What’s New
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Federal Census policy breaks Kentucky’s democracy — state lawmakers can fix it
Kentucky’s redistricting data was once again skewed after the 2020 Census; the state needs to take action to fix the issue for 2030.
August 27: Prisoners of the Census Blog
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New report, Youth Confinement: The Whole Pie 2025, shows racial disparities in youth confinement worsening as total numbers go down
New report explains how many system-involved youth are confined, where they are held, under what conditions, and for what offenses.
August 25: Press releases
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Legal Resources
The legal resource database was updated with a new listing for Pennsylvania.
August 25: Legal Resources
Featured report
Youth Confinement: The Whole Pie 2025
On any given day, 31,900 youth in the U.S. are in confinement. Our report explains where they are held, under what conditions, and for what offenses. We show that youth in confinement — vastly disproportionate numbers of whom are Black and brown — are mostly in facilities that feel and look a lot like adult prisons and jails. And thousands are locked up pretrial, or serving time for minor offenses. Our report also offers a first-of-its-kind data table breaking down youth confinement by offense type in all 50 states.
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 2023-2024 annual report.
Recommended Reading:
The unmet health needs of people in prison
States fall far short of their duty to meet the health needs of incarcerated people.
All profit, no risk
The bail industry exploits cracks and loopholes in the legal system to avoid accountability, while growing its profits.
Compare your state's use of the prison to the world at large
Criminal justice policy in every region of the United States is out of step with the rest of the world.
Prison Gerrymandering Project
We are leading the movement to protect our democracy from the Census Bureau's prison miscount.
Events
- September 18, 2025:
On September 18, 2025 at 3 p.m. EST, Wanda Bertram of the Prison Policy Initiative and Hannah Riley of the Center for Just Journalism will present a webinar about how advocates for criminal legal reform can frame urgent issues in ways that resonate with journalists, and build media relationships that help them influence the news cycle.
Register here
Not near you?
Invite us to your city, college or organization.