What’s New
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Improving Court Attendance:
The Essential Guide to Court Reminder Programs by ideas42
October 16: Research Library: Courts and trials
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Federal Census policy breaks Florida’s democracy — state lawmakers can fix it
Florida’s redistricting data was once again skewed after the 2020 Census; the state needs to take action to fix the issue for 2030.
October 15: Prisoners of the Census Blog
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New report, Parole in Perspective, shines a light on how parole boards work and how parole decisions are made in 35 states
Despite their differences, all discretionary parole systems have serious design flaws and most are steadily releasing fewer people, a new report shows.
October 7: Press releases
Featured report
Parole in Perspective: A deep dive into discretionary parole systems
Parole, a release mechanism that could significantly reduce the number of people behind bars, has reached a moment of reckoning. Dysfunctional in some states and banned in others, parole looks very different from state to state. But parole is a system worth having, if states can implement it fairly and broadly.
In this two-part report, Parole in Perspective, we take a deep dive into these systems, providing the most accessible and comprehensive look at how they operate, and what can be done to make them real tools for decarceration.
- In part 1, we examine the composition of these boards and how their hearings work.
- In part 2, we look at parole grant rates and the decisionmaking guidelines and realities that lead to those rates.
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:
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.