Emily Widra | October 21, 2021

Data update: As the Delta variant ravages the country, correctional systems are dropping the ball (again)

While some prison systems and local jails have maintained historically low populations, others have returned to pre-pandemic levels, despite the ongoing dangers of COVID-19.

Leah Wang | October 8, 2021

The U.S. criminal justice system disproportionately hurts Native people: the data, visualized

We’re lucky when criminal justice data is broken down by race and ethnicity enough to see how Native populations are criminalized and incarcerated. Here’s a roundup of what we know.

Wanda Bertram | September 10, 2021

New data: Wisconsin jails and telecom giants profiting from high phone rates that keep families apart

Leah Wang | August 19, 2021

Unsupportive environments and limited policies: Pregnancy, postpartum, and birth during incarceration

Making up for a serious gap in government data collection and understanding, researchers are discovering what pregnant incarcerated women should expect when they’re expecting (or when they give birth while in custody). Findings indicate that jails, prisons, and youth facilities have yet to adequately recognize pregnancy and postpartum needs either in policy or in practice.

Wanda Bertram | July 29, 2021

The Biden Administration must walk back the MailGuard program banning letters from home in federal prisons

The Bureau of Prisons is considering a heartless, ineffective policy with far-reaching effects.

Ginger Jackson-Gleich and Wanda Bertram | July 27, 2021

Nine ways that states can provide better public defense

We suggest a few questions to ask to assess the strength of your state's public defense system.

Emily Widra | July 12, 2021

New data: People with incarcerated loved ones have shorter life expectancies and poorer health

Wendy Sawyer | July 6, 2021

Smoke and mirrors: A cautionary tale for counties considering a big, costly new jail

How law enforcement and jail architects almost duped taxpayers into approving a new jail far bigger than the county needs, by offering biased analysis and misleading arguments.

Emily Widra | June 23, 2021

With over 2,700 deaths behind bars and slow vaccine acceptance, prisons and jails must continue to decarcerate

Just because vaccines are increasingly available does not mean that the COVID-19 crisis in prisons and jails is over - far from it. Yet new data show more prisons and jails are returning to “business as usual.”

Leah Wang | June 23, 2021

Rise in jail deaths is especially troubling as jail populations become more rural and more female

New data show record high deaths of people locked up in jail, as jail populations have shifted toward smaller, rural jails and growing numbers of women. A lack of accountability and acknowledgement of women’s unique disadvantages all but ensures more deaths to come.