Read More  02-21-2020
|
Court Rules Floridians Convicted of a Felony Can't Be Barred from Voting Because of Owed Fines and Fees
Despite overwhelming support to give people with a felony conviction the right to vote, Florida Governor asks 11th Circuit court to reconsider its ruling  Read More  02-20-2020
|
Study Contends Community-Level Exposure to High Incarceration Rates Affects Community Health
Mass incarceration's "spillover" phenomenon is associated with higher mortality rates for families and communities  Read More  02-19-2020
|
New Jersey Offers Programs to Reduce Parole Violations
Mental health, substance abuse, housing and employment services offered  Read More  02-18-2020
|
More Funding for Justice-Related Programming, Research and Evaluation and More
62 funding opportunities for justice-related programming, research and evaluation, courts, cops, juveniles and more  Read More  02-17-2020
|
Report: Incarceration Rates Went Down but Deaths of Incarcerated People Rose
Over half of prison deaths occurred in eight states  Read More  02-15-2020
|
New Chair of Vera Institute Explains Why Hiring Formerly Incarcerated People Is Good For Business
Giving second chances to formerly incarcerated people through employment opportunities would boost the economy  Read More  02-11-2020
|
Trump's Homeless Czar Set on Further Criminalizing Homeless People
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Head accused of having "a mentality of hatred"  Read More  02-10-2020
|
Nowhere to Go: Homelessness Among Formerly Incarcerated People
Homeless rate is 13 times higher for people incarcerated more than once  Read More  02-07-2020
|
Vera Institute's Reshaping Prosecution Program Expands
Prosecutors in DeKalb County, GA, Ingham County, MI, and Boulder County, CO recognized for their commitment to transform policies, practices, and culture  Read More  02-06-2020
|
"Sentencing Discount" Proposed for People Incarcerated in Super Max Prison
Study recommends two days credit for every day confined in a super max  Read More  02-06-2020
|
Criminal Justice Reform in the Fentanyl Era: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
The Drug Policy Alliance reveals 45 states have proposed legislation to increase penalties for fentanyl while 39 states D.C. have passed or enacted such legislation  Read More  02-04-2020
|
How Jail Officials Profit from Selling E-Cigarettes to People in Their Custody
Investigation finds jailers, their friends and family are raking in money in spite of health concerns relating to vaping  Read More  02-03-2020
|
Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak at Florida Federal Prison
Women at satellite prison camp taken to hospital for treatment of potentially fatal disease  Read More  01-31-2020
|
ICYMI, Normalizing Injustice: The Dangerous Misrepresentations That Define Television's Scripted Crime Genre
Many Americans get a distorted view about how the criminal punishment system really works by watching crime shows on television  Read More  01-30-2020
|
How Jail Officials Profit from Selling E-Cigarettes to People in Their Custody
Investigation finds jailers, their friends and family are raking in money in spite of health concerns relating to vaping  Read More  01-30-2020
|
Funding Available for Research and Evaluation on Violence Against Women, Fiscal Year 2020
Grant funding will be awarded to conduct research and evaluation projects examining a broad range of topics relating to Violence Against Women  Read More  01-28-2020
|
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  Read More  01-27-2020
|
Some of the Most Disturbing Stories of People Held in Solitary Confinement That You Will Ever Read
Texas is holding over 680 people in solitary confinement from anywhere between six to thirty years-plus years  Read More  01-26-2020
|
Truthout: Disabled People Are Tortured in Solitary Confinement
America holds up to 100,000 people in solitary confinement including people with "Serious and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI)"  Read More  01-26-2020
|
New Study Finds Little Evidence "Ban the Box" Policies Reduce Recidivism for Minorities
Study looks at why black formerly incarcerated individuals released in a job market with a BTB policy have a higher rate of recidivism  Read More  01-22-2020
|
A Look into "Shadow Prisons"
Privately run Criminal Alien Requirement (CAR) prisons face less scrutiny than federally run immigrant detention centers  Read More  01-21-2020
|
Research and Evaluation Funding Opportunities from the National Institute of Justice
Forthcoming funding covers research on topics related to criminal justice  Read More  01-20-2020
|
New Report on Top Trends in State Criminal Justice Reform, 2019
U.S. has over 2.2 million people incarcerated and another 4.6 million on probation or parole  Read More  01-18-2020
|
What Can We Expect in Criminal Justice Reform in 2020?
Not all states are on board with reducing prison populations  Read More  01-16-2020
|
Changing the Name of Solitary Confinement Doesn't Make It Less Tortuous
Restrictive housing units and restrictive movement units share some of the very same issues  Read More  01-16-2020
|
Massachusetts Facing Strong Opposition on Plan to Build $50 Million Prison for Women
Families for Justice as Healing leads fight for alternatives to incarceration rather than building a new one  Read More  01-14-2020
|
Using Data to Support LGBTQ Youth in the System
What is SOGIE and why is it important in collecting data on a vulnerable population?  Read More  01-13-2020
|
Mississippi's Shocking Debtors Prison System
Mississippi is the only state that confines people for an indefinite period while they work at low paying, and sometimes dangerous, jobs to pay off court-ordered debts  Read More  01-11-2020
|
What If Judges Had to Assess How Much A Recommenced Sentence Would Cost Taxpayers?
Social costs and budgets should be recognized when considering the length of a sentence  Read More  01-10-2020
|
Is There a Problem with Problem-Solving Courts?
Critics claim alternatives to incarceration are a better reform method  Read More  01-08-2020
|
Five Factors Behind The Murders of Five Incarcerated Men in Mississippi
Warnings about potential violence were ignored  Read More  01-08-2020
|
Colorado Just One of States Cutting Solitary Confinement to Make Staff, People in Prison, and the Community Safer
Studies point to consequences related to solitary confinement including violence towards staff, and uptick in felonies or death upon release  Read More  01-06-2020
|
The First Step Act One Year Later
Fact sheet shows accomplishments and mixed outcomes  Read More  01-03-2020
|
New Report, Youth Confinement: The Whole Pie 2019
The Prison Policy Initiative reveals where and why 48,000 young people are locked up in America  Read More  01-02-2020
|
New Report: People in Jail in 2019
According to Vera Institute, jail incarceration rates have increased by 26 percent in rural jurisdictions since 2013  Read More  12-31-2019
|
Presidential Candidate Mike Bloomberg Used Prison Labor to Make Campaign Calls
Bloomberg claimed he was unaware exploitive prison labor was used  Read More  12-30-2019
|
Brennan Center Releases New Report, The Politics of Judicial Elections 2017-18
Report reveals $39.7 million was given in 48 state supreme court races for judges in 21 states  Read More  12-23-2019
|
New York to Pay $12.5 to Jail Visitors Subjected to Invasive Body Searches
In some instances female corrections officers looking for contraband penetrated female visitors  Read More  12-20-2019
|
More Funding Opportunities!
Three more funders are offering grants to community justice organizations  Read More  12-19-2019
|
Funding Opportunities from the Department of Justice
$376 million to be awarded to promote public safety  Read More  12-18-2019
|
Is There a Foster Care-to-Prison Pipeline?
A 12-state survey found one in four people in prison were formerly in foster care  Read More  12-17-2019
|
Three Transgender Women Take on Texas Law Barring Them from Changing Their Names While Incarcerated and For Two years After Release
Attorney for the women claims denying the name changes increases risk of depression and suicide  Read More  12-16-2019
|
Mentally Ill People are Held Pretrial for "Unconstitutionally Long Periods" in Jails Instead of Mental Health Treatment Centers
Lack of treatment center beds means lack of mental health services for those not even convicted of a crime  Read More  12-13-2019
|
New Report: State-level Criminal Justice Reforms That Can Win in 2020
Prison Policy Initiative offers over 20 criminal justice reforms that can be successfully implemented  Read More  12-13-2019
|
First of Its Kind Look at 2019 Jail Data Reveals Urgent Need to Address Mass Incarceration in Smaller Cities and Rural Counties
The number of people in local jails is estimated to be over in 758,000  Read More  12-13-2019
|
New Florida DOC Secretary: "The Status Quo Is Not Sustainable"
Mark Inch tells officials to take heed of the warning signs or pay later  Read More  12-07-2019
|
The Number of Pregnant Entering Prison is Rising
Medical care for incarcerated pregnant women is found to be lacking  Read More  12-07-2019
|
Why is Successful Reintegration Eluding Juveniles?
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange highlights problem areas and offers solutions to combat recidivism  Read More  12-06-2019
|
Vera Institute Interactive Map and Fact Sheets Explore Incarceration in Local Jails and State Prisons
Find out your state's regional ranking in total incarceration  Read More  12-05-2019
|
New Report: Prosecutors and Responses to Violence
Institute for Innovation in Prosecution offers several solutions to change the ineffective status quo  Read More  12-04-2019
|
The Growing Racial Disparity in Prison Time
A new study finds black people are staying longer in state prisons, even as they face fewer arrests and prison admissions overall  Read More  12-03-2019
|
The Sentencing Project Annual Newsletter Includes Links to Several Must-Read Reports
Topics include ways end to mass incarceration, life and virtual life sentences, and building coalitions  Read More  12-02-2019
|
Report: What's Happening in Pretrial Justice
A state-by-state table provides pretrial changes and resources  Read More  11-27-2019
|
Poor Mental and Physical Health of Formerly Incarcerated People Attributed to Reintegration Barriers
Study finds "re-entry work has been far too narrowly focused on recidivism"  Read More  11-26-2019
|
The Correlation of Mandatory Overtime and Sleep Deprivation in Corrections Officers
Being awake for 24 hours is comparable to having a blood alcohol content of 0.10%  Read More  11-25-2019
|
New Department of Justice Report on Management and Performance Challenges Facing the FBOP
Safety, reentry programming, medical care, and insufficient staffing are just some of BOP's problem areas  Read More  11-22-2019
|
Report: The Steep Costs of Criminal Justice Fees and Fines
Report finds jailing those unable to pay fees and fines is sometimes as much as 115 percent of the amount collected  Read More  11-21-2019
|
Why Are Jails and Prisons Being Used as Substance Treatment Centers?
Critics claim there should be more options than forced treatment  Read More  11-20-2019
|
Pennsylvania to Release 136 Individuals with the Death Penalty Sentence from Solitary Confinement
Recognizing that solitary confinement is tantamount to torture, the DOC will also provide resocialization assistance and physical and mental health evaluations  Read More  11-19-2019
|
New Report on Court-Ordered Community Service as a Coercive Labor System
An Overview of Court-Ordered Community Service in Los Angeles  Read More  11-18-2019
|
Ending Mass Incarceration: A Presidential Agenda
Brennan Center for Justice informs candidates how they can transform America's criminal justice system  Read More  11-16-2019
|
The Problem with Prison Doctors
Illinois is just one state where prison doctors have been accused of deliberate indifference for not providing critical health care to incarcerated people  Read More  11-14-2019
|
Fortune Society's Action Against Landlord Who Refused to Rent to Formerly Incarcerated People Nets $1 Million
Settlement 'fires a warning shot' to any landlord in America who automatically refuses to rent to people with criminal justice involvement  Read More  11-13-2019
|
Suicide is the Number One Cause of Death in Oregon and Washington Jails
During the same tracking period, Northwest prisons suicides were at 6 percent compared to 47 percent in jails  Read More  11-12-2019
|
Promising Radical Changes, Chesa Boudin Wins Race to Become San Francisco's New District Attorney
Voters embraced Boudin's offering of 'the most aggressive departure from the status quo'  Read More  11-11-2019
|
'Starve the Beast': Southern Campaigns to Divest, Decarcerate, and Re-Imagine Public Safety
Grassroots organizations are transforming justice  Read More  11-06-2019
|
Crisis Response Services for People with Mental Illnesses or Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
A Review of the Literature on Police-based and Other First Response Models  Read More  11-06-2019
|
John Grisham: Best Selling Author and Champion of Criminal Justice Reform
Reading Grisham's stories is an education in how the system fails people  Read More  11-06-2019
|
Oklahoma Pulls Off Largest Single-Day Sentence Commutation In U.S. History
Pardon and Parole Board voted to release 527 people sentenced for possession or property crimes  Read More  11-05-2019
|
Report: A United Vision for a World Without Youth Prisons
Young people say money would be better spent on closing prisons and investing in educational opportunities for youth, mental health support, and more  Read More  11-04-2019
|
Criminal Justice Reform in America: Rethinking the Role of the Prosecutor
Former DA concludes: "The primary duty of the prosecutor is to seek justice within the bounds of the law, not merely to convict"  Read More  11-03-2019
|
Incarcerated Individuals in California are Risking Their Lives to Fight Wild Fires
However, after release, California's licensing laws deny employment as firefighters for most formerly incarcerated people  Read More  11-03-2019
|
Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019
73% of women in prisons and jails are locked up for nonviolent offenses  Read More  10-30-2019
|
Federal Court Awards $1.2 Million in Fees in Human Rights Defense Center's Florida DOC Censorship Case
Prison Legal News wins yet another case against censorship  Read More  10-30-2019
|
Why Is North Carolina Keeping Pregnant Women in Prison in Solitary Confinement?
Keeping pregnant women in solitary confinement goes against U.S. Department of Justice and International standards  Read More  10-28-2019
|
Private Prisons Fact Sheet
Private prisons incarcerated 121,718 people in private prisons in 2017, representing 8.2% of the total state and federal prison population  Read More  10-25-2019
|
Reformist Prosecutor Kim Foxx Is Making Sweeping Changes in Cook County, Illinois
Her office already refused to prosecute 5,000 cases  Read More  10-24-2019
|
The Consequences of Prisons Creating "Absentee Dads"
Fathers' contributions and parenting often ignored, putting children at risk physically, behaviorally and educationally  Read More  10-23-2019
|
Five Facts about Crime in America
Public perceptions about crime rates and facts are often at odds  Read More  10-22-2019
|
Pennsylvania Governor Encouraging People with Life Sentences to Apply for Clemency
Ten percent of people serving life without parole in America are incarcerated in Pennsylvania prisons  Read More  10-21-2019
|
They Led a Successful Campaign to Close Rikers, Now They Are Fighting Against Building New Jails
No New Jails advocates for emptying out other crowded, dangerous, inhumane jails, not constructing new ones  Read More  10-19-2019
|
State Data Lacking Impact of Mass Incarceration on Latinx Communities
State Criminal Justice Data Drawn from White, Black and “Other” Category, often lumping Latinx population into White population  Read More  10-17-2019
|
How Race Impacts Who Is Detained Pretrial
In large urban areas, Black felony defendants are over 25% more likely than white defendants to be held pretrial  Read More  10-16-2019
|
ACLU Victorious Against South Carolina City and Town That Violated Right of Council for Poor Defendants
People in municipal Courts were tried and convicted without being told they had a right to an attorney  Read More  10-15-2019
|
Major Banks Committed to Cutting Ties with Private Prison Leader GEO Group
Banks will not renew $2.4 billion in credit lines and term loans to private prisons and immigrant detention centers  Read More  10-14-2019
|
Would You Rent a Room In Your House To Someone Released From Prison?
The radical Homecoming Project is being compared to an Airbnb for people getting out of prison, but it is much more welcoming  Read More  10-11-2019
|
Sexual Victimization and Mental Illness Prevalence Rates Among Incarcerated Women: A Literature Review
Review concludes sexual victimization is a pathway to prison  Read More  10-10-2019
|
The Ordeal of Lawrence and Lamont Garrison: A Sad Tale of Unfair Federal Drug Conspiracy Laws
Quantity of drugs involved, not individual’s involvement, results in harsh and disproportionate sentences  Read More  10-09-2019
|
Study Shows People Who Spent Time in Solitary Confinement Significantly More Likely to Die in First Year of Release
Spending over 14 days in solitary linked to higher risk of recidivism or death  Read More  10-08-2019
|
A Horrifying Video of What Goes on in a Notorious Prison in Florida
Graphic violence, rodent infestation and a mold-filled kitchen are just some of shocking scenes captured on a video smuggled out of prison  Read More  10-07-2019
|
Prosecutors, Reentry and Public Safety
Prosecutors should not just focus on the front-end of the criminal justice system, but also care about reentry and reducing recidivism  Read More  10-03-2019
|
Los Angeles to Void Two Million Minor Citations That Keep Homeless and Poor from Cycling Through Jails
Minor infractions clog courts and create obstacles for those needing services  Read More  10-03-2019
|
Connecticut Senator Asks Sentencing Commission to Study Mental Illness in Prisons
Study would include identifying the number of mentally ill people in prison, determining their needs, and providing necessary services  Read More  10-02-2019
|
Incarcerated People with Serious Medical Issues are Being Released So That Sheriffs Don't Have to Pay Medical Bills
Alabama sheriffs release people on a "medical bond," but often re-arrest some as soon as they recover  Read More  10-01-2019
|
Toolkit Developed for Business and HR Leaders to Evaluate Applicants with a Criminal History to Increase Hiring of People with a Criminal History
The GNP is reduced by $78-$87 billion by excluding formerly incarcerated people from working  Read More  09-30-2019
|
Vera Institute of Justice Chart Reveals How Much 40 States Spend on Education vs Incarceration
Hint: most school children lose out on funding  Read More  09-29-2019
|
Florida Lawmakers Partner with Researchers to Assess Racial Impact of Legislation
Florida will join Connecticut, Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Oregon in incorporating racial impact statements in the criminal justice legislative process  Read More  09-29-2019
|
Utah to Reduce Over 12, 000 Convictions
Reductions will open the doors for criminal cases to be expunged  Read More  09-29-2019
|
Prisons of Poverty: Uncovering the Pre-Incarceration Incomes of the Imprisoned
Report provides information on the role that poverty and opportunity play prior to incarceration  Read More  09-24-2019
|
Breaking Down Mass Incarceration in the 2010 Census: State-by-State Incarceration Rates by Race/Ethnicity
The Census Bureau's data in this report is useful starting point for evaluations of the disparate impacts of criminal justice policy decisions  Read More  09-23-2019
|
Albany, NY County Sheriff Converts 25 Jail Cells to Rooms for Homeless
Innovative new project will also offer services to reduce cycling in and out of jail  Read More  09-20-2019
|
U.S. Prison Population Trends: Massive Buildup and Modest Decline
Eleven states, led by Arkansas, had their highest ever prison populations in 2017  Read More  09-20-2019
|
Removing Youth from Adult Jails: A 50-State Scan of Pretrial Detention Laws for Youth
Report reveals children as young as age 7 years are eligible to be charged as adults and housed in adult jails pretrial  Read More  09-18-2019
|
Vera Institute of Justice Report Finds 12 Percent of Prison Population Confined to "Restrictive Housing"
Report claims people sent to segregation for "murky" reasons  Read More  09-18-2019
|
Recommendations to End School Pushout for Black Girls and Other Girls of Color
Black girls are 7 more times more likely to be suspended from school, and 4 times more likely to be arrested in school  Read More  09-16-2019
|
California Bans Private Prisons, Including Immigration Detention Centers
California governor calls private prisons an "outrage"  Read More  09-14-2019
|
The Link Between Family Abuse and the Incarceration of Young Girls
Telling authorities about being abused could lead to girls becoming involved in the juvenile punishment system  Read More  09-13-2019
|
The 1994 Crime Bill and Beyond: How Federal Funding Shapes the Criminal Justice System
25 years after the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, work is still being done to undo its damage  Read More  09-11-2019
|
Five Elements Contributing to Inadequate Indigent Defense, and Recommendations to Improve Resource Parity
A Fair Fight calls for achieving indigent defense resource parity  Read More  09-10-2019
|
Aging in Prison: The Forgotten Plight of Women Behind Bars
Older women in prison are often lacking "specialized treatment, preventative care and emotional support"  Read More  09-09-2019
|
Urban Institute Accepting RFPs from State Departments of Corrections to Join the Prison Research and Innovation Network
Six states to be chosen for phase one, with four states advancing to phase two  Read More  09-06-2019
|
The Call for Immigration Courts to Become Separate and Independent From Presdential Control
Backlog of 93,000 cases gives birth to "rocket docket," and "speedometers" leaving immigrants with little time to prepare a defense  Read More  09-05-2019
|
Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School 50-State Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder
State-specific facts about criminal justice debt  Read More  09-04-2019
|
Prosecutors, Democracy, and Justice: Holding Prosecutors Accountable
Paper "offers guidance for prosecutors to orient their strategies and a framework for communities to hold them to account"  Read More  09-04-2019
|
Fact Sheet on Virtual Life Sentences
The Sentencing Project collected data for the first-ever count of virtual life sentences being served  Read More  09-02-2019
|
New York Governor Supports Raising Prison Labor Wages to $3 Per Hour
Average prison labor wage in N.Y. is currently 62 cents per hour  Read More  08-30-2019
|
Pennsylvania to Expunge Half of All Criminal Records
Over 30 million records will be sealed over the next year  Read More  08-30-2019
|
Syracuse Opens Doors for Formerly Incarcerated People with First of Its Kind Housing Especially for Them
Freedom Commons strives to be the role model for other housing authorities across the country  Read More  08-28-2019
|
Arrest, Release, Repeat: How Police and Jails Are Misused to Respond to Social Problems
A shocking 4.9 million people are put in jail each year, some more than once  Read More  08-28-2019
|
Kathleen Hawk Sawyer Is Back As Director of Bureau of Prisons
US Attorney General appalled by Jeffrey Epstein’s death under acting director  Read More  08-26-2019
|
Young, Homeless, and Criminalized
Just trying to survive should not be a reason to get arrested  Read More  08-26-2019
|
John Oliver On Prison Labor
Paying for necessities can be difficult, or impossible  Read More  08-26-2019
|
Connecticut Council on the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Record Begins Study
Goal is to remove barriers to employment for formerly incarcerated people  Read More  08-26-2019
|
What It Is Like in Prison When Someone Commits Suicide
Little is said about how suicide in prison impacts others in surrounding cells  Read More  08-26-2019
|
Between 2007 and 2017, 34 States Reduced Crime and Incarceration in Tandem
The Northeast saw the largest average decline in imprisonment rate (24 percent)  Read More  08-15-2019
|
Mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts Pledges to Open A Safe Consumption Site (SCS)
SCS have been found to save lives, become a pathway to treatment, and potentially reduce arrests  Read More  08-15-2019
|
They Got Their Voting Rights Back, But Will They Go to the Polls?
Thousands of Louisianians on probation and parole face numerous obstacles to casting a ballot, including the idea that their votes don't matter  Read More  08-15-2019
|
Private Prisons Are Only One Part of the Mass Incarceration Problem
We must look beyond targeting private prisons to end mass incarceration  Read More  08-15-2019
|
The National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice
Key process and outcome evaluation findings  Read More  08-14-2019
|
Gatekeepers: The Role of Police in Ending Mass Incarceration
Punishing mass enforcement drives mass incarceration  Read More  08-14-2019
|
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  Read More  08-14-2019
|
They Survived Solitary Confinement, Now They're Fighting to End It
80,000 people in the U.S. are held in solitary confinement, often under tortuous conditions  Read More  08-14-2019
|
Coercive Plea Bargaining: The "Secret Sauce" That Helps the U.S. Continue to Be the Country with the Highest Incarceration Rate in the World
Prosecutors use "fearsome tools" to coerce people to forgo their right to a jury trial  Read More  08-14-2019
|
Jeffrey Epstein’s Death Sheds Light on Suicides in Prison and Jails
A HuffPost investigations reveals suicides while incarcerated are more common than most people believe  Read More  08-13-2019
|
Connecticut First State in the Nation to Mandate the Collection of Prosecutorial Data
Statewide, prosecutors must collect data on who gets prison time, plea deals or divisionary programs  Read More  08-12-2019
|
How a Con Man Preying on Families of Incarcerated People Scammed Them Out of Over $1 million
Promising families he could get their loved ones out of prison, he instead robbed them of their money and dreams  Read More  08-09-2019
|
To Protect and Slur? Law Enforcement and Social Media
The Sentencing Project offers several news articles on race and justice  Read More  08-08-2019
|
Applying Criminal Justice Model to Mental Illness Is a Recipe for Disaster
83 percent of people in jail with a mental illness can't access to needed treatment  Read More  08-07-2019
|
Resistance to Private Prisons Comes Amid Debate Over Immigrant Detention Policy
Private prison firms are responsible for detaining more than 70 percent of ICE detainees  Read More  08-06-2019
|
Beyond One-Liners: A Guide to the Democratic Debate on Criminal Justice
Marshall Project highlights critical issues that candidates failed to mention  Read More  08-05-2019
|
America Has a Health-Care Crisis - in Prisons
Prison medical care has been described as "abysmal"  Read More  08-02-2019
|
The Impact of Police on Criminal Justice Reform
Evidence from Cincinnati, Ohio shows both crime and arrests were reduced in Cincinnati even after a jail closure  Read More  08-01-2019
|
Providing Religious Freedom For Muslims in Prison
Report offers suggestions to correct "systematic hurdles" Muslims in prison face  Read More  07-31-2019
|
Who's Helping the 1.9 Million Women Released from Prisons and Jails Each Year?
Most post-release policies and programs are geared towards men, ignoring the unique issues women face upon release  Read More  07-30-2019
|
Orange Is the New Black Team Creates Fund For Non-Profit Criminal Justice Reform Advocacy Groups
Each organization tackles issues such as advocacy for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and girls, post-secondary education, and immigration rights  Read More  07-29-2019
|
Prosecutors and Crime Survivors: How Can Prosecutors Better Address the Needs of Crime Survivors?
Prosecutors urged to develop community partnerships, build community trust, develop trauma informed office practices, and expand trauma recovery and supports  Read More  07-26-2019
|
The American Conservative: Who’s Making Money From the Border Crisis? Private Prisons
This year ICE detained over 53,000 people at a cost to taxpayers of $148.43 per person per day  Read More  07-26-2019
|
Oregon Governor Signs Wide-Ranging Juvenile Justice Bill into Law
Bill is expected to benefit generations to come  Read More  07-24-2019
|
Diversion Pleas Qualify As Convictions Under Federal Background Check Law
Collateral Consequences Resource Center suggests two ways to ensure that state non-conviction dispositions are not included in background checks as federal "convictions" after seven years  Read More  07-23-2019
|
Court Rules It Was Legal for Jail Guards to Force Incarcerated Women to Strip, Remove Tampons, for 'Training Exercise'
Strip searches were visible to others not associated with the training  Read More  07-22-2019
|
Trauma-Informed Courts: How to Create One and Why You Should
96% of women and 89% of men in jail diversion programs reported a lifetime of trauma  Read More  07-19-2019
|
Testimony to House Judiciary Committee Highlights Alarming Facts Concerning the Mass Incarceration Women and Girls in America
One in four incarcerated females have not even been convicted  Read More  07-18-2019
|
The Tragic Story of Rick Turner's Descent into Meth, Prison, and Death
Mandatory minimum sentences claim another life  Read More  07-17-2019
|
Preventing Suicide and Self-Harm in Jail: A Sentinel Events Approach
Each year in the U.S. more than 300 people commit suicide while incarcerated in jails  Read More  07-16-2019
|
A Piece of the Puzzle: State Financial Aid for Incarcerated Students
14 states have barriers for incarcerated students that extend past their return to the community  Read More  07-15-2019
|
New York Sex Workers Fighting for Decriminalization
Decrim NY, intends to make New York the first state to decriminalize the adult sex work  Read More  07-12-2019
|
Digital Jail: How Electronic Monitoring Drives Defendants Into Debt
Private companies charge hundreds of dollars a month for ankle monitors worn as an alternative to incarceration  Read More  07-12-2019
|
Study Concludes Prisons Need to be More "Child-Friendly for" Children of Incarcerated Parents
Study also discloses 70% of young children with incarcerated mothers have emotional or psychological problems  Read More  07-10-2019
|
Cruel and Unusual Punishment: When States Don't Provide Air Conditioning in Prison
Prison Policy Initiative Explains the Consequences  Read More  07-09-2019
|
Research Shows High Rates of Incarceration Linked to a More Than 50 Percent Increase in Drug Related Deaths
Counties with higher jail and prison incarceration rates had higher drug-mortality rates  Read More  07-08-2019
|
DeAnna Hoskins on Why Language Matters When Discussing Justice Reform
Words such a such as "ex-con," "felon," or "inmate". need to be replaced by "more humanizing 'people-first' language"  Read More  07-05-2019
|
Florida Public Defenders Take on Judge Who Rejects Mental Illness Defense
Miami-Dade County has the highest rate of serious mental illness in any urban county in America  Read More  07-03-2019
|
Felony Disenfranchisement: A Primer
6 Million Americans have been denied voting rights because of a past felony conviction  Read More  07-02-2019
|
Not in Isolation: How to Reduce Room Confinement While Increasing Safety in Youth Facilities
How three state agencies and one county sheriff's department undertook efforts to safely reduce the use of room confinement  Read More  07-01-2019
|
Health Care Scandal in Prisons: "Please Help Me Before It's Too Late"
CNN investigates the largest provider of correctional healthcare in America  Read More  06-28-2019
|
Bank of America Latest to Stop Lending Money to Private Prisons and Detention Centers
Small banking fee was not worth the backlash bank from politicians and activists  Read More  06-28-2019
|
One of Every 15 Women in Prison is Serving a Life, or virtual Life, Sentence
Women serving life sentences increased by 20%, compared to a 15% increase for men  Read More  06-27-2019
|
Do Prisons Make Us Safer?
New research shows that prisons prevent far less violent crime than you might think  Read More  06-25-2019
|
Poor Jail and Prison Conditions Are Not Conducive to Meaningful Reform
Rehabilitation is compromised when incarcerated people are treated inhumanely  Read More  06-24-2019
|
The Unwanteds: Looking for Help Landing in Jail
Disability Rights Oregon focuses on Portland hospitals that criminalize people with mental illness  Read More  06-21-2019
|
Bureau of Justice Statistic Fuels Myths about Sex Offense Recidivism, Contradicting Its Own New Data
A new government report reinforces harmful misconceptions about people convicted of sex offenses  Read More  06-20-2019
|
Confined and Costly: How Supervision Violations Are Filling Prisons and Burdening Budgets
On any given day 1 in 4 are incarcerated for a supervision violation  Read More  06-19-2019
|
First Step Offers Release for Some People in Prison—But Not Non-Citizens
About 750 people in federal prisons will be transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody  Read More  06-18-2019
|
Collateral Consequences: The Crossroads of Punishment, Redemption and the Effects on Communities
People with a felony record are further punished by over 44,000 collateral consequences  Read More  06-17-2019
|
The Fight for Fair-Chance Housing Ordinances
People with a criminal history are often denied housing, no matter how long ago the conviction took place  Read More  06-15-2019
|
Jail, Justice, and Race in Southwest Georgia
Huge for-profit prison probation companies are responsible for probation becoming the state's default sentence, even for minor offenses  Read More  06-13-2019
|
Incarceration vs. Education: America Spends More on Its Prison System Than It Does on Public Schools
15 states spend at least $27,000 more per person in prison than they do per student  Read More  06-12-2019
|
Fact Sheet: Incarcerated Women and Girls
Charts include race and ethnicity, offense types, and highest and lowest state rates of incarcerated women and girls  Read More  06-11-2019
|
Jury Awards $68 Million to People Who Were Formerly Incarcerated at Bucks County, PA Jail from 2011-2013
Class action suit claims the jail put arrest information and mug shots on its searchable electronic database  Read More  06-10-2019
|
Prison Language 101
People in prison create their own unique words and phrases for a variety of reasons  Read More  06-09-2019
|
The White House is Scrambling to Find Jobs and Housing for 2,200 People Being Released from Federal Prison Next Month
Funding for First Step Act programs is not yet available causing growing concern that successful reintegration will be problematic  Read More  06-06-2019
|
What You Should Know About Mental Health After Prison
A social worker at The Fortune Society shares what people released from prison taught her  Read More  06-05-2019
|
Vera Institute of Justice Announces Inaugural Round of "In Our Backyards" Community Grants
Grants will fund 11 projects undertaken by 16 organizations in 7 states  Read More  06-04-2019
|
An Ignored and Unseen Crisis in American Prisons and Jails
President of Families Against Mandatory Minimums calls for every jail and prison to undergo 'vigorous, independent' oversight  Read More  06-03-2019
|
Securus Won't Oppose Bill to Provide Free Calls for People in Prison and Their Families in Connecticut
Bill to provide free calls faces hurdles concerning how the state would make up lost income generated from phone calls  Read More  06-01-2019
|
30 States Still Impose a Lifetime Ban on SNAP and/or TANF Benefits for Those with a Felony Drug Conviction
President Clinton's 1996 'tough on crime' legislation still causes food insecurity decades later  Read More  06-01-2019
|
Three Reasons Why Veterans End Up in Jail or Prison
Eight percent of veterans are justice involved  Read More  06-01-2019
|
Policing Women: Race and Gender Disparities in Police Stops, Searches, and Use of Force
Prison Policy Initiative analyzes gender and racial disparities in traffic and street stops, including arrests, searches, and use of force that occurs during stops  Read More  06-01-2019
|
New York's Shock Incarceration Programs Called "Torture" and "Hell"
Participation in the "tough love" programs can lessen a sentence, but is the abuse and humiliation worth it?  Read More  05-22-2019
|
The Cost of Caring for Mentally Ill People in Prison
Jails spend 2 to 3 times more on people who require mental health care  Read More  05-21-2019
|
Florida Is Creating a New Sex Offender Registry or Customers Who Pay for or Attempt to Pay for Sex
Register will include a person's name, photograph, address, and offense  Read More  05-20-2019
|
Fairfax County, VA Creates Alternative Accountability Program As Option to Divert Youths from Entering the Juvenile Justice System
Restorative justice program data points to promising outcomes  Read More  05-19-2019
|
Ending Mass Incarceration: Ideas from Today's Leaders
16 noted experts provide what they believe should be the next steps to end mass incarceration  Read More  05-18-2019
|
Pushed Out and Punished: One Woman's Story Shows How Systems Are Failing Black Girls
Black Girls are punished more harshly for the same behavior as white girls  Read More  05-16-2019
|
How Private Prison Services Control a 'Captive' Market
Low income people in prison and defendants are burdened with another level of punishment when authorities require them to pay for services they can ill afford  Read More  05-15-2019
|
What Happened to Mississippi's Grand Promise of Major Criminal Justice Reform?
Implementation of Mississippi's reforms "marked by broken promises and a lack of funding"  Read More  05-14-2019
|
Is There a Connection Between Undocumented Immigrants and Crime?
A new analysis finds there is no evidence to support the perception that undocumented immigrants increase crime rates  Read More  05-14-2019
|
Is Talk Therapy Necessary for Treating Opioid Addiction?
Some doctors believe mandatory counseling sessions can be an obstacle to medically assisted treatment  Read More  05-14-2019
|
60 Minutes Segment on Restorative Justice Shows How People Who Committed Violent Crimes and Their Victims'Families Heal
Restorative Justice Projects across the country are bringing peace to the unlikeliest people  Read More  05-14-2019
|
Prison Policy Initiative Offers a Guide for Avoiding Unnecessary Jail Expansion
Series of questions point to best practices for each  Read More  05-13-2019
|
Wisconsin Culinary Academy Gives People in Jail Skills to Pursue Employment in the Culinary Field
Goal of program is for graduates of program to find jobs as line cooks, prep cooks, and kitchen managers and chefs upon release  Read More  05-13-2019
|
Author Susan Burton and Formerly Incarcerated Women to Discuss the Over Incarceration of Women
May 14 event will also offer opportunity to support bill that ensures access to health care in jails and prisons in NY  Read More  05-11-2019
|
ICYMI: Brennan Center Report Finds 40% of U.S. Prison Population Are Locked Up for No Compelling Safety Reason
Releasing those who aren't a threat to the public could save $20 Billion annually  Read More  05-07-2019
|
Malcolm Young: There's Hope to End Mass Incarceration, But Not in the Numbers
With the continuing average decrease of -1.4% over the last three years, the prison population won't fall below one million until at least 2042  Read More  05-06-2019
|
Is Dyslexia More Prevalent Among People in Prison?
First Step Act requires federal prisons to test for dyslexia but state prisons are not compelled to do so  Read More  05-05-2019
|
Cops Morphing Into Social Workers Is Not a Solution
Director of Policing Strategies for Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) asserts the police should never be the point of contact for people to get into services  Read More  05-03-2019
|
The Prison Industrial Complex: Mapping Private Sector Players
New report exposes corporations that profit from incarceration  Read More  05-02-2019
|
Rise in White Prisoners Doesn't Change Innate Racism of Prisons
Dan Berger asserts prisons just don't house victims of racism, but they also produce them  Read More  04-30-2019
|
People Released From Prison Are Ten Times More Likely to Become Homeless Than the General Population
In an effort to reduce recidivism, some states are creating novel ways to connect formerly incarcerated people to housing  Read More  04-29-2019
|
Indiana Seeks to Help Incarcerated Parents Keep Custody of Their Children
Termination of the parental rights of incarcerated parents is the family separation crisis that receives little attention  Read More  04-26-2019
|
Why Are People in California Jails Begging to Go to Prison?
The effort to downsize prisons by sending people to jails backfired, causing serious consequences  Read More  04-25-2019
|
Federal Judge Gives Final Order to Florida Department of Corrections to Provide Treatment to All Incarcerated People with Hepatitis C
FDC accused of having "a long and sordid history of failing to adequately manage HCV"  Read More  04-24-2019
|
Should 2,000 Leaked Photos Showing Cruelty in an Alabama Prison Be Published?
Controversy surrounds the people’s right to know what happens in prisons versus "privacy, and audience sensibilities"  Read More  04-23-2019
|
Criminal Justice Reform is No Longer Just for People on the Left
States with bi-partisan support for criminal punishment reform credited with "good governance"  Read More  04-22-2019
|
"Feeling Cute" Messages by Corrections Officers Spark Outrage
More firing of corrections officers expected after posts about harming people in prison go viral  Read More  04-20-2019
|
Passover in Prison
Celebrating Passover while incarcerated can bring a bit of light to a place steeped in despair  Read More  04-18-2019
|
Expert Report Urges Changes to Forensic Analysis in Courtrooms
American Statistical Association (ASA) Advisory Committee on Forensic Science calls on prosecutors and forensic experts to "rely more on hard data and statistics"  Read More  04-17-2019
|
Prison Policy Initiative Offers Legal Data Base for Incarcerated People
Database includes law firms and organizations that provide free legal assistance to incarcerated people on civil (non-criminal) matters  Read More  04-16-2019
|
The Push to Remove HIV Positive People from the Sex Offender Registry
The stigma associated with HIV can keep some people from revealing their status and land them behind bars  Read More  04-15-2019
|
Lane County, Oregon Federal Reentry Court Aims to Lower the Recidivism Rate of People Released from Federal Prison
Revocation rate for participants of Reentry Court is 26 percent less than other supervised release programs in Oregon  Read More  04-13-2019
|
Michigan Families of Incarcerated Loved Ones Fight Law That Restricts Visits
Study reveals people with consistent visits "were one-sixth as likely to be back in prison a year later"  Read More  04-13-2019
|
His parents Were Incarcerated When He Was a Baby, Now He is Hoping to Become San Francisco’s Next Distract Attorney
Chesa Boudin went to Yale, became a lawyer. and then a public defender, so his new ambition isn’t surprising  Read More  04-10-2019
|
How to Survive Solitary Confinement
Johnny Perez tells how to set one's mind free when you live in a 10 feet by 6 feet world  Read More  04-09-2019
|
Impact of Risk Assessment on Judges' Fairness in Sentencing Relatively Poor Defendants
Report found risk assessment information reduced the likelihood of incarceration for affluent defendants, but increased the likelihood of incarceration for poor defendants.  Read More  04-08-2019
|
Department of Justice Issues Scathing Report on Violence, Including Rape, in Alabama's Prisons for Men
Some prisons were operating at 182% of capacity and some had only 20% of staff positions filled, leading to "a high level of violence that is too common, cruel, of an unusual nature, and pervasive"  Read More  04-07-2019
|
When "Violent Offenders" Commit Nonviolent Crimes
Entering a building without consent and embezzlement are just a few of the crimes termed "violent"  Read More  04-04-2019
|
The Next Step: Ending Excessive Punishment for Violent Crimes
Report highlights 15 reforms in 19 states  Read More  04-03-2019
|
From a Cell to a College Basketball Court: How CT's T.R.U.E. Prison Program is Changing Lives
60 Minutes segment shows how German prison system influenced Connecticut to create a special unit for those 18-25 years old  Read More  04-02-2019
|
Promoting a New Direction for Youth Justice: Strategies to Fund a Community-Based Continuum of Care and Opportunity
Report identifies proven, promising, and innovative strategies for identifying funds  Read More  04-01-2019
|
Study Shows Even a Very Short Sentence Can Lead to Decrease in Voting
Millions of people are convicted of misdemeanor offenses which could lead to a significant drop in future voting  Read More  03-31-2019
|
The 1994 Crime Bill Continues to Undercut Justice Reform-Here's How to Stop It
Brief spotlights four problematic tough-on-crime policies that undermine criminal justice reform  Read More  03-31-2019
|
New Bill Would Keep Incarcerated Pregnant Women From Being Put in Medical Isolation
Pregnant women in Maryland prison now isolated and locked up nearly 24 hours a day  Read More  03-27-2019
|
18 Must-Read Reports From The Sentencing Project
Topics include on women and children, racial disparities, state reforms, decarceration strategies, federal reform, and more  Read More  03-26-2019
|
New Report, Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019
Report contains the "big picture" view of confinement in the U.S. with 7 new infographics  Read More  03-25-2019
|
This Women's History Month, Let's Leave Girls’ Incarceration in the Past
Girls are overlooked in efforts to divert young people with low-level offenses  Read More  03-24-2019
|
Groundbreaking Empirical Study of Expungement
Expungement recipients "have extremely low subsequent crime rates"  Read More  03-23-2019
|
Formerly Incarcerated Person Cashing in on College Admissions Scandal
Who knows better how to navigate and survive prison than someone who has been there?  Read More  03-23-2019
|
Court Rules Against Alabama Warden Who Ordered Incarcerated Person to be Taken Off Life Support
Warden is not entitled to qualified immunity  Read More  03-23-2019
|
No New Youth Prisons: Strategies for Stopping Construction of New Youth Prisons
Tips on gathering your information, marshalling allies, and more, are found in new guide that other cities and states can use  Read More  03-18-2019
|
Collaborating for Successful Reentry: A Practical Guide to Support Justice-Involved Young People Returning to the Community
Needs of young people must not only be addressed, but also understood  Read More  03-15-2019
|
"Free" Prison Tablets Are Anything But For People Locked Up
DOC contracts with tablet providers found to put needs of incarcerated people last  Read More  03-14-2019
|
Funding Opportunity for Reducing Incarceration in Small Cities and Rural Areas
Funds can be used to sustain work, launch new initiatives, expand work, or foster partnerships  Read More  03-13-2019
|
Keeping Children Out of Florida's Adult Criminal Justice System Would Have Positive Economic Impact, Study Says
Returning young people to the juvenile justice system would save $3.6 million  Read More  03-12-2019
|
The Surprising Benefits of Serving People in Prison Better Food
A prison diet is typically filled with highly processed and high carb foods  Read More  03-11-2019
|
State Strategies to End Life Imprisonment, Expand the Vote, and Strengthen Reentry Policies
Spurred on by the passage of Florida's Amendment 4, six other states advance actions to restore voting rights  Read More  03-07-2019
|
What Happens When Incarcerated People are Treated As Victims?
Young adults in prison have experienced chronic trauma at triple the rate of young adults in the general population  Read More  03-07-2019
|
JP Morgan Chase & Company Pulling Out From Financing Private Prisons
Activists have confronted JP Morgan’s CEO about over financing private prisons  Read More  03-06-2019
|
50 State Incarceration Profiles
Prison Policy Initiative report of all of their recent reports about prison/jail growth, racial disparities, and more, re-organized by state  Read More  03-05-2019
|
Fix the Criminal Justice System to Open Up Our Economy
Tens of millions of Americans are excluded from the workforce due to felony and misdemeanor convictions  Read More  03-04-2019
|
The Effects of Holistic Defense on Criminal Justice Outcomes
Holistic reduces the likelihood of a custodial sentence by 16% and expected sentence length by 24%  Read More  03-02-2019
|
Return to Nowhere: The Revolving Door Between Incarceration and Homelessness
Formerly incarcerated individuals are nearly 10 times more likely to be homeless  Read More  02-28-2019
|
Critical Voices on Criminal Justice: Essays from Directly Affected Authors
Five formerly incarcerated people who made changes in criminal justice policy speak of their own experiences  Read More  02-27-2019
|
Mandatory Minimums, Crime, and Drug Abuse: Lessons Learned, Paths Ahead
A study of three states, New York, Michigan and Florida, illustrates the downside of mandatory minimum sentences  Read More  02-26-2019
|
Do Jails Kill People?
Former chief medical officer for New York City’s Correctional Health Service explains how "duel loyalty" can lead to the deaths of people in prison  Read More  02-25-2019
|
Where Have All the Black Men Gone?
Mass incarceration cited for gender imbalance in Black neighborhoods  Read More  02-24-2019
|
Imagine Pleading Guilty Because You Can't Afford to Call Your Lawyer
Intrastate calls from prison are not subject to price caps and some providers take advantage of that  Read More  02-20-2019
|
The Top 15 States That Spend More on Prisons Than Education
California tops the list spending $64,642 per person in prison and only $11,495 per student  Read More  02-19-2019
|
Second Chances: The Importance of Occupational Licensing Reform to Arkansas's Criminal Justice Reform Initiatives
Arkansas licensing reform expected to reduce recidivism by 17.5 percent in five years  Read More  02-18-2019
|
State of Phone Justice: Local jails, State Prisons and Private Phone Providers
Read how much people in your state are paying for a prison phone call today compared to 2008  Read More  02-15-2019
|
Bruce Western Reports on The Challenge of Criminal Justice Reform
Western argues that mass incarceration is defined by three characteristics: racial inequality, poverty, and a high level of violence  Read More  02-15-2019
|
Crack Down on Smuggling is Causing Hardships on Families and People in Prison
Letters are the primary means of communication for 92 percent of people in prison in contact with their family  Read More  02-15-2019
|
Corizon, The Health Care Giant, Stumbles Again
This time, Corizon loses its contract with the Arizona Department of Corrections  Read More  02-12-2019
|
Finding Love While Serving a Life Sentence
A Valentine's Day story that proves that love can be found in the most unlikeliest of places  Read More  02-11-2019
|
How Does the History of Race in America Affect the Role of Prosecutors?
Goal of new paper is to uncover roots of racial inequality and guide prosecutors to transform disparities into positive change in policy and practice  Read More  02-08-2019
|
Want to Fight Against Hepatitis C? Start at the Prison Level
Hepatitis C affects 1 percent of the general population but 17 percent of incarcerated individuals  Read More  02-08-2019
|
New Best Reentry Practices Guide for Supporting Tribal Members with Records through Collaboration and Partnership
Root & Rebound and the Yurok Tribe create first of its kind best practices guide  Read More  02-06-2019
|
Federal Defenders of New York Files Lawsuit to Grant Attorney Visits to Those Incarcerated at MDC Brooklyn
During power outage people locked up at MDC Brooklyn were without heat, electricity, phone calls and visits from families and attorneys for a week  Read More  02-05-2019
|
Municipal Drug Strategy: Lessons in Taking Drug Policy Reform Local
Drug Policy Alliance report offers "a framework for implementing new coordinated policies rooted in harm reduction and human rights at the local level"  Read More  02-04-2019
|
New Report Reveals Every Three Seconds Someone in the U.S. is Arrested
Vera Institute of Justice provides a new interactive database tool that unlocks crucial police data  Read More  02-01-2019
|
Prison Consulting Firm Taken Down By Feds
Firm promised a sentence reduction of 18 months for those who hired them  Read More  01-31-2019
|
Florida Locales Vote to Stop Using Prison Labor—and Others May Follow
Gainesville mayor a"serts that terminating contracts that use "slave labor" is a "moral imperative”  Read More  01-30-2019
|
Judge Urges More Leeway to Provide Alternatives to Incarceration for Those Who Commit a Violent Crime
The term "violent crime" is very broad and does not always mean a violent crime was committed  Read More  01-30-2019
|
Meek Mill, Jay Z and Other Heavy Hitters Form Foundation to Reduce Re-Incarceration
Reform Alliance will focus on the 4.5 million people on probation or parole  Read More  01-28-2019
|
LGBTQ Youth Are At Greater Risk of Homelessness and Incarceration
LGBTQ youth compose 40% of the homeless youth population  Read More  01-27-2019
|
Report: The Wisconsin Community Corrections Story
People reincarcerated without a new offense in Wisconsin will spend an average of 1.5 years in prison, costing taxpayers $147.5 million  Read More  01-26-2019
|
Connecticut Drafting Legislation That Would Make It Easier for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals to Obtain Housing
30-Page offers focuses on solutions to end housing discrimination after release from prison  Read More  01-24-2019
|
Investing in Futures: Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Postsecondary Education in Prison
Greater access to postsecondary education in prison would result in a $45.3 million increase in combined earnings of formerly incarcerated workers one year after release  Read More  01-22-2019
|
Alabama Prison Homicide Rate 600 Times Higher Than National Average
Alabama's prison justice organizations and incarcerated individuals advocate for task force investigation into prison murders  Read More  01-21-2019
|
The Home Coming Project: Innovative Program Offers Housing to People Released from Prison
Homeowners and renters are matched with newly released individuals in a novel experiment with benefits for all  Read More  01-20-2019
|
Formerly Incarcerated Man Writes Poem about the First Few Minutes of Being Released
Poem focuses on the hope and the determination to never go back to prison that reintegrating individuals feel while walking out the gate  Read More  01-18-2019
|
New Report: Top Trends in State Criminal Justice Reform, 2018
Topics include sentencing, felony disenfranchisement, juvenile justice,
addressing racial disparity, and more  Read More  01-16-2019
|
Criminal Justice Solutions: Model State Legislation
Brennan Center for Justice report includes models and examples of legislation to help stem mass incarceration in America  Read More  01-15-2019
|
Intra-City Differences in Federal Sentencing Practices
Report finds in most cities the length of a defendant's sentence depends on which judge is assigned to the case  Read More  01-14-2019
|
Integrating the Social Safety Net Into America's Prisons
Author of article calls for federal law requiring prisons to assist the incarcerated in signing up for, or to automatically enrolling them in, social safety net programs  Read More  01-11-2019
|
ABA: Prisons Are Housing Mental Health Patients Who've Committed No Crime
Besides being a civil rights violation, housing mental health patients in prison who haven't committed a crime has been linked to additional mental health issues  Read More  01-10-2019
|
Reducing Recidivism and Increasing Opportunity: Benefits and Costs of the RecycleForce Enhanced Transitional Jobs Program
Despite Government's assessment, others found benefits to society outweighed program costs by about $2,200 per person  Read More  01-09-2019
|
Newspaper Article Stirs Controversy Over Pitting Guards Against People in Prison
Guards' misplaced anger over Trump's government shutdown causes bitterness over holiday meal for the incarcerated  Read More  01-08-2019
|
Government Shutdown Causes FBOP to Furlough Half of Its 36,000 Person Staff
Additionally, Prison guards are working without pay  Read More  01-08-2019
|
ICYMI: The Appeal's Top Stories of 2018
The Appeal staff picked top 12 stories on policing, prosecutors and incarceration  Read More  01-06-2019
|
Congressional Report Finds Senior BOP Officials Continually Covered Up or Ignored Misconduct
New congressional review provides "blistering" account of how wardens and senor officials operate outside of BOP’s rules  Read More  01-04-2019
|
Jewish Journal Asks: First Step or Last Step?
First Step's inclusion of assessment tools seen as problematic, especially for African-Americans  Read More  01-03-2019
|
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Issues New Report on Juvenile Arrests
Juvenile arrest rates for violent crimes, such as robbery and aggravated assault, have declined in the last five years  Read More  01-02-2019
|
Has New Jersey's Elimination of Most Cash Bail Transformed the State into a "Model of Justice Reform for the Entire Nation"?
Since bail reform was implemented, violent crime dropped 30% and pretrial detention decreased 40% in the state  Read More  01-01-2019
|
Connecticut Wins National Recruiting Battle for New Corrections Commissioner
Governor-elect Ned Lamont chose former Utah DOC Commissioner Rollin Cook to carry on state’s nationally praised model prison reform  Read More  12-31-2018
|
When Incarcerated People Care for The Sick and Dying
At the California Medical Facility men doing time offer care and compassion to the sick in prison  Read More  12-31-2018
|
Ten Women Who Changed Criminal Justice in 2018
From ending solitary confinement, to challenging the unjust ways young people are treated in the juvenile justice system, these are some of the women who stood up against injustice  Read More  12-28-2018
|
Trends in Misdemeanor Arrests in New York, 1980 to 2017
New report focuses on the part of NYC's "peace dividend," that led to a 39.9 percent decrease in misdemeanor arrests, however, enforcement rates went up  Read More  12-28-2018
|
Mothers Are Incarcerated at Record Rates, Yet Prison Nursery Beds are Empty
Mothers who are allowed to keep their babies with them in prison, for a time, have a much lower recidivism rate  Read More  12-28-2018
|
Okay, The First Step Act Passed, But What Is the Next Step?
Will a change in conspiracy laws be next?  Read More  12-24-2018
|
The Economics of Bail and Pretrial Detention
New report finds pretrial detention costs $15 billion a year  Read More  12-24-2018
|
Youth Incarceration: We Must Think Outside the (Literal) Box
Juvenile Justice advocates call for community-based solutions rather than juvenile incarceration  Read More  12-21-2018
|
Think You Are Knowledgeable About Law and Justice This Past Year?
Take the Marshall Project Quiz and find out  Read More  12-19-2018
|
Will First Step Act Reach a Final Vote Today?
Bill called a "compromise of a comprise" but some conservatives still voice criticism  Read More  12-18-2018
|
21 Principles for the 21st Century Prosecutor
The principles include examples of innovative endeavors by prosecutors around the nation  Read More  12-17-2018
|
The Myth of the Electronic Monitor
Critics call electronic monitoring an alternative form of incarceration, not an alternative to incarceration  Read More  12-16-2018
|
The Criminal Justice Reform Bill You’ve Never Heard Of
Mitch McConnell's Senate has quietly passed juvenile justice legislation that would ban states from holding children in adult jails  Read More  12-13-2018
|
New Report Ranks States on "Correctional Control," Showing Huge State Disparities in Use of Probation
Adults under community supervision account for nearly twice the number of people who are incarcerated in jails and prisons combined  Read More  12-12-2018
|
Mississippi to Use $715,000 Grant for Reentry and Treatment Programs in Six Counties
Programs targeting people released from prison to rural counties that often lack reentry services  Read More  12-11-2018
|
Jerry Madden On The Texas Model of Prison, Probation and Parole
Texas has closed eight prisons and reduced parole revocations and overall arrests  Read More  12-10-2018
|
The Needs of Children Must Be Prioritized When Parents Are Arrested
Trauma starts with the arrest of a parent, especially in front of a child  Read More  12-09-2018
|
Minnesota Begins Training People in Prison to Become Solar Installers
Training will help people released from prison to find jobs in a rapidly growing field  Read More  12-06-2018
|
Delaware Governor Signs Executive Order to Improve Reentry Procedures, Reduce Recidivism
As part of the National Criminal Justice Reform Project, Delaware commission will implement reentry reform  Read More  12-06-2018
|
The Heartbreaking Law That Tears Children from Incarcerated Parents Forever
The Clintons helped pass the Adoption and Safe Families Act with devastating consequences  Read More  12-04-2018
|
Prison Policy Initiative's Top Reports of 2018
PPI's annual report covers topics from "Whole Pie" reports on women and youths to calculating the first national unemployment rate for formerly incarcerated people  Read More  12-03-2018
|
New Study: Elderly People in Prison Are a Low Risk for Recidivism
Justice Policy Institute survey found "no significant impact or negative impact on public safety" when elderly are released  Read More  12-02-2018
|
The Girlfriend Problem: How Mandatory Minimum Sentences Punish Women
Women in a relationship with a drug dealer are often hit with conspiracy charges even though they may have a nothing to do with dealing drugs  Read More  11-23-2018
|
Critics Call Electronic Monitoring of Young People Ineffective and Inhumane
Stigma, cost to families and doubt that EM is effective are just some of the concerns  Read More  11-22-2018
|
The Jerry Brown Way of Pardoning
Governor tries to "walk back" major mistakes from California’s tough-on-Crime era  Read More  11-22-2018
|
Infographic: Reducing Recidivism–States Deliver Results (2018)
Profiles of eleven states with "impressive declines" in recidivism rates  Read More  11-20-2018
|
The Sentencing Project’s 2018 Fall Newsletter Offers Numerous Reports and Articles That You Won't Want to Miss
Topics include decarceration, States' reform successes, women's issues, and Trump's attempt at criminal justice reform  Read More  11-19-2018
|
Eight Keys to Mercy: How to Shorten Excessive Prison Sentences
Clemency isn't the only way for governors and legislators to show mercy  Read More  11-16-2018
|
Neuroscientists Make a Case against Solitary Confinement
Prolonged social isolation can do severe, long-lasting damage to the brain  Read More  11-15-2018
|
Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2018
Sixty percent of incarcerated women under local control have not been convicted of a crime  Read More  11-14-2018
|
Population 17,049: Welcome to America's Largest Jail
L.A. County Jail is also the largest mental health institution in America  Read More  11-13-2018
|
What Do Christians in America Really Think About Criminal Justice Reform?
Prison Fellowship's survey reveals practicing Christians are more concerned about the care and conditions of people in prison than the general public, but prefer stronger punishments  Read More  11-12-2018
|
The Good News Is the Number of People Violating Parole or Probation in Arkansas Dropped 41 Percent
The bad news is that the number of people in prison is expected to grow at rate of 0.9 percent annually over the next 10 years  Read More  11-09-2018
|
Restoring Hope, Creating Opportunity: A White Paper on the Need for Comprehensive Reentry Services and Progressive Justice Reform in Illinois
Safer Foundation concludes that if recidivism trends don't change over next 5 years, recidivism will cost Illinois taxpayers $13 billion  Read More  11-08-2018
|
Florida Voters Agree That Most People with a Felony Conviction Should Have Their Right to Vote Restored Automatically
Historic vote will affect approximately 1.4 million disenfranchised people in the state  Read More  11-07-2018
|
Safe Consumption Sites Not Jail
Former and current prosecutors advocate for SCS, also known as Safe Injection Sites, as a means to help reduce arrests and incarceration for people who use drugs  Read More  11-06-2018
|
One in 55 U.S. Adults Is on Probation or Parole
Better strategies can cut that rate while protecting public safety, decreasing drug misuse, and reducing incarceration  Read More  11-05-2018
|
The High Costs of Low Pay for Public Defenders
Along with Public Defenders, District Attorneys are leaving their jobs to search for ones with higher salaries  Read More  11-04-2018
|
Kentucky Governor Supports Jobs for Formerly Incarcerated People
Governor Bevin asserts work is the pathway to redemption  Read More  11-01-2018
|
Justice Department Announces $35 Million to Battle the Distribution of Methamphetamine and Another $35 Million to Assist Children Impacted by the Opioid Crisis
Opioid overdoses still on the rise  Read More  10-31-2018
|
Incarcerating Mothers Is a "Generational Curse"
The Oklahoma punishment system has the highest number of incarcerated women in the country -Still She Rises aims to end that  Read More  10-30-2018
|
Chicago's HOPE Diversion Court Shut Down After Several Attempts to Fix Problems Failed
Program did not reach population for which it was intended  Read More  10-29-2018
|
Kentucky Prison Reentry Program Has Correction Officers and Incarcerated People Switch Roles
Correction Officers learn how difficult life can be after release from prison  Read More  10-27-2018
|
How Jeff Sessions Is Undermining Trump's Prison Reform Agenda
Federal halfway house beds remain empty because the Justice Department has reduced the number of halfway house placements  Read More  10-25-2018
|
PA Prisons’ Unprecedented Security Crackdown: 5 Things You Need to Know
Lawyers claim the policies might be unconstitutional  Read More  10-24-2018
|
In Prison, Women Face the Harshest Discipline
Women discipline far more often than men  Read More  10-23-2018
|
New Report Finds Felony Disenfranchisement Reforms in 23 States Restored Voting Rights to 1.4 Million People
Six million Americans are still ineligible to vote due to a felony conviction  Read More  10-22-2018
|
3,000 People in Florida Prisons Evacuated During Hurricane Michael
Damage from hurricane caused four prisons to be evacuated  Read More  10-16-2018
|
California's Top Prison Psychiatrist Claims State Officials Are Providing Misleading Data to a Federal Court and Lawyers
Dr. Michael Goling’s report affects 30,000 people in prison who have a pending case involving medical and mental health care  Read More  10-16-2018
|
Colorado Attempting to Keep Connections Between Teens Who Are Incarcerated and Their Children
Seven-day visiting, parenting classes and a furlough to attend birth of a child are some of the policy changes at Colorado youth jail  Read More  10-16-2018
|
How Can We Reconcile Prison Abolition With #MeToo?
Advocates for transformative justice claim that gender-based violence can be addressed without police and prisons  Read More  10-16-2018
|
New Vera Institute of Justice Report: Reimagining Prison
Report reimagines the how, what, and why of incarceration  Read More  10-15-2018
|
New Report Finds a Large Number of Federally Funded Reentry Programs to be "Dissapointing"
Second Chance Act services had no significant effect on outcome of reincarceration  Read More  10-13-2018
|
The Novel Way Connecticut Is Hoping to Reduce the Recidivism Rate of Young Females
Women who are incarcerated helped design the WORTH program that includes mentoring, counseling and classes  Read More  10-12-2018
|
Formerly Incarcerated Person Takes on New Hampshire’s Pay-to-Stay (in Prison) Law
ACLU accuses New Hampshire of filing retaliatory lawsuit after formerly incarcerated man sued the state for medical negligence  Read More  10-10-2018
|
During National Mental Illness Awareness Week a Judge Writes on How the CJ System Responds to Those with a Mental Health Diagnosis
Alternatives to incarceration sought to break the system of incarcerating people with mental disorders  Read More  10-09-2018
|
Reclassified: State Drug Laws Reforms to Reduce Felony Convictions and Increase Second Chances
Five states that reclassified all drug possession from a felony to a misdemeanor saw both a drop in prison populations and millions of dollars saved  Read More  10-08-2018
|
Virginia Department of Corrections Headquarters Houses "Fresh Start" Bakery That Teaches Women in Prison Job Skills
At neighboring café and restaurant women taught skills from serving food to managing a restaurant  Read More  10-07-2018
|
Pew: Probation and Parole Systems Marked by High Stakes, Missed Opportunities
1 in 55 adults is under community supervision  Read More  10-05-2018
|
Let Down and Locked Up: Why Oklahoma's Female Incarceration Is So High
Critics claim a penchant for building prisons instead of investing in education and a warped idea of "proper womanhood" are just two reasons Oklahoma is the capital for female incarceration in the world  Read More  10-04-2018
|
No More Shackles: Why We Must End the Use of Electronic Monitors for People on Parole
Electronic monitoring has increased tremendously, as has technical violations that send people back to prison  Read More  10-03-2018
|
Courts Force States to Provide Costly Hepatitis C Treatment to People in Prison
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 3 people in U.S. jails and prisons has hepatitis C.  Read More  10-02-2018
|
For People Behind Bars, Reporting Sexual Assault Leads to More Punishment
People who report sexual assault in prison are often punished by being put in solitary confinement  Read More  10-01-2018
|
George Will: America Should Strike Down the Death Penalty
Will concludes capital punishment is expensive and does not demonstrate enhancement of public safety  Read More  10-01-2018
|
Virginia Suspends Ban on Tampon Use by Visitors to State Prisons
Ban was originally put in place over fears tampons could hide Contraband  Read More  09-27-2018
|
New Report: Reconciliation Between Police and Communities
Report offers four components for a foundation to build reconciliation  Read More  09-26-2018
|
New Phrase Guide to Reduce Stereotypes and Promote Respect and Equality
Language is very important when speaking to, or about, people involved in the punishment system  Read More  09-25-2018
|
The Movement to Abolish Death by Incarceration
Abolitionist Law Center report reveals Pennsylvania is the national and international leader in DBI sentencing, with Philadelphia being the DBI center of the world  Read More  09-24-2018
|
20 Organizations Planting the Seeds for Food Justice in Prisons
The World Health Organization claims nutritious food in prison can help with rehabilitation and resettlement  Read More  09-21-2018
|
New Brennan Center for Justice Report Predicts Crime and Murder Rates Will Decline in 2018
Findings put to rest the falsehood that America is seeing a spike in crime  Read More  09-20-2018
|
Chicago's Cook County Aimed to Be the Country’s Leader in Bail Reform--So What Happened?
New report asserts that Cook County judges continue to ignore Chief Judge's order to use money bonds only when necessary  Read More  09-19-2018
|
New OIG Report on Bureau of Prisons' Inadequate Addressing of Distinctive Needs of Females
Report finds BOP lacking in strategic management of females in its prison system  Read More  09-19-2018
|
Colorado DOC to Spend $41 Million to Treat People with Hepatitis C
Critics accused DOC of dragging its feet to treat people because of high cost of drugs that can wipe out hep C virus  Read More  09-17-2018
|
Female Legislators Introduce Bill to Ban Shackling of Pregnant Women in Federal Prisons
Bi-partisan bill would also prohibit pregnant women from being placed in solitary confinement  Read More  09-14-2018
|
Seven States Do Not Provide Victim Compensation to Those with a Criminal Conviction, or Their Families
Companion article tells how to investigate victim compensation information in every state  Read More  09-13-2018
|
Mandatory Evacuation As "Monster" Hurricane Approaches Doesn't Include People in Jails and Prisons
Corrections officers and people in prison seem to be expendable in parts of South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia  Read More  09-12-2018
|
Lawsuit Claims Man Held in Solitary Confinement for 12 Years Because He Cannot Speak or Read English
Corrections officials contest allegation but lawyers assert client is not able to complete "step-down" program to get out of solitary confinement  Read More  09-11-2018
|
Women's Experience Behind Bars: Incarcerated Women Face Unique Challenges
Half of incarcerated women in America are held in jails  Read More  09-10-2018
|
A Roadmap to Decarceration
Five states - Connecticut, Michigan, Mississippi, Rhode Island, South Carolina -reduced prison populations by 14-25%  Read More  09-07-2018
|
Four States Receive Funding from Koch Brothers for Criminal Justice Reform
Four million dollar Safe Streets and Second Chances (S3C) program includes people in prison and volunteers in Florida, Kentucky, Texas and Pennsylvania  Read More  09-06-2018
|
What It Is Like to Be a Trans Woman in a Male Prison: "Housed as Men, Assaulted as Women"
Trans women are incarcerated at higher number than the "general population" and face harsher consequences  Read More  09-05-2018
|
Public Comments on Sentencing Commission's Proposed Priorities for 2018-2019 Amendment Cycle
Coalition of civil rights, criminal justice reform, and human rights groups offer Sentencing Commission suggestions for improvement and fairness civil  Read More  09-04-2018
|
Vera Institute of Justice Expands Initiative to Increase Access to Public Housing for Formerly Incarcerated People
Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the initiative will implement reentry programs and improve admissions policies for people with conviction histories  Read More  09-03-2018
|
Acknowledging Incarcerated Workers As Labor Day Approaches
From fighting forest fires, to cleaning toilets, advocates for people in prison say they deserve fair wages  Read More  08-31-2018
|
Getting to Zero: Shocking New Report on Juveniles Housed in Adult Jails
Although the number of juveniles housed in adult jails has dropped in recent years tens of thousands young people enter adult jails annually  Read More  08-30-2018
|
California Governor Abolishes Money Bail System But Reform Advocates Are Not Pleased
Governor's bail reform lauded but judges given more power to hold individuals held in "preventative detention"  Read More  08-29-2018
|
Three weeks, 10 Dead Inside Two Mississippi Prisons (Update: Death toll rises to 15)
Deceased ranged in age from 24 to 75, with "natural causes" presumed to be the cause of death in most cases, according to spokesperson  Read More  08-28-2018
|
Breaking Open the "Black Box": How Risk Assessments Undermine Judges' Perceptions of Young People
Report states 60% of the risk score is attributable to age  Read More  08-27-2018
|
Parent-Child Visiting Practices in Prisons and Jails: A Synthesis of Research and Practice
Urban Institute report offers recommendations on parent-child visiting, including improving how visiting is implemented  Read More  08-27-2018
|
A "Radical Experiment" in a Connecticut Prison for Women May Be the Answer to Reducing Recidivism among Young Adults Nationwide
WORTH program focused on young women whose brains are still developing  Read More  08-24-2018
|
New York State Parole Board: Failures in Staffing and Performance
New report underscores the importance of the makeup of parole boards everywhere  Read More  08-23-2018
|
Determined to Hold a City Council Position in Texas, Lewis Conway Jr is Cleared to Do So Despite Felony Conviction
Vague law without a precedent once thwarted Conway from running for political office  Read More  08-22-2018
|
How Does Unaffordable Money Bail Affect Families?
Prison Policy Initiative reveals over half of people held in pre-trial detention are parents of minor children  Read More  08-21-2018
|
The Role of Outcome Monitoring in Evidence Based Policymaking
How states can use performance management systems to achieve results  Read More  08-20-2018
|
People in 17 Prisons Across the U.S. Set to Go on Strike Starting August 21
Organizers Issue 10 demands including improvements in prisons and policies  Read More  08-19-2018
|
Nowhere to Go: Homelessness among Formerly Incarcerated People
Formerly Incarcerated people are 10 times more likely to be homeless  Read More  08-17-2018
|
Class Action Lawsuit Accuses Electronic Monitoring Company of Extortion
Plaintiffs struggling to afford electronic monitoring claim if they miss a electronic monitoring fee of $25.50 per day they will be sent back to jail  Read More  08-16-2018
|
Neuroprediction: Should Brain a Scan Be Used to Predict the Risk of Committing Future Crimes?
Neuroscientists at the University of New Mexico believe brain imaging technology is an important risk assessment tool  Read More  08-16-2018
|
Fifty State Report on Public Safety
Report billed as "one comprehensive public safety roadmap" with 300 state-by-state data visualizations  Read More  08-09-2018
|
Raising a Baby in Prison
While studies show having a prison nursery is good for mom and baby, critics claim it is unconstitutional  Read More  08-09-2018
|
Lancaster County, PA Shows Others How to Say No to a For-Profit Prison Company
County leaders backed down against planned takeover by GEO of reentry program when constituents rose up en masse against it  Read More  08-08-2018
|
The Need for Support and Resources for LGBTQ Youth in Juvenile Facilities When They Reveal Their Sexual Identity
Directly impacted member of the LGBTQ community discusses his struggle with his sexual identity while in a juvenile facility that offered no support  Read More  08-08-2018
|
More Than a Jail: Immigrant Detention and the Smell of Money
Special Report: The Vera Institute examines the connection between the growing criminalization of immigration and rural jail expansion in the United States  Read More  08-07-2018
|
Concerns Rise As Reports of Sexual Abuse in Prison Increase, But Few Allegations Are Deemed Credible
Corrections officials investigating 61,316 allegations of sexual abuse decided only 8.5 percent were truthful  Read More  08-06-2018
|
The Changing State of Recidivism: Fewer People Going Back to Prison
Data show the number returning 3 years later is down by nearly a quarter  Read More  08-03-2018
|
The Last Mile Program Teaches Coding to People Who Are Incarcerated in Youth Facilities and Prisons
Program boasts a zero recidivism rate among it 393 graduates  Read More  08-02-2018
|
Prison Abolition Explained
The Nation offers insight to a not-so-new movement that believes incarceration does society more harm than good  Read More  08-01-2018
|
Ninety-Seven Percent of People in Prison with Hepatitis C Are Not Getting Treatment
Despite Court ruling that medical care is a constitutional right for people in prison, medical cure for Hep C is routinely denied  Read More  07-31-2018
|
Out of Prison and Out of Work: Unemployment Among Formerly Incarcerated People
New report reveals the first ever estimate of unemployment among formerly incarcerated people finds that over 27% are unemployed  Read More  07-30-2018
|
Directly Impacted Young Woman Tells "Why We Need to End Girls' Incarceration"
Status offenses are responsible for a disproportionate number of girls entering juvenile detention centers  Read More  07-29-2018
|
Toxic Prisons Are Poisoning Incarcerated People
Prisons and detention centers built on toxic land are blamed for countless illnesses, and deaths  Read More  07-26-2018
|
How to Spot the Hidden Costs in a "No-Cost" Tablet Contract
Tablet maker stands to make hefty profit off of phone calls, emails, music, and video games that must be paid for by incarcerated individuals given tablets  Read More  07-25-2018
|
Felony Disenfranchisement: A Primer
6.1 million Americans are prohibited from voting due to felony disenfranchisement  Read More  07-24-2018
|
Health Care Use and Health Behaviors among Young Adults with History a of Parental Incarceration
Study finds parental incarceration is associated with lower health care and problematic behaviors in early adulthood  Read More  07-23-2018
|
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Slammed for New Policy Direction
Critic assail OJJDP for implying public safety will be threatened by reducing racial and ethnic disparities (RED)  Read More  07-22-2018
|
All Female Task Force Seeks to Reduce the Number of Females in Illinois Prisons by Half
Task force includes formerly incarcerated women  Read More  07-20-2018
|
Prisons Using Virtual Reality to Prepare People with Long Sentences about Living in the Community Again
Juveniles sentenced to life, but are now eligible for parole, learn to restart a brain dormant for decades  Read More  07-18-2018
|
Mass Incarceration: A Major Cause of Hunger
Report: U.S. poverty would have dropped by 20 percent between 1980 and 2004 if not for mass incarceration.  Read More  07-17-2018
|
Palm Beach County, Florida to Host Reentry Summit October 3-5
Event will convene experts for a national conversation on criminal justice reform  Read More  07-16-2018
|
'They're Not Monsters': The Roots of Young Girls' Violence
Trauma is a major cause of maladaptive behavior in young girls  Read More  07-13-2018
|
The Push to Remove Occupational License Restrictions That Deny Formerly Incarcerated People Jobs
Economy suffers as 2.85 million jobs are lost due to strict licensing laws  Read More  07-12-2018
|
When a Top Hard-Core Gang Prosecutor Fills Facebook with Racist and Sexist Posts
Some wonder if prosecutor can be fair and impartial after his xenophobic remarks  Read More  07-11-2018
|
The Impact of Early Representation: An Analysis of the San Francisco Public Defender's Pre-Trial Release Unit
San Francisco Public Defender's Office Pre-Trial Release Unit doubled likelihood of pre-arraignment release and cut pre-trial incarceration by 44%  Read More  07-10-2018
|
Do Jail Diversion Programs Really Work?
Most states have diversion programs but too often individuals can't afford fees associated with them, or are not told about them  Read More  07-09-2018
|
Churches Divest from Police to Protect People of Color
Churches train members and community groups on de-escalation tactics and self defense  Read More  07-08-2018
|
Guardian Investigation Finds Incarcerated Women are Groomed by Pimps and Forced into Sex Work Once Released
Corrupt bondsmen illegally pass on information about women arrested on prostitution charges to suspected traffickers  Read More  07-06-2018
|
Numerous Studies Show That People Released from Prison Would Fare Better Without Intense Supervision
Less intense supervision is cost-effective while still maintaining public safety  Read More  07-05-2018
|
Crime in 2017: Final Analysis
Report finds that, contrary to what some believe, the nation is not experiencing a crime wave  Read More  07-04-2018
|
Everywhere and Nowhere: Compassionate Release in the States
FAMM report found numerous barriers to compassionate release including "confusing rules,and unrealistic time frames"  Read More  07-03-2018
|
Connecticut NAACP and Yale Rule of Law Clinic Take State to Court Over Prison Gerrymandering
Plaintiffs claim lawsuit is the first statewide challenge on this issue in the U.S.  Read More  07-02-2018
|
Training the Brain to Stay out of Jail
Cognitive behavioral therapy program helps individuals with a pattern of repeat arrests to rethink criminal thoughts  Read More  06-29-2018
|
Outraged By Kids In Cages? Look At Our Entire Juvenile Justice System
Juveniles convicted of crimes in U.S. are also suffering under current juvenile justice system  Read More  06-28-2018
|
Oklahoma Corrections Director Offers Three Suggestions to Rid State of the Title "Number One in Incarceration"
Ironically one suggestion is building two new prisons  Read More  06-27-2018
|
Why Turning Homelessness into a Crime is Cruel and Costly
At any given time a half-million Americans are unhoused  Read More  06-26-2018
|
An Unjust Burden: The Disparate Treatment of Black Americans in the Criminal Justice System
Report asserts bias by decision makers throughout the justice process puts Black people at a serious disadvantage  Read More  06-25-2018
|
New Report: Implementing the Next Generation of Parole Supervision
Findings from the Changing Attitudes and Motivation in Parolees Pilot Study  Read More  06-22-2018
|
Music Recorded Inside (and Out) of Prison Helping to Push Conversations about Reform
"Die Jim Crow" EP puts stories of the struggles of incarceration and reintegration to music  Read More  06-21-2018
|
Why Are Innocent People In Prison?
In 2017 over half of wrongful convictions were due to prosecutorial misconduct  Read More  06-20-2018
|
Transforming Closed Youth Prisons
Urban Institute discloses how six closed youth prisons were successfully repurposed  Read More  06-19-2018
|
The New Dynamics of Mass Incarceration
State incarceration rates have fractured into four separate trends: decarceration, stagnation, jurisdictional shifts between prisons and jails, and continued growth  Read More  06-18-2018
|
A Conservative Republican Asks That We Remember Fathers in Prison
Supporting the First Step Act can lessen some of the collateral consequences faced by dads released from prison  Read More  06-17-2018
|
States of Women's Incarceration: The Global Context 2018
U.S has 4% of world’s female population but 30% of incarcerated women  Read More  06-15-2018
|
New Research Report Highlights Challenges in Reducing Mass Incarceration
Prisoners in 2016 and the Prospects for an End to Mass Incarceration reports 23 states have not been reducing prison populations at all  Read More  06-14-2018
|
States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2018
How does your state compare to whole countries when it comes to mass incarceration?  Read More  06-14-2018
|
You Get What You Measure: New Performance Indicators Needed to Gauge Progress of Criminal Justice Reform
Adam Gelb proposes two "new and nuanced" indicators to discern if objectives are met  Read More  06-12-2018
|
Drug Policy Alliance Fact Sheet: Women, Prison, and the Drug War
More women than men in both state and federal prisons have been convicted of a drug offense  Read More  06-11-2018
|
If Addiction Is a Disease, Why Is Relapsing a Crime?
People who use drug have an average of five to six relapses before finding long term sobriety  Read More  06-08-2018
|
Education Behind Bars: How Education is Failing Incarcerated Youth
Brown Political Review: Only 13 states provide the same educational services in juvenile detention centers as they do outside them  Read More  06-07-2018
|
A Shocking Account of Escapes, Beatings, Death and Rioting in a Private Prison
Rolling Stone chronicles Management and Training Corporation’s failure to keep Arizona’s Kingman Prison secure  Read More  06-06-2018
|
Workers with Criminal Records: A Survey by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Charles Koch Institute
Most managers, non- managers and HR professionals surveyed say they are open to hiring individuals with a criminal record  Read More  06-05-2018
|
Right on Crime Report on Addressing High Rates of Rural Incarceration
Report shows causes of increase in jail populations and offers solutions to slash those rates  Read More  06-04-2018
|
Incarceration Rate is Dropping, But Not in All States
Vera Institute reports that while the total prison population dipped below 1.5 million, 20 states saw an increase in the number of incarcerated people  Read More  06-01-2018
|
The $580 Prison Health Care Co-pay
When people in prison make pennies an hour a $5 co pay can eat up a month's salary  Read More  06-01-2018
|
The Company Store: A Deeper Look at Prison Commissaries
A new report claims prison reform advocates should be concerned commissary sales records  Read More  05-30-2018
|
Connecticut Prisons First in Country to House Trans People Appropriately
Trans people will be allowed to choose prison housing that match gender in which they identify  Read More  05-29-2018
|
Rethinking Restrictive Housing
Vera Institute of Justice report offers recommendations on how safe and effective alternatives to restrictive housing can be utilized  Read More  05-28-2018
|
Transforming Juvenile Justice Systems to Improve Public Safety and Youth Outcomes
Report provides "six innovative strategies that states and localities can follow to make sweeping changes to their juvenile justice systems"  Read More  05-26-2018
|
The "Forever Prisoner"
5,000 people convicted of sex crimes are held in a "post-prison purgatory" known as civil commitment  Read More  05-25-2018
|
2018 Update on Prisoner Recidivism: A 9-Year Follow-up Period (2005-2014)
BJS report assesses post-release offending patterns of formerly incarcerated people and their involvement in criminal activities  Read More  05-25-2018
|
Families Against Mandatory Minimums Breaks Down Why the First Step Act Matters
FAMM explains how the First Step Act is good for families, people in prison and public safety  Read More  05-23-2018
|
The High Cost of Low Risk: The Crisis of America's Aging Prison Population
By 2030, people over 50 will make up one-third of the US prison population  Read More  05-21-2018
|
Global Prison Trends 2018
Authors of report frame it as being a useful tool for policy makers and others seeking to create a fair and effective criminal justice system  Read More  05-18-2018
|
Judges Called 'Last Line of Defense' for Mentally Ill in Justice System
Forty percent of those with mental illness come in contact with criminal justice system, studies show  Read More  05-17-2018
|
LGBTQ Girls Are Fueling the School-to-Prison Pipeline
LGBTQ girls of color are particularly singled out for harsher punishment  Read More  05-16-2018
|
Connecticut Governor Signs Law That Provides Sweeping Changes to How Women in Prison are Treated
Previously, An Act Concerning the Fair Treatment of Incarcerated Persons was unanimously approved by both chambers of the CT General Assembly  Read More  05-15-2018
|
Transforming Juvenile Probation: A Vision for Getting It Right
Report calls for a dramatic cut in probation population and transforming probation for those remaining on caseloads  Read More  05-14-2018
|
Advocates Want You To Remember Moms In Prison On Mother's Day
Mother's day in prison is one of the saddest days for both moms and their children  Read More  05-13-2018
|
How Walmart is Helping Prosecutors Pursue 10-Year Sentences for Shoplifting
Prosecutors are upgrading shoplifting charges to burglary for those issued a "Notification of Restriction from Property" by Walmart  Read More  05-13-2018
|
New Report Examines Trends in Female Incarceration
The number of women in prison is nearly eight times higher than in 1980  Read More  05-11-2018
|
FOSTA-SESTA Force Sex Workers into the Dangerous Streets and into the Arms of Abusive Pimps
Sex workers claim the laws do more harm than good  Read More  05-10-2018
|
My Education, My Freedom
Toolkit provides currently and formerly incarcerated people a roadmap to pursue educational goals  Read More  05-08-2018
|
A Jailbreak of the Imagination: Seeing Prisons for What They Are and Demanding Transformation
Authors of article posit “awareness of the humanity of prisoners is a crucial step toward undoing the harms of mass incarceration”  Read More  05-05-2018
|
Cruel and Usual: A National Prisoner Survey of Prison Food and Health Care Quality
Survey of people incarcerated in 83 prisons reveals complaints of inadequate food, health care, and of disrespect from staff members  Read More  05-04-2018
|
Federal Prisons Reverse Policy That Made Buying Books Difficult and Expensive
Limited selection and 30 percent markup was met with resistance from families, advocates, people in prison, and educators  Read More  05-04-2018
|
Criminal Justice Involvement of Families in Child Welfare: 24 Reports
Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare examines the negative impact of parental incarceration and offers ways to support children of justice involved families  Read More  05-02-2018
|
A Question of Compassion: Medical Parole in New York State
Vera Institute report offers recommendations that NY, and other states, can implement to make full use of their compassionate release laws  Read More  05-01-2018
|
New Release: Correctional Populations in the U.S. 2016
Bureau of Justice Statistics report shows almost one in 38 were under some form of correctional supervision at year-end 2016  Read More  04-30-2018
|
Seattle Asks Court to Dismiss Marijuana Convictions Before It Was Legalized
Now that marijuana is legal in Seattle. Mayor wants to wipe out collateral consequences of marijuana convictions before law took place  Read More  04-29-2018
|
An Unsupported Population: The Treatment of Women in Texas' Criminal Justice System
Second report from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition suggests women in prison should be treated with dignity as a way to reduce recidivism  Read More  04-29-2018
|
Marc Levin: Rural Counties Need to Get on Justice-Reform Train
The population of people awaiting trial in rural jails is rapidly expanding  Read More  04-25-2018
|
The Prison Industrial Complex: Mapping Private Sector Players
Over 3,100 corporations make money off of mass incarceration  Read More  04-24-2018
|
States Are Compelling Prosecutors to Turn Over Evidence, Even When They Balk at Doing So
Prosecutors don't like to lose, and they can win by purposely withholding evidence  Read More  04-23-2018
|
Report to the United Nations on Racial Disparities in the U.S. Criminal Justice System
Some recommendations to the UN Special Rapporteur include ending the war on drugs, eliminating mandatory minimum sentences, reducing cash bail and fully funding indigent defense agencies  Read More  04-20-2018
|
New York Governor to Restore Voting Rights to People on Parole
Gov. Andrew Cuomo would consider pardons for 35,000 people on parole, and also for people with a new felony conviction on a monthly basis  Read More  04-19-2018
|
U.S. Sentencing Commission Releases 2017 Federal Sentencing Statistics
Tables for each judicial district include crimes in each primary offense category, guilty pleas and trials, and incarceration rate of defendants eligible for non-prison sentences  Read More  04-19-2018
|
Traumatic Brain Injury, Prison, and Reentry
Screening for TBI can lead to treatment instead of prison and recidivism  Read More  04-17-2018
|
Too Much License? A Closer Look at Occupational Liscencing and Economic Mobility
People with a criminal record are often barred from obtaining an occupational license which would provide gainful employment  Read More  04-16-2018
|
Law Enforcement in Several States Call for Alternatives to Arrest and Prosecution For People With an Addiction
Arresting people will not stop the opioid crisis  Read More  04-13-2018
|
Jobs Are the Ultimate Criminal Justice Reform
Allowing people with a criminal history to obtain occupational licenses is one of three policy changes suggested  Read More  04-12-2018
|
The Prosecutor's Role in Officer Involved Shootings
Prosecutors, directly impacted individuals, police and activists held a meeting at the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution to address accountability  Read More  04-11-2018
|
Florida Federal Prison Bans Families from Sending Books, Greeting Cards and Children's Drawings to Incarcerated Loved Ones
Profiteering suspected as motive for ban  Read More  04-10-2018
|
Second Chance Month: An Opportunity to Call for Adequate Funding
Focus has been on "Reentry Task Forces" and Commissions, but little attention has been given to building reentry into the justice infrastructure  Read More  04-09-2018
|
Imprisoned for Offering Oral Sex: Ill-Founded Laws Criminalize People With HIV
In 33 states the possible transmission of HIV is a criminal act  Read More  04-06-2018
|
The Myth of the Criminal Immigrant
Research shows that an increased immigrant population hasn't shown an increase in crime  Read More  04-05-2018
|
The Uncertain Fate of College in Prison
What will happen when the 2017-2018 Pell Grant funding for incarcerated people ends?  Read More  04-04-2018
|
President Trump Declares April Second Chance Month
Second Chance Month replaces National Reentry Week  Read More  04-03-2018
|
I Am Buried Alive in a Michigan Prison
A look at solitary confinement through the eyes of someone experiencing its hell  Read More  04-03-2018
|
More Evidence Shows Early Release after Drug Convictions Has No Impact on Recidivism
U.S. Sentencing Commission report found no difference in the recidivism rates for drug dealers released early and those who had served their full sentences  Read More  04-02-2018
|
The Sentencing Project's 2017 Annual Report Contains Links to a Year's Worth of Other Reports
Reports within the annual report includes a wide range of criminal justice topics  Read More  03-30-2018
|
Criminal Justice: An Election Agenda for Candidates, Activists, and Legislators
Report offers "bold" policy proposals for 2018 candidates to take on to help end mass incarceration  Read More  03-29-2018
|
Trump's Comments About His "Good Genes" Make His Death Penalty for Drug Dealers Proposal Even More Horrifying
Previous comments made by Trump point to him wrongly believing that Blacks and immigrants are responsible for the opioid crisis  Read More  03-28-2018
|
Congress Approves FY18 Funding Levels for Criminal Justice Programs
Funding bill provides greater investment in reentry and mental health treatment programs that increase public safety  Read More  03-27-2018
|
New Research Ends the "Is it Race or Class?" Debate About Mass Incarceration
Black men of every economic level have higher incarceration rate than white people  Read More  03-26-2018
|
Now You Can Visualize What 10.6 Million Jail Admissions a Year Looks Like
Data journalist and illustrator Mona Chalabi created a visualization that helps you grasp the sobering number of people in U.S. jails  Read More  03-24-2018
|
The Detention and Forced Medical Treatment of Pregnant Women: A Human Rights Perspective
Report finds civil commitment laws that detain pregnant women restrict a woman's right to liberty, privacy, personal autonomy, and non-discrimination  Read More  03-23-2018
|
The Call to Focus on Desistance Instead of Recidivism in Measuring Success
Justice system is asked to "support the process of success instead of tracking single instances of failure"  Read More  03-21-2018
|
Should We Be Leery of Big Philanthropy's Keen Interest in Criminal Justice Reform?
Critics fear tycoons are looking to create a "privatized carceral prison industry"  Read More  03-20-2018
|
Work and Opportunity Before and After Incarceration
In the first year after their release, only 55 percent of formerly incarcerated people have any reported earnings, and those earnings are meager  Read More  03-19-2018
|
Why Do So Many Children Living in Certain Zip Codes End Up in Prison?
Chart shows zip codes with the highest rates of incarceration  Read More  03-18-2018
|
Law Suits Mount after Several Suicides of People Confined to Bristol County, Massachusetts Jail
New England Center for Investigative Reporting raises concern of the treatment and care of those incarcerated at the Bristol County House of Correction  Read More  03-16-2018
|
Plea Bargaining: From Patent Unfairness to Transparent Justice
Suggested reform measure seeks to reshape plea negotiations by offering a sentence discount to those who plead guilty  Read More  03-15-2018
|
Convicted of a Drug Crime, Registered with Sex Offenders
Placement on a sex offender registry comes with collateral consequences, especially if you weren't convicted of a sex offense  Read More  03-14-2018
|
Felony Convictions: "We're Sorry, But Your Response to One of the Questions Indicates That You are Not Qualified for This Job"
Teresa Hodge recalls trying to find a job before founding Mission: Launch, Inc.  Read More  03-13-2018
|
Brief: Can We Wait 75 Years to Cut the Prison Population in Half?
With 1.5 million people in prison in 2016, the prison population remains larger than the total population of 11 states  Read More  03-12-2018
|
Trump Suggests People Who Sell Drugs Should Be Put To Death
The president has expressed interest in Singapore's policy about executing people who sell drugs  Read More  03-12-2018
|
Old, Sick and Dying in Shackles
During a period of four years, the federal BOP received 5, 400 applications for compassionate release, but only granted 312 of them  Read More  03-08-2018
|
How One Police Force Uses iPads to Provide Better Outcomes for People They Encounter with Mental Illness
Texas sheriffs, and participants, are encouraged by pilot program’s success  Read More  03-07-2018
|
Hope House Neighbors' NIMBY Mentality is Preventing Returning Women from Living in a Safe, Comfortable and Loving Environment
Founders of Hope House continue to educate neighbors about how safe, secure housing reduces recidivism  Read More  03-06-2018
|
The Everyday Chaos of Incarceration
A person who is incarcerated explains why "Nothing about life inside prison is normal"  Read More  03-05-2018
|
New Report, Youth Confinement: The Whole Pie, Breaks Down Where Youth are Locked Up and Why
The U.S. locks up 8,500 youths every day for technical probation violations  Read More  03-02-2018
|
Divided Justice: Trends in Black and White Jail Incarceration, 1990-2013
Report examines why race matters in incarceration in America  Read More  03-01-2018
|
The American Immigration Detention Machine
"So What? Maybe It Is a Concentration Camp"  Read More  02-28-2018
|
How Bad is Prison Health Care? Depends on Who's Watching
A federal judge considers $1 million in fines for one state’s "pervasive and intractable failures"  Read More  02-27-2018
|
Ready to Launch: A Campaign Starter Toolkit to Close Youth Prisons
Guide includes what you need to know before you get started, how to launch your campaign and examples and resources for strategies, activities, and tactics  Read More  02-26-2018
|
Report: New York Community Mentoring Program Reduced Recidivism by 69 Percent
Arches Transformative Mentoring Program was founded in 2012 as part of Bloomberg's New York City Young Men's Initiative  Read More  02-23-2018
|
"Tough on Crime" Policies Failed in the Past, So Why Are They Being Brought Back Now?
During 200-2015 tough on crime policies had little effect on reducing crime  Read More  02-22-2018
|
Why Police Backing Is Key to Needle Exchanges
Law enforcement is starting to recognize the importance of syringe exchanges in improving public health  Read More  02-21-2018
|
One of 10 Adults in Mississippi Can’t Vote Due to Felony Disenfranchisement
Across America 6.1 million can’t vote for the same reason  Read More  02-20-2018
|
Nearly a Quarter of Confined Juveniles Nationwide Held for Noncriminal Infractions
Percentage of youth in residential facilities for truancy, running away, or supervision violations increases  Read More  02-19-2018
|
How a Police Chief, a Governor and a Sociologist Would Spend $100 Billion to Solve the Opioid Crisis
Treatment, reducing demand, and harm reduction discussed  Read More  02-16-2018
|
New Report, Too Big to Succeed: The Impact of the Growth of Community Corrections and What Should Be Done About It
Five million people are under community corrections supervision in America  Read More  02-15-2018
|
Criminalizing the Homeless in Los Angeles
Los Angeles saw a 31 percent increase in homeless arrests since 2011  Read More  02-14-2018
|
False Equivalence: Local, State, and Federal Detainees
Seventy-three percent of people facing criminal charges in federal district courts are detained and never released during the pretrial period  Read More  02-13-2018
|
Brennan Center for Justice: Criminal Justice One Year Into the Trump Administration
New report addresses key shifts in federal policy  Read More  02-12-2018
|
Canada's Landmark Ruling against Solitary Confinement
Ruling called "stunning, decisive and far reaching"  Read More  02-11-2018
|
Efforts to Decrease Prison Populations Are Leaving Women Behind
Fewer diversion programs and longer sentences are just two of the issues women must contend with  Read More  02-08-2018
|
Maryland Supreme Court May Challenge the State's Parole System
Those under 18-years old who were sentenced to life seldom get parole  Read More  02-07-2018
|
Five Charts Show Why Mass Incarceration Harms Everyone's Health
Mass incarceration has far reaching consequences  Read More  02-06-2018
|
Top Trends in State Criminal Justice Reform, 2017
Briefing paper includes trends regarding sentencing, racial disparity, juvenile justice, and collateral consequences  Read More  02-05-2018
|
The Day ICE Knocked on My Door
Well-known criminal justice policy maker and leading advocate to end mass incarceration tells the frightening story of being swept up in ICE's net  Read More  02-04-2018
|
San Francisco to Expunge or Reduce Thousands of Marijuana Convictions
Prosecutors will dismiss 3,000 misdemeanor marijuana convictions and, review and if necessary, resentence almost 5,000 more felony marijuana cases  Read More  02-02-2018
|
For Some with a Felony Conviction, Voting Rights Might Be Coming Soon
While some states are restoring voting rights, a formerly incarcerated person is taking on felony disenfranchisement in Florida  Read More  02-01-2018
|
The Role of Jails in Combating the Opioid Crisis
Sixty-three percent of people in jail meet the criteria for drug dependence or use  Read More  01-30-2018
|
Where Does Your State Rank on the List of Incarceration Rates?
While America still has the highest incarceration rate in the world, some states are cutting their numbers of incarcerated people  Read More  01-29-2018
|
New Poll Shows Mass Incarceration Is a Latinx Issue
The majority of Latinxs people favor rehabilitation over more punitive responses to crime  Read More  01-26-2018
|
Florida Sees Spike in Deaths of Incarcerated People
Deaths of those in Florida’s prisons in 2017 show a 20 percent increase over previous years  Read More  01-25-2018
|
Beyond Diversion: Philadelphia Program Diverts Young Adults Away from Felony Convictions and into Job Training and Education
The Choice is Yours program uses mentoring instead of punishment to achieve optimal outcomes  Read More  01-24-2018
|
Doing 'Hard Time' in the Nation's Jails
Eight points of comparison to a Kansas prison and a jail reveal stark differences  Read More  01-23-2018
|
Have You Ever Wondered Why a People Plead Guilty to a Crime They Didn't Commit?
A defense attorney explains the “plea bargain trap"  Read More  01-22-2018
|
Federal Defenders Claim U.S. Sentencing Commission Report on Racial Disparity Is "Flawed and Misused"
Fears abound that misuse of the report will increase racial disparity  Read More  01-21-2018
|
Facebook for the Prosecution
How social media companies take sides in criminal cases  Read More  01-19-2018
|
How Gang Policing Is Criminalizing Whole Communities
While the “Ceasefire” model of policing looks progressive, its reliance on gang indictments is anything but  Read More  01-18-2018
|
Finding a Home When Released from Prison Shouldn't Be Contingent Upon Providing Sexual Favors
prey upon women (and men) desperate for a place to live  Read More  01-17-2018
|
The Case for Not Having Young Sex Offenders on a Registry
Being on a sex offender registry doesn't increase public safety  Read More  01-16-2018
|
Black Robes, White Justice: How Prison Traumatic Stress Disorder Almost Made Me Commit Suicide
Louis L. Reed's battle with society’s perpetual punishing label of "ex-convict"  Read More  01-15-2018
|
People in Eight Florida Prisons Plan to Go on Strike on Martin Luther King Day
Payment for labor is one of three changes strikers are pushing for  Read More  01-14-2018
|
California Examines High Rate of Suicides among Corrections Officers
  Read More  01-13-2018
|
Report: The Gender Divide: Tracking Women's State Prison Growth
The report includes more than 100 state-specific graphs tracking 40 years of women's prison growth  Read More  01-11-2018
|
Newly Elected Philadelphia DA Ousts 31 from His Office
Larry Kasner's "broad reorganization" of his office seen as the beginning of the cultural change he promised during campaign  Read More  01-10-2018
|
A "Crazy-Quilt of Disqualifications and Restoration Procedures" Isn't Stopping Lewis Conway, Jr. from Pursuing a Chance to Run For City Council
Vague Texas statute puts legality of Conway's running for office in limbo for now  Read More  01-09-2018
|
What to Know About the Death Penalty in 2018
Four important places will have an impact on the death penalty  Read More  01-08-2018
|
ICYMI: A Matter of Time: The Causes and Consequences of Rising Time Served in America's Prisons
Incarceration in America has quadrupled since the 1970s  Read More  01-06-2018
|
Florida's Felony Disenfranchisement: "A Destructive, Pointless Policy"
Rooted in Racism
1.5 million Florida Citizens are not allowed to vote  Read More  01-05-2018
|
New Jersey Passes Laws to Help Remove Obstacles from the Path of Justice-Involved Individuals
New laws make it easier to find employment and to expunge records  Read More  01-04-2018
|
How One Mississippi Teen Spent 1,266 Days Behind Bars Before Receiving a Mental Evaluation
Mississippi cited as having the worst record for keeping people in jail for long periods while awaiting psychiatric evaluations  Read More  01-04-2018
|
Report: Jobs for All
Ten priority actions to advance equal opportunities for people with past convictions  Read More  01-02-2018
|
A Mass Incarceration Mystery: Why Are Black Imprisonment Rates Going Down?
Four theories that might surprise you are provided  Read More  12-31-2017
|
Returning Women Barred from Living at Hope House, a Stable, Transitional Home
NIMBY mentality and DOC technicalities send reintegrating women to homeless shelters  Read More  12-31-2017
|
People in Prison 6.4 Times More Likely to Suffer Food-Related Illnesses Than General Population
Critics claim the meals served in prison are cause for a public-health crisis  Read More  12-31-2017
|
Brennan Center Updated Analysis on Crime in 2017
Report gives lie to claim there is a nationwide increase in crime  Read More  12-31-2017
|
Some of the Top National Criminal Justice Stories of 2017
Although there have been some setbacks on a federal level, several states have implemented meaningful reform  Read More  12-31-2017
|
John Legend Talks to, and about, Children of Incarcerated Parents
2.7 million children in America have a parent who is incarcerated  Read More  12-25-2017
|
How Private Corporations Capitalize on Holiday Treats for People in Prison
Sending a corrections-approved package to a loved one can be costly and unhealthy  Read More  12-22-2017
|
Opioids: Treating an Illness, Ending a War
Fewer than 1 in 5 incarcerated people with drug use disorder receive professional drug treatment behind bars  Read More  12-21-2017
|
State Governors Grant Over 500 Pardons, Commutations
Governors of California, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Arkansas and Vermont exceed President’s one pardon for disgraced sheriff  Read More  12-20-2017
|
For Some, Getting Out of Prison Is More Terrifying Than Going In
The Doe Foundation helps individuals navigate the frightening world of reentry  Read More  12-19-2017
|
The Other Death Sentence
More than 100,000 Americans are destined to spend their final years in prison. Can we afford it?  Read More  12-18-2017
|
Report: Private Prisons Are Skimming the "Best" of Incarcerated People with Lowest Needs to Keep Costs Down
Oregon study also found that private prison staff are mostly women of color who earn less money than female staff in state and federal prisons  Read More  12-15-2017
|
Who Pays for Judicial Races? The Politics of Judicial Elections 2015-16
Does your state have a million dollar court?  Read More  12-15-2017
|
Growing Up and Growing Old in Prison
The media is focused on Cyntoia Brown but there are thousands of individuals sentenced to decades in prison for a crime they committed when they were under the age of 18  Read More  12-13-2017
|
No Longer Home for the Holidays: Trump’s Budget Cuts Keep Mothers Behind Bars Past Release Dates
The collateral consequences of the budget cuts are the children of an incarcerated parent  Read More  12-09-2017
|
A Dubious Arrest, a Compromised Prosecutor, a Tainted Plea: How One Murder Case Exposes the System
Witnesses were found to be lying yet the prosecutor in Demetruius Smith refuses to free him  Read More  12-09-2017
|
Inside a Judge’s Rehab: Unpaid Work at a Local Coca-Cola Plant
Participants in rehab program forced to fraudulently say they weren’t working and apply for food stamps  Read More  12-08-2017
|
Bail Bond Industry in Utah Tries to Sway Legislators against Pretrial Assessments
"Well funded" pushback on pretrial assessment has judges worried that their ability to make informed decisions will be reduced  Read More  12-07-2017
|
Connecticut Bail Fund Aims to Bring People Home for the Holidays
Charitable organization believes people should not be held in jail simply because they can't afford bail  Read More  12-07-2017
|
After Deadly Vice Sting, Advocates Say End to Prostitution Arrests Is Long Overdue
Urban Institute survey found diversion programs fail to provide participants with what they really need  Read More  12-06-2017
|
Does Our Belief in Women’s Stories of Sexual Violence Extend to Women Behind Bars?
Media focus on white women who experienced sexual abuse ignores women of color who are behind bars for protecting themselves  Read More  12-06-2017
|
A Conservative's View of What Is Wrong with the Criminal Justice System Today
Republican Senator Mike Lee pushes to reform "out of date, counterproductive and unfair" system  Read More  12-04-2017
|
Vera Institute of Justice Receives $4 Million from Google to Help Launch In Our Backyards
Vera seeks to uncover the driving forces behind the rapid growth of incarceration in small cities and rural areas  Read More  12-01-2017
|
Incarcerated Women Are Nine Times More Likely to Be HIV-Positive
"Systematic inequities" lead to incarceration and HIV for women  Read More  11-30-2017
|
Syrita Steib-Martin: From Prison to Creating Policies That Make It Easier For Formerly Incarcerated Individuals To Obtain Higher Education
Steib-Martin was instrumental in helping Louisiana to become the first state to "ban the box" on college applications  Read More  11-30-2017
|
New Report: Estimating the Prevalence of Wrongful Convictions
Report claims in Virginia wrongful conviction rate could be as high as 11.6 percent  Read More  11-29-2017
|
The Dismal State of Transgender Incarceration Policies
Review finds most states' policies are sparse, and convey a clear discomfort with and ignorance about the transgender community  Read More  11-28-2017
|
New Report: Black Males Sentences 20 Percent Longer Than Similarly Situated White Males
U.S. Sentencing Commission provides update to 2012 Booker report  Read More  11-27-2017
|
Public Defenders Fight Back Against Budget Cuts, Growing Caseloads
Public defenders resorting to crowdfunding to raise money  Read More  11-24-2017
|
A Thanksgiving Message from Glenn E. Martin
Founder and President of JustLeadershipUSA explains why Thanksgiving in prison really matters  Read More  11-23-2017
|
Those in Prison Hope the President Will Pardon Them, Along With Turkeys
For people in prison, the tradition of pardoning turkeys for Thanksgiving is difficult to watch  Read More  11-22-2017
|
CSG Justice Center Launches Clean Slate Clearinghouse
Clearinghouse will help millions of adults and a million youths clear their criminal records  Read More  11-21-2017
|
Prison Policy Initiative 2016-2017 Annual Report Chock Full of Information
Links to several PPI reports on a wealth of criminal justice subjects included  Read More  11-20-2017
|
Teams from All 50 States Examine Local Criminal Justice Trends at "Unprecedented Gathering"
Each state team included the state's corrections administrator, a key state legislator, a law enforcement official and a local behavioral health professional  Read More  11-17-2017
|
When A Small Town's Private Prison Goes Bust
Towns desperate for jobs learn the hard way that building a prison isn't the right answer  Read More  11-16-2017
|
Large Cities Drive Nationwide Jail Population Decline; Jails in Most Rural Counties Still Growing
Local jails admit 20 times more people than prisons annually  Read More  11-15-2017
|
Global Statement Calls for International Action on Philippine Drug War Killings
Concern growing in Asia, US, and World over Philippines extrajudicial drug war killings  Read More  11-14-2017
|
How Neuroscience Can Improve the Current Criminal Justice Landscape
Article provides evidence-based practices guided by neuroscience that prison systems could adopt for a better outcome  Read More  11-13-2017
|
Federal Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Bribery, Narcotics, and Sexual Abuse Charges
Defendant Received Thousands of Dollars in Bribes to Smuggle Drugs into a Federal Prison in Brooklyn and Sexually Abused Three Female Inmates  Read More  11-12-2017
|
An Overdose Death Is Not Murder: Why Drug-Induced Homicide Laws Are Counterproductive and Inhumane
Report picks apart prosecutors' notions that punitive drug-induced homicide enforcement will suppress drug overdose deaths  Read More  11-10-2017
|
A Third of States are Failing on Pretrial Justice, says New Report
While nation gets a "D" on pretrial justice, several states show promise of reform  Read More  11-09-2017
|
How the Grinch is Stealing Holidays From Individuals Eligible to Be Released From Prison
Clemency organization president writes of the heartbreak of a loved one being kept in prison after his or her release date  Read More  11-08-2017
|
Restorative Justice or Extortion?
California judge bars "offender-funded" diversion program used by Walmart and other retailers from operating in the state  Read More  11-07-2017
|
American Corrections Officials Are Visiting European Prison to Bring Home Innovative Ideas to Reduce Recidivism
The model of rehabilitation instead of punishment, along with counseling and education, has been proven successful in several European countries  Read More  11-05-2017
|
Social Impact Bonds Help Keep People off the Streets and Out of Jail
Denver pays private investors $188,000 for successfully finding chronically homeless people a place to live  Read More  11-02-2017
|
Second Chances: The Funders Bringing College into Prisons
Well-known foundations contribute to John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prison to College Pipeline Program  Read More  11-01-2017
|
Using Diversion to Leverage Justice System Reform
Ending felony prostitution filings in New Orleans  Read More  10-31-2017
|
They Call It the Best Little Reentry Program in America
In ten years the Georgetown County, S.C. Sheriff's Reentry Services has had a zero percent recidivism rate for those completing the program  Read More  10-30-2017
|
Bond Court Reforms May Lead to More Punitive Pretrial Conditions: Report
Bail amounts may be lower but pretrial restrictions are a hardship for people who are legally innocent  Read More  10-29-2017
|
For Some Youths, "Minor Offenses" Lead to Major Sentences in Adult Prison
Cases threaten to undermine Illinois' efforts at juvenile justice reform  Read More  10-27-2017
|
Ted Gest: In Feds' Juvenile Justice Agency, "Reform" is a Four-Letter Word
"Language guidance" is issued to Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention employees and even some grantees  Read More  10-26-2017
|
New Report: Prison Health Care Costs and Quality
How and why states strive for high-performing systems  Read More  10-26-2017
|
Former New York City Commissioner of Probation Reveals Why Community Corrections Fails
Over-zealous corrections officers and bureaucratic red tape are drivers of over-incarceration  Read More  10-23-2017
|
60 Minutes Segment on Shon Hopwood, "Arguably the Most Successful Jailhouse Lawyer Ever"
Hopwood went from bank robber to professor at Georgetown Law School  Read More  10-22-2017
|
New Report on Women’s Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2017
Report answers who is locked up, why, where, and how policies must be changed  Read More  10-20-2017
|
60 Minutes Segment on Shon Hopwood, "Arguably the Most Successful Jailhouse Lawyer Ever"
Hopwood went from bank robber to professor at Georgetown Law School  Read More  10-19-2017
|
Females in Federal Prison are Still Being Charged for Having Their Periods
Despite a directive from the Federal Bureau of prisons to provide free tampons, sanitary pads and panty liners, 11 prisons are not compliant  Read More  10-18-2017
|
Native Youth are 300 Percent More Likely Than White Youth to Be Detained or Committed to Youth Facilities
New reports show the incarceration disparities of Native and Latino Youth compared white youth  Read More  10-17-2017
|
Prosecutors and Bail: Using Discretion to Build an Equitable and Effective System
443,000 of the 630,000 people in U.S. Jails are awaiting trial  Read More  10-16-2017
|
Hello, My Name Is Felon: Why Language Can Impede Successful Reintegration
Using terms like felon, convict, addict and inmate keep people from reclaiming their true identities  Read More  10-13-2017
|
Two North Carolina Prison Employees Killed in Escape Attempt
Three prison employees hospitalized in critical condition; seven prison employees and four people who are incarcerated also injured  Read More  10-13-2017
|
"Cooking Them to Death": The Lethal Toll of Hot Prisons
Dying from soaring temperatures in cells without air conditioning is an unintended and unacceptable death sentence  Read More  10-12-2017
|
A Place to Call Home: A Vision for Safe, Supportive and Affordable Housing for People with Justice System Involvement
New report finds increasing access to housing reduces taxpayer costs for shelters and other emergency systems and also promotes public safety  Read More  10-11-2017
|
Formerly Incarcerated Women Open a Haven for Women Newly Released from Prison
Topeka K. Sam and Vanee Sykes use their own reentry experience to provide safe housing and support services and programs to give women a second chance  Read More  10-10-2017
|
The Reverse Mass Incarceration Act: How to Get States to Reduce Crime and Incarceration At Once
Reverse Mass Incarceration Act states would give $20 billion in incentive funds to reduce prison populations and reduce the crime rate  Read More  10-09-2017
|
They Thought They Were Going to Rehab but Ended Up in a Chicken Plant
Critics slam courts for sending people to "slave camps"  Read More  10-06-2017
|
An Evaluation of Seven Second Chance Act Adult Demonstration Programs: Impact Findings at 18 Months
Being assigned to a program group did not reduce involvement with the criminal justice system in the 18 months after random assignment  Read More  10-05-2017
|
The Crisis of Criminalization: A Call for a Comprehensive Philanthropic Response
Barnard report serves as resource for funders and others committed to ending mass incarceration and deportation  Read More  10-04-2017
|
Prison Nurseries: Breaking the Cycle of Incarceration
Diversion programs also help to stem the intergenerational cycle of incarceration  Read More  10-03-2017
|
In Midst of Opioid Crisis, an Addiction Medication Program for Federal Prisons Fizzles
Treating opioid addiction in prison requires medications with a proven track record, such as methadone and buprenorphine  Read More  10-02-2017
|
Opening Doors: How to Develop Reentry Programs Using Examples from Public Housing Authorities
Public Housing Authorities are reuniting families by recruiting applicants in prison and via probation officers and allowing those with Section 8 vouchers to share housing with formerly incarcerated family members  Read More  09-29-2017
|
The Department of Justice Announces Nearly $59 Million to Combat Opioid Epidemic; Fund Drug Courts
$24 million in federal grants will be awarded to 50 cities, counties and public health departments  Read More  09-28-2017
|
The Cradle-to-Justice System-Pipeline for LGBQ/GNCT Youth
New report offers reflections on racial discrimination, homophobia, and transphobia surrounding LGBQ/GNCT youth  Read More  09-27-2017
|
New EPA Tool Maps Prisons and Pollutants
Communities will be able to check out prison-based pollutants in their area  Read More  09-26-2017
|
Keeping Kids and Parents Together: A Healthier Approach to Sentencing In Massachusetts
Massachusetts Senate Bill S770 would aims to keep families together while holding primary caregivers of dependent children accountable for their crimes  Read More  09-25-2017
|
Two Articles Concerning The Redemption and Rejection of Michelle Jones
Prosecutor in Jones' case says Harvard’s rejection of Jones, after she was initially accepted, is "highly inappropriate"  Read More  09-22-2017
|
Colorado Uses $6 Million from Marijuana Tax Revenue to Keep People in a Mental Illness Crisis Out of Jail
Unfortunately, in other states people in a mental health emergency situation, including children, are taken away to jail  Read More  09-21-2017
|
Most Jail Suicides Happen on Days Three and Four After Being Locked Up
Almost half of all jail deaths are ruled "unnatural"  Read More  09-20-2017
|
The Trouble Deaf People in Prison Have Trying to Communicate with Loved Ones
Telecommunication devices for the deaf in prisons are usually outmoded or non-existent  Read More  09-19-2017
|
The Parallel Epidemics of Incarceration and HIV in the Deep South
Black men made up only 12% of the US male population but account for over 40% of all incarcerated men and 42% of all newly reported HIV infections of men  Read More  09-18-2017
|
Why the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act is the Wrong Solution
Human trafficking expert claims SESTA is flawed  Read More  09-15-2017
|
From a Setback to a Comeback: Formerly Incarcerated Woman Writes Self-Help Guide for Reintegrating Individuals
Veronica Everette used her own experiences navigating life after prison to pen a book with strategies for succeeding post release  Read More  09-14-2017
|
| The Center for Community Alternatives Celebrates Two Y |
