What’s New
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When parole doesn’t mean release: The senseless “program requirements” keeping people behind bars during a pandemic Parole boards are granting parole contingent on participation in programs that are often not readily available for people behind bars, especially during the pandemic.
May 21: Briefings
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Since you asked: Should incarcerated people be receiving stimulus payments? Some correctional authorities - responding to bad guidance from the IRS - are intercepting and returning stimulus checks for incarcerated people. We explain why people in prison and jail are eligible for, and should be receiving, emergency aid.
May 18: Briefings
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People in Prison in 2019 by Vera Institute of Justice
May 15: Research Library: General
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While jails drastically cut populations, state prisons have released almost no one Our updated analysis finds that jails are responding to the unprecedented public health crisis by rapidly dropping their populations. In contrast, state prisons have barely budged.
May 14: Briefings
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Prisons as Panacea or Pariah? The Countervailing Consequences of the Prison Boom on the Political Economy of Rural Towns by John M. Eason
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Helping People Transition From Incarceration to Society During a Pandemic by Health in Justice Action Lab, Data for Progress, and the Justice Collaborative Institute
May 12: Research Library: Recidivism and Reentry
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States Must Do More to Protect Youth Behind Bars During COVID-19 Pandemic by Youth First Initiative
May 12: Research Library: Youth
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Since you asked: How many people aged 55 or older are in prison, by state? Our table shows that more than 10% of people incarcerated in state prisons are 55 or older - and in some states, like Montana, the percentage is much higher.
May 11: Briefings
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Our new fact sheet illustrates what’s in store if prisons and jails don’t decarcerate now Our fact sheet for advocates shows how rapidly the coronavirus can spread through correctional facilities, and how high infection rates in prisons and jails already are.
COVID-19 resources
How can prisons, jails, and other criminal justice agencies prevent COVID-19 from taking a devastating toll on incarcerated people? In our new briefing, Five ways the criminal justice system could slow the pandemic, we offer a comprehensive view of how to slow the spread of a viral pandemic in prisons and jails.
See also our related work:
- Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic resource page. This constantly updated resource page describes the best practices that a too-small but growing list of jurisdictions are using. (Created March 17 and updated at least daily)
- Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie, our new report breaking down how many people are locked up in the U.S., where, and why.
- Jails and prisons are suspending visits to slow COVID-19. Here's what advocates can do to help people inside for a sample letter you can send. (March 17)
- 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. (March 19)
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:
Jails and bail: Our research
One out of three people behind bars is in a local jail. Our research drives jail reform.
$1/minute to talk to Dad?
State governments must act to protect families from the predatory jail telephone industry.
Compare your state's use of the prison to the world at large
Criminal justice policy in every region of the United States is out of step with the rest of the world.
Prison Gerrymandering Project
We are leading the movement to protect our democracy from the Census Bureau's prison miscount.