Prison Policy Initiative in the news

• An End to Prison Gerrymandering, New York Times editorial, August 23, 2010.
• N.Y. prisoners switch districts; will R.I. follow?, by Ed Fitzpatrick (column), Providence Journal, August 17, 2010
• Change is on the Horizon for Somerset County, Maryland, by Karen Hosler, WYPR (Baltimore, MD) July 20, 2010.
• Where's home for an inmate? Answer may change soon, by Patricia Doxsey, The Daily Freeman (The Hudson Valley, NY), July 18, 2010
• Rome, Marcy face impact from proposed prisoner count change: Last address, not prison site, could become focus of legislative redistricting, by Dan Miner, The Observer Dispatch (Mohawk Valley, NY), July 1, 2010
• Do Rural Prisons Benefit Locals? by Ben Adler, Newsweek, July 1, 2010
• A Chance for a Fairer Count, New York Times editorial, June 28, 2010
• Partial progress on justice reform, by Maureen Turner, Valley Advocate (W. Mass.) June 3, 2010
• Hawaii prisoners held on Mainland skew census results, by Michael Tsai, The Honolulu Adverstiser, May 15, 2010
• City softens stance on prison census, by John Hill, Providence Journal [Rhode Island], May 6, 2010
• Adams: Where should prisoners be counted?, by Pam Adams, The Peoria Journal Star, May 2, 2010
• Fairer election districts ahead Bill to remove inmates from redistricting formulas passed The Daily Times (Somerset County, MD) April 5, 2010
• Political Prisoners in the United States?, by Dr. Daniel E. Loeb, The Philadelphia Jewish Voice, April, 2010
• Reclaiming ‘one man, one vote’ The Baltimore Sun editorial, April 27, 2010
• Inmates to play new redistricting role, by Liam Farrell, The Capital, April 27, 2010
• Our View: Victory for Fairness, Delmarva Daily Times editorial, April 17, 2010
• Rights groups rejoice in Somerset election change, by Liz Holland, Delmarva Daily Times, April 16, 2010
• A Fairer Way to Count, New York Times editorial, April 15, 2010
• Md. to count prisoners in their home towns, by Carol Morrello, Washington Post, April 15, 2010
• Prisoners can’t vote, but do count, by Alexandra Brell (op-ed) Daily Sundial (California State University, Northridge), April 15, 2010
• Does counting inmates in council districts skew representation? Policy group says yes, by Mark Bennett, The Tribune Star, April 14, 2010
• The Census and Democracy: Maryland Fixes a Major Error, by Erik Lotke, The Huffington Post, April 14, 2010
• The Case of Cranston’s Phantom Prison Constituents, by Te-Ping Chen, Change.org, April 14, 2010
• Maryland’s Big Step on Prison Census Reform, by Matt Kelley, Change.org, April 14, 2010
• Jail and the Census: A Change That Counts, Easthampton’s Prison Policy Initiative scores a victory for fair political representation, by Maureen Turner, Valley Advocate, April 8, 2010
• Census ‘snapshot’ shifts some residents, by R.G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, April 2, 2010
• Why the state should stop “prison gerrymandering”, by Betsy Yagla, New Haven Advocate, April 1, 2010
• Change where incarcerated people are counted, by Peter Wagner, Insights on Law & Society, March 31, 2010
• Do Prisoners Count? Census 2010 could super-enfranchise some, by Nathaniel Hoffman, Boise Weekly, March 31, 2010
• A Proper Count of Inmates, New York Times editorial, March 24, 2010.
• How the Census Counts Prisoners: Significant Political Stakes by Neal Peirce (column) Nation Cities Weekly (National League of Cities) March 15, 2010
• The Fancy Broccoli Show with Peter Wagner on WVKR Vassar College, March 14, 2010, Poughkeepsie NY
• Prison-policy study shows how inmate counts yield redistricting clout by Casey Selix, Minnesota Post, March 9, 2010
• Who gets to count inmates? Bill would switch residency by Keith Goldberg, Times Herald-Record (Albany, NY), March 1, 2010
• Our View: Don’t count prisoners with voters, Editorial, Utica Observer-Dispatch (Oneida County, NY), February 25, 2010
• Legislation would stop ‘prison-based gerrymandering’, Syracuse (NY) Post-Standard editorial, Feb. 24, 2010
• In new Census, home is where the vote should be, Editorial, Times Herald-Record (Hudson Valley and the Catskills, NY), February 19, 2010
• 1/2 of Rome ward’s residents are prisoners, by Jennifer Fusco, Utica Observer-Dispatch (Oneida County, NY), February 18, 2010
• Counting prisoners is an issue for us all, by Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star, February 17, 2010
• Census and Counting Prison Populations with Bob Paquette on WFCR, February 16, 2010, Amherst, MA
• Reformers Score a Census Victory by Skipping Prisoners?, by Matt Kelley, Change.org, February 11, 2010
• States get new leeway to tally prisoners in census, by Hope Yen, Associated Press, February 11, 2010
• Prisons, Redistricting and the Census, Editorial, New York Times, February 10, 2010
• Census engaged in ‘prison-based gerrymandering,’ report says, by Andrew Paley, Medill Reports Chicago, February 4, 2010
• When Numbers Lie: Prisoners of the Census in New York, by Michelle Chen, RaceWire: The Colorlines Blog, February, 2010
• Prisoner Count: Should U.S. Census tabulations include those incarcerated in the prison’s community? Voting rights activists are among those who don’t think so, [PDF] by Jessica Pupovac, Illinois Issues, February, 2010
• Why Some Prisoners Have Become Coveted Constituency , by Kathryn Wiley, Justice Fellowship, January 29, 2010
• State prisoners could become unlikely political prize, Utica Observer-Dispatch (Oneida County, NY), January 28, 2010
• On the Count: The Prison & Criminal Justice Report with Eddie Ellis on WBAI New York interviews New York Senator Schneiderman and Executive Director Peter Wagner about legislation pending in New York State to end prison-based gerrymandering. January 16, 2010 mp3 25:50
• Don’t count prisoners as constituents, Utica Observer-Dispatch Oneida County, NY) editorial, January 7, 2010
• Should prisoners count when drawing legislative districts?, by Jennifer Fusco, Utica Observer-Dispatch (Oneida County, NY), January 2, 2010
• Halos and Horns: The best of the year gone by by Valley Advocate, (Western Mass.), December 31, 2009
• Census: Where Should We Count Prison Inmates? Dodge County Wisconsin Supervisor Jim Leyman and Peter Wagner discuss prison-based gerrymandering with Celeste Headlee on The Take Away, December 31, 2009. Listen: mp3, 6:40
• TalkBack! with Hugh Hamilton, WBAI New York. Hugh interviews Brenda Wright of Demos about the Census, mass incarceration and the lessons of Michael Cady. December 30, 2010 mp3 28:13
• What the census will get wrong by Mary Sanchez, Sacramento Bee and other McClatchy Newspapers, November 6, 2009.
• Prisons and City Elections, by Joyce Russell, Iowa Public Radio, November 3, 2009. Listen: m3u mp3
• The Prison Town Advantage Inmates who can’t vote nevertheless add to the power of the politicians who don’t represent them, by Maureen Turner, Valley Advocate (Western Mass.), October 8, 2009
• Prisons can inflate districts’ influence: A researcher says Oklahoma voters get unequal representation, by Michael Overall, Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) September 20, 2009
• The Stolen Count: Prison Inmates and the Census, A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford, September 15, 2009
  
• Prisoners of the Census: How the Incarcerated are Counted Distorts our Politics, by Christian Smith-Socaris, Progressive States Dispatch, September 14, 2009
• Lock Up, U.S.A.: A startling statistical rap sheet on our prison system, datagraphic by Nigel Holmes, American History magazine, October 2009.
• Lawmakers debate counting non-voting prisoners in census [RealMedia], by Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio, July 7, 2009
• Report: Census Prisoner Count Dilutes Urban Political Clout By Amaris Elliott-Engel, The Legal Intelligencer, June 26, 2009
• Before Census, a Debate Over Prisoners: Critics Say Current Method of Counting Inmates Distorts Rural, Urban Tallies, by Keith B. Richburg, Washington Post, April 26, 2009
• Prison Communities: Representation is Not Created Equal: Bill would end gerrymandering in sparsely populated communities, by Brian Stimson, The Skanner (Portland, OR), March 18, 2009
• Urban Penalty: Do drug-free school zones unfairly target cities and people of color?, by Maureen Turner, Valley Advocate (Western Massachusetts) February 26, 2009
• Mass. sentencing laws not doing the job by St. John Barned-Smith, Bay State Banner (Boston, MA), February 19, 2009
• You’re Probably in a Drug-Free School Zone Right Now: For all the good it does, by Chris Faraone, Boston Phoenix February 11, 2009
• The Census: Phantom Constituents by Brent Staples, New York Times February 6, 2009
• Policy group calls RSU 13 apportionment unconstitutional, by Shlomit Auciello, Herald Gazette (Rockland, ME), January 15, 2009
• That’s Two for Me New York Times Editorial, November 12, 2008
• Census Bureau’s Counting of Prisoners Benefits Some Rural Voting Districts by Sam Roberts, New York Times, October 23, 2008
• New report shows harm caused by Massachusetts’ school zone law, [PDF] FAMMGram (Families Against Mandatory Minimums) Fall 2008, p. 9.
• Census bungles prison populations, by Nathaniel Hoffman, Boise Weekly, October 6, 2008.
• Expert on Voting Rights to Speak at Smith, by Elena Lavarreda, Smith College Sophian, September 25, 2008
• Drug free zones facing review, by Jo-Ann Moriarty, The Republican (Springfield, MA) July 26, 2008
• Fuzzy Math: Is the Census Bureau creating unfair politics in Wisconsin?, by Evan Solochek, Milwaukee Magazine March 2008. (Winner: Best Single Feature Story Under 30”, 2008 Excellence in Journalism, Milwaukee Press Club)
• Group says prisoners skew political clout: Some state officials call for redistricting, Erik Schelzig, Associated Press, February 21, 2008.
• A Battle Over Prisons New York Times Editorial, February 12, 2007
• Political Power of Prisons, by Will Doolittle, Glens Falls Post-Star (NY) November 8, 2007.
• Counting Convicts, by Andrea Senteno and Jay Cerrato, October 31, 2007
• Inmate count debate opens old wounds, by David Sommerstein, North Country Public Radio, October 30, 2007
• Inmates Have Political Pull in Some New York Countiesby Sam Roberts, New York Times, August 7, 2007
• Phantom Voters in New York New York Times Editorial, July 23, 2007
• Using inmates for politics Prison census boosts political influence for some N.Y. counties, by Michael Hill, Associated Press, Press-Republican (Plattsburgh, NY) and in papers across upstate New York, July 17, 2007
• Unfinished business, The Post-Standard editorial (Syracuse, NY), May 20, 2007
• Choose prison or school by Press-Register (Mobile AL) editorial board, May 12, 2007
• Spitzer must lead drug law reform, by Gabriel Sayegh, Albany Times Union, April 26, 2007
• Hey, that’s my prisoner: Pols want the numbers, by Eileen Markey, City Limits, Feb 26, 2007.
• Prisoners of the Census Bureau: How and where the U.S. counts inmates has huge, and unsettling, consequences, by Marie Gottschalk, Los Angeles Times, February 21, 2007
• Reversing the Prison Trend , El Diario Editorial, February 15, 2007. Also in Spanish: Retrocediendo la tendencia en prisiones
• Census Boon? Some critics say districts with prisons are given too much aid, political clout, by Frank Green, Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA), January 22, 2007
• The Empire Stakes, 2012: N.Y. Redistricting Is Already a Hot Topic as Seat Loss Looms, by Josh Kurtz, Roll Call, January 18, 2007
• Ending the Prison Windfall New York Times Editorial, January 17, 2007
• Co czwarty więzień to Amerykanin (Every fourth prisoner is an American) by Jędrzej Bielec, Rzeczpospolita (Poland) January 17, 2007.
• Prisoner census creates problems for democracy, Corrections Professional, Nov 10, 2006
• Census counts prisoners as rural residents by Scott Henson, Grits for Breakfast October 22, 2006
• Fresh Insights for Albany, Gleaned Behind Bars, by Clyde Haberman, New York Times, October 20, 2006
• Census Bureau’s Own Study Says Bureau Should Stop Miscounting Prisoners, by Ben Greenberg, Hungry Blues, October 14, 2006
• Inmates lower crime count, by Sarah Burge, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA), October 14, 2006
• Inmate population affects Senate district lines, by Will Doolittle, Post-Star (Glens Falls, NY), October 9, 2006
• A Vote for a Smarter Census New York Times Editorial, September 18, 2006
• Fair hearings for children, Boston Globe editorial, September 15, 2006
• Panel recommends change in how prisoners are counted in U.S. Census, by Sam Roberts, New York Times, September 15, 2006
• Counting Off Upstate: Just Say Moo, by Ezekiel Edwards, The Brooklyn Rail, September 2006
• We’re a long way from real democracy Bad laws and manipulation still keep many people, especially poor and minority, out of the voting booth, editorial by Cole Krawitz and Jay Toole, New York Newsday, August 25, 2006
• Prison-Based Gerrymandering New York Times Editorial, May 20, 2006
• Court Asks if Residency Follows Inmates Up the River by Sam Roberts, New York Times, May 13, 2006
• Phantom Constituents Behind Bars New York Times Editorial, May 2, 2006
• Counting Noses in Prison New York Times Editorial, April 18, 2006
• Bruno’s captive majority, by Errol Louis, New York Daily News, April 18, 2006
• The (Un)Usual Residence Rule, by Ezekiel Edwards, DMI BLog, March 28, 2006
• If a coalition of congressmen get their way, Vigo Count and Congressional District 8 could be facing a serious population decrease, by Mark Bennett (column), Tribune Star (Terre Haute, IN), March 18, 2006
• Distorting political reality, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial, March 17, 2006
• Census inmate count gives some areas more political clout, by Greg Wright, Gannett News Service, March 10, 2006
• Serrano, Census are at odds on inmates, by Louise Radnofsky, The Bronx Beat, March 6, 2006
• Phantom voters distort the urban-rural political balance of power, by David Goldstein, Horsesass.org, March 1, 2006
• Harper’s Index, Harpers Magazine, March 2006
• Counting in New York, by Journal News Editorial, Journal News (Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam, NY), February 25, 2006
• Counting Convicts: Do it here or there?, Editorial in the Jackson City Patriot (Michigan), February 9, 2006
• Voting rights denied for convicted felons by Vidya Rao, Boston - Bay State Banner, February 2, 2006
• Inmate census: Hometowns, not prison locales should get to count felons, Flint Journal editorial, February 2, 2006
• Phantom Voters, Thanks to the Census New York Times Editorial, December 27, 2005
• Phantom Voters Aid New York Republicans, by Steve Zemke, Majority Rules Blog, December 27, 2005
• Update - Phantom voters in Washington State, by Steve Zemke, Majority Rules Blog, December 27, 2005
• Senseless Census by Susan E. McGregor, The Amsterdam News, October 20, 2005
• Keep transferring or build here? Costs, economics not that simple, by Kevin Dayton, Honolulu Advertiser, October 3, 2005
• From miles away, troubled boy finds father knows best, by Kevin Dayton, Honolulu Advertiser, October 2, 2005
• Phantom Constituents in the Census New York Times Editorial, September 26, 2005
• Contract Lens: As states continue to outsource corrections services, they are struggling to find the right level of private-prison scrutiny, by Zach Patton, Governing Magazine, April 2005
• Who should count Auburn’s prisoners? By Amaris Elliott-Engel, The Citizen (Auburn, NY) Feb 28, 2005
• Prison inmates, Republican constituents by Andrew Cuomo, Albany Times Union, January 19, 2005.
• More clout (editorial) Great Falls Tribune (Montana), January 1, 2005
• Why Some Politicians Need Their Prisons to Stay Full Editorial Observer Column by Brent Staples, New York Times, December 27, 2004
• Counting criminals, by Brad Tyer, Missoula Independent (MT), December 23, 2004
• Census prison count boosts political clout of rural areas, by Kirsten Searer, Las Vegas Sun, December 16, 2004
• Study: Census count of inmates boosts rural Nevada clout by Brendan Riley, Associated Press (and appearing in newspapers across Nevada), December 16, 2004
• Jailhouse Blues New York Times Editorial, November 22, 2004
• Prisoners of the Census by Jordan Smith, Austin Chronicle, November 12, 2004
• Where prisoners ‘live’ is a question of power Counting prisoners as residents of rural counties robs cities of clout, money and services, some say, by Asher Price, Austin American-Statesman, November 8, 2004
• Head count: The Census counts prisoners as residents of the towns where they’re incarcerated. One crusading lawyer from Northampton thinks this little clerical matter is a big problem for American democracy, by Drake Bennett, Boston Globe, September 26, 2004
• Prison riot followed increase in inmates Lee County center took in 400 prisoners from Vermont and cut back on privileges, by Deborah Yetter and Mark Pitsch, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) September 17, 2004
• Census shorts urban population Prisoner relocation skews census stats for large Ohio cities, by Adam Cook, The Lantern (Ohio State University), July 15, 2004.
• Report: Prisoner census causes cities to lose political clout to rural areas, by Greg Wright, Gannett News Service, Chillicothe Gazette (and in newspapers across the state), July 7, 2004
• Inmate count hurts urban counties Part of population recorded in rural areas, study says, by Aaron Powell Jr., Dayton Daily News, July 7, 2004
• Counting prisoners in Wisconsin by Youssef Sawan & Kristian Knutsen, The Wisconsinite, June 22, 2004
• Disenfranchising Felons Hurts Entire Communities [PDF] by Marc Mauer, Focus (Joint Center on Political and Economic Studies, Wash. D.C.) May/June 2004
• Prisoners: North County Residents? by David Sommerstein, North County Public Radio (New York), March 5, 2004 (transcript, Listen Real audio )
• Imprisoned In New York. by Andrew Beveridge, Gotham Gazette, February 2004
• Down for the (Re)count The Census counts prisoners in their cells, not their neighborhoods. Now a move is afoot to change their addresses. By Matthew Schuerman, City Limits, January 2004.
• Letter to the editor, by Eric Lotke, The Nation, December 29, 2003
• Smith Interterm offers stress-free syllabus, Boston Herald, January 5, 2003
• How the U.S prison system makes minority communities pay, by Zachary Dowdy, The New Crisis Magazine, July/August 2002
• Report warns U.S. prisons overcrowded by Shaphan Marwah, University Wire, April 15, 2002
• Minority Prison Inmates Skew Local Populations as States Redistrict by Jonathan Tilove, Newhouse News Service, March 12, 2002