What’s New
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Hunger as punishment: How states restrict SNAP benefits for people on probation
A patchwork of statutes and administrative choices limits access to the food assistance program SNAP for some people on probation.
February 24: Briefings
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Is your local government collaborating with ICE? Here’s how to find out — and push back
From the deputization of local police to holding people on behalf of ICE, here are some ways your county might be working with federal agents — and what you can do to push back.
February 23: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Eliminating Pretrial Detention
by Shima Baradaran Baughman
February 6: Research Library: Pretrial detention
Featured report
Hiding in Plain Sight: How local jails obscure and facilitate mass deportation under Trump
Local jails, even in some sanctuary cities and states, are playing an essential role in President Trump’s mass detention and deportation plan. This report breaks down the complicated overlap between local criminal legal systems and immigration, and offers detailed data tables showing the level of involvement in every state and in specific jails. It also reveals that the Trump administration is circumventing city and county sanctuary policies by referring more immigrants for federal prosecution, meaning they go unnoticed both in local jails and in statistics about detention.
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:
Advocacy Toolkit
Resources, tips, and best practices to help advocates working to end mass incarceration.
50 state incarceration profiles
All of our recent reports about prison/jail growth, racial disparities, and more, re-organized by state.
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie
The U.S. incarcerates nearly 2 million people. Where are they locked up and why? Read our report.
