What’s New
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How states use — or don’t use — medical parole to release sick and dying people from prison
An updated table of state-by-state data shows that medical parole (also known as compassionate release) is used so sparingly that very few people are actually released this way.
July 22: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
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Involuntary Commitment: How forced hospitalization expands the criminal legal system
Civil and criminal courts both mandate the detention of people for extended — and often indefinite — periods of time in state hospitals, essentially extending the already-long arm of the criminal legal system.
July 21: Briefings
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Prison Policy Initiative endorses the Extreme Temperatures Injustice in Prisons Act
Nearly 19,000 people in federal prisons experienced heat-related illnesses between 2022 and 2025. A new bill is looking to change that.
July 16: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
Featured report
Parole in Perspective: A deep dive into discretionary parole systems
Parole, a release mechanism that could significantly reduce the number of people behind bars, has reached a moment of reckoning. Dysfunctional in some states and banned in others, parole looks very different from state to state. But parole is a system worth having, if states can implement it fairly and broadly.
In this two-part report, Parole in Perspective, we take a deep dive into these systems, providing the most accessible and comprehensive look at how they operate, and what can be done to make them real tools for decarceration.
- In part 1, we examine the composition of these boards and how their hearings work.
- In part 2, we look at parole grant rates and the decisionmaking guidelines and realities that lead to those rates.
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. Be sure to also check out our pages focused on D.C., and the incarceration of Native people.
Select your state:
If our work is new to you, you might want to check out our 2024-2025 annual report.
Recommended Reading:
50 state incarceration profiles
All of our recent reports about prison/jail growth, racial disparities, and more, re-organized by state.
Research Library
We curate a searchable database of 4,000+ original research reports, organizing each entry by topic and adding brief summaries.
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie
The U.S. incarcerates nearly 2 million people. Where are they locked up and why? Read our report.
Bad Behavior
This national report explains how prison disciplinary policies manufacture misconduct and severly punish incarcerated people.