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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 (271) Impact of justice system on communities, includes housing, employment, schools
- Conditions of Confinement (413)
- Crime and Crime Rates (382) Information on type of crime/frequency
- Death Penalty (164) Data, policy, and analysis of the death penalty
- Disability (28)
- Drug Policy (234) Analysis of drug policy and its effects on the prison system
- Economics of Incarceration (308) The economic drivers and consequences of mass incarceration
- Education (129) Correctional education and the school-to-prison pipeline
- Families (147) The justice system's impact on families.
- Felon Disenfranchisement (105) Barring people from the polls because of criminal convictions
- General (164) Atlases, indices, and broad-based source material
- Gun Control (50) Statistics on gun violence, suggestions for gun control
- Health impact (358) Public health, access to healthcare, and mortality
- Immigration (69) Detainment practices and statistics
- Incarceration Rates Growth Causes (478)
- International Incarceration Comparisons (58)
- Jails (282) Information and data on jails
- LGBT (27)
- Mental Health (174) Policies and practices surrounding mental health
- Police and Policing (345)
- Poverty and wealth (149)
- Pretrial Detention (161) Exploring cost and outcome of detaining people before trial or deportation (ie. instead of bail or other alternatives)
- Prison Gerrymandering (34) Research on prison-based gerrymandering (see also www.prisonersofthecensus.org)
- Privatization (101)
- Probation and parole (119)
- Public Opinion (81)
- Race and ethnicity (414)
- Recidivism and Reentry (393) What makes people more or less likely to succeed upon release?
- Sentencing Policy and Practices (272) Relating to sentencing policy.
- Sexual offenses (51)
- Trials (231) Statistics about the court system and its processes
- Women (210) Impact of the criminal justice system on women
- Youth (488) Criminal justice and young persons, the prison system’s effect on their lives
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Some of the most recently added reports are:
Monday, November 18 2024:
- The Drug Treatment Debate: Why Accessible and Voluntary Treatment Wins Out Over Forced, Drug Policy Alliance. September, 2024.
- Cautionary jails: Deconstructing the three "C"s of jail construction arguments, Prison Policy Initiative. February, 2024.
- Stop Cop Cities; Invest in Public Health Solutions, Human Impact Partners. October, 2024.
- Zombie politics: The return of failed criminal legal system policies in 2023 - and how to fight back, Prison Policy Initiative. January, 2024.
Recommended Reading:
The unmet health needs of people in prison
States fall far short of their duty to meet the health needs of incarcerated people.
All profit, no risk
The bail industry exploits cracks and loopholes in the legal system to avoid accountability, while growing its profits.
Compare your state's use of the prison to the world at large
Criminal justice policy in every region of the United States is out of step with the rest of the world.
Prison Gerrymandering Project
We are leading the movement to protect our democracy from the Census Bureau's prison miscount.