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Research Library

Our mission is to empower activists, journalists, and policymakers to shape effective criminal justice policy, so we go beyond our original reports and analyses to curate a database of virtually all the empirical criminal justice research available online.

Tips: If you know what you are looking for, you may also search the database. We also have an email newsletter (at right)(at bottom) for new research library updates.

  • COVID-19 (79) The pandemic’s impact on prisons and jails
  • Community Impact (270) Impact of the criminal legal system on housing, schools, employment, neighborhoods, and more
  • Conditions of Confinement (416) Prison and jail conditions such as solitary confinement, inhospitable environments, labor, discipline, food, and more
  • Crime and Crime Rates (384) Curated research on crime, crime rates, and victimization
  • Death Penalty (164) Information and data on capital punishment and executions
  • Disability (30) Research on the prevalence of, and challenges faced by, people with disabilities in the criminal legal system
  • Drug Policy (234) Punishing and treating drug use in the criminal legal system
  • Economics of Incarceration (308) The economic drivers and consequences of mass incarceration
  • Education (129) Curated research on education programs in prisons and the school-to-prison pipeline
  • Families (147) The criminal legal system’s impacts on families
  • Felon Disenfranchisement (105) Barring people from the polls because of criminal convictions
  • General (162) Broad-based research and information about the criminal legal system
  • Gun Control (50) Information and data about gun violence, firearms, and gun control policy
  • Health impact (361) Research on access to healthcare, chronic and infectious disease, mortality, and more
  • Immigration (69) Research on the incarceration and detainment of immigrants
  • Incarceration Rates Growth Causes (477) Research documenting the growth of prison and jail populations
  • International Incarceration Comparisons (58) Curated research on incarceration trends worldwide, and how they compare to the U.S.
  • Jails (282) Research on jail populations, jail conditions, jail construction, and more
  • LGBT (28) Information and data on the mass criminalization and incarceration of LGBTQ+ people
  • Mental Health (174) The prevalence and treatment of mental illness in the criminal legal system
  • Police and Policing (345) Information and data on arrests, traffic stops, law enforcement interactions, and more
  • Poverty and wealth (149) How fines, fees, debt, and criminalization punish poor people
  • Pretrial Detention (159) Research on the costs and outcomes of detaining people before trial
  • Prison Gerrymandering (34) Research on prison-based gerrymandering (see also www.prisonersofthecensus.org)
  • Privatization (101) How private companies exploit incarcerated people and their families
  • Probation and parole (120) Information about community supervision policies, conditions, violations, and more
  • Public Opinion (81) Public perceptions of crime, prison, reform, and more
  • Race and ethnicity (414) Racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal legal system
  • Recidivism and Reentry (392) Challenges and outcomes for people released from incarceration, including collateral consequences
  • Sentencing Policy and Practices (272) The rise and impact of excessive criminal sentences
  • Sexual offenses (51) The unique punishment of sex-related crimes through registries, civil commitment, and other means
  • Trials (232) Research on prosecutors, judges, public defense, court caseloads, and more
  • Women (210) Research on gender disparities in the criminal legal system
  • Youth (487) Research about youth in the criminal legal system

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