Comprehensive investigations intended to influence the debate for years to come

Sort by: Newest first Communications       Electronic Messaging       Prison Phone Rates       Video Calling       Letter Bans Collateral Consequences       Drivers Licenses       Felon Disenfranchisement Electoral Issues       Felon Disenfranchisement       Prison Gerrymandering Global Comparisons Income/Poverty Jails Mass Incarceration Racial Disparities Sentencing and Parole Systems       Parole Reform       Sentencing Enhancement Zones User Fees Women Youth Espanol

• April 2026 Punishment Beyond Prisons: Incarceration and supervision by state

  by Leah Wang
  (Older version for 2023, 2018, and 2016.)

• March 2026 Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2026

  by Wendy Sawyer, Brian Nam-Sonenstein, and Peter Wagner
  (Older versions for 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014.)

• February 2026 Following the Money of Mass Incarceration 2026

  by Jacob Kang-Brown and Peter Wagner
  (2017 version here)

• November 2025 Winnable criminal justice reforms: Promising state reform issues for 2026

  by Sarah Staudt and Emmett Sanders
  (Older versions for 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014.)

• October 2025 Parole in Perspective: A deep dive into discretionary parole systems

  by Leah Wang

• September 2025 States of Women's Incarceration: The Global Context 2025

  by Emily Widra and Aleks Kajstura
  (Older versions for 2018 and 2015.)

• August 2025 Youth Confinement: The Whole Pie 2025

  by Brian Nam-Sonenstein and Wendy Sawyer
  (Older version for 2019 and 2018.)

• July 2025 Hiding in Plain Sight: How local jails obscure and facilitate mass deportation under Trump

  by Jacob Kang-Brown

• February 2025 Cut-rate care: The systemic problems shaping ‘healthcare’ behind bars

  by Brian Nam-Sonenstein

• January 2025 Bad Behavior: How prison disciplinary policies manufacture misconduct

  by Brian Nam-Sonenstein and Nell Haney

• October 2024 One Size Fits None: How 'standard conditions' of probation set people up to fail

  by Emily Widra

• June 2024 States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2024

  by Emily Widra
  (Older versions for 2021, 2018, 2016 and 2014.)

• May 2024 Shadow Budgets: How mass incarceration steals from the poor to give to the prison

  by Brian Nam-Sonenstein

• March 2024 Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2024

  by Aleks Kajstura and Wendy Sawyer
  (Older versions for 2023, 2019, 2018 and 2017.)

• June 2022–October 2023 Where People in Prison Come From: The geography of mass incarceration

  by the Prison Policy Initiative and partner organizations

• May 2023 Excessive, unjust, and expensive: Fixing Connecticut's probation and parole problems

  by Leah Wang and gabriel sayegh

• March 2023 SMH: The rapid & unregulated growth of e-messaging in prisons

  by Mike Wessler
  (Older versions for 2016.)

• December 2022 State of Phone Justice:
  The problem, the progress and what's next

  by Peter Wagner and Wanda Bertram
  (Older version for 2019)

• October 2022 All profit, no risk: How the bail industry exploits the legal system

  by Wendy Sawyer

• June 2022 Chronic Punishment: The unmet health needs of people in state prisons

  by Leah Wang

• April 2022 Executive Inaction: States and the federal government fail to use commutations as a release mechanism

  by Naila Awan and Katie Rose Quandt

• April 2022Beyond the Count: A deep dive into state prison populations

  by Leah Wang, Wendy Sawyer, Tiana Herring, and Emily Widra

• September 2021States of Emergency: The Failure of Prison System Responses to COVID-19

  by Tiana Herring and Maanas Sharma
  

• July 2021Building exits off the highway to mass incarceration: Diversion programs explained

  by Leah Wang and Katie Rose Quandt
  

• April 2021Slamming the Courthouse Door: 25 years of evidence for repealing the Prison Litigation Reform Act

  by Andrea Fenster and Margo Schlanger
  

• February 2021Rigging the jury: How each state reduces jury diversity by excluding people with criminal records

  by Ginger Jackson-Gleich
  

• December 2020Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Community Spread

  by Gregory Hooks and Wendy Sawyer
  

• October 2020Eligible, but excluded: A guide to removing the barriers to jail voting

  by Ginger Jackson-Gleich and Rev. Dr. S. Todd Yeary, Rainbow PUSH Coalition
  

• August 2020Lives on the Line: Women with Incarcerated Loved Ones and the Impact of COVID-19 Behind Bars

  by Essie Justice Group, Color of Change, and Prison Policy Initiative
  

• June 2020Failing Grades: States' Responses to COVID-19 in Jails & Prisons

  by Emily Widra & Dylan Hayre
  

• April 2020Reforms Without Results: Why states should stop excluding violent offenses from criminal justice reforms

  by Alexi Jones
  

• February 2020Mapping disadvantage: The geography of incarceration in New York

  by Prison Policy Initiative and VOCAL-NY

• November 2019The Company Store and the Literally Captive Market: Consumer Law in Prisons and Jails

  by Stephen Raher

• August 2019Arrest, Release, Repeat: How police and jails are misused to respond to social problems

  by Alexi Jones and Wendy Sawyer

• May 2019Does our county really need a bigger jail? a guide to avoiding unnecessary jail expansion

  by Alexi Jones

• February 2019Failure should not be an option:
  Grading the parole release systems of all 50 states

  by Jorge Renaud

• November 2018Eight Keys to Mercy: How to shorten excessive prison sentences

  by Jorge Renaud
  

• October 2018
  Getting Back on Course: Educational exclusion and attainment among formerly incarcerated people

  by Lucius Couloute

• August 2018
  Nowhere to Go: Homelessness among formerly incarcerated people

  by Lucius Couloute

• July 2018
  Out of Prison & Out of Work: Unemployment among formerly incarcerated people

  by Lucius Couloute and Dan Kopf

• May 2018The Company Store: A Deeper Look at Prison Commissaries

  by Stephen Raher

• January 8, 2018The Gender Divide: Tracking women's state prison growth

  by Wendy Sawyer
  

• August 17, 2017What “Stop-and-Frisk” Really Means: Discrimination & Use of Force

  by Rose Lenehan

• May 31, 2017Era of Mass Expansion: Why State Officials Should Fight Jail Growth

  by Joshua Aiken (We recommend reading our updated 2024 version instead.)

• December 12, 2016Reinstating Common Sense: How driver's license suspensions for drug offenses unrelated to driving are falling out of favor

  by Joshua Aiken

• December 8, 2016Punishing Poverty: The high cost of probation fees in Massachusetts

  by Wendy Sawyer

• September 1, 2016 Comment on the Census Bureau's Proposed 2020 Residence Criteria and Residence Situations

  by Aleks Kajstura, Peter Wagner and Brenda Wright

• May 19, 2016Protecting Written Family Communication in Jails: A 50-State Survey

  by Corey Frost

• May 10, 2016Detaining the Poor: How money bail perpetuates an endless cycle of poverty and jail time

  by Bernadette Rabuy and Daniel Kopf

• January 21, 2016You've Got Mail: The promise of cyber communication in prisons and need for regulation

  by Stephen Raher

• October 2015Separation by Bars and Miles: Visitation in state prisons

  by Bernadette Rabuy and Daniel Kopf
  [En Espanol: Separacion por rejas y distancia: Visitacion en las prisiones estalales]

• July 2015The Racial Geography of Mass Incarceration

  by Peter Wagner and Daniel Kopf

• July 2015Prisons of Poverty: Uncovering the pre-incarceration incomes of the imprisoned

  by Bernadette Rabuy and Daniel Kopf
  [En Espanol: Las prisiones de la pobreza: Descubriendo los sueldos de los encarcelados antes del encarcelamiento]

• March 2015Proposed Amendments to Regulation E: Curb exploitation of people released from custody

  by Stephen Raher

• February 2015The Right Investment? Corrections Spending in Baltimore City

  by the Justice Policy Institute and the Prison Policy Initiative
  

• January 2015Screening Out Family Time: The for-profit video visitation industry in prisons and jails

  by Bernadette Rabuy and Peter Wagner

• May 2014Breaking Down Mass Incarceration in the 2010 Census: State-by-State Incarceration Rates by Race/Ethnicity

  by Leah Sakala

• May 2014Tracking State Prison Growth in 50 States

  by Peter Wagner

• May 2014Suspending Common Sense in Massachusetts: Driver's license suspensions for drug offenses unrelated to driving

  by Leah Sakala

• March 2014Reaching too far: How Connecticut's large sentencing enhancement zones miss the mark

  by Aleks Kajstura

• October 2013Prison Gerrymandering in Massachusetts: How the Census Bureau prison miscount invites phantom constituents to town meeting

  by Aleks Kajstura

• May 2013Please Deposit All of Your Money:
  Kickbacks, Rates, and Hidden Fees in the Jail Phone Industry

  by Drew Kukorowski, Peter Wagner and Leah Sakala

• April 2013 Imported "Constituents": Incarcerated People And Political Clout In Connecticut

  by Peter Wagner. Foreword by Bilal Dabir Sekou, PhD, and Cheri Quickmire

• February 2013Return to Sender: Postcard-only Mail Policies in Jail

  by Leah Sakala

• September 2012The Price To Call Home: State-Sanctioned Monopolization In The Prison Phone Industry

  by Drew Kukorowski
  

• May 2012One Last Chance to Avoid Prison-Based Gerrymandering in Kansas

  by Peter Wagner and Brenda Wright
  Prison Policy Initiative and Dēmos

• Spring 2012Breaking the Census: Redistricting in an Era of Mass Incarceration

  by Peter Wagner
  William Mitchell Law Review, Volume 38, Number 4

• January 2012Prison Populations Create Complications at Redistricting Time

  by Peter Wagner, published in Missouri Municipal Review

• March 2011 Primer for reporters on county or municipal redistricting & prison-based gerrymandering

  by Peter Wagner

• February 2011 Preventing Prison-Based Gerrymandering in Redistricting: What to Watch For

  by Peter Wagner and Brenda Wright
  Prison Policy Initiative and Demos
  [En Espanol: Prevenir la manipulacion de los li'mites de los distritos electorales sobre la base de la poblacion reclusa: que' es lo que hay que evitar]

• March 2010 Importing Constituents: Incarcerated People and Political Clout in California

  by Aleks Kajstura and Peter Wagner

• March 2010 Importing Constituents: Incarcerated People and Political Clout in Connecticut

  by Peter Wagner and Christian de Ocejo

• March 2010
  Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Minnesota

  by Aleks Kajstura

• March 2010Fixing prison-based gerrymandering after the 2010 Census: A 50 state guide

  by Peter Wagner, Aleks Kajstura, Elena Lavarreda, Christian de Ocejo, and Sheila Vennell O'Rourke

• March 2010 Importing Constituents: Incarcerated People and Political Clout in Maryland

  by Peter Wagner and Olivia Cummings

• February 2010 Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Illinois

  by Brett Blank and Peter Wagner

• October 2009
  Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Massachusetts

  by Elena Lavarreda, Peter Wagner and Rose Heyer

• September 2009
  Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Oklahoma

  by Peter Wagner and Elena Lavarreda

• June 2009 Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Pennsylvania

  by Peter Wagner and Elena Lavarreda

• January 2009 Reaching too far, coming up short: How large sentencing enhancement zones miss the mark

  by Aleks Kajstura, Peter Wagner and Leah Sakala

• January 2009
  Phantom Constituents in Maine’s Regional School Unit 13: How the Census Bureau’s outdated method of counting prisoners harms democracy

  by Peter Wagner

• July 2008 The Geography of Punishment: How Huge Sentencing Enhancement Zones Harm Communities, Fail to Protect Children

  by Aleks Kajstura, Peter Wagner and William Goldberg,

• March 2008 Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Wisconsin

  By John Hejduk and Peter Wagner

• February 2008 Phantom Constituents in Tennessee’s Boards of County Commissioners

  By Peter Wagner and JooHye DellaRocco

• December 2007
  Report to U.N. Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination that U.S. Census practices dilute votes of minority populations

  by Demos and Prison Policy Initiative

• July 2007 Phantom constituents in the Empire State: How outdated Census Bureau methodology burdens New York counties

  By Peter Wagner, Meghan Rudy, Ellie Happel and Will Goldberg

• April 2007
  Democracy Toolkit Interactive tools to help rural citizens determine if prison populations in legislative districts are diluting their right to equal representation

  by Peter Wagner

• September 2006 Do you know where the children are?

  A Report of Massachusetts Youth Unlawfully Held Without Bail, by Barbara Fedders (Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law School and Prison Policy Initiative Board Member) and Barbara Kaban (Children’s Law Center)

• February 2006
  Why the Census Bureau can and must start collecting the home addresses of incarcerated people

  Submitted by Peter Wagner, Eric Lotke and Andrew Beveridge
  to the U.S. Census Bureau on February 10, 2006
  in advance of the Bureau’s report to the Appropriations Committee on using prisoners’ homes of record in the Census

• April 2005Prisoners of the Census: Electoral and Financial Consequences of Counting Prisoners Where They Go, Not Where They Come From

  by Eric Lotke and Peter Wagner,
  Pace Law Review Volume 24, Number 2, Spring 2004
  

• January 2005Brief Amici Curiae In Support Of Plaintiff-Appellant Jalil Abdul Muntaqim, a/k/a/ Anthony Bottom, Urging Reversal Of The District Court

  On Behalf Of National Voting Rights Institute And
  Prison Policy Initiative

• December 2004Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Nevada

  by Peter Wagner
  released by the Prison Policy Initiative and the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada

• December 2004Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Montana

  by Peter Wagner

• November 2004Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Texas

  by Peter Wagner and Rose Heyer

• October 2004Jim Crow in Massachusetts? Prisoner disenfranchisement

  by Peter Wagner

• October 2004Actual Constituents: Students and Political Clout in New York

  by Peter Wagner

• July 2004Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Ohio

  by Peter Wagner and Rose Heyer

• April 2004Too big to ignore: How counting people in prisons distorted Census 2000

  by Rose Heyer and Peter Wagner

• April 2003The Prison Index: Taking the Pulse of the Crime Control Industry

  by Peter Wagner
  Published by the Prison Policy Initiative and the Western Prison Project

• April 2002Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in New York

  by Peter Wagner