What’s New
-
The False Promise of Bail:
An Analysis of Pretrial Release Mechanisms and Court Appearance in Tulsa County, Oklahoma by The Bail Project
June 13: Research Library: Pretrial detention
-
Federal Census policy breaks West Virginia’s democracy — state lawmakers can fix it
West Virginia’s redistricting data was once again skewed after the 2020 Census; the state needs to take action to fix the issue for 2030.
June 12: Prisoners of the Census Blog
-
Can they do that? A primer on the powers — and limits — of the president and federal government to shape the criminal legal system
The Trump Administration has made a lot of claims about how it will change the criminal legal system. We explain where the president and federal government have full control over the system, where they have some influence, and where their power ends.
June 11: Briefings
Featured report
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2025
Be sure to check out our other Whole Pie reports that focus specifically on the incarceration of women and the incarceration of young people.
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:
Tracking Trump's criminal legal system moves
The Administration is making America's criminal legal system harsher, less effective, and even more unjust.
Research Library
We curate a searchable database of 4,000+ original research reports, organizing each entry by topic and adding brief summaries.
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie
The U.S. incarcerates nearly 2 million people. Where are they locked up and why? Read our report.
Bad Behavior
This national report explains how prison disciplinary policies manufacture misconduct and severly punish incarcerated people.
Events
- June 19-22, 2025:
Wanda Bertram, the Prison Policy Initiative’s Communications Strategist, will be at the Investigative Reporters & Editors conference in New Orleans. To connect with Wanda at the conference, reporters can email her directly at wbertram@prisonpolicy.org.
Not near you?
Invite us to your city, college or organization.