I need your help. I co-founded the Prison Policy Initiative to put the problem of mass incarceration — and the perverse incentives that fuel it — on the national agenda. Over the last 17 years, our campaigns have protected our democracy from the prison system and protected the poorest families in this country from the predatory prison telephone industry. Our reports untangle the statistics and recruit new allies.

But now, more than ever, we need your help to put data & compassion into the conversation.

Thank you.
—Peter Wagner, Executive DirectorDonate

What’s New

The law is supposed to protect consumers from exploitation, but it’s not protecting consumers in prisons and jails When the only way to get necessities in prison is to buy them from a single retailer, exploitation is the result.

November 14: Briefings
Since you asked: Is it me, or is the government releasing less data about the criminal justice system? The Bureau of Justice Statistics is tasked with collecting, analyzing, and publishing data about the criminal justice system. But its reports are slowing down - and its framing of criminal justice issues is becoming more punitive.

November 14: Briefings
Criminal records and college admissions: A modified experimental audit by Robert Stewart and Christopher Uggen

November 13: Research Library: Education
Acute Care for Patients Who Are Incarcerated: A Review by Lawrence A. Haber, Hans P. Erickson, Sumant R. Ranji, et al

November 11: Research Library: Health impact
The Right to Counsel in Wayne County, Michigan: Evaluation of Assigned Counsel Services in the Third Judicial Circuit by Sixth Amendment Center

November 11: Research Library: Trials
Police Stops and Searches of Indigenous People in Minneapolis: The Roles of Race, Place, and Gender by Marina Mileo Gorsuch and Deborah Rho

November 8: Research Library: Police and Policing
Remote Adjudication in Immigration by Ingrid V. Eagly

November 8: Research Library: Immigration
Age-Standardized Mortality of Persons on Probation, in Jail, or in State Prison and the General Population, 2001-2012 by Christopher Wildeman, Alyssa W. Goldman, and Emily A. Wang

November 8: Research Library: Probation and parole
Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution in the San Francisco County Jail by Lynn D. Wenger et al.

November 8: Research Library: Drug Policy

Featured report

Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019

Women in the U.S. experience a starkly different criminal justice system than men do, but data on their experiences is difficult to find and put into context. We fill this gap in the data with a rich visual snapshot of how many women are locked up in the U.S., where, and why. Alongside our "big picture" chart, this 2019 update to our 2017 and 2018 reports on women's incarceration features a close-up view of women in local jails.

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.

If our work is new to you, you might want to check out our 2018-2019 annual report.

Stay Informed

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What’s New

The law is supposed to protect consumers from exploitation, but it’s not protecting consumers in prisons and jails When the only way to get necessities in prison is to buy them from a single retailer, exploitation is the result.

Criminal records and college admissions: A modified experimental audit by Robert Stewart and Christopher Uggen

Acute Care for Patients Who Are Incarcerated: A Review by Lawrence A. Haber, Hans P. Erickson, Sumant R. Ranji, et al

The Right to Counsel in Wayne County, Michigan: Evaluation of Assigned Counsel Services in the Third Judicial Circuit by Sixth Amendment Center

Police Stops and Searches of Indigenous People in Minneapolis: The Roles of Race, Place, and Gender by Marina Mileo Gorsuch and Deborah Rho

Remote Adjudication in Immigration by Ingrid V. Eagly

Age-Standardized Mortality of Persons on Probation, in Jail, or in State Prison and the General Population, 2001-2012 by Christopher Wildeman, Alyssa W. Goldman, and Emily A. Wang

Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution in the San Francisco County Jail by Lynn D. Wenger et al.

Featured report

Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019

Mass incarceration, state by state

Stay Informed

Recommended Reading:

50 state incarceration profiles

Legal Resources for Incarcerated People

Exploitation in the criminal justice system

Prison Gerrymandering Project