What’s New
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Youth Detention Admissions Remain Low, But Releases Stall Despite COVID-19 by The Annie E. Casey Foundation
July 30: Research Library: Youth
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Visualizing the racial disparities in mass incarceration Racial inequality is evident in every stage of the criminal justice system - here are the key statistics compiled into a series of charts.
July 27: Briefings
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Welcome Tiana Herring! Please welcome Tiana Herring, our newest Research Associate!
July 22: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Why the Senate should pass the Driving for Opportunity Act Suspending drivers license for unpaid fines and fees creates an unnecessary cycle of punishment and poverty.
July 22: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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4 bills you should know about if you support criminal justice reform in Massachusetts These four bills relate to decarceration in response to COVID-19, making phone calls from prison and jail free, strengthening visitation, and “raising the age.”
July 17: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Do prisons draw in Census money for their host communities? No. One of the most common arguments against prison gerrymandering reform is the fear, among people in prison towns, that their communities will lose out on funding. It’s a fear based on a misunderstanding of how federal and state funds are allocated.
July 13: Prisoners of the Census Blog
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New research: Adjusted for age and sex, the COVID-19 death rate in prisons is 3 times higher than in the general population New research in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows the tragic results of states’ negligence of incarcerated people.
July 8: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Legal Resources The legal resource database was updated with a new listing for Louisiana, New York, for all states and Texas.
July 1: Legal Resources
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What do we know about the spread — and toll — of the coronavirus in state prisons? Wide variation in the rates of reported infections and deaths in state prisons reflect the uneven spread of the virus and disparate responses by state criminal justice systems.
June 24: Briefings
Featured report
Failing Grades: States' Responses to COVID-19 in Jails & Prisons
We worked with the ACLU to evaluate — and grade — all 50 states’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in prisons and jails. Alarmingly, we found that when faced with this test of their leadership, most states ignored the pleas of incarcerated people and the warnings of medical experts and refused to implement widespread testing, provide protective equipment, and reduce prison and jail populations. The results have been as tragic as they were predictable: Hundreds of incarcerated people and staff have died from the virus, and most of the largest coronavirus outbreaks are behind bars.
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.
Recommended Reading:
Five ways the criminal justice system could slow the pandemic
Quick action could slow the spread of the viral pandemic in prisons and jails and in society as a whole
The "services" offered by jails don't make them safe places for vulnerable people
Even in the best of times, jails are not good at providing health and social services.
The most important statistics from our work on policing
Racial disparities, bloated budgets, the criminalization of homelessness, and more.
Is social distancing possible behind bars?
No. It's even harder than on cruise ships or in nursing homes.