What’s New
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How many jail stays are due to missed court dates?
Failing to make it to a court appearance – routine for attorneys and witnesses – leads to 19 million additional nights in jail each year for people accused of crimes.
January 8: Briefings
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Coming Home?
Assessing the Housing Needs of People Nearing Release from Illinois Prisons by Loyola Chicago Center for Criminal Justice
December 31: Research Library: Reentry and recidivism
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Our favorite journalism about the criminal legal system in 2025
And some commentary and editorial writing, too.
December 22: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
Featured report
Rigging the jury: How each state reduces jury diversity by excluding people with criminal records
Our first-of-its-kind report shows how all 50 states reduce jury diversity by excluding some people with criminal records from serving. Our report includes an easy-to-read map and detailed table describing each state’s policies, and explains how excluding people with criminal records makes juries less diverse — which in turn makes criminal trials even less fair.
Mass incarceration, state by state
Learn about the national prison crisis and how we can begin to turn the tide on mass incarceration. Then, drill down to your state. Be sure to also check out our pages focused on D.C., and the incarceration of Native people.
If our work is new to you, you might want to check out our 2024-2025 annual report.
Recommended Reading:
50 state incarceration profiles
All of our recent reports about prison/jail growth, racial disparities, and more, re-organized by state.
The rapid & unregulated growth of e-messaging in prisons
It can strengthen connections, but instead has been used to sap money from incarcerated people.
Incarceration and supervision by states
Probation and parole are the leading forms of mass punishment in America.
Prison Gerrymandering Project
We are leading the movement to protect our democracy from the Census Bureau's prison miscount.