Monday, November 18 2024:
- The Drug Treatment Debate: Why Accessible and Voluntary Treatment Wins Out Over Forced,
Drug Policy Alliance.
September, 2024.
"People who rightfully feel violated when private health information is shared with courts or law enforcement, are unlikely to be fully transparent with their service provider...they are also less likely to seek support in the future."
- Cautionary jails: Deconstructing the three "C"s of jail construction arguments,
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2024.
"Greene County, Missouri, for instance, built a new 552-bed jail in 2001. This was supposed to resolve their capacity needs for at least a decade; however, within just 2 years, the jail had surpassed capacity again."
- Stop Cop Cities; Invest in Public Health Solutions,
Human Impact Partners.
October, 2024.
"As of February 17, 2024, 69 police training facility projects were documented across the US...55 had confirmed costs ranging from $999,000 to a staggering $415 million."
- Zombie politics: The return of failed criminal legal system policies in 2023 - and how to fight back,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2024.
"Many lawmakers believe that jails and prisons will provide treatment for opioid users - in fact, incarceration increases overdose risk, and few people receive treatment inside."
Monday, October 28 2024:
- Heat, floods, pests, disease, and death:
What climate change means for people in prison,
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2023.
"The researchers found for every 10 degree increase above the prison location's mean summer temperature, nearly 5% of deaths (from all causes) occurring there could be attributed to the heat."
- Psychological Distress in Solitary Confinement:
Symptoms, Severity, and Prevalence in the United States, 2017-2018,
Keramet Reiter et al.
January, 2020.
"Serious mental illness rates, typically estimated at 10% to 15% of prison populations, are measured at 9% in Washington's general prison population but 20% in our intensive management unit [(i.e. solitary confinement)] sample."
- The body in isolation:
The physical health impacts of incarceration in solitary confinement,
Justin D. Strong et al.
October, 2020.
"Physical symtpoms people experience in solitary confinement [include]: symptoms associated with deprivation conditions, associated with...limiting access to healthcare, and chronic pain exacerbated by...deprivation conditions and policies."
- The Links Between Disability, Incarceration, & Social Exclusion
Laurin Bixby, Stacey Bevan, & Courtney Boen.
October, 2022.
"66% of incarcerated people self-reported a disability, with Black, Hispanic, and multiracial disabled men especially overrepresented... Disabled incarcerated people were more likely to have previously resided in other institutions."
- Accessing SNAP and TANF Benefits after a Drug Conviction:
A Survey of State Laws,
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
December, 2023.
"As of December 5, 2023, 25 states and the District of Columbia have opted out of both federal bans, so that people with drug felony convictions may receive both SNAP and TANF benefits for which they are otherwise eligible."
- Medical Debt Behind Bars:
The Punishing Impact of Copays, Fees, and Other Carceral Medical Debt,
National Consumer Law Center.
September, 2024.
"Many people who are incarcerated do not have the income to pay even the most modest medical fee without significant help from their already-burdened and often low-income families."
- Force multipliers:
How the criminal legal and child welfare systems cooperate to punish families,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2024.
"The limited data on dual-system involvement show that parental incarceration was listed as the reason for entry for 6% of children who entered foster care in 2022."
- The Health and Health Care of US Prisoners:
Results of a Nationwide Survey,
Andrew P. Wilper et al.
August, 2008.
"Among [incarcerated people] with a persistent medical problem, 13.9% of [people in federal prison], 20.1% of [people in state prison], and 68.4% of [people in jail] had received no medical examination since incarceration."
- Incarceration as a key variable in racial disparities of asthma prevalence
Emily A Wang & Jeremy Green.
May, 2010.
"Individuals with a history of incarceration were more likely to have asthma compared to those without (13% vs. 6%) and not more likely to have diabetes or hypertension."
- Delivering Justice - A Case for the Medical Civil Rights Act
Paywall :(
Medical Civil Rights Initiative.
June, 2024.
"Deaths in carceral facilities account for approx. 75% of custodial deaths; the remainder occur during the process of arrest. Although illness is the leading cause of death in carceral institutions, 6 out of 10 arrest-related deaths are due to homicide."
- Access to Care and Outcomes With the Affordable Care Act for Persons With Criminal Legal Involvement
A Scoping Review,
James Rene Jolin, Benjamin A. Barsky, Carrie G. Wade, & Meredith B. Rosenthal.
August, 2024.
"[In this meta-analysis,] the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was associated with an increase in insurance coverage and a decrease in recidivism rates among people with criminal legal involvement."
- Implementing the Medicaid Reentry Waiver in California
Key Policy and Operational Insights from 11 Counties,
Justice System Partners.
October, 2024.
"Most people detained in [California] jail will meet the Medi-Cal eligibility criteria. Counties estimate that approximately 80% of detainees will meet the additional CalAIM JI [pre-release Medicaid] health criteria."
- The Distribution of Carceral Harm:
County-Level Jail Incarceration and Mortality by Race, Sex, and Age,
Anneliese N. Luck.
October, 2024.
"In late adulthood (ages 50-64)...increases in jail [incarceration] rates are associated with roughly 3% increases in mortality across all race-sex groups...[with] more marked and consistent penalties among women than among men."
- How Fines and Fees Impact Family Well-Being
Tax Policy Center.
August, 2024.
"[In 2023,] those who were unable to pay court or incarceration-related fines and fees often faced severe consequences: 28% ...charged additional fines and fees, 24% [had] their driver's licenses suspended, and 19% reported serving time in jail."
- Understanding racial disparities in pretrial detention recommendations to shape policy reform
Paywall :(
Jennifer Skeem, Lina Montoya, & Christopher Lowenkamp.
March, 2023.
"The probability of a detention recommendation was 34% higher for Black than White defendants [in federal pretrial decision-making]...up to 79% of the racial disparity in detention recommendations operates through institutionalized factors [(i.e. policy)]."
- Going back to Cali: Revisiting California's parole release system
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2023.
"From 2019 to 2022, California's actual parole grant rate fell 29%...Ultimately, nearly 3,000 more hearings resulted in only 75 more people being released in 2022 compared to 2019."
- A Study of Women Prisoners' Use of Co-Payments for Health Care
Anastasia A. Fisher & Diane C. Hatton.
May, 2010.
"Co-payments contributed to delays in treatment, avoidance of health care professionals, unnecessary suffering, and poor health outcomes [among incarcerated women]."
- Assessing Gender Differences in Prison Rule Enforcement:
A Focus on Defiance, Paywall :(
Melinda Tasca, Erin A. Orrick, & H. Daniel Butler.
October, 2023.
"Incarcerated women had an increased likelihood of receiving a defiance infraction by 39.7% compared to men, all else constant. Second, results revealed that females experienced a rate of defiance infractions that is 1.409 times greater than males."
- Gender Differences and the Effect of Copayments on the Utilization of Health Care in Prison
Brian R Wyant, Holly Harner, & Brian Lockwood.
March, 2021.
"[Survey data across two prisons reveal that] 64% of women in the sample and 71% of men indicated not going to medical at least once in the prior 3 months due to the $5 copayment fee."
- Trends in Women's Incarceration Rates in US Prisons and Jails:
A Tale of Inequalities,
Karen Heimer, Sarah E. Malone, & Stacy De Coster.
January, 2023.
"Women's [incarceration] rates increased by 6.6 times or 560% [between 1978-2007]; by comparison, men's state imprisonment rates increased by 3.4 times or 240% during this same period."
Wednesday, October 9 2024:
Tuesday, October 8 2024:
- Locked into Emissions:
How Mass Incarceration Contributes to Climate Change,
Julius A. McGee & Patrick T. Greiner.
November, 2020.
"We find that increases in incarceration within states are associated with increases in industrial emissions, and that increases in incarceration lead to a more tightly coupled association between gross domestic product per capita & industrial emissions."
- Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure Risks in US Carceral Facilities, 2022
Lindsay Poirier, Derrick Salvatore, Phil Brown, et al.
May, 2024.
"5% of US carceral facilities have at least 1 known source of PFAS contamination... also 47% have at least 1 presumptive source [of PFAS exposure]. A minimum of 990,000 people are incarcerated in these facilities, including at least 12,800 juveniles."
- Prison disciplinary fines only further impoverish incarcerated people and families
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2024.
"In 16 prison systems, we found policies referencing fines and/or fees related to confirmed disciplinary violations (where someone is found guilty or pleads guilty)."
- The aging prison population:
Causes, costs, and consequences,
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2023.
"According to the most recent data on local jails in the U.S., from 2020-2021 ...the segment of the jail population aged 55+ grew by a greater proportion than any other age group, 24% compared to an average increase of 15% across all other ages."
- Prescription Patterns in Jails Before and Since the COVID-19 Pandemic:
A Multisite Serial Cross-Sectional Investigation,
Amber H. Simpler, William Jett, Abdullah Ahsan, & Yash Arun Patade.
August, 2024.
"[From 2019-2023], the number of prescriptions in jails for various drug classes [grew], particularly central nervous system agents (13.5% to 17.7%)...The increase in prescriptions points toward a growing demand for managing pain, psychiatric conditions..."
- Health, Access to Care, and Financial Barriers to Care Among People Incarcerated in US Prisons
Paywall :(
Emily Lupton Lupez, Steffie Woolhandler, David U. Himmelstein, et al.
August, 2024.
"Of pregnant people [in state prison] with a co-pay greater than 1 week's [prison] wage, 12% had no obstetrical examination and 62% had no pregnancy education [after admission to prison]."
- Peer Education as a Tool to Improve Health Knowledge for People Who Are Incarcerated:
A Secondary Analysis of Data From the Indiana Peer Education Program ECHO,
Andrea D. Janota, Patrick F. Hibbard, Meghan E. Meadows, et al.
August, 2024.
"Training individuals who are [in prison in Indiana] as peer educators on relevant public health topics increases health knowledge and behavior intentions and likely results in improvements in personal and public health outcomes."
- End-of-Life Care Planning:
Perspectives of Returning Citizens, Paywall :(
Erin Kitt-Lewis & Susan J. Loeb.
April, 2024.
"Most of the participating returning citizens [in the qualitative study] did not have even a basic understanding of advanced directives/care planning."
- Disparities in Medication Use for Criminal Justice System-Referred Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
J. Travis Donahoe, Julie M. Donohue, & Brendan K. Saloner.
September, 2024.
"49% of individuals referred to opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment by noncriminal justice sources received MOUD. A total of 34% of individuals referred to treatment by criminal justice sources received the same treatment."
- The Perils of Late-Night Releases
Sandra Susan Smith.
June, 2024.
"Within 185 of the 200 most populated cities in the United States, there are 141 jails. Of the 141 jails, 131 release during the late night and only 10 do not."
- Racial/ethnic disparities in police recovery of stolen property:
A previously unexplored facet of police/victim interaction, Paywall :(
Alexander J. Vanhee.
October, 2024.
"Analyses of victim race suggested that Black, Asian, and Native American victims were all less likely to have their property recovered than white ones."
- Not an alternative:
The myths, harms, and expansion of pretrial electronic monitoring,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2023.
"Jail populations in many jurisdictions have remained essentially the same or have even increased while [electronic monitoring] usage has skyrocketed, significantly increasing the total number of people under surveillance."
- Does pretrial detention influence time until re-involvement with the criminal legal system?
Ian A. Silver, Jason Walker, Matthew DeMichele, et al.
September, 2024.
"Spending 2-3 days, 3-7 days, & >7 days in pretrial detention was associated with an increased probability of a new criminal arrest & new violent criminal arrest earlier...compared to spending 0-1 day in pretrial detention."
- No Release:
Parole grant rates have plummeted in most states since the pandemic started,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2023.
"In the 29 states for which we collected 2022 parole approval data, only 8 had grant rates above 50% - Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming."
- Two years after the end of Roe v. Wade,
most women on probation & parole have to ask permission to travel for abortion care,
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2024.
"In all, 41 states have some kind of abortion ban in place, whether "total bans" or bans based on gestational duration. In every one of these states, standard conditions of probation and/or parole require permission to travel out of state or county."
- Do Parole Technical Violators Pose a Safety Threat?
An Analysis of Prison Misconduct, Paywall :(
Erin A. Orrick & Robert G. Morris.
November, 2019.
"Based on the official disciplinary records from male inmates readmitted to prison for technical violations and new offenses, technical violators were found to be significantly less likely to engage in any form of prison misconduct."
- Association between willingness to use an overdose prevention center and probation or parole status
among people who use drugs in Rhode Island,
Michael Tan, Carolyn Park, Jacqueline Goldman, et al.
February, 2024.
"Most participants (71%) reported willingness to use an overdose prevention center (OPC), and... willingness to use an OPC did not vary by probation/parole status."
- Mortality Disparities Among Arrestees by Race, Sentencing Disposition, and Place
George Zuo, Beau Kilmer, & Nancy Nicosia.
July, 2024.
"In terms of racial disparities, all-cause mortality risk was 2.37 (95% CI, 1.95-2.88) times higher for American Indian/Alaska Native than White arrestees in the arrest-only disposition."
- Bias, Distrust, and Trauma
Racial Disparities in Boston Residents' Experiences with Law Enforcement and Related Outcomes,
Sandra Susan Smith.
May, 2024.
"With few exceptions, Black Bostonians experience disparate treatment by law enforcement within categories of gender, age, educational attainment, neighborhood of residence, and income status."
- "Expected to happen":
perspectives on post-release overdose from recently incarcerated people with opioid use disorder,
Pryce S. Michener, Elyse Bianchet, Shannon Fox, et al.
July, 2024.
"This study provides novel insights into the perceptions of post-release overdose risk from people with OUD who have experienced incarceration in Massachusetts jails and received MOUD while incarcerated."
Wednesday, August 28 2024:
- U.S. Youth Attitudes on Guns
American University's Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL).
July, 2023.
"59% of participants agreed that gun safety laws should be stricter. Yet about 40% of youth reported at least "somewhat easy" access to a gun, with 21% reporting "very easy" access to a gun."
- Tombstone Towns and Toxic Prisons:
Prison Ecology and the Necessity of an Anti-prison Environmental Movement, Paywall :(
Elizabeth A. Bradshaw.
July, 2018.
"The failure of the Environmental Protection Agency to consider prisoners within federal environmental justice guidelines facilitates continued harm for this vulnerable population."
- Race-Specific Risk Factors for All-Cause, Natural, and Unnatural Deaths
Among Individuals Released from [Minnesota] State Prison,
Minnesota Department of Corrections.
March, 2023.
"Both all-cause mortality and mortality due to specific causes of death were much higher among individuals released from [Minn.] state prison than among the general population."
- Delayed Cancer Diagnosis and Management, Washington Department of Corrections
Office of the Corrections Ombuds, Washington State.
January, 2021.
"These cases demonstrate the need to improve several care delivery processes within DOC, to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients with a cancer diagnosis."
- The Carceral Home
Kate Weisburd.
January, 2024.
"A fifty-state analysis of court supervision rules...reveal[s] the extent of targeted invasions of intimate life in the name of rehabilitation or an alternative to prison, rendering the home a highly surveilled space."
- Housing security among people with criminal records:
A focus on landlords,
Dr. Lucius Couloute and Kacie Snyder.
September, 2023.
"These data suggest that landlord decision-making processes may be structured by broadly stigmatizing ideas around the incompetence or dangerousness of criminalized applicants, even when such stereotypes are unsubstantiated or disproven."
Tuesday, August 27 2024:
- Climate Change and Incarcerated Populations:
Confronting Environmental and Climate Injustices Behind Bars,
Emily C. Gribble and David N. Pellow.
June, 2022.
"[We] focus on the brutal conditions incarcerated firefighters and natural disaster workers face while confronting year-round wildfire season as well as in the aftermath of climate-linked industrial accidents and weather events."
- Hell and High Water: How Climate Change Can Harm Prison Residents and Jail Residents,
and Why COVID-19 Conditions Litigation Suggests Most Federal Courts Will Wait-And-See When Asked to Intervene,
Paloma Wu and D. Korbin Felder.
June, 2022.
"Prison and jail residents in most parts of the country will have difficulty using the courts to obtain preliminary relief to prevent climate-related injuries and harms."
- A Large-Scale Study of the Police Retention Crisis
Ben Grunwald.
June, 2024.
"The increase in [police leaving their jobs] after the summer of 2020 was smaller, later, less sudden, and possibly less pervasive than the retention-crisis narrative suggests."
- Still Cruel and Unusual:
Extreme Sentences for Youth and Emerging Adults,
Sentencing Project.
August, 2024.
"Many of the 8,600 individuals [who were under 18 at offense serving life and virtual life sentences] have already served decades...beyond their risk to public safety."
Thursday, August 22 2024:
- Coordinating Safety:
Building and Sustaining Offices of Violence Prevention and Neighborhood Safety,
Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2023.
"Most offices of violence prevention or neighborhood safety focus specifically on community and gun violence, with a smaller number also focusing on other forms of interpersonal violence."
- The Real Causes and Solutions to Public Suffering, Including Public Drug Use
Drug Policy Alliance.
January, 2024.
"In your reporting, we encourage you to prioritize the people most directly impacted by the government failures... rather than the people whose lives are disrupted by the discomfort of witnessing this public suffering in their day to day lives."
(This issue brief is intended for journalists who report on public drug use and related policies in U.S. cities.)
- Are Schools in Prison Worth It?
The Effects and Economic Returns of Prison Education,
Ben Stickle & Steven Sprick Schuster.
October, 2023.
"Vocational education is somewhat more practical than ABE or secondary education, leading to a 15.6% decrease in the odds ratio for recidivism, but...College programs are especially effective tools for decreasing recidivism."
- Participation and Outcomes in SUNY College-in-Prison Programs
Office of Higher Education in Prison, State University of New York.
November, 2023.
"After falling 55 percent in 2020-2021 from their peak in 2018-2019, total credits earned by incarcerated students were 23 percent below their pre-pandemic level in 2021-2022."
- Ten Principles on Reducing Mass Incarceration
American Bar Association Working Group on Building Public Trust in the American Justice System.
August, 2022.
"It is imperative that jurisdictions across the country reverse the devastating trend of mass incarceration and, in so doing, focus these efforts on reducing disparities in incarceration."
- The Prison Bust:
Declining carceral capacity in an era of mass incarceration, Paywall :(
Jacob Harris et al..
November, 2023.
"We use novel data capturing the universe of prison closures (N = 188) from 2000 to 2022."
- Evaluating Bail Reform in New York's Justice Courts
The John F. Finn Institute for Public Safety.
January, 2024.
"In cases targeted by bail reform, sentence severity declined. Among misdemeanors resulting in conviction, jail sentences declined from 11% in 2018 to 6% in 2021."
- "They Need to Go in There":
Criminalized Subjectivity among Formerly Incarcerated Black Men,
Lucius Couloute.
January, 2024.
"When explicitly asked about what they would say to powerful state officials, these Black men argued for (1) increased criminal justice transparency, (2) improved prison conditions, (3) additional reintegrative supports..."
- Responding to Crimes of a Sexual Nature:
What We Really Want Is No More Victims,
Sentencing Project.
January, 2024.
"Compared to a decade ago, individuals convicted of rape or sexual assault are serving more time in prison prior to release...If this pattern persists over time, it will have a compounding effect on the size of the prison population."
- Global governance and climate stress of incarcerated women:
the case of the U.S, Paywall :(
Daniela Jauk-Ajamie.
November, 2022.
"This paper takes the United States as a case study on the gendered implications of hyper-incarceration in the age of climate emergency."
Tuesday, August 6 2024:
- Revenue Over Public Safety
Brennan Center for Justice.
July, 2022.
"Officials seeking to alleviate prison and jail overcrowding by renting space from other jurisdictions have created a market in incarcerated people...federal government has exacerbated demand for bed space, such as through immigration enforcement."
- Shadow Budgets:
How mass incarceration steals from the poor to give to the prison,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2024.
"Most [welfare fund] policies are so vague that prison officials enjoy wide discretion to spend incarcerated peoples' money as they please -- sometimes spending it on luxury perks for staff."
- Out of Step:
U.S. Policy on Voting Rights in Global Perspective,
Sentencing Project.
June, 2024.
"Among other types of reforms, most U.S. states no longer disenfranchise individuals permanently for life and many no longer disenfranchise individuals upon release from incarceration."
- Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2024,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2024.
"Looking at the "whole pie" of mass incarceration opens up conversations about where it makes sense to focus our energies at the local, state, and national levels."
- The Second Look Movement:
A Review of the Nation's Sentence Review Laws,
Sentencing Project.
May, 2024.
"In addition to California, four states - Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington - have enacted prosecutor-initiated resentencing laws that allow prosecutors to request the court to reconsider a sentence."
- Protect and Redirect:
America's Growing Movement to Divert Youth Out of the Justice System,
Sentencing Project.
March, 2024.
"Among the most promising recent developments in youth diversion is the growing focus on restorative justice alternatives to formal court processing."
Monday, August 5 2024:
- Afterward
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.
April, 2023.
"Fewer than half [of respondents] felt better after the person who killed their loved one was incarcerated. Fewer than half felt safer."
- When You Are a Hammer, Every Problem Looks Like a Nail:
Why Building New Prisons Will Do Nothing To Solve Old Problems in Alabama,
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.
May, 2020.
"Alabama has the distinction of being the only state in the country to violate CRIPA, the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, throughout its entire prison system."
- United States Department of Justice Investigation of Alabama's State Prisons for Men
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.
October, 2019.
"A warden at Holman, a maximum-security prison, informed the DOJ that on any given day there are "probably 11" security staff per shift for the entire complex of 800 prisoners."
- A Bitter Pill
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.
September, 2022.
"While it's rare for people whose only offense is simple possession to land in prison, it is far from unheard of...Convictions for these collateral offenses can be what...sends them to prison for crimes that are driven by addiction, not malice."
- Death Traps
An examination of the routine, violent deaths of people in the custody of the State of Alabama,
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.
November, 2020.
"2020 is on pace to be one of the most deadly years on record in Alabama prisons, with deaths by homicide between January and July at 10 compared to seven for the same time period in 2019."
- Taken for a Ride
How Excessive Ticketing Propels Alabama Drivers Into a Cycle of Debt, Incarceration, and Poverty,
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.
July, 2023.
"The municipal court judge in Jacksonville won't issue a warrant of arrest until a person fails to appear in court three times for a given charge...In Anniston, however, a person can be arrested after missing a single court date."
- Hepatitis C-related knowledge and attitude among adults on probation in a large US city
Matthew S. Minturn et al.
July, 2024.
"Continuing to look for ways to educate and engage adult probation clients in testing and treatment for HCV should be a priority for practitioners, public health professionals, and law enforcement professionals."
- Condemned:
The habitual felony offender act in Alabama,
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.
March, 2023.
"At a minimum, Alabama should provide a mechanism for judges to review the sentences of people serving life without parole under the Habitual Federal Offender Act."
- Justice Reinvestment Initiative:
Challenges and Impact,
Louisiana Legislative Auditor.
February, 2024.
"[Those] released based on Justice Reinvestment Initiative good time changes do not appear to return to custody at a higher rate than the overall return rate."
- Pediatric Health and System Impacts of Mass Incarceration, 2009-2020:
A Matched Cohort Study,
Samantha Boch et al.
May, 2024.
"Our study finds vast disparities between youth with documented probable contact to the justice system and matched youth."
Friday, July 19 2024:
- A Cost-Benefit Analysis:
The Impact of Ending Slavery and Involuntary Servitude as Criminal Punishment and Paying Incarcerated Workers Fair Wages,
Edgeworth Economics and Worth Rises.
January, 2024.
"Once the adjustments to paying incarcerated workers are achieved the total fiscal benefits to incarcerated workers, their families and children, crime victims, and society at large is between $26.8 billion and $34.7 billion per year."
- Workers Doing Time Must Be Protected by Job Safety Laws
National Employment Law Project.
April, 2024.
"Excessive carceral costs and fees coupled with strong incentives for early release push incarcerated workers into accepting dangerous assignments."
- The First Step Act's Prison Reforms
Brennan Center for Justice.
September, 2022.
"The Act excludes those convicted of many crimes [from receiving Earned Time Credits]. These exclusions prevent nearly half of the federal prison population from benefiting from credits...[and] appear to serve no policy purpose."
- Eight Key Considerations for Successful Implementation of New Medicaid Reentry Policies
Health and Reentry Project.
June, 2024.
"Successful implementation of these policies requires that correctional facilities have data and IT systems that can share eligibility, enrollment, and pertinent patient clinical information across community and correctional systems."
- Medicaid's New Role in Advancing Reentry:
Key Policy Changes,
Health and Reentry Project.
March, 2024.
"The minimum services states must provide to be approved for a waiver are: case management, medication assisted treatment (MAT), and a 30-day supply of medications upon release. States can go above and beyond these three services..."
- Recommendations for Medicaid Coverage of Opioid Use Disorder Services in Jails and Prisons
Health and Reentry Project and Viaduct Consulting, LLC.
January, 2024.
(This slide deck covers findings from three reports encouraging state and local governments to expand access to quality, evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder in prisons and jails by leveraging Medicaid coverage.)
- Breaking Ground:
How California is Using Medicaid to Improve the Health of People Leaving Incarceration,
Health and Reentry Project.
May, 2023.
"Incarcerated adults who are enrolled in Medi-Cal and meet specific criteria and all Medi-Cal/CHIP-enrolled youth in youth correctional settings will qualify for Medi-Cal pre-release services."
- Sex Offense Civil Commitment
Minnesota's Failed Investment and the $100 Million Opportunity to Stop Sexual Violence,
Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
April, 2024.
"As of September 1, 2023, only 21 of the 946 people committed to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program have been fully discharged from the program (~2%), while at least 94 have died during their commitment (~10%)."
Tuesday, June 18 2024:
- COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal and Medical Distrust Held by Correctional Officers
Erin Michelle Turner Kerrison & Jordan M Hyatt.
July, 2023.
"[In a sample of PA Department of Corrections staff], 73.5% non-security personnel answered that they would accept a vaccine, compared to half (48.8%) of corrections officers."
- Contraband and Interdiction Modalities Used in Correctional Facilities
Urban Institute.
February, 2024.
"Facilities participating in the [survey] reported on several strategies that were only used on incarcerated individuals, the most common of which included strip searches (91%), cell searches (98%), and opening and searching mail (97%)."
- Discretion in the Prison Justice System:
A Study of Sentencing in Institutional Disciplinary Proceedings, Paywall :(
Timothy J. Flanagan.
July, 1982.
"Only about 3% of the [prison disciplinary infraction] cases in the sample resulted in dismissal of charges. Confinement to cell for a period of time was the modal disposition category, representing almost 30% of the outcomes."
- Oregon shouldn't go backwards on drug decriminalization
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2024.
"There is no evidence that Measure 110 was associated with a rise in crime. In fact, crime in Oregon was 14% lower in 2023 than it was in 2020."
- Addicted to punishment:
Jails and prisons punish drug use far more than they treat it,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2024.
"Many people who use drugs and need care are arrested and jailed over and over until, finally, one event lands them in prison. We estimate that more than 578,000 people (47%) in prison in 2022 had a substance use disorder in the year prior to admission."
- Effect of Continuing Care for People with Cocaine Dependence on Criminal Justice Sentences
Alexandra S. Wimberly, Jordan M. Hyatt, & James R. McKay.
January, 2019.
"People with cocaine dependence [in an] intensive outpatient program & a telephone-based continuing care intervention had 54% lower odds of a criminal sentence in the 4 years after enrollment...compared to those [in only an] intensive outpatient program."
- Fair Chance Act failures?
Employers' hiring of people with criminal records,
Sharon S. Oselin, Justine G. M. Ross, Qingfang Wang, & Wei Kang.
November, 2024.
"Only 25.8% of hiring decision makers indicated they would have seriously considered someone with a criminal conviction for the last entry-level/non-degreed position they hired for though there is variation based on the type of crime."
- Testing the effects of a prosecutor policy recommending no-money release for nonviolent misdemeanor defendants
Paywall :(
Smith, A., Maddan, S., King, C., & Elshiekh, N..
October, 2020.
"Defendants released on no-money bail were less likely to fail to appear, and defendants charged with [nonviolent misdemeanors] were less likely to be rearrested pending disposition."
- Failure to Appear Across New York Regions
Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College.
June, 2024.
"In 2022, NY's failure to appear (FTA) rate for released cases was 17%. There was little variation by region (16% in NYC, 18% in NYC suburbs, 20% in Upstate). However, among individual counties... FTA rates ranged from 7% to 30%."
Thursday, June 6 2024:
- Breaking news from inside:
How prisons suppress prison journalism,
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2023.
"46 states and the federal government maintain the right to read and censor communications with the media. These policies are broadly explained as maintaining "security and order" -- a vague justification left to the discretion of prison officials."
- Data Privacy in Carceral Settings:
The Digital Panopticon Returns to Its Roots,
Stephen Raher.
May, 2024.
"Communication technologies [are now] widespread [in jails and prisons] & the companies providing these services are embarking on a new line of business: monetizing the involuntary collection, sharing, and analysis of data collected from captive consumers."
- Evaluating Firearm Violence After New Jersey's Cash Bail Reform
Jaquelyn L. Jahn, Jessica T. Simes, & Jonathan Jay.
May, 2024.
"Although New Jersey's pretrial detention population dramatically decreased under bail reform, the study did not find evidence of increases in overall firearm mortality or gun violence, or within racialized groups during the postpolicy period."
- The Consequences of Incarceration for Mortality in the United States
Sebastian Daza, Alberto Palloni, & Jerrett Jones.
April, 2021.
"We estimate that incarceration's adult mortality excess translates into a loss of between 4 and 5 years of life expectancy at age 40."
- Hungry and Malnourished:
Food Service in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections,
Pennsylvania Prison Society.
May, 2024.
"70-80% of survey respondents in Pennsylvania prisons reported being hungry every day between meals, [...] menus likely contribute to diet-related illness, [... and] hunger forces people to buy expensive junk food from commissary."
- New data and visualizations spotlight states' reliance on excessive jailing
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2024.
"In 28 states & D.C., more than 10% of the jail population is held on behalf of a state or federal authority. This both skews the data and gives local jail officials a powerful financial incentive to endorse policies that contribute to jail expansion."
- Unhoused and under arrest:
How Atlanta polices poverty,
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2023.
"Most strikingly, we find that 1 in 8 Atlanta city jail bookings in 2022 -- or 12.5% -- were of people who were experiencing homelessness."
- Share of Adult Suicides After Recent Jail Release
Ted R. Miller, Lauren M. Weinstock, Brian K. Ahmedani, et al..
May, 2024.
"Among 7 million adults released from incarceration in 2019, nearly 20% of suicides occurred among those who were released from jail in the past year and 7% were by those in their second year of jail release."
- Since you asked:
How many women and men are released from each state's prisons and jails every year?,
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2024.
"Even though prison and jail populations have unfortunately largely rebounded since [COVID-related population reductions], there were still 29% fewer releases from prisons and jails in 2022 compared to 2019."
- Inequities in Mental Health Services:
A 16-Year Longitudinal Study of Youth in the Justice System,
Maria Jose Luna, Karen M. Abram, David A. Aaby, Leah J. Welty, & Linda A. Teplin.
June, 2023.
"Among a random sample of youth experiencing detention in Chicago in 1995, less than 20% of youth who needed mental health services received them in the following 20 years."
Tuesday, June 4 2024:
- Electronically Monitored Youth:
Stigma and Negative Social Functioning, Paywall :(
Marijana M. Kotlaja & Lindsey E. Wylie.
March, 2023.
"Juveniles who felt more stigmatized for being on an EM, also experienced greater negative experiences within their social world and social functioning than youth who did not feel stigmatized."
Friday, May 3 2024:
- Vaccine Effectiveness Against SARS-CoV-2 Related Hospitalizations
in People who had Experienced Homelessness or Incarceration - Findings from the Minnesota EHR Consortium,
Malini B. DeSilva, Gregory Knowlton, Nayanjot K. Rai, et al..
December, 2023.
"Despite lower vaccination rates and potential for higher COVID-19 exposures in people experiencing homelessness or incarceration, COVID-19 vaccines reduced risk for SARS-CoV-2 related hospitalizations."
- COVID-19 Vaccination of People Experiencing Homelessness and Incarceration in Minnesota
Paywall :(
Riley D. Shearer, Katherine Diaz Vickery, Peter Bodurtha, et al..
June, 2022.
"By the end of 2021, 64% of the general population in Minnesota and 71% of people recently incarcerated in prison had completed the COVID-19 vaccine series, far exceeding the rate among people experiencing homelessness (34%) or jail incarceration (30%)."
- Access to Psychiatric and Education Services During Incarceration in the United States
Paywall :(
Brandy F. Henry & Joy Gray.
May, 2023.
"Psychiatric disorders were associated with lower educational attainment before incarceration and lower access to education services during incarceration."
- Forgotten Fundamentals:
A Review of State Legislation on Nutrition for Incarcerated Pregnant and Postpartum People, Paywall :(
Julia Vitagliano, Talia Shalev, Jennifer B Saunders, Ellen Mason, Jamie Stang, Rebecca Shlafer, & Bethany Kotlar.
March, 2024.
"Less than a third of states had nutrition-related mandates [for incarcerated pregnant people] and no states had statutes that included all key nutrition recommendations."
- State level variation in substance use treatment admissions among criminal legal-referred individuals
Paywall :(
Riley D. Shearer, Tyler N.A. Winkelman, & Utsha G. Khatri.
November, 2022.
"Methamphetamine use was the most common substance leading to treatment referral from the criminal legal system in 24 states while opioid use was the most common reason for non-criminal legal referrals in 34 states."
- Health Insurance and Mental Health Treatment Use
Among Adults With Criminal Legal Involvement After Medicaid Expansion, Paywall :(
Benjamin A. Howell, Laura C. Hawks, Lilanthi Balasuriya, Virginia W. Chang, Emily A. Wang, & Tyler N. A. Winkelman.
April, 2023.
"Medicaid expansion was associated with an 18 percentage-point increase in insurance coverage but no change in receipt of substance use treatment among individuals with substance use disorder."
- Cancer incidence among incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals:
A statewide retrospective cohort study,
Jenerius A. Aminawung, Pamela R. Soulos, Oluwadamilola T. Oladeru, et al..
March, 2023.
"Among Connecticut residents from 2005-16, cancer incidence was lower in incarcerated individuals, but higher in recently released individuals compared with the general population, and across all race and ethnic strata."
- Racial differences in testing for infectious diseases:
An analysis of jail intake data,
Alysse G. Wurcel, Rubeen Guardado, Emily D. Grussing, et al..
December, 2023.
"In one Massachusetts jail 2016-2020, Black non-Hispanic and Hispanic people were more likely to opt-in to and complete infectious disease testing than white people. These findings could be related to racial disparities in access to care in the community."
- The Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Incarcerated Older Adults
Paywall :(
Jacques Baillargeon, Lannette C Linthicum, Owen J Murray, et al..
December, 2023.
"35% of our random sample of incarcerated older adults in Texas prisons met the threshold for mild cognitive impairment and 9.1% met the threshold for dementia."
- The "Profane Margins" of the State:
Florida Sheriff Walter R. Clark and the Local History of Crime, Policing, and Incarceration, Paywall :(
Cindy Hahamovitch.
2023.
"[...] we can find sheriffs with myriad responsibilities, unbridled power, and little oversight almost everywhere in the United States."
- Minnesota Statewide Probation and Supervised Release Outcomes Report for 2019
Annual Report 2023,
Minnesota Department of Corrections.
December, 2023.
"70% of the individuals leaving supervised release in Minnesota in 2019 had no new felony convictions within three years."
- Racial Differences in Self-Report of Mental Illness and Mental Illness Treatment in the Community:
An Analysis of Jail Intake Data,
Narcissa Plummer, Rubeen Guardado, Yvane Ngassa, et al..
September, 2023.
"In a Massachusetts jail, Hispanic, Black (NH), Asian/Pacific Islander (NH), other race/ethnicity people were less likely to report a history of mental illness at jail intake, and less likely to report receiving psychiatric medications in the community."
- Women and Massachusetts County Jails:
An Introduction,
Women & Incarceration Project, Center for Women's Health & Human Rights at Suffolk University.
March, 2024.
"The large majority of women in Massachusetts county jails are aged 39 or younger. In contrast, ages are more evenly distributed among women at MCI-Framingham (a Massachusetts state prison)."
- Health Care Access and Use Among Children & Adolescents Exposed to Parental Incarceration
- United States, 2019,
Rohan Khazanchi, Nia J. Heard-Garris, & Tyler N.A. Winkelman.
October, 2022.
"Parental incarceration was associated with an additional 123,703 children with no usual source of care, 114,795 with forgone dental care needs, 75,434 with delayed mental health care needs, and 53,678 with forgone mental health care needs"
Thursday, April 25 2024:
- Lethal injection in the modern era:
Cruel, unusual, and racist,
Reprieve.
April, 2024.
"Black people had 220% higher odds of suffering a botched lethal injection execution than white people from 1976 to 2023."
- Evaluation of Changes in US Health Insurance Coverage for Individuals With Criminal Legal Involvement
in Medicaid Expansion and Nonexpansion States, 2010 to 2017,
Benjamin A. Howell, Laura Hawks, Emily A. Wang, and Tyler N. A. Winkelman.
April, 2022.
"Medicaid expansion was associated with a 14.9-percentage point increase in insurance coverage...for low-income adults with recent criminal legal involvement."
- The Affordable Care Act, Insurance Coverage, & Health Care Utilization
of Previously Incarcerated Young Men: 2008-2015,
Tyler N.A. Winkelman, HwaJung Choi, and Matthew M. Davis.
March, 2017.
"Uninsurance declined significantly among previously incarcerated men after the 2014 ACA implementation (-5.9 percentage points), primarily because of an increase in private insurance."
- Employment and Health Among Recently Incarcerated Men
Before and After the Affordable Care Act (2009-2017),
Carmen M. Gutierrez and Becky Pettit.
January, 2020.
"After ACA implementation, uninsurance decreased by 26 percentage points among recently incarcerated, unemployed men."
- Justice-Involved Adults With Substance Use Disorders:
Coverage Increased But Rates Of Treatment Did Not In 2014,
Brendan Saloner, Sachini N. Bandara, Emma E. McGinty, and Colleen L. Barry.
June, 2016.
"In 2014, after ACA implementation, the uninsurance rate among justice-involved individuals with substance use disorders declined from 38% to 28%... [and those] receiving treatment were more likely to have care paid for by Medicaid than in the prior decade"
- Criminal record stigma, race, and neighborhood inequality
Laura M. DeMarco.
July, 2023.
"The criminal record effect is estimated to be twice as large in gentrifying compared with nongentrifying neighborhoods and stronger in communities where the relative size of the Black population is shrinking."
- Following Incarceration, Most Released Offenders Never Return to Prison
Paywall :(
William Rhodes, Gerald Gaes, Jeremy Luallen, Ryan Kling, Tom Rich, and Michael Shively.
September, 2014.
"Roughly two of every three offenders who enter and exit prison will never return to prison."
- Racial and ethnic differences in the consequences of school suspension for arrest
Benjamin W. Fisher & Alex O. Widdowson.
June, 2023.
"Within a given wave of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 Cohort, students who experienced an increase in suspension also experienced an increase of approximately 56.2% in their odds of being arrested in that same wave."
Tuesday, April 16 2024:
- Gender Differences in the Determinants of Prison Rule Violations
Katarzyna Celinska & Hung-En Sung.
2014.
"Women averaged 1.96 infractions per person who violated a rule as compared with the rate of 2.27 infractions per person who violated a rule found among men. Women in prison were not only less likely to break rules but also did so less frequently than men."
- Sex Differences in the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Institutional Misconduct among Adults in Prison
Minnesota Department of Corrections.
March, 2024.
"In a sample of more than 6,000 men in MN prisons, men who reported 4 or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) had a 30% increase in the hazard of any type of disciplinary conviction (DC) compared to those with 0 ACEs"
- Degrees of difference:
Do college credentials earned behind bars improve labor market outcomes?,
Abby Ballou.
March, 2024.
"Employers presented with an applicant who earned a bachelor's degree or sub-baccalaureate certificate in prison had a 42 percent higher odds of indicating willingness to call back the applicant, compared to an applicant with a GED (p = .001)."
- Incarceration History and Access to and Receipt of Health Care in the US
Jingxuan Zhao, Jessica Star, Xuesong Han, Zhiyuan Zheng, Qinjin Fan, Sylvia Kewei Shi, Stacey A. Fedewa, K. Robin Yabroff, Leticia M. Nogueira.
February, 2024.
"People with incarceration history had lower percentages of having a usual source of care or receiving preventive services: physical exams, blood pressure, cholesterol, or glucose tests, dental check ups, & breast and colorectal cancer screenings."
- Mortality Among Individuals Released from U.S. Prisons:
Does Military History Matter?,
Minnesota Department of Corrections.
November, 2023.
"When model specification was improved by accounting for the sociodemographic and legal histories of returnees, we found that veterans showed no greater or less risk of mortality compared to non-veterans."
- Hepatitis C Epidemiology in a Large Urban Jail:
A Changing Demographic,
Emily Hoff, Andrea Warden, Ruby Taylor, and Ank E. Nijhawan.
March, 2022.
"Among people in Dallas County Jail from 2015-19, HCV antibody positivity was significantly associated with older age, female sex, non-Hispanic White race versus non-Hispanic Black race, & being released to prison versus not."
- Jail Conditions And Mortality:
Death Rates Associated With Turnover, Jail Size, And Population Characteristics,
Jessica L. Adler and Weiwei Chen.
June, 2023.
"Jails with higher turnover rates, capacity occupied, & populations were more likely to have higher overall mortality. Deaths due to suicide, drugs and alcohol, and homicide showed a significant association with high turnover."
- Lifetime and Jail-Specific Suicidal Ideation:
Prevalence and Correlates in a Sample of People in Jail in the United States,
Bryce E. Stoliker, Haile Wangler, Frances P. Abderhalden, and Lisa M. Jewell.
April, 2023.
"Approximately 45% of the 196 people sampled reported a lifetime history of suicidal ideation (SI) & 30% reported SI during the current incarceration... Those who identified as non-men reported a higher prevalence than men on lifetime and jail-specific SI"
- The deadliest local police departments kill 6.91 times more frequently than the least deadly departments...
Josh Leung-Gagne.
2024.
"The deadliest police departments [in the U.S.] kill 6.91 times more frequently than the least deadly departments, after accounting for variation in risk to officers and trauma care access."
- Homicides involving Black victims are less likely to be cleared in the United States
Paywall :(
Gian Maria Campedelli.
February, 2024.
"The likelihood of a homicide clearance is 3.4 to 4.8 percent lower for homicides involving Black victims, and this race effect is slightly higher for males and that racial disparity has moderately but significantly increased over time."
- Reducing Missed Appointments for Probation and Parole Supervision:
a Randomized Experiment with Text Message Reminders,
Charise Hastings, Chris Thomas, Michael Ostermann, Jordan M. Hyatt, & Steve Payne.
December, 2021.
"The best attendance of scheduled probation/parole meetings was found in the treatment group assigned to late text reminders 1 day before the appointment. That group had 29% fewer no-shows and 21% fewer cancelled appointments than the control group."
Tuesday, April 2 2024:
- Unsustainable:
Alabama's Increasing Trend of Keeping the Elderly Behind Bars,
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.
November, 2022.
"The average age of the Alabama prison population has a positive linear relationship (r=.88) with [medical spending.]"
- Mental and physical health morbidity among people in prisons: an umbrella review
Louis Favril, Josiah D Rich, Jake Hard, & Seena Fazel.
April, 2024.
"Among incarcerated adults, the 6-month prevalence was 11% for major depression, 10% for PTSD, and 4% for psychotic illness...18% of people were antibody-positive for hepatitis C virus, 2.6% - 5.2% found for hepatitis B, HIV, and TB."
- Recommended Mental Health Practices for Individuals Interacting With US Police, Court, Jail, Probation, & Parole Systems
Paywall :(
Jennifer E Johnson, Niloofar Ramezani, Jill Viglione, Maji Hailemariam, & Faye S Taxman.
March, 2024.
"Of the 59 recommended practices identified (e.g., permanent supportive housing, Medicaid continuity, medications, and psychotherapies) - each practice was present for criminal legal-involved individuals in only 22%-43% of U.S. counties."
- New prisons for old men?
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.
July, 2021.
"The number of young people (age 15 to 30) in Alabama prisons has been cut in half over the last 15 years. Meanwhile, the number of people over age 50 has doubled. People over 50 are the least likely to re-offend and the most expensive to incarcerate..."
- Jail Characteristics and Availability of Opioid Treatment Services:
Results from a Nationally Representative Survey, Paywall :(
Albert M. Kopak & Sierra D. Thomas.
March, 2024.
"Jail facilities located in the Northeast, larger jails, those in urban areas, and detention centers with higher turnover rates are significantly more likely to provide a wider variety of opioid treatment services."
- State Medicaid Initiatives Targeting Substance Use Disorder in Criminal Legal Settings, 2021
Paywall :(
Cashell D Lewis, Christina Andrews, Amanda J Abraham, Melissa Westlake, Faye S Taxman, & Colleen M Grogan.
March, 2024.
"In 2021, the majority of states did not report any targeted Medicaid initiatives for persons with substance use disorders residing in criminal legal settings (jails, prisons, community corrections)."
- Mental health, chronic and infectious conditions among pregnant persons in US state prisons and local jails 2016-2017
Caitlin A Hendricks, Karissa M Rajagopal, Carolyn B Sufrin, Camille Kramer, & Monik C Jimenez.
March, 2024.
"Of the 445 newly admitted pregnant people in prisons and 243 in jails, 34% in prison and 23.5% in jail had a substance use disorder, and 27.4% of those in prison and 17.7% in jail had a psychiatric diagnosis. 20% in prison and 6.6% in jail had hepatitis C"
- The association between attitudes and the provision of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in United States jails
Aly Pfaff, Amy Cochran, Jessi Vechinski, Todd Molfenter, & Gabriel Zayas-Caband.
March, 2024.
"Jails with staff with negative attitudes towards methadone & positive attitudes towards naltrexone were associated with fewer people screened for opioid use disorder (OUD), diagnosed, referred to treatment while in jail & after release, and provided MAT."
- Barriers to access to psychiatric medications in Missouri county jails
Jessica K Burval, Courtney A Iuppa, Carrie R Kriz, Shelby E Lang, Leigh Anne Nelson, Nicole A Gramlich, Ellie S R Elliott, & Roger W Sommi.
October, 2023.
"Of the 51 jails surveyed, only 57% of jails were able to provide long-acting injectable antipsychotics, 22% charged a fee for administration of medications, and 31% would not adjust medication times based on food requirements."
- Misdemeanor Enforcement Trends in New York City, 2016-2022
Brennan Center for Justice.
March, 2024.
"In 2021 and 2022, approximately half of all minor offense cases were dismissed. Overall, the proportion of non-convictions increased steadily from 47% in 2016 to 70% in 2022."
- Stalled: Alabama's Destructive Practice of Suspending Driver's Licenses
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.
February, 2020.
"A 2018 survey of Alabamians whose licenses were suspended due to unpaid tickets found 89% had to choose between basic needs like food, utilities, or medicine and paying what they owed and 64% were jailed in connection with unpaid traffic debt."
- The Effects of Pretrial Detention Length on Sentencing Guideline Departures in Two Pennsylvania Counties
Victoria R. Wrigley & Tre Schumacher.
December, 2023.
"A 2.7-fold increase in pretrial detention length was associated with a 15% reduction in the odds of a sentence differing from the recommended sentence, an 8% reduction in the odds of a shorter sentence, and an 11% increase in the odds of a longer sentence"
Thursday, March 21 2024:
- Crisis in Corrections:
The DOC Staff Shortage and the Inmate Experience,
Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC).
January, 2024.
"An overwhelming 93% of respondents incarcerated in Colorado say there is a staffing shortage at their facility, and 85% say that the shortage is either significant or moderate."
- Structural Racism, Mass Incarceration, and Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Severe Maternal Morbidity
Elleni M. Hailu, Corinne A. Riddell, Patrick T. Bradshaw, Jennifer Ahern, Suzan L. Carmichael, & Mahasin S. Mujahid.
January, 2024.
"In this study of 10 million live hospital births across California from 1997-2018, Black and Hispanic/Latinx birthing people residing in counties with high Black-White jail incarceration inequity had increased odds of severe maternal morbidity."
- Prison Buprenorphine Implementation and Postrelease Opioid Use Disorder Outcomes
Benjamin J. Bovell-Ammon, Shapei Yan, Devon Dunn, Elizabeth A. Evans, Peter D. Friedmann, Alexander Y. Walley, Marc R. LaRochelle.
March, 2024.
"In a comparison between people released prior to and after making buprenorphine available in state prisons, postrelease buprenorphine increased from 11% of people released to 21% of people released and postrelease naltrexone receipt decreased."
- Recent Incarceration, Substance Use, Overdose, and Service Use Among People Who Use Drugs in Rural Communities
Daniel B. Hoover, P. Todd Korthuis, Elizabeth Needham Waddell, et al..
November, 2023.
"Among people who use drugs in rural communities, 42% were recently incarcerated in the past 6 months, which was associated with overdose(s), substance use treatment, but not associated with MOUD treatment or carrying naloxone."
- Prevention Over Punishment:
Finding the Right Balance of Civil and Forensic State Psychiatric Hospital Beds,
Treatment Advocacy Center.
January, 2024.
"The number of state hospital beds for adults with serious mental illness (SMI) has been declining and reached a historic low of 10.8 beds per 100,000 people in 2023, with 52% of those beds occupied by people committed through the criminal legal system."
- Elements of State and Federal Prison Suicide Prevention and Response Policies
Christine Tartaro & Emily Alas.
February, 2024.
"Results revealed that corrections department policies for suicide prevention and response contain about half of the recommended elements, and that most departments' suicide prevention policies are not included in departmental policy documents."
- The problem with criminal records:
Discrepancies between state reports and private-sector background checks,
Sarah Lageson & Robert Stewart.
February, 2024.
"Based on this analysis of criminal records, 60% and 50% of participants had at least one false-positive error on their regulated and unregulated private sector background checks, and nearly all had at least one false-negative error."
- Restoring and Rebuilding:
Indigent Defense in Gwinnett County,
Wren Collective.
January, 2024.
"In 2022, the county had 132 lawyers willing to take court appointments. Now, that number is 80. Those 80 lawyers are responsible for 13,000 cases/year. There are only 8 lawyers eligible to handle murder cases, which have a potential punishment of death..."
Wednesday, March 6 2024:
- Hazardous heat exposure among incarcerated people in the United States
Cascade Tuholske, Victoria D. Lynch, Raenita Spriggs, Yoonjung Ahn, Colin Raymond, Anne E. Nigra, & Robbie M. Parks.
March, 2024.
"The number of hot days per year increased during 1982-2020 for 1,739 carceral facilities. State-run carceral facilities in TX and FL accounted for 52% of total exposure to potentially hazardous heat, despite holding 12% of all incarcerated people."
- Overcharged: Coerced labor, low pay, and high costs in Washington's prisons
Columbia Legal Services.
January, 2024.
"People in Washington prisons are paid as little as 6% of the state minimum wage...Their wages are then deducted from between 5 to 100% for mandatory fees such as "the cost of incarceration," while basic goods...can cost a day's worth of earnings."
- The Business Case for Criminal Justice Reform: Second Chance Hiring
U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
January, 2021.
"At the national level, economists estimate that the Gross Domestic Product (G.D.P.) is reduced between $78 billion and $87 billion due to excluding formerly incarcerated job seekers from the workforce."
- Incarceration Status Among Individuals Obtaining Abortion in the United States, 2020
Marielle Kirstein, Liza Fuentes, and Carolyn Sufrin.
November, 2023.
"Sixty-seven clinics across 25 states and the District of Columbia provided more than 300 abortions to incarcerated patients in 2020. Eleven of these clinics are in states that now have total or near-total abortion bans."
- Electronic Monitoring of Migrants: Punitive not Prudent
American Bar Association Commission on Immigration.
February, 2024.
"Electronic monitoring programs are not true alternatives to detention. They are an expansion of detention that imposes a significant financial cost on taxpayers and a considerable human toll on the participants and their family members."
- Carceral Carousel
Immigrant Legal Resource Center and Detention Watch Network.
May, 2023.
"States have sought to reduce prison populations and close some jails. However, those closures have rarely, if ever, meant that the prison facilities would no longer operate as cages...these closures have paved the way for new expansions of ICE detention."
- Advancing Transgender Justice:
Illuminating Trans Lives Behind and Beyond Bars,
Vera Institute of Justice and Black and Pink National.
February, 2024.
"Nearly 90 percent of the [transgender] survey respondents had experienced extended solitary confinement at some point during their incarceration. More than half reported non-consensual sexual contact while incarcerated."
- Resetting the Record: The Facts on Hiring People with Criminal Histories
RAND Corporation.
January, 2024.
"More than 25% of workers in the active workforce have at least one prior conviction. The evidence is overwhelming: People with conviction records can be (and are) successful employees."
- A Decade of Lives Lost: A report of in-custody deaths in California between 2011-2022
Care First California.
February, 2024.
"Of the 2,312 deaths that occurred in Sheriff's custody across California, the majority of people died after they were taken to jail but before the resolution of their case...Nearly a quarter of deaths occurred before individuals entered the jail."
- Evaluating the Impact of Desk Appearance Ticket Reform in New York State
Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College.
February, 2024.
"Desk Appearance Tickets (DATs) in New York State led more people charged with low-level offenses to avoid pre-arraignment detention, but varied by region. Statewide DAT issuance increased from 38% in 2019 to 58% in 2021, then declined to 50% in 2022."
- Indigent Criminal Defense and Commonwealth's Attorneys
Virginia's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.
November, 2023.
"The number of attorneys serving as court-appointed defense attorneys in Virginia has declined since FY13, especially during the last few years. Participation has declined by more than half, from nearly 4,000 attorneys in FY13 to about 1,900 in FY23."
- Under-resourced and Ignored:
Indigent Defense in Schuylkill County,
Wren Collective.
January, 2024.
"We found an underfunded indigent defense system that lacks the support for enough lawyers to represent clients, including at bail hearings, for immigration consultations, and adequate technology for attorneys to properly do their jobs."
- Racial disparities in youth pretrial detention: a retrospective cohort study grounded in critical race theory
Andy Wen, Noah R. Gubner, Michelle M. Garrison, & Sarah Cusworth Walker.
March, 2023.
"After factoring in gender, age, crime severity, previous offenses, and variation between counties, our analyses show that Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and American Indian/Alaskan Native youth are more likely to experience pretrial detention than white youth."
Thursday, February 15 2024:
Monday, February 12 2024:
- Lessons from COVID-19 can help prisons & jails prepare for the next pandemic
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2023.
"Without any serious change to our reliance on mass incarceration -- this population will continue to bear the disproportionate burden of public health crises."
- One in Five:
How Mass Incarceration Deepens Inequality and Harms Public Safety (Part 4),
Sentencing Project.
January, 2024.
"Mass incarceration's hold on vast public resources, its imposition of financial burdens, and the obstacles erected for people with criminal records further erode economic and social buffers against crime."
- Since You Asked: What's next
for prison and jail phone justice now that the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act is law?,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2023.
"The Martha Wright-Reed Act accomplishes two main things: It clarifies the FCC's authority to regulate in-state calls placed from correctional facilities, as well as clarifying the agency's authority to regulate video calls."
- How 12 states are addressing family separation by incarceration -- and why they can and should do more
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2023.
"Four states and the federal prison system have implemented requirements that parents be detained within a specified distance of their kids, making it easier for children to access their caregivers."
- Why states should change Medicaid rules to cover people leaving prison
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2022.
"Research shows that expanding access to healthcare through Medicaid saves lives and reduces crime and arrest rates -- along with state spending."
- How a Medicare rule that ends financial burdens for the incarcerated leaves some behind
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2023.
"For people released from prison after January 1, 2023, there are new Medicare enrollment rules that create a 12-month Special Enrollment Period during which recently released people can enroll in Medicare Parts A and B without any financial penalties...."
- New data on HIV in prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic underscore links between HIV and incarceration
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2023.
"It seems unlikely that the drop in the HIV-positive prison population was the result of a targeted effort to protect the health of these individuals."
- New data:
Police use of force rising for Black, female, and older people; racial bias persists,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2022.
"During traffic stops, Black and Hispanic people were the most likely groups to experience a search or arrest. Meanwhile, white people were the least likely to receive a ticket and the most likely just to get off with a warning during a traffic stop."
- One in Five:
Disparities in Crime and Policing (Part 2),
Sentencing Project.
November, 2023.
"These racial and ethnic disparities in police contact snowball as individuals traverse the criminal legal system. They also, as discussed below, reduce the perceived legitimacy of policing."
- Mortality, health, and poverty:
the unmet needs of people on probation and parole,
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2023.
"Three in 10 people under community supervision have substance use disorders, four times the rate of substance use disorders in the general population."
- Racial disparities in diversion:
A research roundup,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2023.
"Diversion decisions are often highly subjective, leaving candidates vulnerable to the racial biases held by police, prosecutors, judges, or other decisionmakers."
- One in Five:
Ending Racial Inequity in Incarceration (Part I),
Sentencing Project.
October, 2023.
"As national and local politics resume the politicization of crime and drug policies, it is crucial to take stock of the progress that must be defended and built upon."
- One in Five:
Racial Disparity in Imprisonment -- Causes and Remedies (Part 3),
Sentencing Project.
December, 2023.
"Extreme sentences for violent crimes and reliance on criminal histories as a basis for determining prison sentences are drivers of racial disparities in imprisonment."
- How your local public housing authority can reduce barriers for people with criminal records
Prison Policy Initiative and Selena Munoz-Jones.
February, 2023.
"Public housing policies -- which should be a part of a crucial safety net against housing insecurity -- actually discriminate against people with criminal legal involvement and criminal records."
- What is civil commitment?
Recent report raises visibility of this shadowy form of incarceration,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2023.
"With little transparency about or consistent standards regarding how to progress through treatment, many people inside say that civil commitment feels like a de facto life sentence."
Thursday, February 1 2024:
- The COVID-19 pandemic and operational challenges, impacts, and lessons learned:
A multi-methods study of U.S. prison systems,
Meghan A. Novisky et al.
December, 2023.
"[Prison] daily operations were strained, especially in the areas of staffing, implementation of public health policy, and capacities to sustain correctional programming."
- Death By Design:
Part 1,
The Wren Collective.
December, 2023.
"In all 28 Harris County capital cases we reviewed, trial lawyers failed to uncover relevant evidence."
- Death By Design:
Part 2,
The Wren Collective.
December, 2023.
"Every single attorney we interviewed in Harris County told us that there were simply not enough well-trained mitigation specialists for hire, especially those trained in mental health."
- Dementia in the incarcerated population:
a retrospective study using the South Carolina Alzheimer's disease registry, USA, Paywall :(
Margaret Chandlee Miller et al.
February, 2023.
"For ages 55 and above in South Carolina, the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias is 6.7% in the general, non-incarcerated population compared to 14.4% in the incarcerated population."
- A Racial Disparity Across New York That Is Truly Jarring
New York Civil Liberties Union.
December, 2022.
"In Manhattan -- one of the wealthiest and least equal places in the country -- courts convicted Black people of felonies and misdemeanors at a rate 21 times greater than that of white people over the past two decades."
Wednesday, January 31 2024:
- "It Makes Him Feel Even Farther Away":
Disruptions in Communication Among Families Impacted by Incarceration During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Paywall :(
Breanna Boppre and Meghan A. Novisky.
November, 2023.
"Two rounds of interviews with family members...reveal stressors, including worry and frustration around uncertainty in communication, disconnected relationships due to visitation closure, and additional financial and emotional burdens."
- Criminal Victimization, 2022
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2023.
"Despite the recent increase, the last three decades saw an overall decline in the violent victimization rate from 79.8 to 23.5 per 1,000 from 1993 to 2022."
- Capital Punishment, 2021 - Statistical Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2023.
"Five states (Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, and Mississippi) and the BOP executed a total of 11 prisoners in 2021. Among the prisoners executed, 10 were male and 1 was female."
- Pathways to Wellness:
Health Needs of Black Women After Incarceration,
National Black Women's Justice Institute.
November, 2023.
"The Black women in this study want to take preventative measures to address and improve their health and wellness. However, accessing healthcare after incarceration remains challenging."
- Quality of Surgical Care Within the Criminal Justice Health Care System
Rui-Min Mao et al.
December, 2023.
"[30-day readmission and mortality] outcomes were comparable between the Texas prison population and the general population.... However, morbidity was significantly higher in the prison population."
- Emergency Medical Responses at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Centers in California
Annette M. Dekker et al.
November, 2023.
"We found that EMS-reported medical emergencies were disproportionately for females at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, with 12% of all EMS-reported emergencies for female patients due to pregnancy concerns."
Thursday, December 21 2023:
- "We're Hungry in Here":
D.C. Department of Corrections Food Survey Results,
dcgreens.
December, 2023.
"Six in ten residents responded that they "rarely" or "never" eat breakfast, seven in ten "rarely" or "never" eat lunch (most commonly bologna sandwiches) and six in ten respondents reported "rarely" or "never" eating dinner."
- Decision-Making for Hospitalized Incarcerated Patients Lacking Decisional Capacity
Paywall :(
Sarah Batbold et al.
December, 2023.
"Clinicians will encounter incarcerated patients in both hospital and clinic settings and should receive education on how to support ethically and legally sound decision-making practices for this medically vulnerable population."
- History of incarceration and age-related neurodegeneration:
Testing models of genetic and environmental risks in a longitudinal panel study of older adults,
Peter Tanksley, Matthew W. Logan, and J.C. Barnes.
December, 2023.
"These findings support the interpretation that APOE-e4 genotype and Lifetime incarceration operate as independent risk factors for cognitive impairment in later adulthood...together, [however, they may] inflict a multiplicative increase in risk."
- One Size Doesn't Fit All:
A Review of Post-Plea Problem-Solving Courts in Cook County,
Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts & Chicago Council of Lawyers.
March, 2023.
"Court personnel reported many success stories in their courts...[but] several of these programs are unlikely to meet all of Public Act 102-1041's stated goals."
- "You Send Yourselves to Jail":
Coercive Diversion in the Allegheny County Mental Health Court,
Abolitionist Law Center.
December, 2023.
"As a plea-dependent court, [the mental health court] subjects people to most traditional carceral processes and leaves them with a permanent record."
- Still Not Free When They Come Home:
How Wisconsin's Criminal Legal System Harms Democracy and the Black Community on Milwaukee's North Side,
Center for Popular Democracy and BLOC.
October, 2023.
"People released from prison did not know that their voting rights are restored after completing their sentences, received disinformation telling them they were ineligible to vote, or were too overwhelmed...to figure out voting right away."
Wednesday, December 20 2023:
- No Justice, No Resilience:
Prison Abolition As Disaster Mitigation in an Era of Climate Change, Paywall :(
Carlee Purdum et al.
December, 2021.
"Incarceration undermines individual and collective resilience needed to recover from disasters, whereas carceral infrastructure facilitates disaster harm to incarcerated persons and their communities."
Tuesday, December 19 2023:
- The High Costs of Cheap Food:
Eating in West Virginia Prisons,
West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy.
September, 2023.
"According to the Department of Agriculture, as of August 9, 2023, the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) has failed to submit any documentation required by the Fresh Food Act since 2019."
- Involuntary Civil Commitment as Mass Incarceration
Tristan Campbell.
September, 2023.
"Despite civil commitment often mirroring--and sometimes substituting for--incarceration, there is almost no data in comparison."
- Forgotten but not gone:
A multi-state analysis of modern-day debt imprisonment,
Johann D. Gaebler et al.
September, 2023.
"Between 2005 and 2018, around 38,000 residents of Texas and around 8,000 residents of Wisconsin were jailed each year for failure to pay (FTP), with the median individual spending one day in jail in both Texas and Wisconsin."
- Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mental Healthcare in Youth With Incarcerated Parents
Jennie E. Ryan et al.
March, 2023.
"Black [and Latinx] youth with incarcerated parents were significantly less likely to report receiving mental health services than White [and non-Latinx] youth with incarcerated parents."
Monday, December 18 2023:
- Parole Rules in the United States:
Conditions of Parole in Historical Perspective, 1956-2020,
Benjamin Wiggins et al.
June, 2021.
"The increasing number of standard conditions for people on parole, especially economic sanctions, can overwhelm a person on parole's willingness and capacity to comply."
- Advancing the Use of Data in Prosecution:
What We Measure Matters,
Fair and Just Prosecution.
October, 2023.
"Although a great deal of progress has been made to center data and research in public discourse, few jurisdictions have chosen to devote sufficient resources to cultivate robust data capacity in prosecutors' offices."
Friday, December 15 2023:
Wednesday, December 13 2023:
- Report and Recommendations Concerning Access to Counsel at the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Pretrial Facilities
Advisory Group of Dept. of Justice Components.
July, 2023.
"Unpredictability and delays in visits can complicate the attorney-client relationship and discourage individuals detained pretrial from seeking in-person visits with their counsel."
- Understanding Court Absence and Reframing "Failure To Appear" in Lake County, IL
Justice System Partners.
May, 2023.
"90% of individuals were not aware of either the Public Defender or Pretrial Services court reminder notification system. Of those who were not aware of this system, 90% said they would opt-in if offered again."
- Systemic Failure To Appear in Court
Lindsay Graef, Sandra G. Mason, Aurelie Ouss, and Megan T. Stevenson.
August, 2023.
"Between 2010 and 2020, an essential witness or lawyer failed to appear for at least one hearing in 53% of all cases, compared to a 19% FTA rate for defendants [in Philadelphia, Pa.]."
Monday, December 11 2023:
- Understanding the Landscape of Fines, Restitution, and Fees for Criminal Convictions in Minnesota
Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice.
August, 2023.
"In 2023, the [Minnesota] DOC reported that of 10,413 correctional fees imposed, it waived 338, for a waiver rate of 3.8%. However, of these, nearly 40% were waived due to the death of the person upon which the fees were originally imposed."
- Examining the System-Wide Effect of Eliminating Bail in New York City:
A Controlled-Interrupted Time Series Study,
Data Collaborative for Justice.
October, 2023.
"We found that eliminating discretion to set bail for select charges, mostly misdemeanors and non-violent felonies, was not associated with a system-wide change in either two-year or pretrial recidivism in either direction."
- Parole Condition Setting in Iowa
Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice.
July, 2023.
"There is a perception...that there are very few standard conditions because they fall into just eight paragraphs. But when...parsed into individual conditions, there are thirty-five distinct requirements."
- Probation Condition Setting in Johnson County, Kansas
Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice.
July, 2023.
"The standard probation forms used in Johnson County, Kansas, do not mirror the requirements in statute, and people across the system have lost sight of which conditions are required by statute and which are not."
- The Forgotten Jurisprudence of Parole and State Constitutional Doctrines of Vagueness
Kristen Bell.
September, 2023.
"This Article unearths historic state court decisions holding that sentences that end through the discretionary judgment of a parole board are "void for uncertainty.""
- Gideon at 60:
A Snapshot of State Public Defense Systems and Paths to System Reform,
National Institute of Justice Office for Access to Justice.
November, 2023.
"Two-thirds of states (34) do not have full statewide oversight of public defense, meaning they do not set standards or monitor whether people receive counsel in all cases where they have a right to it."
Friday, November 3 2023:
- The Legislative Primer Series on Front-End Justice:
Deflection and Diversion,
National Conference of State Legislatures.
August, 2023.
"Thirty-one states have made significant amendments to, or created new, pretrial diversion programs since 2017."
- Where people in prison come from:
The geography of mass incarceration in Rhode Island,
Prison Policy Initiative, the Redistricting Data Hub (Peter Horton and Spencer Nelson), Common Cause Rhode Island, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island.
October, 2023.
"In Providence, the neighborhoods with the highest incarceration rates in 2020 are also the neighborhoods that were "redlined" in the mid-20th century...becoming home to predominantly non-white residents."
- Extreme Heat and Suicide Watch Incidents Among Incarcerated Men
David H. Cloud, Brie Williams, and Regine Haardorfer et al.
August, 2023.
"The incidence rate of daily suicide incidents increased by 29% when the heat index reached the level of caution and by 36% when reaching extreme caution."
- "Smoke Screen":
Experience with the Incarcerated Grievance Program in New York State Prisons,
Correctional Association of New York.
October, 2023.
"The survey data confirms that the IGP [incarcerated grievance program] is heavily used and seen as vital by the incarcerated population, even as it fails to provide recourse."
- Suicide in North Carolina Jails
Disability Rights North Carolina.
June, 2020.
"While the total deaths [in North Carolina jails] increased by 6% (from 46 to 49) between 2018 and 2019, jail suicides increased by 67% (from 12 to 20). In 2019, 41% of all jail deaths were deaths by suicide."
- Casting Out from the Inside:
Abolishing Felony Disenfranchisement in New York,
Elizabeth Neuland.
December, 2022.
"Felony disenfranchisement stands in stark opposition to rehabilitation because it alienates individuals from the very communities to which DOCCS is taking great measures to help them to return."
- The State of New York City Jails:
One Year of Measuring Jail Operations and Management on the Comptroller's DOC Dashboard,
Office of the New York City Comptroller.
August, 2023.
"The share of incarcerated people [in NYC jails] with a serious mental illness increased 2% since August 2022, with the number of individuals nearly doubling since 2020, from 672 to 1,207."
- Multnomah County Pretrial System Assessment
Justice System Partners.
February, 2020.
"Addressing the over-supervision of pretrial defendants, especially low risk defendants that make up 53% of their court ordered population, will improve the program and save resources to potentially accept more cases."
- Increasing Court-Appearance Rates and Other Benefits of Live-Caller Telephone Court-Date Reminders:
The Jefferson County, Colorado, FTA Pilot Project and Resulting Court Date Notification Program,
Timothy R. Schnake, Michael R. Jones, and Dorian M. Wilderman.
June, 2012.
"Telephone reminders using live callers work. They increase court appearance rates, dramatically reducing the significant costs associated with FTAs (failures to appear) and FTA warrants."
Wednesday, October 18 2023:
- Thermal (In)equity and incarceration:
A necessary nexus for geographers, Paywall :(
Alex R Colucci, Daniel J Vecellio, and Michael J Allen.
December, 2021.
"In carceral spaces, thermal exposure agitates...complex situations, shaping a confluence of various economic, political, and ecological intersectionalities."
- Trends in the New York State Prison Population, 2008-2023
Data Collaborative for Justice.
July, 2023.
"The percentage indicted in the 5 boroughs of New York City decreased from 51% in 2008 to 38% in 2023...[and] a higher percentage of the prison population was indicted in upstate counties with major urban centers and rural upstate counties."
- Defining Flight Risk
Lauryn P. Gouldin.
April, 2018.
"Even as scholars, reformers, and practitioners are showing renewed interest in pretrial detention and bail, there is little focus on one central question: the appropriate meaning and role of what is often called "flight risk.""
- A Review of the Mississippi State Parole Board
Mississippi Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review.
July, 2021.
"In 2019, the State Parole Board established hearing dates within thirty days of an offender's parole eligibility for only 53% of offenders who were eligible for parole."
- What do Americans think about the U.S. prison system?
YouGov.
August, 2023.
"Americans are fairly split on whether or not the level of incarceration is a problem in the U.S.: 36% say the U.S. incarcerates too many people, 21% say about the right number of people are incarcerated, and 24% say too few people are incarcerated."
- Finding Home:
Removing Barriers to Housing for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals,
Megan Moore and Angie Weis Gammell.
September, 2023.
"Formerly incarcerated individuals have reported that Fair Chance Housing ordinances may actually further complicate their search for housing because they get further in the process, spending additional time and money, before ultimately being rejected."
- Highlights from 2020-2022 Criminal Summons Data
Data Collaborative for Justice.
June, 2023.
"In 2022, Black people were 9.10 times more likely than white people to be issued a summons, and Hispanic people were 6.78 times more likely to be issued a summons."
Thursday, October 5 2023:
- When Men Murder Women:
An Analysis of 2020 Homicide Data,
Violence Policy Center.
September, 2022.
"This is the first analysis of the 2020 data on female homicide victims to offer breakdowns of cases in the 10 states with the highest female victim/male offender homicide rates."
- Louisiana Deaths Behind Bars 2015-2021
Incarceration Transparency.
June, 2023.
"Since our last report analyzing deaths 2015-2019, an additional 375 incarcerated people have died behind bars. Our public records requests also produced documents on an additional 7 deaths that occurred 2015-2019."
- Jail Health and Early Release Practices
Brandon L. Garrett, Deniz Ariturk, Jessica Carda-Auten, and David L. Rosen.
December, 2022.
"Few states have rules that create formal legal vehicles for non-admission or release from jails for health-related reasons."
- Does Jail Contribute to Individuals Churning in and Out of the Criminal Legal System?
A Quasiexperimental Evaluation of Pretrial Detention on Time Until New Arrest,
Ian A. Silver, Jason Walker, Matthew DeMichele, and Ryan M. Labrecque.
July, 2023.
"Spending more than 7 days in pretrial detention was associated with an increased probability of a new arrest and new violent arrest earlier when compared to spending 1 day or less in pretrial detention."
- Stacked:
Where Criminal Charge Stacking Happens -- And Where it Doesn't,
Harvard Law Review.
March, 2023.
"Some states charge more offenses per defendant and do so more often than the federal government."
Friday, September 1 2023:
- Jails in Indian Country, 2022
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2023.
"Indian country jails admitted 5,570 persons during June 2022, a 4% decline from the 5,780 admissions during June 2021."
- Removing Barriers to Pretrial Appearance
Lessons Learned from Tulsa County, Oklahoma, and Hennepin County, Minnesota,
Urban Institute.
June, 2021.
"Most respondents agreed or strongly agreed that Court Ride [in Hennepin Cty, Minn.] had reduced barriers to court appearance (87.51%) and FTA rates for their clients (78.13%), and that it had reduced the number of their clients in custody (64.51%)."
- Findings and Policy Solutions from New Hanover, Orange, and Robeson Counties
North Carolina Court Appearance Project.
April, 2022.
"About 1 in 6 jail bookings in project counties occurred solely because of a failure to appear."
- Violent Victimization by Race or Hispanic Origin, 2008-2021
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2023.
"The rate of robbery victimization for black (2.8 per 1,000) and Hispanic persons (2.5 per 1K) was higher than for white persons (1.6 per 1K), but the rate of simple assault was higher for white persons (13.3) than black (11.3) or Hispanic (10.6) persons."
- Sentencing Decisions for Persons in Federal Prison for Drug Offenses, 2013-2018
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2023.
"The number of people in federal prison for drug offenses decreased 24% during the 5-year period from fiscal yearend 2013 to fiscal yearend 2018."
- Juveniles Incarcerated in U.S. Adult Jails and Prisons, 2002-2021
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2023.
"In 2021, local jails had custody of 1,960 juveniles while state and federal adult prisons held 290."
Thursday, August 31 2023:
- The Cost of Doing Business:
Why Criminal Justice Reform Is the Right Investment to Strengthen Mississippi's Economy and Workforce,
FWD.us.
June, 2023.
"Each year, Mississippi's economy -- especially its small businesses -- lose an estimated $2.7 billion in earnings due to criminal convictions."
- SMH:
The rapid & unregulated growth of e-messaging in prisons,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2023.
"Per-minute pricing [on tablet use] acts as a literacy tax, making it far more expensive for people who struggle to read and respond to messages."
- Reducing Multigenerational Poverty in New York Through Sentencing Reform
Jared Trujillo.
November, 2023.
"New York led the national charge in enacting harsh sentencing laws, while simultaneously shrinking its social safety net."
- Pretrial Detention, Release, and Bail Practice in Oregon
Oregon Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
June, 2021.
"There is a lack of data collected by Oregon's county and municipal jails...there are 16 different jail management systems across the state."
- High stakes mistakes:
How courts respond to "failure to appear",
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2023.
"We find that, on balance, "failure to appear" policies are about punishment, not improving appearance rates."
Tuesday, August 29 2023:
- COVID-19 amplified racial disparities in the US criminal legal system
Brennan Klein, C. Brandon Ogbunugafor, Benjamin J. Schafer et al.
April, 2023.
"States with fewer short-term prison sentences (Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon and Wyoming) did not show the same racial disparity we found nationally."
- Systemic Failures:
Conditions in California State Prisons During the Covid-19 Pandemic,
Prison Accountability Project at UCLA School of Law.
June, 2023.
"According to respondents, the [California Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation] ignored over 80 percent of incarcerated people's requests for medical care and failed to protect people with pre-existing conditions from COVID-19."
- Moving Justice Forward:
A Blueprint for the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice,
Center for Justice Innovation.
January, 2023.
"Stakeholders expressed great interest in piloting and eventually expanding the use of restorative justice practices in local courts."
- Digital inequalities in time of pandemic:
COVID-19 exposure risk profiles and new forms of vulnerability,
Laura Robinson, Jeremy Schulz, Aneka Khilnani et al.
June, 2020.
"...Restrictions imposed in the name of security already sharply curtail communication beyond prison walls, yet...fresh provision for digital communication might deliver outsized benefits."
(This article covers digital and social inequalities for many groups, including older adults, gig workers, and incarcerated people.)
- Office of the Public Defender Parole Project:
Revised Report,
New Jersey Office of the Public Defender.
September, 2021.
"From January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2019, 445 people who were sentenced to life in prison appeared before the Parole Board...39 applicants (8.76%) were paroled."
- Collaborating Across the Walls:
A Community Approach to Parole Justice,
Michelle Lewin and Nora Carroll.
October, 2017.
"Many applicants appear before the Board numerous times, often on nine or ten occasions, before they are granted release, forcing them to languish in prison for many years longer than their minimum sentence."
- Only Young Once:
The Urgent Need for Reform of Louisiana's Youth Justice System,
Southern Poverty Law Center.
July, 2023.
"Incarcerating a young person in Louisiana for one year ($156,570) is more expensive than the annual costs of enrollment in Louisiana public schools, Tulane University, and Louisiana State University combined ($118,571)."
Friday, August 25 2023:
- The Criminalization of Poverty in Kentucky:
How Economic Crises and Flawed Reforms Fueled an Incarceration Boom,
Vera Institute of Justice.
August, 2023.
"By turning to criminal legal fines and fees to fund court and jail operations, jurisdictions across Kentucky create a vicious cycle that traps people in poverty and makes it more difficult for people to lead stable lives after incarceration."
Wednesday, August 16 2023:
- Cruel and Usual:
An Investigation into Prison Abuse at USP Thompson,
The Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs, Uptown People's Law Center, and Levy Firestone Muse LLP.
July, 2023.
"Hundreds of people held in in the Federal Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) Special Management Unit (SMU) endured years of unconstitutional and abusive conditions."
- "All carrots and no stick":
Perceived impacts, changes in practices, and attitudes among law enforcement following drug decriminalization in Oregon, Paywall :(
Hope M. Smiley-McDonald, Peyton R. Attaway, Lynn D. Wenger, Kathryn Greenwell, Barrot H. Lambdin, and Alex H. Kral.
August, 2023.
"Law enforcement interviewees expressed frustration that they could not use drug possession as a "tool" for investigations to pursue and build cases, establish probable cause, and impose what they believed necessary for social order."
- Where people in prison come from:
The geography of mass incarceration in Louisiana,
Voice of the Experienced, the Redistricting Data Hub (Spencer Nelson and Peter Horton), and the Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2023.
"The city of New Orleans has an imprisonment rate of 652 per 100,000 residents, but 19 of the city's 72 neighborhoods have imprisonment rates above 1,000 per 100,000. It is not a coincidence that many of these neighborhoods are predominately Black."
- Assessing the Effectiveness of Pretrial Special Conditions
Full Findings from the Pretrial Justice Collaborative,
Chloe Anderson, Erin Valentine, and Daron Holman.
June, 2023.
"The analysis found that being released on [electronic monitoring] or sobriety monitoring did not significantly improve court appearance rates."
- Inequitable and Undemocratic:
A Research Brief on Jury Exclusion in Massachusetts and a Multipronged Approach to Dismantle It,
Katy Naples-Mitchell and Haruka Margaret Braun, Roundtable on Racial Disparities in Massachusetts Criminal Courts.
June, 2023.
"A conservative estimate of 95,000 people are disqualified from jury service [in Massachusetts] because of a felony conviction within seven years, a pending felony charge, or current incarceration at any given time."
- In Prison, Discipline Comes Down Hardest On Women
Joseph Shapiro, Jessica Pupovac, and Kari Lydersen.
October, 2018.
"In 13 of the 15 states we analyzed, women get in trouble at higher rates than men. The discrepancies are highest for more minor infractions of prison rules."
- Incarceration of Youths in an Adult Correctional Facility and Risk of Premature Death
Ian A. Silver, Daniel C. Semenza, and Joseph L. Nedelec.
July, 2023.
"Approximately 8% of youths incarcerated in adult correctional facilities were estimated to die by the age of 39 years. In comparison, just over 2% of youths without legal system contact before [age 18] were estimated to have died by the age of 39 years."
Friday, July 7 2023:
- Special Report:
Summer Heat in New Jersey Prisons,
New Jersey Office of the Corrections Ombudsperson.
September, 2022.
"The Ombuds office confirmed that ice was provided on hot days, however, some facilities provided ice free of charge several times per day while others required a minimal payment or provided ice only on a single shift each day."
- Unlocking College:
Strengthening Massachusetts' Commitment to College in Prison,
The Boston Foundation.
October, 2022.
"In Massachusetts, the average annual cost to incarcerate someone in a DOC facility is $92,000, significantly higher than a year of even the most expensive college program in the state."
- Does New York's Bail Reform Law Impact Recidivism?
A Quasi-Experimental Test in New York City,
Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College.
March, 2023.
"The results indicate that bail reform's mandatory release provisions significantly reduced two-year re-arrest rates for any charge (44% vs. 50%) and for a felony (24% vs. 27%)."
- New West Virginia Capias Law - Effective June 9, 2023
West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy.
May, 2023.
"In March 2023, lawmakers passed legislation to address a growing reason why people are taken to West Virginia jails: capiases (also known as bench warrants). Senate Bill 633 provides a uniform standard for addressing capiases..."
- Safe At Home:
Improving Maryland's Parole Release Decision Making,
Justice Policy Institute.
May, 2023.
"In Maryland, [parole] grant rates decline sharply beginning at 40 years of age."
- Racial Injustice Report:
Disparities in Philadelphia's Criminal Courts from 2015-2022,
Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.
June, 2023.
"Black individuals account for 69% of police stops and 62% of individuals arrested; white people accounted for only 18% of police stops and 21% of arrests, despite the fact that Black and white people make up similar shares of the city's population."
- Effective Alternatives to Youth Incarceration
Sentencing Project.
June, 2023.
"Effective alternative-to-incarceration programs produce better public safety outcomes than incarceration, at far lower costs, and do far less damage to young people's futures."
- Justice for Emerging Adults after Jones:
The Rapidly Developing Use of Neuroscience to Extend Eighth Amendment Miller Protections to Defendants Ages 18 and Older,
Francis X. Shen et al.
June, 2022.
"This Essay provides the first empirical analysis of how courts are receiving the argument to raise the age for constitutional protections and introduces a publicly accessible, searchable database containing 494 such cases."
Wednesday, June 28 2023:
- Risk Averse and Disinclined:
What COVID Prison Releases Demonstrate About the Ability of the United States To Reduce Mass Incarceration,
Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice.
April, 2023.
"All people released to house arrest [in Kansas]--15 in a prison system of 10,000--had 5 months or less left on their sentence, indicating that the releases did not significantly reduce the prison population or address social-distancing concerns."
- Substantiated Incidents of Sexual Victimization Reported by Adult Correctional Authorities, 2016-2018
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2023.
"In 29% of abusive sexual contact incidents in adult correctional facilities, the victim was not offered or provided medical treatment."
- Correctional Populations in the United States, 2021 - Statistical Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2023.
"At yearend 2021, an estimated 5,444,900 persons were under the supervision of adult correctional systems in the United States, a decline of 1% (down 61,100 persons) from yearend 2020."
- Estimated Use of Prescription Medications Among Individuals Incarcerated in Jails and State Prisons in the US
Jill Curran et al.
April, 2023.
"The relative disparity between disease burden and pharmaceutical volume varied from 1.9-fold to 5.5-fold and was greatest for asthma and least for hepatitis."
- Mental health disparities in solitary confinement
Paywall :(
Jessica T. Simes, Bruce Western, and Angela Lee.
July, 2022.
"Disparities by mental health status result from the cumulative effects of prison misconduct charges and disciplinary hearings. We estimate that those with serious mental illness spend three times longer in solitary [than those without mental illness]."
- Debt Sentence:
How Fines and Fees Hurt Working Families,
Wilson Center for Science and Justice and the Fines and Fees Justice Center.
May, 2023.
"This is the first study to use a nationally representative sample in examining the personal impacts court-imposed debt has on people unable to immediately pay off their fines and fees."
- Probation and Parole in the United States, 2021
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2023.
"From yearend 2011 to yearend 2021, the total adult community supervision population fell 22%, from 4,818,300 to 3,745,000. Most of this decrease was due to a decline of 25% (1 million) in the number of adults on probation."
- Federal Justice Statistics, 2021
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2022.
"U.S. attorneys declined to prosecute 22% of matters concluded in FY 2021. The cases most likely to be declined were property fraud (45%) and regulatory public order (44%) offenses."
- From Victim to Victor:
An Inquiry into Death by Incarceration, Gender, and Resistance in Pennsylvania,
Abolitionist Law Center.
April, 2023.
"One third of [survey respondents'] cases involved the death of a romantic partner, and in 85% of those cases, the participants had experienced partner abuse."
Tuesday, June 27 2023:
- Neighborhood Incarceration Rates and Adverse Birth Outcomes in New York City, 2010-2014
Louisa W. Holaday et al.
March, 2023.
"In all models, as neighborhood incarceration rate increased, there was an increased incidence rate ratio of preterm birth [and an increased IRR of low birth weight]."
- The State of Prison Food in New England:
A Survey of Federal and State Policy,
Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law.
April, 2023.
"Cost reductions that result in nutritionally inadequate food may ultimately cost taxpayers more as healthcare in public prisons constitutes their largest expenditure--estimates suggest these costs amount to over $12 billion per year."
- Calculating Torture
Solitary Watch and Unlock the Box Campaign.
May, 2023.
"State and federal prisons and local and federal jails in the U.S. have reported on a given day locking a combined total of more than 122,000 people in solitary confinement for 22 or more hours."
- Increasing Public Safety by Restoring Voting Rights
Sentencing Project.
April, 2023.
"Retaining one's voting rights regardless of involvement in the criminal legal system can be viewed as a public safety strategy."
Thursday, May 25 2023:
- Coping With Limited Prosecutorial Resources: An Assessment of the
Case Processing and Community Impact From...Prosecutors and Staff in a Southeastern County, Paywall :(
Christi Metcalfe and Joseph B. Kuhns.
March, 2023.
"Results suggested that Mecklenburg County...suffered more broadly from criminal justice funding challenges, and faced staffing shortages and turnover that were perceived as affecting case dispositions, office morale, and community trust."
- Sentencing Reform for Criminalized Survivors:
Learning from New York's Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act,
Sentencing Project and Survivors Justice Project.
April, 2023.
"Since its passage, the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA) has freed people who otherwise would have spent considerably more time behind bars, but compromises...have limited its impact."
- Lower-Level Enforcement, Racial Disparities, & Alternatives to Arrest:
A Review of Research and Practice from 1970 to 2021,
Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College.
February, 2023.
(This policy review considers five key models of alternatives to arrest: citations, diversion programs, legalization, police-involved crisis response models, and non-police response models.)
- Banning Torture:
Legislative Trends and Policy Solutions for Restricting and Ending Solitary Confinement throughout the United States,
Unlock the Box Campaign.
January, 2023.
"Given that even a brief time in solitary can cause devastating harm--without any benefit--policymakers should finally and fully end solitary confinement for all people, other than for periods of minutes or hours for purposes of emergency de-escalation."
- You're Out!:
Three Strikes Against the PLRA's Three Strikes Rule,
Kasey Clark.
March, 2023.
"At a minimum, the PLRA has failed to achieve Congress's goal of garnering "better prisoner suits." The overall decrease in the proportion of wins by prisoner-plaintiffs...also suggests that more meritorious claims are being excluded from the courts."
- Jail Populations, Violent Crime, and COVID-19:
Findings from the Safety and Justice Challenge,
CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance.
March, 2023.
"The public narrative that jail population reform leads to an increase in violent crime makes for attention-grabbing headlines, but it is not backed by any evidence-based research."
- Reduction or Elimination of Costs and Fees Charged to Inmates in State Correctional Facilities
Virginia Department of Corrections.
October, 2022.
"The 9% commission [on commissary purchases] collected by VADOC, in addition to high prices and sales tax, collected to fund these services places an unfair cost on some of the Commonwealth's poorest families."
- Heat-related mortality in U.S. state and private prisons:
A case-crossover analysis,
Julianne Skarha et al.
March, 2023.
"A 10-degree (F) increase was associated with a 5.2% increase in total mortality and a 6.7% increase in heart disease mortality. The association between temperature and suicides was delayed, peaking around lag 3 (exposure at three days prior to death)."
- Estimated Costs and Outcomes Associated With Use and Nonuse of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
During Incarceration and at Release in Massachusetts,
Avik Chatterjee et al.
April, 2023.
"We found that initiating and continuing MOUD treatment during incarceration could avert a substantial number of opioid overdose deaths at a relatively low cost ($8 million over 5 years) and would be a highly cost-effective intervention."
- Reformers Looking To Intervene in Mass Incarceration Must Understand the Role of Rural County Jails
Sarah Walton.
May, 2023.
"In communities that lack alternatives, jails may become a catchall solution to local health and economic crises...healthcare facilities, schools, employers, and housing agencies are all necessary partners in addressing rising rural jail incarceration."
(Read more in Sarah Walton, "The Gateway to Mass Incarceration: A County-Level Analysis of Jails in the United States," Ohio State University, forthcoming.)
- Protected & Served?
2022 Community Survey of LGBTQ+ People and People Living with HIV's Experiences with the Criminal Legal System,
Lambda Legal and Black and Pink National.
February, 2023.
"In terms of both expectations and real experiences, trans people, gender nonconforming/ nonbinary people, and people of color were more likely to say that police were or would be very hostile, very skeptical, and very unfair to them."
- Justice Navigator Public Assessments
Center for Policing Equity.
December, 2022.
(This platform contains analyses of policing data from seven participating departments across the country, to identify which policing practices have patterns of racial disparities, and what factors may be contributing to those disparities.)
- Punishment Beyond Prisons 2023:
Incarceration and supervision by state,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2023.
"Understanding how each state fares in probation and parole in addition to its systems of confinement gives us a more accurate and complete picture of its reliance on punishment."
(This is an update to our 2018 report,)
- Excessive, unjust, and expensive:
Fixing Connecticut's probation and parole problems,
Prison Policy Initiative and the Katal Center for Equity, Health and Justice.
May, 2023.
"Those who are on probation and parole live in fear of arrest and incarceration for nearly any action that could constitute a violation -- a gross misuse of resources and a disservice to families in Connecticut."
- Criminal Convictions in New York State, 1980-2021
Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College.
May, 2023.
"Relative to their representation in the residential population, the conviction rate in 2019 for Black people statewide was 3.1 times higher than for white people."
- Employment Application Criminal Record Questions and Willingness to Apply:
A Mixed Method Study of Self-Selection, Paywall :(
Mike Vuolo, Lesley E. Schneider, and Eric G. LaPlant.
September, 2022.
"[Job] applicants may self-select out rather than divulge their record...In interviews, participants described self-selecting out due to anticipatory stigma, often resulting in long-term burnout. Still, some respondents would apply..."
- Race, work history, and the employment recidivism relationship
Simon G. Kolbeck, Paul E. Bellair, and Steven Lopez.
August, 2022.
"Our findings imply that employment contributes to racial disparities in recidivism via racialized barriers to labor market participation rather than via differential effects."
- The Poor Reform Prosecutor:
So Far From the State Capital, So Close to the Suburbs,
John F. Pfaff.
March, 2023.
"In many ways, the county is a distinctly awkward jurisdiction for those who hope reform-minded prosecutors can play a significant role in reversing our decades-long investment in mass punishment and mass incarceration."
- How Long is Long Enough?
Task Force on Long Sentences Final Report,
Council on Criminal Justice.
November, 2022.
"While drug crimes account for a minority of the nation's long sentences, the Task Force believes that long prison terms are especially ineffective in addressing substance use disorders and related or co-occurring mental health disorders."
- Cost of Discretion:
Judicial Decision-Making, Pretrial Detention, and Public Safety in New York City,
Scrutinize, QSIDE Institute, and NYU School of Law.
May, 2023.
"The estimated impact of these judges' disproportionately carceral decisions over 2.5 years amounts to 580 additional people detained, 154 additional years of pretrial detention, and over $77 million of additional costs borne by New York City taxpayers."
- Evidence Rules for Decarceration
Erin Collins.
April, 2023.
"As we envision a path towards decarceration, we must consider the barriers created by evidence rules, even if defendants often are effectively dissuaded from exercising their right to trial and the rules are never applied."
- Women's Pathways Into and Out of Jail in Buncombe County
Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2022.
"Very high bond amounts present an insurmountable challenge, leaving women with no other option but pretrial incarceration. Many women with bond amounts less than $10,000 found this sum impossible to pay, even when required to post only 10 percent..."
- A Statewide Analysis of the Impact of Restitution and Fees on Juvenile Recidivism in Florida Across Race & Ethnicity
Alex R. Piquero, Michael T. Baglivio, and Kevin T. Wolff.
February, 2023.
"The current study demonstrates youth assigned fees evidence significantly higher recidivism than similarly situated youth not assigned fees, as measured by an adjudication for a new criminal offense committed within 365 days."
Tuesday, April 18 2023:
- Racial And Ethnic Inequalities In COVID-19 Mortality Within Carceral Settings: An Analysis Of Texas Prisons
Paywall :(
Neal Marquez, Destiny Moreno, Amanda Klonsky, and Sharon Dolovich.
November, 2022.
"COVID-19 mortality was 1.61 and 2.12 times higher for Black and Hispanic populations, respectively, when compared with the White population in Texas prisons."
- Assessment of US Federal Funding of Incarceration-Related Research, 1985 to 2022
Samantha J. Boch, Aaron W. Murnan, Jordan F. Pollard et al.
February, 2023.
"Consistent with previous research, 0.12% of all projects funded at the NIH and 0.03% at the NSF since 1985 were related to incarceration...substantially lower than the number of projects that relate to other systems such as education and the military."
- The Impacts of Length of Prison Stay on Recidivism of Non-Violent Offenders in Oregon
Mark G. Leymon, Christopher M. Campbell, Kris Henning, and Brian C. Renauer.
September, 2022.
"In the few places significant results are present, [length of stay] increased the probability of recidivism at some points, and in other cases, it slightly decreased the probability of rearrest."
- From Crisis to Care:
Ending the Health Harm of Women's Prisons,
Human Impact Partners.
February, 2023.
"The state of California invests $405 million a year in its women's prisons...[it] has the opportunity to invest that money in health-promoting support systems that people can access in their own communities."
Monday, April 17 2023:
- Stepping on the Gas:
Accelerating Florida's Economic Growth by Restoring the Freedom to Drive,
Fines and Fees Justice Center.
February, 2023.
"As of November 2022, 716,383 Floridians cannot legally drive because of unpaid fines and fees--1 in 24 driving-age adults."
- Prison agriculture in the United States:
racial capitalism and the disciplinary matrix of exploitation and rehabilitation, Paywall :(
Carrie Chennault and Joshua Sbicca.
October, 2022.
"Prison agriculture embodies explicit forms of exploitation and claims of rehabilitation...At least 662 adult state prisons have agricultural activities, including an array of animal, food, and plant production."
- Reimagining Community Safety in California:
From Deadly and Expensive Sheriffs to Equity and Care-Centered Wellbeing,
Catalyst California.
October, 2022.
"For the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, 88.8% of officer time spent on stops (25,269 hours) was for officer-initiated stops rather than in response to a call for service, which accounted for only 11.2% (3,189 hours) of officer time spent on stops."
- Ticketing and Turnout:
The Participatory Consequences of Low-Level Police Contact,
Jonathan Ben-Menachem and Kevin T. Morris.
December, 2022.
"Few analyses directly investigate the causal effect of lower-level police contact on voter turnout. To do so, we leverage individual-level administrative ticketing data from Hillsborough County, Florida."
- Assessments & Surcharges:
A 50-State Survey of Supplemental Fees,
Fines and Fees Justice Center.
December, 2022.
"Whether they are called administrative assessments, surcharges, court costs, privilege taxes, docket fees, or something else...they are imposed in nearly every criminal, traffic, or local ordinance case."
- Building Connections to Housing During Reentry:
Results from a Questionnaire on DOC Housing Policies, Programs, and Needs,
Council of State Governments Justice Center.
April, 2023.
"For almost half [of respondents], if housing is not identified prior to release, people must remain incarcerated until an address is approved."
- A New Paradigm for Sentencing in the United States
Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2023.
"[This] report suggests a "North Star" for sentencing policy with a legal presumption toward community-based sentences except in limited circumstances."
- Greening Criminal Legal Deserts in Rural Texas
Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center.
October, 2022.
"The shortage of rural criminal lawyers is dire. Fewer than 1% of Texas criminal lawyers have their practice in a rural county."
- Persevere:
Our Ongoing Fight for an Equal Justice Judiciary,
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
February, 2023.
"Having judges who reflect and represent all of us also increases public trust in the judiciary and improves judicial decision-making."
Friday, March 31 2023:
- Arrests as Regulation
Eisha Jain.
April, 2015.
"When noncriminal justice actors rely on arrests (as proxies for information they value), they set off a complicated and poorly understood web of interactions with the criminal justice system."
- Is Bail Reform Causing an Increase in Crime?
Don Stemen and David Olson.
January, 2023.
"We considered eleven bail-reform jurisdictions to determine the effect, if any, of these policy changes on crime. Violent crime trends after reforms present no clear or obvious pattern in these jurisdictions."
- Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Arrests in California
Public Policy Institute of California.
February, 2023.
"California experienced persistent declines of 5 percent for felony arrests and 40 percent for misdemeanor arrests until at least July 2021--resulting in a rare near-convergence of these two arrest types."
- Pandemic, Social Unrest, and Crime in U.S. Cities
Year-End 2022 Update,
Council on Criminal Justice.
January, 2023.
"There were 3.5% fewer aggravated assaults in 2022 than in 2021. The number of gun assaults dropped by 7% in 2022, but this trend is based on data from just 11 cities and should be viewed with additional caution."
- Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2023,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2022.
"This big-picture view is a lens through which the main drivers of mass incarceration come into focus; it allows us to identify important, but often ignored, systems of confinement."
- Mass Incarceration Trends
Sentencing Project.
January, 2023.
"The year 2023 marks the 50th year since the U.S. prison population began its unprecedented surge."
- Special Legislative Commission on Structural Racism in Correctional Facilities of the Commonwealth
Former Special Legislative Commission on Structural Racism in Correctional Facilities of the Commonwealth and African American Coalition Committee Structural Racism Commission.
December, 2022.
"Structural racism in Corrections systems produces or perpetuates unfair treatment and impacts by race and other intersecting identities...it can be dismantled with intentional partnership between the Legislative and Executive branches."
- Women's Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2023,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2023.
"The disaggregated numbers presented here are an important step to ensuring that women are not left behind in the effort to end mass incarceration."
Sunday, March 12 2023:
- High-Frequency Location Data Shows That Race Affects the Likelihood of Being Stopped and Fined for Speeding
Pradhi Aggarwal et al.
December, 2022.
"Relative to a white driver traveling the same speed, minorities are 24 to 33 percent more likely to be stopped for speeding and pay 23 to 34 percent more in fines."
- The Burden of Court Debt on Washingtonians
Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2023.
"At least 78 percent of people with legal-financial debt meet the state's indigency standard, yet courts routinely impose fines and fees at conviction averaging $695 for misdemeanor cases and $1,302 for felony cases."
- Commission to Examine Reestablishing Parole
State of Maine Legislature.
December, 2022.
"The Commission reports on the history and current state of parole in Maine, as well as its recomendations for exploring options to reestablish a parole system in Maine."
- Over-Incarceration of Native Americans:
Roots, Inequities, and Solutions,
Safety and Justice Challenge.
July, 2022.
"Interventions meant to address over-incarceration of Native people should start at the tribal level. Tribes could impact disparity on a national level by providing supportive and restorative services for those involved in their own justice systems."
- Preempting Progress:
States Take Aim at Local Prosecutors,
Jorge Camacho et al.
January, 2023.
"In the past three state legislative sessions, at least 28 preemption bills have been proposed in 16 states to undermine anti-carceral uses of prosecutorial discretion."
Friday, March 3 2023:
- Overdose Prevention Centers:
A Successful Strategy for Preventing Death and Disease,
The Cato Institute.
February, 2023.
"Federally legalizing all drugs would allow harm-reduction organizations to operate facilities where people can consume drugs more safely."
- Toward an Optimal Decarceration Strategy
Ben Grunwald.
April, 2022.
"The public debate has focused almost exclusively on how we might decarcerate while minimizing any increases in crime and has, therefore, underappreciated the costs of prison itself. We should consider at least three more metrics..."
- Broken Rules:
Laws Meant to End Debtors' Prisons are Failing Nebraskans,
ACLU of Nebraska.
December, 2022.
"Observations from a combined 2,300+ bail and sentencing hearings show systemic disregard of laws meant to protect Nebraskans who are struggling financially."
- Are Supervision Violations Filling Prisons?
The Role of Probation, Parole, and New Offenses in Driving Mass Incarceration,
Michelle S. Phelps, H. N. Dickens, and De Andre' T. Beadle.
January, 2023.
"These estimates suggest that although adults on community supervision constitute a substantial part of mass incarceration's growth, technical violations have not been a primary driver of prison populations."
- Homelessness and Contact with the Criminal Legal System among U.S. Combat Veterans:
An Exploration of Potential Mediating Factors, Paywall :(
Ugur Orak et al.
December, 2022.
"A large proportion (53.6%) of the association between homelessness and criminal legal system involvement was accounted for by indirect associations, most notably via drug use disorder (22.1%), moral injury (11.4%), and alcohol use disorder (10.7%)."
Friday, February 24 2023:
- That Time We Tried to Build the Perfect Prison:
Learning from Episodes Across U.S. Prison History, Paywall :(
Ashley T. Rubin.
December, 2022.
"While many of these endeavours are impressive...it is also possible to locate these ventures in a very long line of efforts to construct the perfect prison, a slippery goal that changes over time."
- Weighing the Impact of Simple Possession of Marijuana:
Trends and Sentencing in the Federal System,
United States Sentencing Commission.
January, 2023.
"As of January 2022, no offenders sentenced solely for simple possession of marijuana remained in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons."
- Police Diversion at Arrest:
A Systematic Review of the Literature, Paywall :(
Caroline Harmon-Darrow et al.
November, 2022.
"Overall, police diversion programs were associated with reducing recidivism and lowering costs, although there is little association between program participation and improved behavioral health."
- The Social Costs of Policing
Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2022.
"[One study found that] people who were stopped and questioned or arrested by the police decreased their formal interactions with important social and welfare institutions such as medical, financial, civic, and educational institutions."
- Expungement of Criminal Convictions:
An Empirical Study,
J.J. Prescott and Sonja B. Starr.
June, 2020.
"What has been missing from the debate is hard evidence about the effects and true potential of conviction expungement laws...It leaves policymakers almost entirely in the dark."
Thursday, February 9 2023:
- Prioritization of carceral spending in U.S. cities:
Development of the Carceral Resource Index (CRI) and the role of race and income inequality,
Britt Skaathun et al.
December, 2022.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to consider the joint interaction of race and class on the prioritization of carceral systems over health and social support systems."
- Mental Health of Incarcerated Veterans and Civilians:
Latent Class Analysis of the 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates, Paywall :(
Emily R. Edwards et al.
September, 2022.
"Classes were compared on Veteran status, military service-related variables, and treatment-related variables...Results attest to the importance of person-centered mental health care within correctional settings."
- The Explosion of Unpaid Criminal Fines and Fees in North Carolina
Duke Law Center for Science and Justice.
April, 2020.
"One in twelve adults in North Carolina currently have unpaid criminal court debt. This largely uncollectable debt may total well over one hundred million dollars."
- Technical Violations and Their Effects on Pretrial/Bond Supervision Outcomes
Paywall :(
Haley R. Zettler and Kelli D. Martin.
June, 2022.
"While technical violations are associated with pretrial failure, the effects vary by violation type. Furthermore, the findings illustrate differences in risk factors for technical violations while on pretrial/bond supervision."
- Monitoring Pretrial Reform in Harris County:
Second Report of the Court-Appointed Monitor,
Independent Monitor for the Odonnell v. Harris County Decree.
March, 2021.
"These data analyses show an overall decrease in the duration of pretrial detention: in more than 80% of the cases since 2017, defendants spent two days or fewer in jail before their release."
- The Prison Industry Corporate Database
Worth Rises.
October, 2022.
"The prison industry is worth over $80 billion and includes thousands of corporations. This is a database of corporations that do business with corrections and immigration detention in the U.S."
- Mapping Transformative Schools:
From Punishment to Promise,
National Juvenile Justice Network.
December, 2022.
"Young people we talked to discussed the wide use of suspensions and expulsions for minor infractions, differences in suspensions and expulsions based on race and gender, and the lasting harm to students when they are suspended."
Friday, January 27 2023:
- Changes in the Use of Telehealth Services and Use of Technology
for Communication in U.S. Community Supervision Agencies Since COVID-19,
Jill Viglione and Thuy Nguyen.
May, 2022.
"Our results indicated that agencies who implemented more COVID-19 mitigation strategies were more likely to institute changes to meet more safely face-to-face with individuals on supervision."
- Inside Illinois Civil Commitment:
Treatment Behind Razor Wire,
Civil Commitment Working Group Illinois.
November, 2022.
"While anecdotal reports do reflect incremental improvements to conditions after recent leadership changes at Rushville, the fact remains that Rushville is not a treatment center, it is a prison full of people who are serving de facto life sentences."
- Department of Corrections: Significant Deficiencies Demonstrate Need for Overhaul of the Prisoner Grievance Process
Vermont State Auditor's Office.
December, 2022.
"The recordkeeping system that DOC uses to collect information on grievances-- the Offender Management System (OMS)--does not have reliable, basic information to determine the number, type, status, or outcome of prisoner grievances."
- Using the Americans with Disabilities Act to Reduce Overdose Deaths
David Howard Sinkman and Gregory Dorchak.
January, 2022.
"The Department [of Justice] has a powerful enforcement tool to address the opioid crisis: helping jails and prisons satisfy their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act by providing all medications used to treat Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)."
- History of Incarceration and Its Association With Geriatric and Chronic Health Outcomes in Older Adulthood
Ilana R. Garcia-Grossman et al.
January, 2023.
"In this study, at least 1 in 15 older US adults reported a history of incarceration in their lifetime. Past incarceration was associated with many chronic diseases and geriatric syndromes even after accounting for socioeconomic status."
- Can There Be Acceptable Prison Health Care?
Looking Back on the 1970s,
Susan M. Reverby.
January, 2019.
"[Formerly incarcerated physician Alan] Berkman's argument--that control rather than care underlies the medical rationale in prison health care--still undermines humane treatment of incarcerated people."
- Legal Reactivity:
Correctional Health Care Certifications as Responses to Litigation,
Spencer Headworth and Callie Zaborenko.
August, 2021.
"We find that corrections actors tend to adopt [third-party correctional health care] certifications when directly threatened by elevated rates of litigation in their states."
- Right to a Healthy Prison Environment:
Health Care in Custody Under the Prism of Torture,
Juan E. Mendez.
January, 2019.
"A healthy [prison] environment requires structural integrity of prison systems, access to medical care and treatment, health care services, including dental, psychological, and rehabilitative services, and opportunity for prisoners to exercise."
- Performance Measures for Medication-assisted Treatment in Correctional Settings:
A Framework for Implementation,
Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association.
December, 2022.
"An individual released from custody may not realize that even brief incarcerations could result in reduced tolerance levels and resuming use at the same rate and/or dose of pre-incarceration, leading to a fatal unintentional overdose."
- The benefits of live court date reminder phone calls during pretrial case processing
Paywall :(
Russell Ferri.
March, 2022.
"Court date reminders [via phone call] reduced the failure to appear (FTA) rate by 37%. The results suggest the timing of the reminders was not important."
- An eye on reform:
Examining decisions, procedures, and outcomes of the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision release process,
Christopher M. Campbell et al.
September, 2022.
"All interviewees discussed how "articulating their rehabilitation" or "demonstrated insight" were both critical in the process and yet very difficult to achieve, often due to poor communication skills."
- Reducing Racial Inequality in Crime and Justice
National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
November, 2022.
"This report offers an account of the research evidence that can inform the public conversation and the policy discussion over reducing racial inequality in the criminal justice system and advancing racial equity."
- Racial Disparities in the Administration of Discipline in New York State Prisons
State of New York Offices of the Inspector General.
November, 2022.
"Of DOCCS employees who issued 50 or more Misbehavior Reports during the period reviewed, 226 employees issued them to only non-White incarcerated individuals, including 114 employees who issued them to only Black or Hispanic incarcerated individuals."
- Sticky Stigma:
The Impact of Incarceration on Perceptions of Personality Traits and Deservingness, Paywall :(
Bridget Brew et al.
July, 2021.
"Members of marginalized groups who are most likely to experience incarceration or have an incarcerated loved one continue to face informal social exclusion and the attendant consequences long after the formal punishment."
- Final Report of the Illinois Resentencing Task Force
Illinois Resentencing Task Force.
December, 2022.
"A resentencing system that allows both prospective and retroactive application will have the greatest impact on the prison population and address the disparate impact of mass incarceration."
- Reflections on Long Prison Sentences:
A Conversation with Crime Survivors, Formerly Incarcerated People, and Family Members,
Susan Howley, Council on Criminal Justice.
January, 2022.
"Most participants across the two groups said they did not equate long sentences with accountability."
- No Justice, No Pleas:
Subverting Mass Incarceration Through Defendant Collective Action,
Andrew Manuel Crespo.
April, 2022.
"Courts and prosecutors simply do not have the resources to sustain mass incarceration while affording everyone accused of a crime the constitutionally guaranteed right to a trial."
- Pregnancy, Systematic Disregard and Degradation, and Carceral Institutions
Lauren Kuhlik and Carolyn Sufrin.
2020.
"We describe violations of constitutional and clinical standards of reproductive care behind bars... these reproductive coercions are grounded in historical legacies of slavery and the ongoing reproductive control of black and other marginalized bodies."
Friday, January 6 2023:
- Impact of COVID-19 on State and Federal Prisons, March 2020-February 2021
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2022.
"Almost 2,500 state and federal prisoners died of COVID-19-related causes during the 12 months from March 2020 to February 2021."
- Jails in Indian Country, 2021, and the Impact of COVID-19, July-December 2020
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2022.
"About 5,780 persons were admitted to Indian country jails in June 2021, up 8% from the 5,330 admissions in June 2020."
- "Not for Human Consumption":
Prison Food's Absent Regulatory Regime,
Amanda Chan and Anna Nathanson.
May, 2021.
"With the passage of the [Prison Litigation Reform Act]...Prisoners lost one of their tools for seeking humane food conditions, and they continue to suffer the consequences."
- Criminal Victimization, 2021
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2022.
"From 1993 to 2021, the rate of violent victimization declined from 79.8 to 16.5 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older."
- The Birth of the Penal Organization:
Why Prisons Were Born to Fail,
Ashley T. Rubin.
June, 2019.
"We move away from the question, "Why do prisons fail?" and ask instead, "Why do we repeatedly expect prisons to succeed?""
- Federal Deaths in Custody and During Arrest, 2020 - Statistical Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2022.
"Federal law enforcement agencies reported 65 arrest-related deaths and 614 deaths in custody in fiscal year (FY) 2020."
- Federal Prisoner Statistics Collected under the First Step Act, 2022
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2022.
"The federal prison population increased more than 3%, from 151,283 at yearend 2020 to 156,542 at yearend 2021."
- Prisoners in 2021 - Statistical Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2022.
"The U.S. prison population was 1,204,300 at yearend 2021, a 1% decrease from 2020 (1,221,200) and a 25% decrease from 2011 (1,599,000)."
- Jail Inmates in 2021 - Statistical Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2022.
"At midyear 2021, 29% of jail inmates (185,000) were convicted, either serving a sentence or awaiting sentencing on a conviction, while 71% of inmates (451,400) were unconvicted, awaiting court action on a current charge or held in jail for other reasons."
- Contacts Between Police and the Public, 2020
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2022.
"About 21% of U.S. residents age 16 or older had contact with police in 2020. Black (6%) and Hispanic (3%) persons were more likely to experience the threat or use of nonfatal force during their most recent police contact than white persons (2%)."
- At What Cost?
Findings from an Examination into the Imposition of Public Defense System Fees,
National Legal Aid & Defender Association.
July, 2022.
"In the overwhelming majority of states, the Sixth Amendment right to counsel does not mean that counsel for those who cannot afford it is provided free of charge."
- Freedom Denied:
How the Culture of Detention Created a Federal Jailing Crisis,
Alison Siegler.
October, 2022.
"Our courtwatching data reveal the myriad ways in which judges detain federal arrestees in contravention of the legal standards in the [Bail Reform Act of 1984]."
- Data on Adjudication of Misdemeanor Offenses:
Results from a Feasibility Study,
Abt Associates and Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2022.
"By focusing on misdemeanors, BJS is addressing a substantial gap in criminal justice statistics, as very little empirical information exists about misdemeanor charges filed in state, county, and municipal courts."
- Why Youth Incarceration Fails:
An Updated Review of the Evidence,
Sentencing Project.
December, 2022.
"Compared to probation and other community alternatives, incarceration most often results in higher rates of rearrest and reincarceration [for young people]."
Wednesday, December 21 2022:
- New data confirms that prisons neglected COVID-19 mitigation strategies, putting public health at risk
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2022.
"Although crowded living spaces like prisons are generally hotspots for infection transmission, only some departments of corrections followed guidance from public health officials while others ignored even the most basic recommendations."
- The state prison experience:
Too much drudgery, not enough opportunity,
Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2022.
"The Survey data reveal that only 43% of people in state prisons have participated in educational programming (even though 62% had not completed high school upon admission)."
- Both sides of the bars:
How mass incarceration punishes families,
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2022.
"Nearly half (47%) of the approximately 1.25 million people in state prison are parents of minor children, and about 1 in 5 (19%) of those children is age 4 or younger."
- Jail-based polling locations:
A way to fight voter disenfranchisement,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2022.
"In the June 2022 primary, roughly 25% of people detained at the [Cook County, Ill.] jail cast their ballots. This location was so successful that people at the jail actually voted at a higher rate than registered voters in Chicago (20%)."
- Winnable criminal justice reforms in 2023
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2022.
"This list offers policymakers and advocates straightforward solutions that would have the greatest impacts on reducing incarceration and ameliorating harms experienced by those with a conviction history, without further investments in the carceral system."
- New data
LGBT people across all demographics are at heightened risk of violent victimization,
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2022.
"Lesbian and gay people experienced 44 victimizations per 1,000 people, which was more than twice the victimization rate of straight people (19 per 1,000 people). Bisexual people experienced victimization at almost seven times the rate of straight people."
- Working in "a meat grinder":
A research roundup showing prison and jail jobs aren't all that states promise they will be,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2022.
"A 2016 paper studying correctional officers in Michigan estimated that 34% of participants had PTSD, 36% had depression, and 25% had both."
- All profit, no risk:
How the bail industry exploits the legal system,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2022.
"While this report details the many legal advantages bail companies have secured for themselves, we conclude that "fixing" the system is not a viable option."
- State of Phone Justice 2022:
The problem, the progress, and what's next,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2022.
"Our data, from December 2021, show that per-minute rates have been steadily falling over the last ten years, a result of action at both the FCC and at the state and local levels."
- Mail scanning:
A harsh and exploitative new trend in prisons,
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2022.
"We found 14 state prison systems that are scanning all incoming mail, but we're confident that this number is an undercount, because we couldn't verify the status of mail scanning in some other states."
- Why states should change Medicaid rules to cover people leaving prison
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2022.
"Legislation like [the Medicaid Reentry Act] would vastly expand access to healthcare after incarceration, closing the dangerous healthcare coverage gap and reducing preventable deaths and health problems that occur shortly after release."
Tuesday, December 13 2022:
- Autism and the Criminal Justice System:
Policy Opportunities and Challenges,
International Society for Autism Research.
April, 2022.
"Inclusive research practices that meaningfully involve and partner with neurodiverse minority groups are needed to generate policy change in the criminal justice system, which excessively and disparately harms minority communities."
- Mortality in a Multi-State Cohort of Former State Prisoners, 2010-2015
U.S. Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies.
February, 2022.
"We found that non-Hispanic white former prisoners were more likely to die within five years after prison release and more likely to die in the initial weeks after release compared to racial minorities and Hispanics."
- Traffic Safety
Center for Policing Equity.
September, 2022.
"Racially biased enforcement sets into motion a cascade of interrelated harms for millions of people: unaffordable fines and fees, mounting debt, driver's license suspensions, lost employment, unnecessary arrests, and even injury or death."
- Surviving austerity:
Commissary stores, inequality and punishment in the contemporary American prison, Paywall :(
Tommaso Bardelli, Zach Gillespie and Thuy Linh Tu.
August, 2022.
"Prison commissary stores constitute a crucial mechanism for extending financial extraction inside carceral institutions, siphoning millions of dollars each year from impoverished households."
(See also the authors' guest post on the same topic here.)
- Pretrial Electronic Monitoring in San Francisco
California Policy Lab.
November, 2022.
"The use of pretrial EM increased more than twenty-fold between 2017 and 2021."
- Electronic Monitoring Fees:
A 50-State Survey of the Costs Assessed to People on E-Supervision,
Fines and Fees Justice Center.
September, 2022.
"At least 26 states have statutes or rules that impose fees to cover the costs of an EM program without specifying an amount, allowing [a company] to set any fee it deems appropriate, with little to no oversight to check such decisions."
- Legal Ruralism and California Parole Hearings:
Space, Place, and the Carceral Landscape,
Kathryne M. Young.
December, 2020.
"[Parole] commissioners report that prisons' location in rural areas affects the rehabilitative resources available, which are seen as an important aspect of their readiness for release."
- The Proliferation of Criminal Background Check Laws in the United States
Paywall :(
David McElhattan.
January, 2022.
"Panel analyses provide the strongest support for a model of racial classification, with the rate of background check adoption increasing as African-Americans represent larger shares of state criminal record populations."
- America's Paper Prisons:
The Second Chance Gap,
Colleen Chien.
December, 2020.
"Among a host of petition-based second chance opportunities, to shorten sentences, restore one's vote, and clear one's criminal convictions, only a small fraction (less than 10 percent) of those eligible for relief actually received it."
- Jail-based reentry programming to support continued treatment with medications for opioid use disorder:
Qualitative perspectives and experiences among jail staff in Massachusetts,
Atsushi Matsumoto et al.
November, 2022.
"Coordination of medications for opioid use disorder post-release continuity of care requires training supporting staff in reentry planning...and bridging partnerships between in-jail MOUD programs and community providers."
- Diversion:
A Hidden Key to Combating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice,
Sentencing Project.
August, 2022.
"Of the youth referred to juvenile or family courts for delinquency each year, just 7% are accused of serious violent offenses...[most] youth accused of delinquency should be diverted rather than arrested and formally processed in a juvenile court."
- Racial and Ethnic Disparities at the Front Door of Massachusetts' Juvenile Justice System:
Understanding the Factors Leading to Overrepresentation of Black and Latino Youth Entering the System,
Massachusetts Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board.
November, 2022.
"[Racial] disparities are largest at the "front door" of the system-- the arrest and application for delinquency complaint stage. These early disparities matter."
- Double Punished:
Locked Out of Opportunity,
Bellwether Education Partners.
June, 2022.
"In many states, we found that multiple agencies are involved in supporting juvenile justice education, creating a system of fragmented responsibility."
Thursday, December 1 2022:
- Justice Diseased is Justice Denied:
Coronavirus, Court Closures, and Criminal Trials,
Ryan Shymansky.
May, 2020.
"Courts closing their doors to the public and delaying jury trials are doing so for admirable reasons...Yet these reasons alone do not render the Sixth Amendment meaningless."
- Cruel and Usual:
Contaminated Water in New York State Prisons,
Shannon Haupt and Phil Miller.
July, 2022.
"The lack of thorough and consistent testing of water quality in prisons, [and] significant obstructions of due process for incarcerated people who raise complaints about the water, allows prisons to minimize and deny any presence of contaminated water."
- Unjust Isolation:
The Diminishing Returns of Solitary Confinement of Pregnant Women and California's Need to Regulate It,
Richard Lee.
July, 2021.
"When all the risk factors of pregnant prisoners intersect, it puts them in an especially ill-equipped position to protect themselves mentally against the potential harms of solitary confinement."
- A Deliberate Difference?:
The Rights of Incarcerated Individuals Under the New Mexico State Constitution,
Carson Thornton Gonzalez.
July, 2022.
"This Comment...encourages practitioners to be creative in their approach to prison conditions litigation under the [2021 New Mexico Civil Rights Act]."
- The Victim/Offender Overlap and Criminal System Reform
Cynthia Godsoe.
May, 2022.
"Beyond definitions of what is criminal, recognizing the [victim/offender] overlap complicates and even undercuts traditional rationales for punishment...while also strengthening the calls for a different approach to preventing and redressing harm."
- Violent crime and public prosecution:
A Review of Recent Data on Homicide, Robbery, and Progressive Prosecution in the United States,
University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
October, 2022.
"We find that neither having a "progressive" prosecutor nor a "middle" prosecutor had an effect on homicide or larceny compared to "traditional" prosecutors during this time (2018 to 2021)."
- The Well-Being Impacts Associated with College in Prison:
A Comparison of Incarcerated and Non-Incarcerated Students Who Identify as Women, Paywall :(
Sarah Y. Moore and Tanya Erzen.
November, 2022.
"[The students'] measures of well-being, coping, and academic engagement were significantly better than the matched non-incarcerated sample for most measures."
- Louisiana Justice:
Pre-trial, Incarceration, & Reentry,
Incarceration Transparency and Public Welfare Foundation.
November, 2022.
"This report significantly expands understanding of the state's practice of confining almost half of the prison population in local jails...creating political and financial incentives at the local level to build larger and higher-capacity facilities."
- Does Public Health Start Within Jails?
A New Incentive for Reform of Wisconsin's Bail System,
Mahmood N. Abdellatif.
July, 2022.
"There is a growing impetus for states like Wisconsin to reduce their incarcerated populations by enacting sensible bail reforms that effectively consider a detainee's real threat to their communities or likelihood to abscond."
- Coming Up Short:
The Unrealized Promise of In Re Humphrey,
UCLA School of Law and UC Berkeley Law.
October, 2022.
"The California Supreme Court ruled...that setting bail at an amount that a person cannot afford to pay is unconstitutional...18 month after it was decided, [Humphrey] remains unmet."
- Parole, Victim Impact Evidence, and Race
Alexis Karteron.
May, 2022.
"There is reason for concern that victim participation in the parole release process reinforces racial disparities within the criminal legal system."
- Race and the Jury:
How the Law is Keeping Minorities off the Jury,
Stephanie Adamakos.
May, 2016.
"Federal statute requires that registered-voters lists be used as source lists, but many states supplement with Department of Motor Vehicle records of people with licenses...whites are more likely to be included in both of these source lists."
- Kids Are Not So Different:
The Path from Juvenile Exceptionalism to Prison Abolition, Paywall :(
Emily Buss.
June, 2022.
"We should abandon, not extend, the separate juvenile-exceptionalist system and instead incorporate our understanding of youth into a single system that takes account of human development over the life course."
- Justice Delayed:
The Complex System of Delays in Criminal Court,
Kat Albrecht et al..
July, 2022.
"This Article demonstrates not only that case delay is a significant social and legal problem, but also that the leadership of the Circuit Court...[must rethink] the way in which Cook Count's criminal courts conduct business."
Friday, November 4 2022:
- A community response approach to mental health and substance abuse crises reduced crime
Thomas S. Dee and James Pyne.
June, 2022.
"We find that the program led to large and sustained reductions in reports of STAR-related offenses (disorderly conduct, substance use) in treated precincts, while unrelated offenses over the treatment period changed little in those same police precincts."
- Voices from Within the Federal Bureau of Prisons:
A System Designed to Silence and Dehumanize,
More than Our Crimes and Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.
September, 2022.
"We hope these stories provoke deep thinking about what is going on behind all those fortress walls, to these invisible fellow Americans, and then compel you to demand both accountability for the FBOP and change in how we incarcerate in this country."
- Provision of Air Conditioning and Heat-Related Mortality in Texas Prisons
Julianna Skarha et al.
November, 2022.
"We found that 13% of mortality during warm months may be attributable to extreme heat in prisons without air conditioning in Texas. This is approximately a 30-fold increase in heat-attributed deaths when compared with estimates in the US population."
- Prison Labor in Arizona:
A year-long investigation, Paywall :(
Arizona Republic and KJZZ News.
July, 2022.
"The Republic's and KJZZ's five-part series reveals the detrimental effects of what happens when a state exploits some of its poorest people for their labor."
- Electronic Monitoring Fees:
A 50-State Survey of the Costs Assessed to People on E-Supervision,
Fines and Fees Justice Center.
September, 2022.
"Broad language in state statutes and rules often gives local governments considerable latitude in determining how much to charge. From a limited review of 31 local jurisdictions with EM programs, fees ranged from less than $1 a day up to $40 per day"
- Criminal Justice Through Management:
From Police, Prosecutors, Courts, and Prisons to a Modern Administrative Agency,
Edward L. Rubin and Malcolm M. Feeley.
September, 2022.
"We recommend that the criminal justice system of each state be redesigned and restructured as a single administrative agency...We offer this as a standard for assessment of the present system, a way to highlight dysfunction and suggest much-needed reform."
- Justice System Disparities:
Black-White National Imprisonment Trends, 2000 to 2020,
Council on Criminal Justice.
September, 2022.
"Faster growth in the nation's Black adult resident population contributed more to its respective imprisonment rate decline than did the White adult resident population growth."
- Voting From Jail
(Working Paper),
Anna Harvey and Orion Taylor.
October, 2022.
"Registered voters booked into county jails for the full duration of 2020 voting days were on average 46% less likely to vote in 2020, relative to registered voters booked into the same jails within 7-42 days after Election Day."
- Exceptionally Lethal:
American Police Killings in a Comparative Perspective,
Paul J. Hirschfield.
September, 2022.
"Cross-national comparative analyses can help identify stable and malleable factors that distinguish high-FPV (fatal police violence) from low-FPV countries."
- Reducing Deaths in Law Enforcement Custody:
Identifying High-Priority Needs for the Criminal Justice System,
Duren Banks et al.
October, 2022.
"[Interview and virtual group] Participants concurred that there is currently insufficient data to study the effectiveness of any policies or programs designed to reduce law enforcement-related deaths."
- Justice by Geography:
The Role of Monetary Sanctions Across Communities,
Gabriela Kirk et al.
January, 2022.
"Our finding that acquaintanceship density influences both the role and nature of monetary sanctions provides a fuller picture of the factors that lead to varying local legal cultures surrounding monetary sanctions."
- Obscuring the Truth:
How Misinformation is Skewing the Conversation about Pretrial Justice Reforms in Illinois,
End Money Bond.
October, 2022.
"By detailing how misinformation shaped the public debate of pretrial justice reforms in Cook County, we hope to arm journalists with the resources needed to cover the statewide reforms included in the Pretrial Fairness Act."
- Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States, 2022
National Registry of Exonerations.
September, 2022.
"Innocent Black people are 19 times more likely to be convicted of drug crimes than innocent whites--a much larger disparity than we see for murder and rape-- despite the fact that white and Black Americans use illegal drugs at similar rates."
Wednesday, October 19 2022:
- Crime Survivors Speak:
National Survey of Victims' Views on Safety and Justice,
Alliance for Safety and Justice.
September, 2022.
"According to the Survey, only 1 in 4 victims found the justice system helpful in providing information about recovering from crime or referrals for support services."
- Effective Communication with Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind, and Low Vision Incarcerated People
Tessa Bialek and Margo Schlanger.
July, 2022.
"There is not a one-size-fits-all solution for prisoners with communication disabilities...policies and practices should acknowledge that they may be differently and/or multiply disabled in ways that affect their abilities and needs."
- Incarceration status and cancer mortality:
A population-based study,
Oluwadamilola T. Oladeru et al.
September, 2022.
"Incarcerated individuals were diagnosed with cancer at a distant stage more frequently compared to those recently released or never incarcerated."
- There Are Better Solutions:
An Analysis of Fulton County [Georgia]'s Jail Population Data, 2022,
American Civil Liberties Union.
October, 2022.
"The county's failure to account for ability to pay bail, confinement of people charged only with misdemeanors, failure to timely indict people, and failure to fully utilize diversion programs has led to population levels above capacity at the jail."
- Reforming the police through procedural justice training:
A multicity randomized trial at crime hot spots,
David Weisburd et al.
January, 2022.
"Intensive training in procedural justice (PJ) can lead to more procedurally just behavior and less disrespectful treatment of people [by police officers] at high-crime places."
- Fulfilling the Promise of Public Safety:
Some Lessons from Recent Research,
Ben Struhl and Alexander Gard-Murray, Univ. of Pennsylvania Crime and Justice Policy Lab.
June, 2022.
"Countries with much more robust social service provision still have police forces 80-85% the size of American forces. The public safety challenge is sufficiently complex that [we] should all consider multiple kinds of responses."
- Cages Without Bars:
Pretrial Electronic Monitoring Across the United States,
Patrice James et al.
September, 2022.
"Rather than serve as an alternative to physical confinement, electronic monitoring expands mass incarceration -- operating as a digital form of imprisonment and often leading people back into physical jails and prisons for minor technical violations."
(The harms caused by EM to people and communities are so great that EM cannot be "reformed" or adapted into a practice that is not still no longer fundamentally carceral, punitive, and harmful. The goal must be to end its use.)
- Rethinking Electronic Monitoring:
A Harm Reduction Guide,
American Civil Liberties Union.
September, 2022.
"Rather than serve as an alternative to physical confinement, EM expands mass incarceration -- operating as a digital form of imprisonment and often leading people back into physical jails and prisons for minor technical violations."
- Conceptualizing and Measuring Public Stigma Toward People With Prison Records
Paywall :(
Luzi Shi et al.
July, 2022.
"Results show that [public stigma] is positively related to support for disenfranchisement and punitive policies and negatively related to support for rehabilitative policies."
Friday, September 30 2022:
- Where people in prison come from:
The geography of mass incarceration in California,
Prison Policy Initiative and Essie Justice Group.
August, 2022.
"Some areas of federally recognized tribal land -- including the Fort Mojave Reservation and Big Valley Rancheria -- have imprisonment rates more than five times the imprisonment rate of Los Angeles."
- Where people in prison come from:
The geography of mass incarceration in Delaware,
Prison Policy Initiative, Kyra Hoffner, and Jack Young.
September, 2022.
"Baltimore communities with high rates of incarceration were more likely to have high unemployment rates, low household income, a high percentage of residents with less than a high school diploma or GED, decreased life expectancy..."
- Where people in prison come from:
The geography of mass incarceration in Pennsylvania,
Prison Policy Initiative and the Public Interest Law Center.
September, 2022.
"We find that incarcerated people in Pennsylvania come from every corner of the Commonwealth: every single one of the 67 counties is missing a portion of its population to prisons."
- Where people in prison come from:
The geography of mass incarceration in Washington,
Prison Policy Initiative and More Equitable Democracy.
August, 2022.
"People living in the Skokomish Reservation and Squaxin Island Reservation experience imprisonment rates of over 1,000 per 100,000 residents, which is almost double the rate of imprisonment in Tacoma and more than 6 times the imprisonment rate in Seattle."
Thursday, September 22 2022:
- Repurposing Correctional Facilities to Strengthen Communities
Sentencing Project.
August, 2022.
"Prison capacity nationwide has been reduced by 81,444 beds [between 2000 and 2022]. Jurisdictions seeking support to finance prison reuse can access federal resources to purchase, construct, or improve designated facilities or provide related services."
- Time-In-Cell:
A 2021 Snapshot of Restrictive Housing based on a Nationwide Survey of U.S. Prison Systems,
The Correctional Leaders Association & The Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale Law School.
August, 2022.
"In 2012, few statutes focused on the use of restrictive housing. Between 2018 and 2020, when the last report was published, legislators in more than 25 states introduced bills to limit the use of restrictive housing, and some fifteen enacted legislation."
- Identifying the Impact of Incarceration on Parenting:
An Examination of Incarcerated Parents' Perceptions in the "Reading for a Change" Program in Colorado, Paywall :(
Kyle C. Ward et al.
August, 2022.
"Using semi-structured interviews, incarcerated parents...indicated considerable barriers to visits, high costs of keeping in touch, significant impacts on the family at home..."
- HIV in Prisons, 2020 - Statistical Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2022.
"From 2016 to 2020, the number of male prisoners who had HIV declined an average of 6% per year, while the number of female prisoners with HIV declined 10% per year on average."
- Federal Justice Statistics, 2020
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2022.
"Of the 346,681 persons under federal correctional control at fiscal year-end 2020, about 56% were in secure confinement and 44% were on community supervision."
- First Report of the Task Force on Issues Faced by TGNCNBI People in Custody
Task Force on Issues Faced by TGNCNBI People in Custody.
August, 2022.
(This report details findings and recommendations of the Task Force on Issues Faced by Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Non-Binary, and Intersex (TGNCNBI) People in Custody, created to assess conditions and policies in New York City jails.)
- Criminal Violations
Jacob Schuman.
February, 2022.
"While technical violations [of supervised release] punish non-criminal behavior, criminal violations drive punishment by increasing sentences for criminal convictions and making punishing crimes easier."
- The Limits of Recidivism:
Measuring Success After Prison,
Richard Rosenfeld and Amanda Grigg, eds., National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
May, 2022.
"We must move beyond the recidivism rate to adequately measure post-release criminal behavior, which will require reversing the polarity of recidivism from failure to success."
- Inmate Assistance Programs:
Toward a Less Punitive and More Effective Criminal Justice System,
Murat C. Mungan, Erkmen Giray Aslim, and Yijia Lu.
July, 2022.
"The cost savings from reducing sentences...can be used to finance [Inmate Assistance Programs] without significantly affecting deterrence due to the ineffectiveness of lengthy imprisonment sentences."
- Does distance decrease healthcare options for pregnant, incarcerated people?
Mapping the distance between abortion providers and prisons, Paywall :(
Julia Gips, Kevin J. Psoter, and Carolyn Sufrin.
April, 2020.
"We georeferenced 643 abortion clinics, 75 state prisons and 20 federal prisons. The farthest minimum distance between a state prison and abortion clinic was 383 miles; the shortest was 2.2 miles."
- Justice for Girls Blueprint:
The Way Forward for Florida,
Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center.
July, 2022.
"Statewide, Black girls make up only 21% of girls ages 10-17, but they represent 45% of the girls who were arrested, 52% of girls on probation caseloads, 47% of girls incarcerated, and 52% of the girls transferred into the adult criminal justice system."
- Diversion:
A Hidden Key to Combating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice,
Sentencing Project.
August, 2022.
"Nationwide in 2019, 52% of delinquency cases involving white youth were handled informally (diverted), far higher than the share of cases diverted involving Black youth (40%)."
- Extended Injustice:
Court Fines and Fees for Young People are Counterproductive, Particularly Harm Black Young People, Families, and Communi,
The Commonwealth Institute.
July, 2022.
"While detailed Virginia data on the impact of juvenile court fines and fees by race is not available, analyses from other states shows that Black youth pay the highest amount in fines as a result of greater frequency and duration of probation conditions."
Tuesday, September 20 2022:
- But Who Oversees the Overseers?:
The Status of Prison and Jail Oversight in the United States,
Michele Deitch.
October, 2020.
"External oversight is a cost-effective tool that jurisdictions can adopt to combat negative correctional outcomes and maximize positive ones."
- The Effects of Misdemeanor Bail Reform
Paul Heaton, University of Pennsylvania Law School Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice.
August, 2022.
"Misdemeanor pretrial reform produced more lenient outcomes and reduced the system's imprint without adversely impacting public safety."
- Racial equity in eligibility for a clean slate under automatic criminal record relief laws
Paywall :(
Alyssa C. Mooney, Alissa Skog, and Amy E. Lerman.
August, 2022.
"In California, one in five people with convictions met criteria for full conviction relief under the state's automatic relief laws. Yet the share of Black Americans eligible for relief was lower than White Americans..."
- Three Strikes in California
Mia Bird et al., California Policy Lab.
August, 2022.
"Nearly 65% of admissions to prison with a doubled-sentence enhancement [under the Three-Strikes law] are for a non-violent, non-serious offense."
Friday, September 16 2022:
- Shifting Power:
The Impact of Incarceration on Political Representation,
Brianna Remster and Rory Kramer.
April, 2019.
"Drawing on data from the Census, Pennsylvania Dept. of Corrections, and Pennsylvania Redistricting Commission, we develop a counterfactual framework to examine whether removing and returning prisoners to their home districts affects equal representation."
- The Usual, Racialized, Suspects:
The Consequence of Police Contacts with Black and White Youth on Adult Arrest,
Anne McGlynn-Wright, Robert D Crutchfield, Martie L Skinner, Kevin P Haggerty.
May, 2022.
"Our findings indicate that police encounters in childhood increase the risk of arrest in young adulthood for Black but not White respondents."
- Sentence Length and Recidivism:
A Review of the Research,
Elizabeth Berger and Kent Scheidegger.
June, 2021.
"While some findings suggest that longer sentences may provide additional deterrent benefit in the aggregate, this effect is not always consistent or strong."
- Correctional Medical Care for Female Prisoners:
Legal Issues Surrounding Inadequate Treatment of Chronic and/or Preexisting Health Conditions, Paywall :(
Chelsi Lamberton and Michael S. Vaughn.
June, 2022.
"Through the lens of federal court litigation...this article discusses women who brought legal challenges, questioning the adequacy of correctional medical care rendered to their chronic and preexisting health conditions."
Monday, August 15 2022:
- Where people in prison come from:
The geography of mass incarceration in Colorado,
Prison Policy Initiative and Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition.
July, 2022.
"The five most populous counties in the state -- El Paso, Denver, Arapahoe, Jefferson, and Adams -- are home to over 65% of the state's imprisoned population (over 9,000 imprisoned people), but are home to only 55% of the state's total population."
- Where people in prison come from:
The geography of mass incarceration in Nevada,
Prison Policy Initiative, Silver State Voices, and ACLU of Nevada.
August, 2022.
"People living in the South Fork Reservation, Ely Reservation, Carson Colony, and the Battle Mountain Reservation experience imprisonment rates ranging from 1,389 per 100,000 to 2,817 per 100,000.."
- Where people in prison come from:
The geography of mass incarceration in Virginia,
Prison Policy Initiative and New Virginia Majority.
July, 2022.
"More than half of everyone incarcerated from Richmond come from just 22 of the city's more than 140 neighborhoods."
Friday, August 12 2022:
- The Cost of Solitary Confinement:
Why Ending Isolation in California Prisons Can Save Money and Save Lives,
Berkeley Underground Scholars and Immigrant Defense Advocates.
July, 2022.
"This report estimates the Mandela Act would save, at a minimum, an estimated $61,129,600 annually based on a conservative estimate of the costs associated with solitary confinement."
- The Hidden Costs of Florida's Criminal Justice Fees
Rebekah Diller, Brennan Center for Justice.
August, 2019.
"Since 1996, Florida added more than 20 new categories of financial obligations for criminal defendants and, at the same time, eliminated most exemptions for those who cannot pay"
- The relationship between community public health, behavioral health service accessibility, and mass incarceration
Niloofar Ramezani et al.
July, 2022.
"In this study, one county-level health factor emerged as important factor influencing per capita jail population: more physically unhealthy days within the past 30 days predicted a higher per capita jail population."
- Restructuring Civilian Payouts for Police Misconduct
Rashawn Ray, Center for Justice Research.
July, 2022.
"By restructuring police-civilian payouts from taxpayer funding to police department insurances, monies typically spent on civilian payouts and lawyer fees can be used for education, jobs, and infrastructure."
- Law Enforcement Agencies' College Education Hiring Requirements and Racial Differences in Police-Related Fatalities
Paywall :(
Thaddeus L. Johnson, Natasha N. Johnson, William J. Sabol and David T. Snively.
July, 2022.
"Results show that adopting agency college degree requirements is generally associated with decreases in police-related fatalities (PRFs) over time, with significant reductions observed for PRFs of Black and unarmed citizens."
- Exploitative Revenues, Law Enforcement, and the Quality of Government Service
Rebecca Goldstein, Michael W. Sances, and Hye Young You.
August, 2018.
"We find that police departments in cities that collect a greater share of their revenue from fees solve violent and property crimes at significantly lower rates."
- Effects of New York City's Neighborhood Policing Policy
Brenden Beck, Joseph Antonelli, and Gabriela Piñeros.
October, 2020.
(We find [New York City's)
- Collection at all Costs:
Examining the Intersection of Mass Incarceration and the Student Debt Crisis,
Student Borrower Protection Center.
July, 2022.
"While advocates have long decried the harms that mass incarceration and the student loan debt trap inflict...the ways each of these crises amplify and worsen the abuses of the other is rarely in the national spotlight."
- Racial Equity in Montana's Criminal Justice System:
An Analysis of Court, Corrections, and Community Supervision Systems,
The Council of State Governments Justice Center.
July, 2022.
"Once incarcerated, American Indian people remain in secure or alternative facilities for an average of 27.4 days longer than similarly situated White people."
- Housing Instability Following Felony Conviction and Incarceration:
Disentangling Being Marked from Being Locked Up,
Brielle Bryan.
April, 2022.
"Conviction, independent of incarceration, introduces [housing] instability into the lives of the 12 million Americans who have been convicted of a felony but never imprisoned."
- Older Offenders in the Federal System
United States Sentencing Commission.
July, 2022.
"The proportion of older offenders in the federal system has been relatively steady across the past five fiscal years, accounting for no more than 14 percent of all federal offenders sentenced in any given year."
- A Different Way Forward:
Stories from Incarcerated Women in Massachusetts and Recommendations,
Sarah Nawab, Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts.
July, 2022.
"Nineteen (of 22) women interviewed and six (of 10) women surveyed reported that they had either experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct or harassment by correctional or other staff."
- Reimagining Restitution:
New Approaches to Support Youth and Communities,
Juvenile Law Center.
July, 2022.
"Across the country, juvenile courts impose restitution orders on youth too young to hold a job, still in full-time school, and often living in families already struggling to get by. This process doesn't work for anyone."
Wednesday, August 10 2022:
- Examining Prison Releases in Response to COVID:
Lessons Learned for Reducing the Effects of Mass Incarceration,
Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice.
July, 2022.
"Most COVID-related releases were quite modest, amounting to the equivalent of less than 10% of the 2019 prison populations in 27 of the 35 jurisdictions in which releases occurred."
- Punishment of People with Serious Mental Illness in New York State Prisons:
An Analysis of 2017-19 Disciplinary Data in Prison Residential Mental Health Treatment Units,
#HALTSolitary and Mental Health Alternatives to Solitary Confinement.
May, 2022.
"Of the 399 people disciplined in a Residential Mental Health Treatment Unit during the 29-month review period, 99% were sanctioned with segregated confinement and 85% received at least six months or more of additional segregation time,"
- The consequences of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act for police arrests
Jessica T. Simes and Jaquelyn L. Jahn.
January, 2022.
"We observe the largest negative differences for drug arrests: we find a 25-41% negative difference in drug arrests in the three years following Medicaid expansion, compared to non-expansion counties."
- Addressing Florida's Parole System
Right on Crime.
June, 2022.
"A moderate reintroduction of parole is long overdue, and modifying Florida's truth in sentencing thresholds, even gradually, will provide incentive for productive behavior and supervision."
- Criminal History, Race, and Housing Type:
An Experimental Audit of Housing Outcomes, Paywall :(
Peter Leasure, R. Caleb Doyle, Hunter M. Boehme, and Gary Zhang.
March, 2022.
"Results showed several statistically and substantively significant differences among the criminal record, race, and housing type conditions."
- Parole Revoked:
Justifying Rerelease for Juvenile Lifers, Paywall :(
Stuti S. Kokkalera and Beatriz Amalfi Marques.
March, 2022.
"Our analysis reveals that most parole revocations stem from technical violations rather than any new criminal activity...revocation review decisions avoid acknowledging the obstacles in juvenile lifer reentry."
- Emerging Adults and the Criminal Justice System:
Specialized Policies, Practices & Programs,
Loyola University Chicago Center for Criminal Justice Research, Policy and Practice.
September, 2017.
"This document provides information on policies, programs and services dedicated and / or available to emerging adults - generally defined as 18 - 25 year olds or a subset thereof - in contact with criminal justice systems across the United States."
Friday, July 1 2022:
- Where people in prison come from:
The geography of mass incarceration in New York,
Prison Policy Initiative and VOCAL-NY.
June, 2022.
"The city of Rochester -- the fourth most populous city in the state -- with an incarceration rate of 1,051 per 100,000 city residents, is more than 5 times the rate in New York City."
- Where people in prison come from:
The geography of mass incarceration in Maryland,
Justice Policy Institute and Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2022.
"A number of less populous areas, including Wicomico, Dorchester, and Somerset counties on the Eastern Shore, rank in the top fifth of Maryland counties when it comes to prison incarceration rates."
- Where people in prison come from:
The geography of mass incarceration in New Jersey,
Prison Policy Initiative and New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.
June, 2022.
"In New Jersey incarcerated people come from all over the state, but are disproportionately from a few specific cities, most notably Camden, Atlantic City, Paterson, Newark, and Jersey City."
- Chronic Punishment:
The unmet health needs of people in state prisons,
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2022.
"In this analysis of a unique, large-scale survey of people in state prisons, we add to the existing research showing that state prisons fall far short of their constitutional duty to meet the essential health needs of people in their custody."
- Nothing But Time:
Elderly Americans Serving Life Without Parole,
Sentencing Project.
June, 2022.
"More than 55,000 Americans are incarcerated in state and federal prisons with no chance of parole, reflecting a 66% rise in people serving LWOP since 2003."
Friday, June 17 2022:
- Captive Labor:
Exploitation of Incarcerated Workers,
ACLU and the University of Chicago Law School Global Human Rights Clinic.
June, 2022.
"Our research found that the average minimum hourly wage paid to workers for non-industry jobs is 13 cents, and the average maximum hourly wage is 52 cents."
- Interventions Designed to Improve HIV Continuum of Care Outcomes for Persons with HIV in Contact
with the Carceral System in the USA,
Emily F. Dauria et al.
June, 2022.
"Cyclical carceral contact remains a persistent barrier to community-based HIV care access and engagement."
- Universal health coverage and incarceration
Tyler N. A. Winkleman et al.
June, 2022.
"Particularly in countries with high incarceration rates, failure to include custodial settings in calculations of the service coverage index might result in overestimation of progress towards UN Sustainable Development Goal 3.8.1."
- The competing effects of racial discrimination and racial identity on the predicted number of days incarcerated
in the US: A national profile of Black, Latino/Latina, and American Indian/Alaska Native populations,
George Pro, Ricky Camplain, Charles H. Lea III.
June, 2022.
"Black respondents with low discrimination exposure had 42 predicted days incarcerated, whereas Black respondents with high discrimination exposure had 130 predicted days incarcerated, or an increase of 209%."
- Data Reveals Violence Among Youth Under 18 Has Not Spiked in the Pandemic
Sentencing Project.
June, 2022.
"The share of crimes in the U.S. committed by youth has fallen by more than half over the past two decades, and it continued to fall for all major offense categories in 2020."
- Re-Arrest Among 16 Year-Olds Arrested In The First Year Of Raise The Age
Marian Gewirtz, New York City Criminal Justice Agency.
December, 2021.
"The analysis indicates that the raise-the-age age/year is a statistically significant predictor of re-arrest over time in both sets of models after accounting for the other included variables."
Monday, June 6 2022:
- Association of State COVID-19 Vaccination Prioritization With Vaccination Rates Among Incarcerated Persons
Breanne E. Biondi et al.
April, 2022.
"Our data suggest that state prioritization of incarcerated persons was associated with increased vaccination rates in this population, although vaccination rates may vary owing to state vaccine rollout, availability, or incarcerated persons' preference."
- Elderly, Detained, and Justice-Involved:
The Most Incarcerated Generation,
Rachel Bedard, Joshua Vaughn and Angela Silletti Murolo.
March, 2022.
"A birth cohort born in the 1960s and 70s were set on a path towards lifetime justice involvement as a result of having come into adolescence during the height of the crack era and crime waves of the 1980s and early 1990s."
- Elderly, Detained, and Justice-Involved:
The Most Incarcerated Generation,
Rachel Bedard, Joshua Vaughn and Angela Silletti Murolo.
March, 2022.
"A birth cohort born in the 1960s and 70s were set on a path towards lifetime justice involvement as a result of having come into adolescence during the height of the crack era and crime waves of the 1980s and early 1990s."
- Parole, Power, and Punishment:
The Massachusetts Parole Board's Discriminatory Treatment of People with Mental Health Disabilities,
Northeastern University School of Law and Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee (MHLAC).
March, 2022.
"The Board's Handbook lists factors that Board members can consider. No regulation, however, requires [their consideration]...the Board's largely arbitrary decision-making process allows for implicit bias that directly impacts those with disabilities."
- American Prison-Release Systems:
Indeterminacy in Sentencing and the Control of Prison Population Size,
Robina Institute.
April, 2022.
"The operational features of American prison-release systems, and their foreseeable results, could hardly be more dissonant. Sometimes the differences are so extreme as to be inexplicable."
- Motherhood and Pregnancy Behind Bars:
Texas Must Rethink How It's Treating Mothers and Families,
Texas Center for Justice and Equity.
May, 2022.
"Disregarding women's requests for help had occurred so often in Texas corrections facilities that the Legislature passed [a bill requiring] corrections officers to promptly respond when a woman was experiencing labor and take her to a medical facility."
Thursday, June 2 2022:
- Opioid Overdose Deaths Among Formerly Incarcerated Persons and the General Population:
North Carolina, 2000-2018, Paywall :(
Shabbar I Ranapurwala et al.
February, 2022.
"While nationwide opioid overdose death rates declined from 2017 to 2018, OOD rates among North Carolina formerly incarcerated people increased by about a third, largely from fentanyl and its analogs."
- Racial Bias and Prison Discipline:
A Study of North Carolina State Prisons,
Katherine M. Becker.
April, 2022.
"Holding other variables constant, a Black person incarcerated in North Carolina was 10.3% more likely than a similarly situated white person to receive at least one disciplinary write-up in 2020."
- Providing Identification for Those Released from Incarceration
National Conference of State Legislatures.
April, 2022.
"Approximately 17 states have laws aimed at helping previous offenders get identification either at release or immediately following. But these laws vary."
- Realignment and Recidivism Revisited:
A Closer Look at the Effects of California's Historic Correctional Reform on Recidivism Outcomes, Paywall :(
Mia Bird, Viet Nguyen, and Ryken Grattet.
November, 2021.
"All groups [of types of offenders] experienced decreases in reconviction, which gives credence to the idea that a significant reprioritization of who should be in prison can positively affect public safety."
- Reducing Barriers to Reentry for Older Adults Leaving Incarceration
Justice in Aging.
May, 2022.
"Policies that improve timely access to Social Security and SSI for the reentry population would help everyone reentering our communities and could particularly help reduce income inequities for people of color, people with disabilities, and older adults."
Monday, May 9 2022:
- Criminalized or Medicalized?
Examining the Role of Race in Responses to Drug Use, Paywall :(
Sade L Lindsay, Mike Vuolo.
August, 2021.
"We analyze 400 articles from the New York Times and Washington Post to assess the degree to which the two crises were racialized, criminalized, and medicalized. We find that media coverage medicalized and humanized White people who use opiates..."
- The Hidden Costs of Pretrial Detention Revisited
Christopher Lowenkamp.
March, 2022.
"There is no observable "deterrent effect" of pretrial detention, and in fact there is a consistent "criminogenic effect" of pretrial detention on rearrest."
(This report follows up on Lowenkamp's 2013 report, The Hidden Costs of Pretrial Detention, which also examined jail admissions in Kentucky.)
- Do Exonerees Face Housing Discrimination?
An Email-Based Field Experiment and Content Analysis,
Jeff Kukucka et al.
September, 2021.
"Consistent with prior work on racial bias and discrimination, our findings suggest that exonerees and ex-offenders not only experience overt prejudice when seeking housing, but also some subtler prejudices within the responses they do receive."
- Treatment Combinations:
The Joint Effects of Multiple Evidence-Based Interventions on Recidivism Reduction, Paywall :(
Ming-Li Hsieh et al.
October, 2021.
"Those who participated in three types of treatment combinations consisting of basic skills, vocational training, and cognitive behavioral treatment were more likely to reduce postrelease reconvictions."
Friday, May 6 2022:
- Three State Prison Oversight During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Pennsylvania Prison Society, John Howard Association, and Correctional Association of New York.
April, 2022.
"[We] provide data unavailable in states lacking similar independent oversight, and it tells a story of very different responses to comparable challenges, and a lack of transparency on the details of the crisis and policies developed in response."
- Cold, Rotting & Moldy Meals:
Food Oppression in the Orange County Jails,
Stop the Musick Coalition.
December, 2021.
"The food served in Orange County jails has never been healthy, but before COVID, the jails served two hot meals a day...For almost two years, people incarcerated in Orange County jails have been eating three bagged, cold, spoiled meals every day."
- The Psychological Effects of Solitary Confinement:
A Systematic Critique,
Craig Haney.
March, 2018.
"Solitary confinement not only is a common form of mistreatment to which prisoners of war have been subjected and been adversely affected, but is also associated with "higher levels of later life disability" among returnees."
- Analysis of "Stand Your Ground" Self-defense Laws and Statewide Rates of Homicides and Firearm Homicides
Michelle Degli Esposti et al.
February, 2022.
"[Stand-your-ground] laws were associated with an 8% to 11% national increase in monthly rates of homicide and firearm homicide. State-level increases in homicide and firearm homicide rates reached 10% or higher for many Southern states."
- Drug Arrests Stayed High Even as Imprisonment Fell From 2009 to 2019
Pew Charitable Trusts.
February, 2022.
"[We] found divergent enforcement trends--high rates of arrest but substantially reduced incarceration--coupled with a lack of treatment options and high mortality rates among people with illicit drug dependence."
- A Look Inside the Black Box of New York State's Criminal Justice Data
Measures for Justice.
February, 2022.
"This report addresses the ways New York State's criminal justice data infrastructure fails to meet basic levels of transparency that are requisite for evidence-based decision making and general accountability."
- Understanding Trends in Jail Populations, 2014 to 2019:
A Multi-Site Analysis,
Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College.
December, 2022.
"People who were charged, but not yet convicted of a crime (pretrial admissions) were the majority of admissions in all three counties (St. Louis, MO, Durham, NC, and Louisville, KY) in 2014 and 2019."
- System Involvement Among LBQ Girls and Women
UCLA Williams Institute.
April, 2022.
"Among those who are incarcerated, the percentage of girls and women who are LBQ is 3 and 10 times higher, respectively, than the proportion of queer girls and women in the general population."
- Contacts with the Police and the Over-Representation of Indigenous Peoples in The Canadian Criminal Justice System
Jean-Denis David and Megan Mitchell.
April, 2021.
"Indigenous peoples are more likely to encounter the police for a variety of reasons including for law enforcement reasons, for non-enforcement reasons, including being a victim or a witness to a crime, and for behavioural health-related issues."
- Beyond the count: A deep dive into state prison populations
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2022.
"Incarcerated people are a diverse cross-section of society whose disadvantages and unmet needs often begin early in life, and persist throughout their often lifelong involvement with the criminal legal system."
- Executive Inaction: States and the federal government fail to use commutations as a release mechanism
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2022.
"In addition to granting few commutations, most of the states in our sample do not appear to maintain robust data on their commutation systems."
- Recidivating Patterns of Individuals Commuted in 2020
Oregon Criminal Justice Commission.
March, 2022.
"18 percent (48 individuals) were arrested within one year of their commutation, 8 percent (20 individuals) were convicted of a new misdemeanor or felony crime, and 2 percent (6 individuals) were reincarcerated."
- Reducing the Health Harms of Incarceration
Aspen Health Strategy Group.
April, 2022.
"Incarceration is a primary source of poor health for individuals, families, communities, and our nation as a whole. The consequences of these various sources of harm continue long after release, with higher rates of mortality and morbidity."
- Felony Murder: An On-Ramp for Extreme Sentencing
Sentencing Project.
March, 2022.
"[Felony murder laws] violate the principle of proportional sentencing, which is supposed to punish crimes based on their severity. This report evaluates the legal and empirical foundation, and failings, of the felony murder rule."
- Race and Ethnicity Differences in Police Contact and Perceptions of and Attitudes Toward the Police Among Youth
Paywall :(
Kathryn Foster, Melissa S. Jones, and Hayley Pierce.
March, 2022.
"When a direct stop involved more officer intrusiveness, black youth reported less respect and more negative perceptions of procedural justice."
Monday, April 18 2022:
- Waiting for Relief:
A National Survey of Waiting Periods for Record Clearing,
Margaret Love and David Schlussel, Collateral Consequences Resources Center.
February, 2022.
"The waiting periods for felony convictions range from as high as 10 or 20 years in North Carolina to as low as 0-2 years in California, with most states falling at the lower end of that range."
- The Reincorporation of Prisoners into the Body Politic:
Eliminating the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy,
Mira K. Edmonds.
March, 2021.
"Elimination of the [policy] furthers the bipartisan criminal legal system reform focus on reducing recidivism through effective reentry."
- Justice-involved Individuals in the Labor Market since the Great Recession
Keith Finlay and Michael Mueller-Smith.
September, 2021.
"While [justice-involved] groups did experience some improvement in economic outcomes during the recovery, their average outcomes remain far below even those of a reference cohort of adults..."
- Barred from employment:
More than half of unemployed men in their 30s had a criminal history of arrest,
Shawn Bushway et al.
February, 2022.
"By age 35, approximately 50% of the black men in the [survey] have been arrested, 35% have been convicted, and 25% have been incarcerated."
Thursday, April 14 2022:
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth: An Epidemic of Homelessness
National Coalition for the Homeless.
2006.
"LGBT youth face the threat of victimization everywhere: at home, at school, at their jobs, and, for those who are out-of-home, at shelters and on the streets."
- Police Contact and Mental Health
Amanda Geller, Jeffrey Fagan, and Tom R. Tyler.
December, 2017.
"Recent police contact is associated with increased levels of anxiety symptoms, and both quantity and intensity of recent stop experience are significantly associated with increased PTSD symptoms."
Friday, April 1 2022:
- Criminal Victimization, 2020
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2022.
"From 2016 to 2020, the percentage of persons who were victims of aggravated assault declined from 0.25% to 0.20%. The percentage who were victims of simple assault declined from 0.70% in 2016 to 0.61% in 2020."
- Stalking Victimization, 2019
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2022.
"About 1.3% (3.4 million) of all persons age 16 or older were victims of stalking in 2019. Less than a third (29%) of all stalking victims reported the victimization to police in 2019."
- Capital Punishment, 2020
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2021.
"Prisoners under sentence of death on December 31, 2020 had been on death row for an average of 19.4 years."
- Profle of Prison Inmates, 2016
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2021.
"Prisoners held in state prison in 2016 were older than those held in state prison in 2004. Te average age of state prisoners was 39 in 2016, compared to 35 in 2004."
- Mortality in State and Federal Prisons, 2001-2019
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2021.
"A total of 65,027 state prisoners and 7,125 federal prisoners died while in custody during 2001-19."
- Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2019
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2021.
"A total of 1,200 persons died in local jails in 2019, a more than 5% increase from 2018 (1,138 deaths) and a 33% increase from 2000 (903), when the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) began its Mortality in Correctional Institutions data collection."
- Prisoners in 2020
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2021.
"The prison populations of California, Texas, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons each declined by more than 22,500 from 2019 to 2020, accounting for 33% of the total prison population decrease."
- Jail Inmates in 2020
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2021.
"The number of inmates in local jails across the United States decreased 25% from midyear 2019 (734,500) to midyear 2020 (549,100), after a 10-year period of relative stability."
- Correctional Populations in the United States, 2020
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2022.
"The decline in the correctional population during 2020 was due to decreases in both the community supervision population (down 276,700 or 6.6%) and the incarcerated population (down 294,400 or 18.9%)."
- Probation and Parole in the United States, 2020
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2021.
"The adult probation population declined 8.3% during 2020, the largest annual decrease since 1980 when BJS began the probation collection."
- Employment of Persons Released from Federal Prison in 2010
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2021.
"A third (33%) of persons in the study population did not find employment at any point during the 16 quarters after their release from prison from 2010 to 2014."
- Pretrial Release and Misconduct in Federal District Courts, Fiscal Years 2011-2018
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2022.
"While 19% of all released defendants committed some form of pretrial misconduct during FYs 2011-18, defendants with a financial bond (10%) did so less often than defendants with an unsecured bond (20%)."
Friday, March 25 2022:
- Compassionate Release:
The Impact of the First Step Act and COVID-19 Pandemic,
United States Sentencing Commission.
March, 2022.
"As the length of the offender's original sentence increased, the likelihood that the court would grant relief decreased (from 56.9% of offenders sentenced to a term of 12 months or less to 19.8% of offenders sentenced to a term of 120-240 months)."
- In-Cell Dining During the COVID-19 Pandemic:
A Survey of People in Pennsylvania State Custody,
Pennsylvania Prison Society.
March, 2022.
"The survey found that 62% of respondents want to return to eating in dining halls, and 74% report being served rotten food in the last month."
- California Crime Survivors Speak:
A Statewide Survey of California Victims' Views on Safety and Justice,
Californians for Safety and Justice.
April, 2019.
"By a nearly a five to one margin, victims say that prison either makes it more likely someone will commit crimes or has no public safety impact at all. Only a small percentage believe that prisons help rehabilitate people."
- Fentanyl in Colorado:
Overview and recommendations for addressing the overdose crisis,
Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition.
March, 2022.
(This brief describes the failure to prevent fentanyl overdose by increasing criminal punishment, and instead offers public health and harm reduction strategies like increasing medication-assisted treatment in prisons and jails.)
- Incarceration and subsequent risk of suicide:
A statewide cohort study, Paywall :(
Erin Renee Morgan et al.
January, 2022.
"Suicide risk was 62% higher among previously incarcerated individuals compared with the general population."
- People in Prison in Winter 2021-22
Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2022.
"All states and the federal prison system reduced their prison populations in 2020, but 19 states and the federal government increased the number of people incarcerated in prisons in 2021."
- Recidivism of Federal Violent Offenders Released in 2010
United States Sentencing Commission.
February, 2022.
"Over an eight-year follow-up period, nearly two-thirds (63.8%) of violent offenders released in 2010 were rearrested, compared to more than one-third (38.4%) of non-violent offenders."
- Access, Success, and Challenges in College-in-Prison Programs within the State University of New York
Higher Education for the Justice-Involved, State Univ. of New York.
December, 2021.
"It is difficult for newly released prisoners to continue their education, and our data indicate that few do. Most face immediate challenges in securing housing, jobs, transportation, and identification, let alone stress in [reentry adjustment]."
- Too Many Locked Doors
Sentencing Project.
March, 2022.
"Given the short- and long-term damages stemming from youth out of home placement, it is vital to understand its true scope. In 2019, there were more than 240,000 instances of a young person detained, committed, or both in the juvenile justice system."
- Using Multidisciplinary Partnerships to Advance Juvenile Justice Reform:
Experiences in 10 Communities, Paywall :(
Todd Honeycutt et al.
September, 2021.
"Developing diverse partnerships to engage in juvenile justice reform is an achievable goal that can advance reform efforts."
Monday, March 21 2022:
- New data:
The changes in prisons, jails, probation, and parole in the first year of the pandemic,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2022.
"Most of the drop in prison populations occurred within the federal Bureau of Prisons and just three states: California, Florida, and Texas."
- COVID looks like it may stay. That means prison medical copays must go.
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2022.
"Medical copays encourage a dangerous waiting game for incarcerated people, correctional agencies, and the public, with little payoff in terms of offsetting medical costs and reducing "unnecessary" office visits."
- State prisons and local jails appear indifferent to COVID outbreaks, refuse to depopulate dangerous facilities
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2022.
"The increasing jail populations across the country suggest that after the first wave of responses to COVID-19, many local officials have allowed jail admissions to return to business as usual."
- The prison context itself undermines public health and vaccination efforts
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2022.
"49% of respondents reported that they generally trust doctors and healthcare providers to make medically correct judgements, but only 9% of respondents trust doctors or healthcare providers in a prison to make medically correct judgments."
- Research roundup:
The positive impacts of family contact for incarcerated people and their families,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2021.
"As with visitation, family phone calls are shown to reduce the likelihood of recidivism; more consistent and/or frequent phone calls were linked to the lowest odds of returning to prison."
- Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2022,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2022.
"This big-picture view is a lens through which the main drivers of mass incarceration come into focus; it allows us to identify important, but often ignored, systems of confinement."
- New data on formerly incarcerated people's employment reveal labor market injustices
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2022.
"Of more than 50,000 people released from federal prisons in 2010, a staggering 33% found no employment at all over four years post-release, and at any given time, no more than 40% of the cohort was employed."
Monday, February 28 2022:
- Canary in the Coal Mine:
A Profile of Staff COVID Deaths in the Texas Prison System,
Alexi Jones, Michele Deitch, and Alycia Welch, Prison and Jail Innovation Lab.
February, 2022.
"A total of 78 TDCJ employees have died from COVID... With 26 deaths for every 10,000 TDCJ employees, Texas has the highest rate of staff deaths among the largest prison systems in the country and the second highest rate of death nationwide."
Monday, February 21 2022:
- Prisons, Nursing Homes, and Medicaid:
A COVID-19 Case Study in Health Injustice,
Mary Crossley.
2021.
"This essay highlights the experiences of Black people and disabled people, and how societal choices have caused them to experience the brunt of the pandemic. It will focus on prisons and nursing homes--institutions that emerged as COVID-19 hotspots."
- Massachusetts Uniform Citation Data Analysis Report
Salem State University, Worcester State University.
February, 2022.
"Hispanic motorists, followed by African American/Black motorists are most likely to receive a criminal citation whereas motorists in the Other race category, followed by White motorists were least likely to receive a criminal citation."
- The High Cost Of A Fresh Start:
A State-by-State Analysis of Court Debt As a Bar To Record Clearing,
National Consumer Law Center and Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
February, 2022.
"In almost every jurisdiction we studied, outstanding court debt is a barrier to record clearing in at least some cases, either rendering a person entirely ineligible for relief or making it difficult for them to qualify."
- Measuring Racial Discrimination in Bail Decisions
David Arnold, Will Dobbie, and Peter Hull.
October, 2020.
"Our most conservative estimates from NYC show that approximately two-thirds of the observed racial disparity in release decisions is due to racial discrimination, with around one-third due to unobserved racial differences in misconduct risk."
- Reimagining Judging
Nancy Gertner and the Square One Project.
January, 2022.
"Judges are not alone in resisting reform-- some prosecutors, police, politicians, and even the media share responsibility. But in many ways judicial resistance to change is more difficult to address, clothed as it is in citations to precedent..."
- Can Restorative Justice Conferencing Reduce Recidivism? Evidence From the Make-It-Right Program
(Working Paper),
Yotam Shem-Tov, Steven Raphael and Alissa Skog.
January, 2022.
"Assignment to [a restorative justice program] reduces the probability of a rearrest within six months by 19 percentage points, a 44 percent reduction relative to the control group...the reduction in recidivism persists even four years after randomization."
Friday, February 18 2022:
- "My Greatest Fear is To Be a Lab Rat For the State":
COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy in NYS Prisons,
Correctional Association of New York.
January, 2022.
"Of 166 respondents, 42.7% said that DOCCS administering the vaccine would make them less likely to accept the vaccine (n=71)."
- The Novel Coronavirus and Enforcement of the New Separate System in Prisons
Michael Klein et al.
March, 2022.
"All regions report that they gave more [COVID-19] protections to officers as compared with inmates. Several regions also show substantial differences between the policy responses for these two groups."
- Justice-Involved Individuals and the Consumer Financial Marketplace
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
January, 2022.
"People exiting jail or prison face frequent fees for the prepaid cards they often have no choice but to receive...even market-rate fees on a prepaid product would burden this vulnerable class of people relative to receiving cash or checks."
- Debt to Society:
The Role of Fines & Fees Reform in Dismantling the Carceral State,
Wesley Dozier and Daniel Kiel.
September, 2021.
"Between 2005 and 2017, the Tennessee General Assembly passed forty-six bills that increased the amount of debt owed by individuals who make contact with the criminal legal system."
- Recidivism and mortality after in-jail buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder
Paywall :(
Elizabeth A. Evans, Donna Wilson, and Peter D. Friedmann.
February, 2022.
"Among incarcerated adults with opioid use disorder, risk of recidivism after jail exit is lower among those who were offered buprenorphine during incarceration."
- Association Between Assistance With Medicaid Enrollment and Use of Health Care After Incarceration
Among Adults With a History of Substance Use,
Marguerite E. Burns et al.
January, 2022.
"After implementation of [Medicaid] enrollment assistance, the likelihood of any outpatient visit increased by 7.7 percentage points, a relative change of 47.8% receiving this service within 30 days of release."
- Access Denied:
Eliminating Barriers and Increasing Economic Opportunity for Justice-Involved Individuals,
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
September, 2021.
"The [Small Business Administration] continues to impose extensive criminal record-related restrictions in its general small business loan programs, frustrating lawful efforts by entrepreneurs and employees with criminal histories."
- The Civil Rights Implications of Cash Bail
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
January, 2022.
(This report examines pretrial incarceration trends, constitutional and legal concerns regarding pretrial and bail practices, an analysis of the role of the federal government regarding bail practices, and an in-depth investigation of four jurisdictions.)
- Losing Years Doing Time:
Incarceration Exposure and Accelerated Biological Aging among African American Adults, Paywall :(
Mark T. Berg et al.
October, 2021.
"Incarceration exposure predicted accelerated aging, leaving formerly incarcerated African American individuals biologically older than their calendar age."
- From Reentry to Reintegration:
Criminal Record Reforms in 2021,
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
January, 2022.
"The title of this report emphasizes the continuum from reentry to the full restoration of rights and status represented by reintegration."
- Driver's License Suspension for Unpaid Fines and Fees:
The Movement for Reform,
Joni Hirsch and Priya Sarathy Jones, Fines and Fees Justice Center.
September, 2021.
"In Florida, 72% of all driver's licenses suspension notices are issued for nonpayment of fines and fees. That is nearly 1.2 million suspension notices in Florida alone."
- The Effect of Prison Industry on Recidivism:
An Evaluation of California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA),
James Hess and Susan F. Turner, Center for Evidence-Based Corrections.
November, 2021.
"CALPIA participants were significantly less likely to be arrested at one, two and three years post release [compared to waitlisted people]."
- The Challenge of Imposing Just Sentences Under Mandatory Minimum Statutes:
A Qualitative Study of Judicial Perceptions, Paywall :(
Esther Nir and Siyu Liu.
July, 2021.
"[Judges] perceive that mandatory minimums often strip away the flexibility they need to craft appropriate sentences in individual cases, leading to punishments that are unduly harsh."
- Community Relationship Quality and Reincarceration Following Rural Drug-Using Women's Reentry From Jail
Paywall :(
Martha Tillson et al.
January, 2022.
"Women who were reincarcerated during the 12-month postrelease period (43.4%) were younger, less employed, more likely to have used illicit drugs, and reported lower-quality community relationships at 12-month follow-up."
Friday, January 28 2022:
- A Statistical Overview of the Kentucky Death Penalty
Frank R. Baumgartner.
January, 2022.
"Race may be the most powerful driving factor in Kentucky's death penalty. But the racial disparities laid out here, extreme as they are, are not the only flaws in the system."
- Broken Rules:
How Pennsylvania Courts Use Cash Bail to Incarcerate People Before Trial,
ACLU Pennsylvania.
December, 2021.
"The average statewide bail amount was $38,433 -- more than half the average household income in Pennsylvania."
- Availability of Medications for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder
Among Pregnant and Postpartum Individuals in US Jails,
Carolyn Sufrin, Camille T. Kramer, Mishka Terplan et al.
January, 2022.
"A substantial proportion of US jails did not provide access to MOUD to pregnant people with OUD. Although most jails reported continuing to provide MOUD to individuals who were receiving medication before incarceration, few jails initiated MOUD.."
- Student Arrests in Allegheny County Schools:
The Need for Transparency and Accountability,
ACLU Pennsylvania.
January, 2022.
"Black students with disabilities (served under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) accounted for 2.3% of total student enrollment, but 8.4% of students referred to law enforcement and 9.1% of students who were arrested."
Tuesday, January 18 2022:
- Pandemics, Prisons, and Policy:
An Overview of Criminal Justice and Public Health in Tennessee,
Hadassah Betapudi and Anna Walton.
December, 2021.
"Among the 50 states, Tennessee ranks 20th for the highest number of state prisoners infected with coronavirus per capita, with 7,290 total cases.20 Significantly, this means there is one known case per every three prisoners."
- Investigation of New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
Incarcerated Individual Drug Testing Program,
New York Office of the Inspector General.
January, 2022.
"From January through August 2019, incarcerated individuals found to have positive drug test results at a disciplinary hearing received significant--and in some cases ultimately undeserved--punishments that jeopardized their rehabilitation and release."
- When Accidental Overdose is Treated As Murder:
Seeking Relief for Defendants,
Morgan Godvin, Northeastern University Health in Justice Action Lab.
October, 2021.
"By scapegoating individuals for structural failures and conflating performative vengeance with justice, the government has opened a new frontier in the Drug War."
- Custodial Sanctions and Reoffending:
A Meta-Analytic Review,
Damon M. Petrich et al.
September, 2021.
"Beginning in the 1970s, the United States began an experiment in mass imprisonment...Skeptics argued that imprisonment may have a criminogenic effect. The skeptics were right."
- Costs and Consequences of Eliminating a Routine, Point-Of-Care HIV Screening Program in a High-Prevalence Jail
Angela B. Hutchinson et al.
November, 2021.
"Routine HIV screening in high-prevalence jails is cost effective and has a larger impact on public health than targeted testing."
- The Paid Jailer:
How Sheriff Campaign Dollars Shape Mass Incarceration,
Common Cause and Communities for Sheriff Accountability.
December, 2021.
"Sheriffs are politicians who make major decisions about health and safety for millions of Americans--and they shouldn't be up for sale to the highest bidder."
- The Thin Blue Waveform:
Racial Disparities in Officer Prosody Undermine Institutional Trust in the Police,
Nicholas P. Camp et al.
July, 2021.
"Officers communicate different levels of respect, warmth, and ease toward Black and White citizens....these interpersonal cues accumulate across interactions to shape citizens' perceptions of and trust in law enforcement."
- Police Exposures and the Health and Well-being of Black Youth in the US:
A Systematic Review, Paywall :(
Monique Jindal et al.
September, 2021.
"Evidence shows that police exposures are associated with adverse health outcomes for Black youth."
- Criminalizing Homelessness:
Circumstances Surrounding Criminal Trespassing and People Experiencing Homelessness, Paywall :(
Brie Diamond, Ronald Burns, Kendra Bowen.
December, 2021.
"Criminal trespassing (CT) is an understudied misdemeanor offense often enforced to maintain control over contested spaces and, in practice, often disproportionately used against disenfranchised populations such as the homeless and mentally ill."
- Time for Justice:
The Urgent Need for Second Chances In Pennsylvania's Sentencing System,
Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
November, 2021.
"Based on average incarceration costs, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) is spending $220 million per year to incarcerate 3,892 people who have already served at least 20 years. The true cost is undoubtedly higher."
- Mortality and Cause of Death Among Youths Previously Incarcerated in the Juvenile Legal System
Donna A. Ruch et al.
December, 2021.
"In this cohort study of 3645 previously incarcerated youths, the all-cause mortality rate was 5.9 times higher in previously incarcerated youths than the rate observed in general population, Medicaid-enrolled youths."
Monday, January 10 2022:
- Punitive ambiguity:
State-level criminal record data quality in the era of widespread background screening, Paywall :(
David McElhattan.
February, 2021.
"This study develops the concept of punitive ambiguity to characterize the burdens of incomplete criminal records and examines how they vary at the state level, providing evidence that punitive ambiguity is racially patterned."
- Bloody Lucre:
Carceral Labor and Prison Profit,
Laura I. Appleman.
August, 2021.
"The economic exploitation that occurs with most inmate labor is doubly troubling in times of emergency or disaster, where often prisoners' health, safety, and even life is risked to ensure cost-savings on the part of governments or private industry."
- The Effects of College in Prison and Policy Implications
Paywall :(
Matthew G. T. Denney and Robert Tynes.
December, 2021.
"We employ a design-based approach to infer the causal effect of participation in [a college-in-prison program]. We find a large and significant reduction in recidivism rates."
- Association of Incarceration With Mortality by Race From a National Longitudinal Cohort Study
Benjamin J. Bovell-Ammon et al.
December, 2021.
"Experiencing an incarceration in adulthood was associated with lower life expectancy for Black but not for non-Black participants. Our study confirmed known racial disparities in rates of incarceration and life expectancy."
- Beyond Jails:
Community-Based Strategies for Public Safety,
Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2021.
"Genuine partnership with nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups must be at the center of efforts to create a network of supports that function effectively, equitably, and without funneling people into the criminal legal system."
- Proliferation or adaptation?
Differences across race and sex in the relationship between time served in prison and mental health symptoms, Paywall :(
Lauren C. Porter, Meghan Kozlowski-Serra, and Hedwig Lee.
May, 2021.
"Drawing on data from the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities in 2004 (N = 12,118), our findings suggest that time served is correlated with mental health symptoms, but that the association differs across race and sex."
- Policing the pandemic:
estimating spatial and racialized inequities in New York City police enforcement of COVID-19 mandates,
Sandhya Kajeepeta et al.
November, 2021.
"Findings suggest that ZIP codes with higher percentages of lower income and Black residents experienced disproportionately high rates of policing during the COVID-19 pandemic in the name of public health."
- Beyond Payment Plans:
Breaking the Cycle of Court Debt in Tennessee,
Think Tennessee.
December, 2021.
"For Tennesseans who face an endless cycle of penalties due to an inability to pay court debt, the county where they live could determine whether they have access to a payment plan that could help them break free."
- The Perils of Probation:
How Supervision Contributes to Jail Populations,
Vera Institute of Justice.
October, 2021.
"People held for probation violations can make up a fairly large proportion of the average daily jail population even in sites with relatively low jail admissions for violations."
- Georgia:
Monitoring Data Trends after 2017 Justice Reinvestment Initiative Reforms,
Council of State Governments Justice Center.
November, 2021.
"The reduction in the active felony probation population resulting from Georgia's Justice Reinvestment policies has allowed officers to focus time and resources on people at the highest risk to recidivate."
- Justice in Decision-Making:
Studying Racial & Ethnic Disparities in the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office,
CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance.
October, 2021.
"While our analysis showed that case processing in the Brooklyn DA's office resulted in fewer racial and ethnic disparities than expected overall, there were more notable disparities within specific offense types or charges."
- Effect of Juvenile Justice Fee Repeal on Financial Sanctions Borne by Families
Jaclyn E. Chambers, Karin D. Martin, and Jennifer L. Skeem.
September, 2021.
"We estimate that the likelihood of experiencing any financial sanction was 22.2% lower post-repeal [in Alameda County] compared to pre-repeal, and the total amount of sanctions was $1,583 (or 70%) lower."
- Youth in Adult Courts, Jails, and Prisons
Sentencing Project.
December, 2021.
"In 2019, on any given night, there were 3,500 children sleeping in adult jails and prisons."
- Adolescent Protective and Risk Factors for Incarceration through Early Adulthood
Paywall :(
Elizabeth S. Barnert et al.
April, 2021.
"Adolescent protective factors against incarceration onset and higher incarceration frequency centered on education, including a higher grade point average and a higher likelihood of having future plans to attend college."
Tuesday, December 21 2021:
- Data update:
As the Delta variant ravages the country, correctional systems are dropping the ball (again),
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2021.
"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."
- Since you asked:
What information is available about COVID-19 and vaccinations in prison now?,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2021.
"Only two states -- Maryland and South Carolina -- are publishing the number of incarcerated people who have refused the vaccine, while no prison systems are publishing the number of staff who have refused a vaccine."
- Blood from a stone:
How New York prisons force people to pay for their own incarceration,
Tommaso Bardelli, Zach Gillespie and Thuy Linh Tu.
October, 2021.
"A study by members of the New York University Prison Education Program Research Collective gives important first-hand accounts of the damage done when prisons shift financial costs to incarcerated people."
- Winnable criminal justice reforms in 2022
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2021.
"We've curated this list to offer policymakers and advocates straightforward solutions that would have the greatest impacts without further investments in the carceral system and point to policy reforms that have gained momentum in the past year."
- Unsupportive environments and limited policies:
Pregnancy, postpartum, and birth during incarceration,
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2021.
"Jails, prisons, and youth facilities have yet to adequately recognize pregnancy and postpartum needs either in policy or in practice."
- Show me the money:
Tracking the companies that have a lock on sending funds to incarcerated people,
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2021.
"We looked at all fifty state departments of corrections to figure out which companies hold the contracts to provide money-transfer services and what the fees are to use these services."
- For the poorest people in prison, it's a struggle to access even basic necessities
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2021.
"Most prison systems claim to provide assistance to people who are extremely poor (or, in correctional policy terms, "indigent"). Our survey reveals that these "indigence policies" are extremely limited."
- The U.S. criminal justice system disproportionately hurts Native people:
The data, visualized,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2021.
"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."
- Recent studies shed light on what reproductive "choice" looks like in prisons and jails
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2021.
"Two recent studies reveal that abortion and contraception access varies greatly between states -- and that abortion access for incarcerated people is related to broader state policies."
Wednesday, December 15 2021:
- Neighborhood Racial and Economic Segregation and Disparities in Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Paywall :(
Julia P. Schleimer et al..
December, 2021.
"In 2020, violence was higher in less-privileged neighborhoods than in the most privileged...The events of 2020 exacerbated disparities in several forms of violence."
- Protective State Policies and the Employment of Fathers with Criminal Records
Paywall :(
Allison Dwyer Emory.
November, 2021.
"Consistent with research linking policies regulating access to records to racial discrimination, black men living in protective states reported this employment penalty even if they did not have criminal records themselves."
- A Prosecutorial Solution to the Criminalization of Homelessness
Andrew I. Leaf, U. of Penn. Law Review.
November, 2021.
"If prosecutors decline to prosecute, and offer a diversion program to, those who are in or looking to join the workforce, much of the harm antihomeless laws inflict would be alleviated."
- Jail and Overdose:
Assessing the Community Impact of Incarceration on Overdose,
Grant Victor et al..
July, 2021.
"Each prior booking increased the hazard of mortality by approximately 20%, while the presence of a syringe charge at most recent booking prior to release more than tripled the hazard of mortality."
- Police Violence Reduces Civilian Cooperation and Engagement with Law Enforcement
Desmond Ang et al..
September, 2021.
"We find evidence that high-profile acts of police violence may severely impair civilian trust and crime-reporting...[In] eight major cities, we show a sharp drop in the ratio of 911 calls to ShotSpotter shots immediately after George Floyd's death."
- Sentencing Enhancements and Incarceration:
San Francisco, 2005-2017,
Stanford Computational Policy Lab.
October, 2019.
"One could substantially reduce incarceration by focusing on a relatively small number of enhancements: Prop. 8 priors, Three Strikes, and the 10-20-life gun enhancement."
Tuesday, December 14 2021:
- The 'Olympic Hurdles' of Obtaining Federal Benefits for Inmates with Disabilities:
A Study of Two Massachusetts County Jails, Paywall :(
Shahrzad Sajadi.
November, 2019.
"Complicated application procedures [for governmental assistance] often result in the formerly jailed returning to prior lifestyles and rearrests. This study explores SSI/SSDI systems at two Massachusetts county jails."
- Methods of Calculating the Marginal Cost of Incarceration:
A Scoping Review,
Stuart John Wilson and Jocelyne Lemoine.
December, 2021.
"There is a lack of, and need for, peer-reviewed literature on methods for calculating the marginal cost of incarceration, and marginal cost estimates of incarceration, to assist program evaluation, policy, and cost forecasting."
- Reducing Trauma from Behind Bars:
Enhancing Parent-Child Attachment Through a Digitally Distributed Reading Program, Paywall :(
David M. McLeod et al..
November, 2021.
"The intervention [video reading to children] appeared to increase the frequency of correspondence between the parent and child, improved the sense of parent-child relationship, and increased a sense of involvement, attachment, and connectedness."
- Enhanced Public Defense Improves Pretrial Outcomes and Reduces Racial Disparities
Paul Heaton.
May, 2021.
"Bail advocates did not reduce detention rates (at least on average) but did substantially reduce clients' likelihood of bail violation (-64%) and future arrest (- 26%)."
Tuesday, November 16 2021:
- A Dose of Dignity:
Equitable Vaccination Policies for Incarcerated People and Correctional Staff During the Covid-19 Pandemic,
Itay Ravid, Jordan Hyatt, and Steven L. Chanenson.
September, 2021.
"Governments--and the society they represent--have both a constitutional and a moral obligation to take care of people they choose to incarcerate. That includes providing vaccines...There are no constitutional exceptions for public health crises."
- The Golden Key:
How State-Local Financial Incentives to Lock Up Kentuckians Are Perpetuating Mass Incarceration,
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.
October, 2021.
"Some county jails rely on the economies of scale created by overcrowding including the extra revenue that comes from holding people in state and federal custody and from charging fees to those who are incarcerated."
- New York State's New Death Penalty:
The Death Toll of Mass Incarceration in a Post Execution Era,
Columbia University Center for Justice.
October, 2021.
"More people have died in NY State custody in the last decade than the total of number of people executed in the 364 years New York State had the death penalty."
- Is It Dangerous to Live in Neighborhoods with More Immigrants?
Assessing the Effects of Immigrant Concentration on Crime Patterns, Paywall :(
Sungil Han and Alex R. Piquero.
April, 2021.
"Results show that immigrant concentration is negatively associated with crime counts and, most importantly, that immigrant concentration moderates the effect of structural conditions on crime."
- Racial Disparities in Law Enforcement Stops
Public Policy Institute of California.
October, 2021.
"We analyze data for almost 4 million stops by California's 15 largest law enforcement agencies in 2019, examining the extent to which people of color experience searches, enforcement, intrusiveness, and use of force differently from white people."
- Automating Banishment
Stop LAPD Spying Coalition.
October, 2021.
"Over the past decade, we have been working to build power to abolish LAPD surveillance. This report grew out of that organizing and examines the relationships of policing and surveillance to displacement, gentrification, and real estate development."
- Compassionate Release Data Report:
Calendar Years 2020 to 2021,
United States Sentencing Commission.
September, 2021.
(This report contains charts and tables describing the 20,565 motions for compassionate release decided upon by the courts in 2020 and the first half of 2021; of those, just over 3,600 or 17.5% were granted.)
- Untangling Eviction, Disadvantage, Race, and Social Processes:
Neighborhood Factors Influencing Crime, Paywall :(
Eileen M. Kirk.
April, 2021.
"Eviction is likely concentrated in neighborhoods vulnerable to crime, but the connection between eviction and neighborhood violent crime has not yet been examined...this Boston-based study is a first step in filling this knowledge gap."
- Race, Ethnicity, and Official Perceptions in the Juvenile Justice System:
Extending the Role of Negative Attributional Stereotypes, Paywall :(
Laura Beckman and Nancy Rodriguez.
April, 2021.
"Using juvenile probation file content (N = 285) that quantitatively captures court officials' perceptions...youth of color are more likely to be linked to negative internal attributions in comparison with White youth."
Wednesday, November 10 2021:
- Custodial Sanctions and Reoffending:
A Meta-Analytic Review,
Petrich, Damon et al..
September, 2021.
"Compared with noncustodial sanctions, custodial sanctions, including imprisonment, have no appreciable effect on reducing reoffending. The studies tend to show that placing offenders in custody has a slight criminogenic effect."
- Prevalence, Comorbidity, and Continuity of Psychiatric Disorders
in a 15-Year Longitudinal Study of Youths Involved in the Juvenile Justice System,
Teplin, Linda et al..
April, 2021.
"Among participants with a [psychiatric] disorder at baseline, 64.3% of males and 34.8% of females had a disorder 15 years later. Compared with females, males had 3.37 times the odds of persisting with a psychiatric disorder 15 years after baseline."
- Youth in Adult and Juvenile Correctional Facilities:
Comparison of Services and Behavioral Management, Paywall :(
Park, Insun and Christopher J. Sullivan.
May, 2021.
"Youth in adult facilities had similar or more access to institutional programs but also exhibited relatively higher involvement in misconduct based on official reports [compared to youth in juvenile residential facilities]."
Thursday, October 28 2021:
- The predatory dimensions of criminal justice
Joshua Page and Joe Soss.
October, 2021.
"Consistent with developments that financialized the broader political economy, predatory criminal justice practices pivoted toward tools that charge prices, create debts, and pursue collections."
- What to Do About Closing Rikers
Vital City.
September, 2021.
"Closing Rikers and the policies that make the closure possible will determine whether New York City remains the safest large city in the country with the fewest people jailed per capita."
- Cops, Clinicians, or Both?
Collaborative Approaches to Responding to Behavioral Health Emergencies,
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors.
August, 2020.
"Individuals [in behavioral health crisis] account for a quarter of police shootings and over 2 million jail bookings per year. Explicit and implicit bias magnify these problems for people of color."
- Driving Injustice:
Consequences and Disparities in North Carolina Criminal Legal and Traffic Debt,
Duke Law School Wilson Center for Science and Justice.
September, 2021.
"Over 650,000 people, or 1 in 12 adults in North Carolina currently have unpaid criminal court debt. One consequence of unpaid debt is indefinite suspension of driving privileges."
Monday, October 18 2021:
- A New Approach:
A Prosecutor's Guide to Advancing a Public Health Response to Drug Use,
Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College.
September, 2021.
"With robust enforcement powers and political influence, prosecutors have a unique opportunity to improve our society's response to drug use while minimizing the harms of the legal system."
- Defund the Police - Invest in Community Care:
A Guide to Alternative Mental Health Responses,
Interrupting Criminalization.
May, 2021.
"This guide highlights considerations for real, meaningful shifts away from law enforcement and towards autonomous, self-determined community-based resources and responses to unmet mental health needs."
- Cops Don't Stop Violence:
Combating Narratives Used to Defend Police Instead of Defunding Them,
Community Resource Hub and Interrupting Criminalization.
July, 2021.
"Police are facing one of the greatest crises of legitimacy in a generation. So they are reaching for one of their most reliable weapons -- fear."
- Predictive Properties of a General Risk-Need Measure in Diverse Justice Involved Youth:
A Prospective Field Validity Study,
Jessica Prince et al..
April, 2021.
"Across jurisdictions, there has been debate about the use of structured risk-need assessment measures with diverse justice involved youth (e.g., Indigenous peoples, females)."
- Federal Sentencing of Child Pornography:
Production Offenses,
United States Sentencing Commission.
October, 2021.
"Notably, in 2020 alone, the Cyber Tipline of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 21.7 million reports of child sexual abuse imagery, online child exploitation and enticement, child sexual molestation, and child sex trafficking."
- Federal Sentencing of Child Pornography:
Non-Production Offenses,
United States Sentencing Commission.
June, 2021.
"The average sentence [for non-production child pornography offenses] increased more gradually, from 91 months in fiscal year 2005 to 103 months in fiscal year 2019."
Friday, October 8 2021:
- The Opioid Epidemic and Homicide in the United States
Paywall :(
Richard Rosenfeld, Joel Wallman, Randolph Roth.
January, 2021.
"Those who happen to live in communities with high opioid use...suffer from the impact of living in communities with high homicide rates."
- Impact of a Prison Therapeutic Diversion Unit on Mental and Behavioral Health Outcomes
Molly Remch.
September, 2021.
"After adjustment for confounding, the rate of all infractions in restrictive housing was 3 times the rate in TDU."
- 'I Refuse to Let Them Kill Me':
Food, Violence, and the Maryland Correctional Food System,
The Maryland Food & Prison Abolition Project.
September, 2021.
"Food in prison serves three fundamental functions: as an everyday mechanism of control, dehumanization, and punishment; as a site of exploitation and profit for private food service corporations; and as a form of violence and premature death."
(This report is divided into six parts, all of which are available at this link.)
- Disability's Fourth Amendment
Jamelia Morgan.
April, 2021.
"I discuss the ways in which disability mediates interactions with law enforcement and how Fourth Amendment doctrine renders disabled people vulnerable to policing and police violence."
- Fatal police violence by race and state in the USA, 1980-2019:
a network meta-regression,
Global Burden of Diseases 2019 Police Violence US Subnational Collaborators.
October, 2021.
"We found that more than half of all deaths due to police violence that we estimated in the USA from 1980 to 2018 were unreported in the National Vital Statistics System."
- Policing by the Numbers
Council on Criminal Justice.
June, 2021.
"Efforts to develop responses that achieve the twin goals of crime control and justice must be grounded in hard data and research evidence, as well as personal and professional experience."
- Police Foundations:
A Corporate-Sponsored Threat to Democracy and Black Lives,
Color of Change and LittleSis.
October, 2021.
"[We] have compiled the most extensive research to date on the links between police foundations and corporations, identifying over 1,200 corporate donations or executives serving as board members for 23 of the largest police foundations in the country."
- Electronic Prisons:
The Operation of Ankle Monitoring in the Criminal Legal System,
Kate Weisburd et al..
September, 2021.
"Monitoring and its attendant rules significantly burden basic rights, liberty and dignity."
- Public Opinion About Police Weapons and Equipment:
An Exploratory Analysis, Paywall :(
Kevin H. Wozniak, Kevin M. Drakulich, and Brian R. Calfano.
March, 2021.
"We find that public opinion defies easy classification into "militarized" versus "routine" equipment categories...perceptions of police misconduct and bias predict opposition to some types of tools."
- County-Level Context and Sentence Lengths for Black, Latinx, and White Individuals Sentenced to Prison:
A Multi-Level Assessment, Paywall :(
Katherine A. Durante.
June, 2021.
"Race and ethnicity continue to be salient predictors of punishment, with Black and Latinx individuals facing harsher outcomes than their White counterparts."
Tuesday, October 5 2021:
- Pandemic, Social Unrest, and Crime in U.S. Cities
Council on Criminal Justice.
July, 2021.
"The motor vehicle theft rate was 21% higher - 9,861 more motor vehicle thefts - during the first half of 2021 than the year before."
- A global analysis of the impact of COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions on crime
Amy E. Nivette et al..
June, 2021.
"While some early studies suggested that violent and non-violent crime dropped as regulations were imposed, there is also evidence that the effects of COVID-19 on crime are not universal across countries nor across different categories of crime."
- How Does Restorative Justice Work? A Qualitative Metasynthesis
Masahiro Suzuki and Xiaoyu Yuan Shanghai.
October, 2021.
"Knowledge is scarce as to what elements of restorative justice lead to the positive results, and how."
- The Overlooked Victim Right:
According Victim-Survivors a Right of Access to Restorative Justice,
Lynn S. Branham.
August, 2021.
"Criminal justice systems in the United States currently leave victim-survivors with some of their most basic needs unmet or only partially met."
- Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics and the Justice Systems
National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
August, 2021.
"CCBHCs are required to deliver a comprehensive scope of services to meet clients' full [mental health/substance use] needs while integrating services with primary care."
- A Neglected Problem:
Understanding the Effects of Personal and Vicarious Trauma on African Americans' Attitudes Toward the Police, Paywall :(
Daniel K. Pryce et al..
April, 2021.
"Even for the proportion of African Americans who had positive perceptions and interactions with the police, their views of the police seemed to be further complicated by broader concerns of discriminatory treatment."
- Recidivism Rates:
What You Need to Know,
Council on Criminal Justice.
September, 2021.
"This brief summarizes the key takeaways from the most recent [recidivism] report, released in July 2021, and analyzes them in the context of previous findings."
- Beyond The Record:
A Justice-Oriented Approach to Background Checks,
John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity.
September, 2021.
"This guide contains information about the negative impact of a conviction record, and how background checks often perpetuate the racial disparities within our country's criminal legal system."
Friday, September 24 2021:
- In the Extreme:
Women Serving Life Without Parole and Death Sentences in the United States,
Sentencing Project.
September, 2021.
"One third of the women serving life without parole are Black. Among women in our sample of over 1,000 women across 16 states we find that Black women were on average 4.5 years younger at sentencing compared to white women."
Friday, September 17 2021:
- Keeping COVID Out of Prisons:
Approaches in Ten Countries,
Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research.
May, 2021.
"The South African prison population declined after a period of relative stability prepandemic. Total prisoner numbers were in the region of 162-164,000 in the four years prior to the pandemic, but had fallen to 147,922 in June 2020."
- Locked in and Locked Down - Prison Life in a Pandemic:
Evidence from Ten Countries,
Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research.
May, 2021.
"We present evidence of how life in custody changed as a result of the global health emergency, drawn from over 80 interviews with prisoners, ex-prisoners and their loved ones, which we and our research partners conducted before and during the pandemic."
- Reducing Restrictive Housing Use in Washington State
Keramet Reiter, JD, PhD.
August, 2021.
"A greater proportion of people in DOC experienced Intensive Management Unit confinement over time. In 2002, 24% of the prison population had spent at least one day in an IMU. By 2017, over one-third (34%) of the prison population had spent time in an IMU."
- Supporting Success:
The Higher Education in Prison Key Performance Indicator Framework,
Institute for Higher Education Policy.
September, 2020.
"Better understanding of student outcomes, academic quality, civic engagement, and soft skill development associated with higher education in prison will help both practitioners and policymakers."
- Reforming solitary confinement:
the development, implementation, and processes of a restrictive housing step down reentry program in Oregon,
Ryan M. Labrecque, Jennifer J. Tostlebe, Bert Useem and David C. Pyrooz.
August, 2021.
"We focus on the task set forth by the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) to create a new unit that is committed to rehabilitative programming, increased socialization opportunities, and blunting some of the harsher conditions of restrictive housing."
- Back-to-School Action Guide:
Re-Engaging Students and Closing the School-to-Prison Pipeline,
Sentencing Project.
August, 2021.
"Unless schools tap the resources of community partners and aggressively embrace promising new approaches, many young people will likely be criminalized or excluded from school due to predictable behavior problems."
- Improving the Food Environment in Washington State-Run Correctional Facilities:
The Healthy Commissary Project,
Alyssa Auvinen et al..
August, 2015.
"The Healthy Commissary Project demonstrates the feasibility of partnerships between health departments, corrections, and advocacy organizations to implement effective nutrition interventions in correctional facility commissaries."
- Improving Long-Term Employment Outcomes:
Promising Findings from New York State,
Center for Employment Opportunities.
February, 2019.
"12 months post-enrollment [Center for Employment Opportunities] participants were 52% more likely to be employed than their counterparts in the comparison group."
Wednesday, September 15 2021:
- Association of Jail Decarceration and Anticontagion Policies With COVID-19 Case Growth Rates in US Counties
Eric Reinhart and Daniel L. Chen.
September, 2021.
"When controlling for anticontagion policies, mass release events were associated with a 3.1% decrease in COVID-19 growth rates 2 weeks later and a 5.3% decrease in daily jail population."
- Nutrition in Midwestern State Department of Corrections Prisons:
A Comparison of Nutritional Offerings,
Mitchel K. Holliday and Kelli M. Richardson.
September, 2021.
"Sodium was offered in excess across 14 of the 15 menus reviewed. The average daily offering was 3,625 mg or 158% of the recommended level for males and 3,059 mg or 133% of recommended levels for females."
- Hate Crime Victimization, 2005-2019
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2021.
"On average, U.S. residents experienced approximately 246,900 hate crime victimizations each year between 2005 and 2019."
- Hate Crime Recorded by Law Enforcement, 2010-2019
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2021.
"The number of [hate] incidents decreased 17% from 2010 to 2014, before increasing 25% from 2015 to 2019. By comparison, the total volume of reported crime-- both hate and nonhate incidents--decreased 22% during the 10-year period."
- Family member incarceration and mental health:
Results from a nationally representative survey,
Kristin Turney.
June, 2021.
"The stressor of incarceration proliferates to have reverberating mental health consequences for those connected to the incarcerated, via pathways such as destabilized family economic wellbeing or impaired relationships between family members."
- Prisons and Mental Health:
Violence, Organizational Support, and the Effects of Correctional Work, Paywall :(
Amy E. Lerman, Jessie Harney, Meredith Sadin.
September, 2021.
"Correctional workers have a high likelihood of exposure to violence in the workplace. However, empirical literature has largely neglected the mental health consequences of prison work."
- Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 24 States in 2008:
A 10-Year Follow-Up Period (2008-2018),
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2021.
"Almost half (49%) of released prisoners had a probation or parole violation or an arrest for a new offense within 3 years that led to imprisonment."
Tuesday, September 14 2021:
- States of emergency:
The failure of prison system responses to COVID-19,
Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2021.
"It's telling that not one prison system in the U.S. scored higher than a C; as a whole, the nation's response to the pandemic behind bars has been a shameful failure."
- Access in Brief:
Health Care Needs of Adults Involved with the Criminal Justice System,
Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission.
August, 2021.
"When compared to their peers with other forms of coverage, Medicaid beneficiaries under community supervision were more likely to have Hepatitis B or C, chronic bronchitis, or asthma."
- States of Incarceration:
The Global Context 2021,
Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2021.
"Every U.S. state, and the United States as a nation, is an outlier in the global context. No other country incarcerates as many people, including countries with similar rates of"
- Racial and Ethnic Disparities throughout the Criminal Legal System:
A Result of Racist Policies and Discretionary Practices,
Urban Institute.
August, 2021.
"Racial biases are so deeply embedded in the criminal legal system that disparities based on race exist at each decision point, impacting subsequent decision points and resulting in negative outcomes for Black people and other people of color."
- Women, Incarceration, and Violent Crime:
A Briefing in Response to Plans for Building a New Women's Prison in Massachusetts,
Women and Incarceration Project.
September, 2021.
"The population of women convicted of crimes classified as violent by the Massachusetts DOC should not be used as justification for spending millions of taxpayer dollars on constructing a new women's prison."
Monday, August 30 2021:
- Is There a Temporal Relationship between COVID-19 Infections
among Prison Staff, Incarcerated Persons and the Larger Community in the United States?,
Danielle Wallace et al..
June, 2021.
"Even with strong infection control policies in place, correctional staff are associated with infection spread within prisons."
- Understanding the place of punishment:
Disadvantage, politics, and the geography of imprisonment in 21st century America,
Katharine Beckett and Lindsey Beach.
February, 2021.
"Geographic variation in the use of prisons in 21st century America affords an opportunity toassess--and advance--alternative theoretical perspectives on punishment."
- Violence, Hunger, and Premature Death:
How Prison Food in Maryland Became Even Worse During Covid-19,
The Maryland Food & Prison Abolition Project.
August, 2021.
"As atrocious as the correctional food systems were prior to 2020, however, the Covid-19 pandemic drastically exacerbated the crisis of prison food prison."
- Black Disparities in Youth Incarceration
Sentencing Project.
July, 2021.
"Black youth are more than four times as likely to be detained or committed in juvenile facilities as their white peers. In 2015, Black youth's incarceration rate was 5.0 times as high as their white peers, an all-time peak."
- Better for Everyone:
Black Descriptive Representation and Police Traffic Stops,
Leah Christiani et al..
March, 2021.
"Even though increased black representation would not eliminate racial disparities, it may be an important part of reducing the amount of negative police contact that individuals experience."
- Racial Equity and Criminal Justice Risk Assessment
Urban Institute.
March, 2021.
"Practitioners and policymakers must determine how (or whether) to balance the use of risk assessment as a component of evidence-based practice with pursuing goals of reducing racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system."
Tuesday, August 24 2021:
- "Every Thought and Dream a Nightmare":
Violence and Trauma Among Formerly Imprisoned Gang Members, Paywall :(
Shytierra Gaston, Faraneh Shamserad, and Beth M. Huebner.
August, 2021.
"Although direct involvement in violence dissipated after prison, exposure to vicarious victimization was substantial and ongoing."
- Rethinking Approaches to Over Incarceration of Black Young Adults in Maryland
Justice Policy Institute.
November, 2019.
"Nearly eight in 10 people who were sentenced as emerging adults and have served 10 or more years in a Maryland prison are black. This is the highest rate of any state in the country."
- Voices for Reform in DC:
Recommendations for improving reentry following long prison terms,
Justice Policy Institute.
July, 2021.
"This report's observations and recommendations reflect the realities faced by individuals three years after the passage of Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA) legislation."
- Breastfeeding in Incarcerated Settings in the United States:
A National Survey of Frequency and Policies, Paywall :(
Ifeyinwa V. Asiodu, Lauren Beal, and Carolyn Sufrin.
April, 2021.
"Our data show inconsistent implementation of policies and practices supportive of breastfeeding in prisons and jails."
- The Relevance of Women's Economic Marginalization to Recidivism
Paywall :(
Merry Morash and Deborah A. Kashy.
August, 2021.
"This study examines whether changes over time in women's criminogenic needs, particularly their financial needs, predict recidivism...Women whose financial needs decreased were less likely to be rearrested and convicted relative to other women."
- Replacing School Police with Services that Work:
Better Ways to Improve School Safety and Reduce Discipline Disparities,
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.
August, 2021.
"The ongoing presence of police in schools increases school arrests, instances of physical restraint, and suspensions and expulsions, all of which are disproportionately experienced by students with disabilities, especially students of color."
- The Presence of School Resource Officers (SROs) in America's Schools
Justice Policy Institute.
July, 2020.
"Allowing police officers to needlessly handle minor infractions in schools often marks a student's first contact with the criminal justice system, potentially setting them up for a lifetime of collateral consequences."
Wednesday, August 11 2021:
- National Snapshot:
Access to Medications For Opioid Use Disorder in U.S. Jails and Prisons,
Shelly Weizman, Joanna Perez, Isaac Manoff, Melissa Baney, and Taleed El-Sabawi.
July, 2021.
"In almost every state, some form of MOUD is available in at least one jail or prison, and only a handful of state departments of corrections have policies against offering MOUD in prisons."
- Empire State of Incarceration
Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2021.
"As bail setting practices changed and counties moved to release more people to prevent the spread of COVID-19 across the state, Black people were left behind."
- Arrest Trends:
Suburban Police Are Driving the Use of Arrests,
Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2021.
"In principal cities, racial disparities in arrests persist but have dropped by more than 50 percent. This progress has not occurred elsewhere; racial disparities in arrests have increased in suburban cities."
- Reducing Policing's Footprint?
Racial Disparities and Arrest Trends After Misdemeanor Decriminalization and Legalization in Denver and Philadelphia,
Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2021.
"Arrests have declined by at least 40 percent for every decriminalized offense category in Philadelphia, with the steepest decreases in the years immediately following decriminalization."
- The Intersection of Race and Algorithmic Tools in the Criminal Legal System
Vincent M. Southerland.
October, 2020.
"[Algorithmic] tools, as currently designed and deployed in the current legal framework fail to correct or upend the racial inequity that pervades the criminal legal system."
- The New York State Trial Penalty:
The Constitutional Right to Trial Under Attack,
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
March, 2021.
"By 1996 and every year after, 98% to 99% of misdemeanor convictions were obtained by plea. If someone is convicted in New York State, whether of a felony or a misdemeanor, it is overwhelmingly likely that they were convicted by plea rather than at trial."
- Detention Diversion Advocacy Program (DDAP) Evaluation
Moira DeNike.
July, 2021.
"The findings very clearly indicate that DDAP participants had a lower likelihood of any subsequent justice referrals and of any subsequent felony referrals as compared with a similarly-situated set of non-DDAP-served youth."
(DDAP is a juvenile diversion program in San Francisco, operated by the nonprofit organization, the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.)
Friday, August 6 2021:
- Alcohol and Drug Use and Treatment Reported by Prisoners:
Survey of Prison Inmates, 2016,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2021.
"Female state prisoners (58%) were more likely than male state prisoners (48%) to have met the criteria for having a substance use disorder in the 12 months prior to admission to prison."
- On the Road to Freedom:
An Abolitionist Assessment of Pretrial & Bail Reforms,
Critical Resistance.
June, 2021.
"While ending money bail is nonnegotiable for our movement, our goal is to weaken the state's power to jail, surveil, and punish."
- Probation and Parole in the United States, 2019
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2021.
"The probation population has declined each year since 2007; The parole population increased or stayed relatively the same each year since 2014."
- Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 34 States in 2012:
A 5-Year Follow-Up Period (2012-2017),
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2021.
"Nearly half (46%) of prisoners released in 2012 returned to prison within 5 years for a parole or probation violation or a new sentence."
- Sexual Assaults Recorded by Law Enforcement, 2019
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2021.
"This report presents statistics on sexual assault victimizations that were reported to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) in 2019 by law enforcement agencies in 20 states."
- The Evolving Science on Implicit Bias:
An Updated Resource for the State Court Community,
National Center for State Courts.
March, 2021.
"Ultimately, judicial leadership must determine the goals of institutional efforts to address systemic and implicit biases."
- Models of Prosecutor-Led Diversion Programs in the United States and Beyond
Kay L. Levine and Ronald F. Wright.
May, 2020.
"Prosecutor-led diversion programs create the greatest risk of abuse, because other governmental actors are not necessary to resolve a case. The prosecutor might operate the diversion program in a way that widens the net of social control..."
Monday, August 2 2021:
- The Revelatory Nature of COVID-19 Compassionate Release
in an Age of Mass Incarceration, Crime Victim Rights, and Mental Health Reform,
Jennifer A. Brobst.
July, 2021.
"Early COVID-19 compassionate release decisions reveal that courts continue to base early release decisions primarily on an assessment of public safety risk from crime, not community impact, crime victim impact, or even prisoner health."
- Understanding the Landscape of Higher Education in Prison Survey 2018-2019
A Confidential Follow-up to the 2020 Annual Survey of Higher Education in Prison Programs,
Alliance for HIgher Education in Prison.
July, 2021.
"The survey aimed to illuminate program demographics, program funding, use of technology, student enrollment, and program data collection and evaluation, and the associated challenges and opportunities."
(See the five linked data briefs that describe the survey's findings.)
- Paternal Jail Incarceration and Birth Outcomes:
Evidence from New York City, 2010-2016, Paywall :(
Yi et al..
April, 2021.
"We found strong positive baseline associations (p < 0.001) between paternal jail incarceration during pregnancy with probabilities of all adverse outcomes examined."
- Building exits off the highway to mass incarceration:
Diversion programs explained,
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2021.
"We envision the criminal justice system as a highway where people are heading toward the possibility of incarceration; depending on the state or county, this highway may have exit ramps in the form of diversion programs and alternatives to incarceration."
- Slamming the Courthouse Door:
25 years of evidence for repealing the Prison Litigation Reform Act,
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2021.
"The PLRA should be repealed. It was bad policy in the 1990s -- and allowing it to continue today is even worse policy."
- Punitive Surveillance
Kate Weisburd.
March, 2021.
""Punitive surveillance" allows government officials and for-profit companies to track, record, search and analyze the location, biometric data and other meta-data of thousands of people on probation and parole, and is subject to almost no limitations."
- Pregnancy Prevalence and Outcomes in U.S. Jails
Sufrin et al..
May, 2020.
"About 3% of admissions of females to U.S. jails are of pregnant people; extrapolating study results to national female jail admission rates suggests nearly 55,000 pregnancy admissions in 1 year."
- Opioid use disorder incidence and treatment among incarcerated pregnant women in the United States:
results from a national surveillance study, Paywall :(
Sufrin et al..
February, 2020.
"Twenty-six per cent of pregnant women admitted to prisons and 14% to jails had OUD. One-third were managed through withdrawal. The majority who were prescribed MOUD were on methadone (78%, prisons; 81%, jails), not buprenorphine."
- Pregnancy Prevalence and Outcomes in 3 United States Juvenile Residential Systems
Paywall :(
Kim et al..
February, 2021.
"There were 71 admissions of pregnant adolescents reported over 12 months from participating JRS. At the time of the census, 6 of the 183 female adolescents (3.3%) were pregnant."
Wednesday, July 14 2021:
- Digitizing and Disclosing Personal Data:
The Proliferation of State Criminal Records on the Internet,
Lageson, Sarah, Elizabeth Webster, and Juan Sandoval.
December, 2020.
"These digital disclosures...mean that criminal punishment now includes the deprivation of privacy as the justice system distributes personal information across the Internet."
- Harm Reduction at The Center of Incarceration
Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia.
April, 2021.
"Even when the reality of trauma in correctional institutions is fully appreciated, policies often only focus on programs for people who are incarcerated, as if they are the problem, instead of on the system itself."
- Bottleneck:
The Place of County Jails in California's COVID-19 Correctional Crisis,
Hadar Aviram.
May, 2021.
"The closure of prisons created a bottleneck in jails, jamming the flow of residents in and out of county facilities. This resulted in serious overcrowding, which was documented in several lawsuits brought on behalf of jail population."
- Government Misconduct and Convicting the Innocent:
The Role of Prosecutors, Police and Other Law Enforcement,
National Registry of Exonerations.
September, 2020.
"More than a third of all exonerations included misconduct by police officers, [and] nearly as many involved misconduct by prosecutors."
- Collective Bargaining Rights, Policing, and Civilian Deaths
Cunningham, Jamein, Donna Feir, and Rob Gillezeau.
March, 2021.
"Using an event-study design, we find that the introduction of duty to bargain requirements with police unions has led to a significant increase in non-white civilian deaths at the hands of police during the late twentieth century."
Monday, July 12 2021:
- Dead Man Waiting:
A brief profile of deaths in Texas prisons among people approved for parole release,
Deitch, Michele, Destiny Moreno, and Alycia Welch.
June, 2021.
"The data reveals that a large number of people die in Texas prisons each year even though the Parole Board had already determined that these individuals were worthy of parole and no longer presented a risk to public safety."
Friday, July 9 2021:
- Inmates May Work, But Don't Tell Social Security
Stephanie Hunter McMahon.
July, 2021.
"Despite a prevailing requirement that inmates work and despite them being forced to work under threat of punishment, inmates are not "employees" or "workers" in the commonly understood sense."
- New data: State prisons are increasingly deadly places
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2021.
"New data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that state prisons are seeing alarming rises in suicide, homicide, and drug and alcohol-related deaths."
- What families can expect to be charged under the new FCC rules
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2021.
"A new order from the Federal Communications Commission lowers existing caps on rates and fees in the prison and jail telephone industry."
- Breaking the Cycle:
Interrupting Generational Incarceration in Maine,
Place Matters Maine.
2015.
"Black or African American and Native American or Indigenous children are disproportionately affected by parental incarceration in Maine."
- Prison Population Trends 2020
Massachusetts Department of Correction.
May, 2021.
"The MA DOC jurisdiction population's historic decline since 2012 (n=11,723) continued through to January 1st, 2021 (n=6,848)."
- With over 2,700 deaths behind bars and slow vaccine acceptance, prisons and jails must continue to decarcerate
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2021.
"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.""
- Rise in jail deaths is especially troubling as jail populations become more rural and more female
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2021.
"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."
- Smoke and mirrors:
A cautionary tale for counties considering a big, costly new jail,
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2021.
"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."
- Freedom, Then the Press:
New York Media and Bail Reform,
FWD.us.
April, 2021.
"Media outlets across New York played a major role in generating the fear and backlash that is driving the increase in the jail population and exposing thousands more people to the possibility of illness and death behind bars."
- Policy Assessments
Council on Crime and Justice Task Force on Policing.
May, 2021.
"Task Force members weighed the relative value of each proposal based on the best available research and on their professional expertise and lived experiences."
- Brutality in the Name of "Safety":
Baton Rouge Parish Policing and Tactics,
The Promise of Justice Initiative.
May, 2021.
"With a jail population rate that is 66% higher than the national average, there is statistical proof that EBR readily weaponizes over-policing and incarceration to address what are in fact social and societal problems."
- The role of officer race and gender in police-civilian interactions in Chicago
Paywall :(
Ba, Bocar A., Dean Knox, Jonathan Mummolo, and Roman Rivera.
February, 2021.
"Relative to white officers, Black and Hispanic officers make far fewer stops and arrests, and they use force less often, especially against Black civilians."
- Do Police Make Too Many Arrests?
Cho, Sungwoo, Felipe Goncalves, and Emily Weisburst.
April, 2021.
"Because the observed decline in enforcement is concentrated among arrests for low-level offenses, we argue that low-level enforcement could be reduced at the margin without likely increases in crime."
- Citizens, Suspects, and Enemies:
Examining Police Militarization,
Mitt Regan.
March, 2021.
"The conviction that police officers need [military-grade weapons] reflects a subtle cultural shift in the understanding of the nature of police work."
- A New Lease on Life
Sentencing Project.
June, 2021.
"People convicted of homicide and other crimes of violence rarely commit new crimes of violence after release from long-term imprisonment."
- The Declining Significance of Race in Criminal Sentencing:
Evidence from US Federal Courts, Paywall :(
Michael T Light.
March, 2021.
"Sentences [for white and Black people] became more equal almost entirely due to changes in observable case characteristics and not due to changes in the treatment of offenders."
Monday, June 28 2021:
- Investigation of the Massachusetts Department of Correction
United States Attorney's Office District of Massachusetts.
November, 2020.
"The conditions in Massachusetts Department of Correction's prisons (MDOC) violate the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."
- Louisiana Deaths Behind Bars:
2015 - 2019,
Incarceration Transparency.
June, 2021.
"Prisons and jails should ideally have lower death rates than the general public due to the physical proximity of medical care behind bars, 24-hour staffing and supervision, and reduced probability of certain types of deaths, such as car accidents..."
- The People's Plan for Prison Closure
Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB).
April, 2021.
"Accomplishing our goal of closing ten prisons in five years will be hard. It will require political courage. But history is watching us..."
- No Kickbacks
Parole Illinois.
June, 2021.
"Through its "surcharges", "kickbacks", and denial of basic necessities, the IDOC is effectively siphoning millions of dollars from largely low income communities by preying on people's love for their incarcerated friend or family member."
- Bringing More Teens Home:
Raising the Age Without Expanding Secure Confinement in the Youth Justice System,
Sentencing Project.
June, 2021.
"Despite claims to the contrary, bringing these youth back under juvenile jurisdiction did not significantly increase costs, confinement, or crime."
Friday, June 11 2021:
- Just over half of incarcerated people are vaccinated, despite being locked in COVID-19 epicenters
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2021.
"Most states did not prioritize incarcerated people in their vaccination plans. As a result, seven months since the first vaccines were distributed, just 55% of people in prison have been vaccinated, leaving them vulnerable to infection."
- The U.S. Sentencing Commission's Recidivism Studies:
Myopic, Misleading, and Doubling Down on Imprisonment,
Nora V. Demleitner.
December, 2020.
"The overly broad definition of "recidivism" and the focus on easily measurable and static risk factors, such as prior criminal record, create a feedback loop."
- Age Gradient in Women's Crime:
The Role of Welfare Reform, Paywall :(
Hope Corman, Dhaval M. Dave, and Nancy E. Reichman.
February, 2021.
"Using Federal Bureau of Investigation data, we investigated the age-patterning of effects of welfare reform on women's arrests for property crime, the type of crime that welfare reform has been shown to affect."
- Youth in Adult and Juvenile Correctional Facilities:
Comparison of Services and Behavioral Management, Paywall :(
Insun Park and Christopher J. Sullivan.
May, 2021.
"Given contemporary efforts to prevent adolescents from experiencing the negative consequences of incarceration, it is critical to assess the impact of juvenile transfer."
Tuesday, June 8 2021:
- Jails, Sheriffs, and Carceral Policymaking
Aaron Littman.
May, 2021.
"Sheriffs have a unique combination of controls over how big and how full their jails are, but this role consolidation does not produce the restraint that some have predicted. Their disclaimers of responsibility are a smokescreen..."
Wednesday, June 2 2021:
- Carceral-community epidemiology, structural racism, and COVID-19 disparities
Eric Reinhart, Daniel L. Chen.
May, 2021.
"We find that cycling individuals through Cook County Jail in March 2020 alone can account for 13% of all COVID-19 cases and 21% of racial COVID-19 disparities in Chicago as of early August."
- The Impacts of Solitary Confinement
Vera Institute of Justice.
April, 2021.
"The widespread use of solitary does not achieve its intended purpose--it does not make prisons, jails, or the community safer, and may actually make them less safe."
- Mapping U.S. Jails' Use of Restrictive Housing:
Trends, Disparities, and Other Forms of Lockdown,
Vera Institute of Justice.
April, 2021.
"Units that are not classified as restrictive housing by corrections agencies also held people in their cells for 22 hours or more per day."
- Prisons and Penny-Pinching:
Finding Budget Savings in the Time of COVID-19,
Texas Public Policy Coalition.
January, 2021.
"Even a small percentage reduction in the number of annual revocations can potentially yield millions in annual cost savings."
- Paid Your Debt to Society?
Court-related Financial Obligations and Community Supervision during the First Year after Release from Prison, Paywall :(
Nathan W. Link.
February, 2021.
"One's status as being under correctional supervision at release from prison leads to increased debt, which in turn increases the chance of remaining under supervision during the first year out."
- Authoritarian exclusion and laissez-faire inclusion:
Comparing the punishment of men convicted of sex offenses in England & Wales and Norway,
Alice Ievins, Kristian Mjaland.
March, 2021.
"Contrary to what might be expected, we find that the punishment of men convicted of sex offenses ismore paternalistic and interventionist in England & Wales, as well as more liberal--in that it respects the autonomy of the punished person--in Norway."
- The carceral production of transgender poverty:
How racialized gender policing deprives transgender women of housing and safety,
Dilara Yarbrough.
May, 2021.
"Laws crafted with race-neutral language target survival and coping strategies disproportionately used by people of color and trans people in public space."
- Risk factors for suicide in prisons:
a systematic review and meta-analysis,
Shaoling Zhong et al..
February, 2021.
"Single risk factors are not sufficient to identify individuals at high risk of suicide."
- Accessing justice:
The impact of discretion, 'deservedness' and distributive justice on the equitable allocation of policing resources,
Sarah Charman, Emma Williams.
May, 2021.
"Indeed, the often invisible and unchecked nature of police discretion challenges its neutrality and highlights the subjective nature of such practices which are influenced by judgement, interpretation and previous experience."
- Decoupling Crisis Response from Policing --
A Step Toward Equitable Psychiatric Emergency Services,
New England Journal of Medicine.
May, 2021.
"Police responses to psychiatric crises harm patients far too often, especially in minority communities, where a long history of institutional racism informs warranted distrust of law enforcement."
- Juvenile Life Without Parole:
An Overview,
Sentencing Project.
May, 2021.
"The United States stands alone as the only nation that sentences people to life without parole for crimes committed before turning 18."
Thursday, May 27 2021:
- Federal Prisoner Statistics Collected Under The First Step Act, 2020
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2021.
"The portion of federal prisoners who were the parent, step-parent, or guardian of a minor child (defined as a dependent age 20 or younger by the BOP) grew from 45% to 49% from year-end 2018 to year-end 2019."
- Beyond Recidivism and Desistance
Paywall :(
Susan Starr Sered, Maureen Norton-Hawk.
April, 2021.
"Conventional measures of recidivism and desistance tend to...(3) overly focus on individual choices and narratives in contexts where freedoms are constrained by structural and institutional policies and practices."
- Due Process in the Time of COVID:
Defenders as First Responders in a Juvenile Court System Struggling with the COVID-19 Pandemic,
National Juvenile Defender Center.
March, 2021.
"The shift to technology-based communications and remote hearings threatens young people's constitutional rights, including fundamental aspects of effective legal representation, due process, and access to courts."
Tuesday, May 25 2021:
- Summit Food Services Provides Inadequate Nutrition at Missouri Jail
Kevin Bliss, Prison Legal News.
October, 2019.
"[An independent registered dietitian's] report stated, "the food is too high in sodium, too high in processed, refined carbohydrates and sugars and too low in fiber.""
- A Better Path Forward for Criminal Justice:
A Report by the Brookings-AEI Working Group on Criminal Justice Reform,
The Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute.
April, 2021.
"The essays in this volume are intended to provide...research-grounded guidance and insight on core issues and strategies that can sustain bipartisan support for critically needed criminal justice reforms."
- Federal Justice Statistics, 2017-2018
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2021.
"Of the 372,354 persons under some form of federal correctional control at fiscal year-end 2018, 60% were in secure confinement and 40% were under community supervision."
- What Doesn't Get Measured Doesn't Get Done:
A Roadmap for Data Collection and Reporting in the Era of Bail Reform,
Joanna Thomas, Abdiaziz Ahmed, New York City Criminal Justice Agency.
April, 2021.
"Proper pretrial data collection, analysis, and reporting can help to build systems that meet local needs, save money, improve program practices, and decrease jail crowding."
- Prison Visitation and Concerns about Reentry:
Variations in Frequency and Quality of Visits are Associated with Reentry Concerns among People Incarcerated in Prison, Paywall :(
Thomas Baker, Meghan M. Mitchell Jill A. Gordon.
May, 2021.
"The impact of visitation on incarcerated people's concerns about reentry has received little empirical attention."
- What you should know about halfway houses
[Website] Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2020.
"Very little data about halfway houses has been available to the public, even though they are a major feature of the carceral system."
- Redefining the Narrative:
On Behalf of the Statewide Women's Justice Task Force of Illinois,
Deanna Benos, Alyssa Benedict, The Women's Justice Institute.
April, 2021.
"Prisons have been deployed as a default response to women's attempts to survive untenable social conditions, yet there is no evidence that any amount of time in prison is helpful or even improves public safety."
- Doing Double Time:
Women, Incarceration and Employment Discrimination,
Diane van den Broek, Prudence Black, Nicki (identity protected).
April, 2021.
"Her [Nicki's] story presents a portrait of a woman at the frontline of post-incarceration and employment, where vulnerability and insecurity prevail."
- Pregnant Women in DOJ Custody:
U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Prisons Should Better Align Policies with National Guidelines,
United States Government Accountability Office.
January, 2021.
"By taking steps to more closely align agency standards and policies with national guidance as feasible, USMS and BOP would be better positioned to help ensure the health of pregnant women in their custody."
Friday, May 21 2021:
- Mortality in State and Federal Prisons, 2001-2018 - Statistical Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2021.
"In 2018, a total of 4,135 state prisoners died in publicly or privately operated prisons, and an additional 378 federal prisoners died in facilities operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)."
- The cumulative risk of jail incarceration
Bruce Western, Jaclyn Davis, Flavien Ganter, and Natalie Smith.
April, 2021.
"The contours of jail incarceration observed in New York City follow the pattern of mass criminalization where large numbers of Black and Latino men are subject to penal control, in most cases for low-level offenses."
- Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 - Statistical Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2021.
"In 2018, a total of 1,120 inmates died in local jails, an increase of nearly 2% from the 1,099 deaths reported in 2017."
- In Your State
Gideon at 50.
April, 2016.
"This interactive map provides the public and policy-makers with a birds-eye view of some of the most critical aspects of the provision of public defense."
- Right to Counsel Services in the 50 States:
An Indigent Defense Reference Guide for Policymakers,
Sixth Amendment Center.
March, 2017.
"The variations amongst how states deal with the Sixth Amendment does not stop at funding and oversight. The number of structural approaches to providing lawyers to the poor is great."
Monday, May 17 2021:
- Adequacy of Healthcare Provided In Louisiana State Prisons
Loyola University, Louisiana State University, VOTE (Voices of the Experienced).
May, 2021.
"The real-world minimum wage equivalent of [medical co-pays] for incarcerated people who earn incentive wages of $.02/per hour is: $1,087.5 for a routine visit, $2,175 for an emergency visit, and $725 for a prescription."
Friday, May 14 2021:
- ALC Court Watch Docket Report #01
Cash Bail, Arbitrary Detention and Apartheid in Allegheny County,
[PDF] Abolitionist Law Center.
November, 2020.
"Black residents of Allegheny County are more likely to be arrested, charged, and have monetary bail imposed against them."
- ALC Court Watch Docket Report #02
Maintaining Apartheid: Arrest and Cash Bail in Allegheny County,
[PDF] Abolitionist Law Center.
April, 2021.
"In a county that is less than 13% Black, 56% of all arrests between Aug 14 and Dec 31 of 2020 were of Black residents."
- The Pandemic Gender Gap Behind Bars:
Meeting the Needs of Women in Custody During COVID-19 and Planning for the Future,
Alycia Welch and Michele Deitch.
May, 2021.
"Even before the pandemic, women were overlooked in correctional facilities that were not designed for them and that are not administered with them in mind."
Thursday, May 13 2021:
- How Much Criminal Justice Debt Does the U.S. Really Have?
Fines & Fees Justice Center.
April, 2021.
"At least $27.6 billion of fines and fees is owed across the nation.."
- The Legacy of Slavery and Mass Incarceration:
Evidence from Felony Case Outcomes,
Aaron Gottlieb and Kalen Flynn.
March, 2021.
"We find that a criminal charge in a county with high levels of slavery in 1860 increases the likelihood of pretrial detention, the probability of a sentence of incarceration, and the length of incarceration sentences."
Tuesday, May 11 2021:
- A First Step, a Second Chance:
Public Support for Restoring Rights of Individuals with Prior Convictions, Paywall :(
Christina Mancini, Robyn McDougle, and Brittany Keegan.
November, 2020.
"Results suggest most of the public supports expungement reform, but less than 40% support rights restoration generally, with approval levels dependent on specific type of restoration."
Friday, April 16 2021:
Thursday, April 15 2021:
- Prison Population Reductions and COVID-19:
A Latent Profile Analysis Synthesizing Recent Evidence From the Texas State Prison System,
Noel Vest, Oshea Johnson, Kathryn Nowotny & Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein.
December, 2020.
"Current prison population and level of employee staffing predicted membership in the high-outbreak and high-death profiles when compared with the low-outbreak profile."
- New data:
The revolving door between homeless shelters and prisons in Connecticut,
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2021.
"1 in 5 people who used homeless shelters in the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness' network had been released from prison in the past three years."
- Revisiting and Unpacking the Mental Illness and Solitary Confinement Relationship
Paywall :(
Sonja E. Siennick, Mayra Picon, Jennifer M. Brown & Daniel P. Mears.
December, 2020.
"Having a mental illness was associated with an increase of up to 170% in the odds of extended solitary confinement, depending on the diagnosis."
- Death Penalty Statutes and Murder Rates:
Evidence from Synthetic Controls,
Brett Parker.
February, 2021.
"Applying this technique using seven states that recently abolished the death penalty and twenty-nine states that retained the punishment during the same period, I find no evidence that the presence of a capital punishment statute in a state is sufficient,"
- New data on jail populations:
The good, the bad, and the ugly,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2021.
"While the total jail population dropped by 25% between June 2019 and June 2020, racial disparities increased over the same period."
- Visualizing the unequal treatment of LGBTQ people in the criminal justice system
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2021.
"The data is clear: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ ) people are overrepresented at every stage of criminal justice system, starting with juvenile justice system involvement."
- One Year Later:
Bail Reform and Judicial Decision-Making in New York City,
Center for Court Innovation.
April, 2021.
"Predictably, making more cases newly re-eligible for bail and detention in July increased judges' use of both options."
- It's all about the incentives:
Why a call home from a jail in New York State can cost 7 times more than the same call from the state's prisons,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2021.
"These exorbitant phone rates cost some the poorest residents of New York State -- and a group disproportionately made up of women of color -- more than $13 million a year just to talk to their jailed loved ones."
- The American Racial Divide in Fear of the Police
Justin Pickett, Amanda Graham, and Frank Cullen.
April, 2021.
"Most Whites felt safe, but most Blacks feared the police even more than crime, being afraid both for themselves and for others they cared about."
- Research roundup:
Violent crimes against Black and Latinx people receive less coverage and less justice,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2021.
"In a 2018 Washington Post analysis of nearly 50,000 homicides around the country, the authors found that an arrest was made in 63 percent of murders of white victims, compared to 48 percent of those with Latinx victims and 46 percent with Black victims."
- Pandemic Caseloads Highlights:
Court filings and dispositions 2019-2020,
Court Statistics Project.
March, 2021.
"While the number of case filings is expected to return to normal in criminal, traffic, and juvenile over the course of 2021, no surge in cases is expected."
- Pleading for Justice:
Bullpen Therapy, Pre-Trial Detention, and Plea Bargains in American Courts, Paywall :(
Amy E. Lerman, Ariel Lewis Green, and Patricio Dominguez.
March, 2021.
"In a national sample, defendants held in custody pre-trial are significantly more likely to enter a guilty plea, all else equal."
Monday, April 12 2021:
- Black and (Thin) Blue (Line):
Corruption and Other Political Determinants of Police Killings in America,
Oguzhan C. Dincer and Michael Johnston.
February, 2021.
"Our evidence suggests that police can kill Black Americans with impunity because of a lack of accountability - exemplified by corruption - that is largely determined by political influences."
- Felony Case Delay in New York City:
Lessons from a Pilot Project in Brooklyn,
Center for Court Innovation.
March, 2021.
"Despite the constitutional guarantee of a speedy trial, in 2019, for indicted felonies, New York City only met the state's standard for a six-month resolution in about a third of cases."
Friday, April 9 2021:
Thursday, April 8 2021:
- COVID-19 Testing in State Prisons
Council on Criminal Justice.
April, 2021.
"The evidence suggests that more testing, early testing, and early mass testing may have been strategies that helped states achieve lower rates of COVID-19 mortality behind bars."
- Misdemeanor Prosecution
Amanda Y. Agan, Jennifer L. Doleac, and Anna Harvey.
March, 2021.
"We find that, for the marginal defendant, nonprosecution of a nonviolent misdemeanor offense leads to large reductions in the likelihood of a new criminal complaint over the next two years."
- Immigrant Sanctuary Policies and Crime-Reporting Behavior:
A Multilevel Analysis of Reports of Crime Victimization to Law Enforcement, 1980 to 2004, Paywall :(
Ricardo D. Martinez-Schuldt and Daniel E. Martinez.
January, 2021.
"We find that Latinos are more likely to report violent crime victimization to law enforcement after sanctuary policies have been adopted within their metropolitan areas of residence."
- What Jails Cost:
A Look at Spending in America's Large Cities,
Vera Institute of Justice.
April, 2021.
"Since 2011, jail budgets increased 13 percent--accounting for inflation--while jail populations declined 28 percent."
- Policing and public health calls for service in Philadelphia
Jerry H. Ratcliffe.
March, 2021.
"In Philadelphia, at least in a relatively normal (i.e. non-COVID-19) year, calls to the police that start or result in some form of medical/public health connection comprise about 8% of the police activity that originates from the public."
- Applying Procedural Justice in Community Supervision
Assessment of Pilot Testing in the Georgia Department of Community Supervision,
Urban Institute.
March, 2021.
"The supervisee-level analyses found that supervisees from the training group had significantly fewer arrests, warrants, delinquent reports, and convictions than supervisees from the control group."
- Who Controls Criminal Law?
Racial Threat and the Adoption of State Sentencing Law, 1975 to 2012,
Scott W. Duxbury.
February, 2021.
"Results illustrate that states adopted sentencing laws in direct and indirect response to white public punitive policy support and the size of the black population."
Tuesday, March 30 2021:
- Disabilities Reported by Prisoners
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2021.
"Nearly 4 in 10 state prisoners (40%) and 3 in 10 federal prisoners (29%) reported having a disability."
- Parents in Prison and Their Minor Children
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2021.
"Nearly 1.5 million persons age 17 or younger had a parent who was in state or federal prison in 2016."
- Time Served in State Prison, 2018
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2021.
"The average time served by state prisoners released in 2018, from initial admission to initial release, was 2.7 years, and the median time served was 1.3 years."
- Veterans in Prison
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2021.
"An estimated 107,400 veterans were serving time in state or federal prison in 2016."
Monday, March 29 2021:
- Foster Care, Permanency, and Risk of Prison Entry
Paywall :(
Font et al.
March, 2021.
"Nearly 13 percent of the sample experienced imprisonment in young adulthood. Compared with emancipated youth, hazard of imprisonment was 1.58-1.96 times higher among reunified youth."
- The Consequences Are Black and White:
Race and Poor Health Following Incarceration, Paywall :(
Julie L. Kuper and Jillian J. Turanovic.
February, 2021.
"Findings indicate that Black respondents reported within-person health declines that were more substantial than those of Whites after first incarceration. Additional analyses revealed that these race differences were more pronounced among Black males."
- Hidden Figures:
Rating the COVID Data Transparency of Prisons, Jails, and Juvenile Agencies,
COVID, Corrections, and Oversight Project.
March, 2021.
"Correctional agencies -- especially jails and juvenile agencies -- are failing at publishing adequate data on how COVID is impacting the people who work and live in these institutions."
- Locking Up My Generation:
Cohort Differences in Prison Spells Over the Life Course, Paywall :(
Rand.
October, 2020.
"Our study highlights a heretofore overlooked perspective: that the crime-punishment wave in the 1980s and 1990s created cohort differences in incarceration over the life course that changed the level of incarceration even decades after the wave."
- Social Fabric:
A New Model for Public Safety and Vital Neighborhoods,
The Square One Project.
March, 2021.
"We have models available, but we've never made a sustained commitment to any institution other than the police and the prison system."
- Correctional Facility and Inmate Locations:
Urban and Rural Status Patterns,
Center for Administrative Records Research and Applications.
July, 2017.
"We find that a disproportionate share of prisons and inmates are located in rural areas, while a disproportionate share of inmates are from urban areas."
- Revolving Doors:
Examining the Effect of Race and Ethnicity on Discretionary Decision-Making in Parole Revocations,
Tri Keah S. Henry.
August, 2020.
"Findings suggest that race/ethnicity significantly influences parole revocation outcomes."
Wednesday, March 24 2021:
- Grave Consequences:
How the Criminalization of Disability Leads to Deaths in Jail,
Disability Rights Oregon.
February, 2021.
"DRO's investigation found the following jail conditions put individuals with disabilities at risk of deadly harm."
- Proliferation of Punishment:
The Centrality of Legal Fines and Fees in the Landscape of Contemporary Penology, Paywall :(
Ilya Slavinski and Becky Pettit.
January, 2021.
"Enforcement of LFOs varies geographically and is related to conservative politics and racial threat."
- The High Price of Using Justice Fines and Fees to Fund Government in New York
Vera Institute of Justice.
December, 2020.
"In 2018, New York state and local governments collected at least $1.21 billion in criminal and traffic fines and fees as revenue."
- Reducing the Misuse and Overuse of Jails in Safety and Justice Challenge Sites:
An Interim Progress Report,
CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance.
February, 2021.
"Since implementation of the initiative began in 2016, ADP has declined substantially in many SJC sites. Ten of the 14 sites represented in this report experienced ADP reductions by Year 3, for a combined reduction of 18 percent."
- Racialized Re-entry:
Labor Market Inequality After Incarceration,
Bruce Western and Catherine Sirois.
June, 2019.
"Qualitative interviews suggest that whites more than blacks and Hispanics find stable, high-paying jobs through social networks."
Tuesday, March 23 2021:
- Are Effects of School Resource Officers Moderated by Student Race and Ethnicity?
Paywall :(
Scott Crosse et al..
March, 2021.
"We found that increases in offenses and exclusionary reactions due to increased SRO presence were most evident for Black and Hispanic as opposed to White students."
- Mass Incarceration and Children's Health:
A State-Level Analysis of Adverse Birth Outcomes and Infant, Child, and Teen Mortality, Paywall :(
James M Conway.
February, 2021.
"Results indicated that as hypothesized, incarceration rates positively predicted infant mortality, child mortality (for Black children only), preterm births, and low-weight births. Relationships tended to be stronger for Black than for white children."
- New York City Jails:
COVID Discharge Policy, Data Transparency, and Reform,
Eli Miller, Bryan D. Martin, and Chad Topaz.
February, 2021.
"Their success with discharge during the early stages of COVID-19 suggests that low-risk inmates could be discharged sooner in general."
Monday, March 22 2021:
- Solitary:
The Family Experience,
Open MI Door Campaign and Citizens for Prison Reform.
February, 2021.
"Among those in administrative segregation and Level V cells, approximately 20 percent have been in for 6-12 months; 32 percent have been in for 1-2 years; and a shocking 47 percent have been in isolation for more than 2 years."
- DPIC Special Report:
The Innocence Epidemic,
Death Penalty Information Center.
February, 2021.
"Of the 185 exonerations that have occurred since 1973, 69.2 percent (128) have included official misconduct by police, prosecutors, or other government officials."
- Getting under the skin:
Physiological stress and witnessing paternal arrest in young children with incarcerated fathers, Paywall :(
Luke Muentner, Amita Kapoor, Lindsay Weymouth, Julie Poehlmann-Tynan.
February, 2021.
"Results indicate that children had higher cumulative stress hormone concentrations when they witnessed their father's arrest."
- Association between county jail incarceration and cause-specific county mortality in the USA, 1987-2017:
a retrospective, longitudinal study,
Sandhya Kajeepeta et al.
February, 2021.
"Specifically, mortality caused by infectious disease, chronic lower respiratory disease, substance use, and suicide is the strongest driver of the association between jail incarceration and county mortality."
- The Enormous Cost of Parole Violations in New York
The Justice Lab and The Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform.
March, 2021.
"In 2019, New York's state and local governments collectively spent $683 million to incarcerate people on parole for rules violations, without evidence that this massive expenditure of resources meaningfully contributed to public safety."
- Safety We Can Feel
Safety We Can Feel.
February, 2021.
"Respondents wanted to see more funding going towards centers for mental health and addiction recovery (58%), housing and stability assistance (57%), and education and youth programming (53%) as approaches to addressing violence."
- No End In Sight:
America's Enduring Reliance on Life Imprisonment,
Sentencing Project.
February, 2021.
"In the United States, more than 200,000 people are serving life sentences - one out of every seven in prison."
Friday, March 5 2021:
- Poverty and Mass Incarceration in New York:
An Agenda for Change,
Brennan Center for Justice.
February, 2021.
"Roughly 337,000 New Yorkers have spent time in prison at some point in their lives. That burden has fallen disproportionately on people of color: three-quarters of the state's formerly imprisoned population is Black or Latino."
- What Jails Cost Statewide:
Spending on Jails Across the Rural-Urban Spectrum,
Vera Institute of Justice.
March, 2021.
"Three out of five people incarcerated in local jails were in smaller cities and rural communities."
Wednesday, February 10 2021:
- How much have COVID-19 releases changed prison and jail populations?
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2021.
"The good news is that jail and prison populations remain lower than they were before COVID-19, but it's not obvious just how much of that is attributable to additional releases."
- More states need to use their good time systems to get people out of prison during COVID-19
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2021.
"The suspension of programs during the pandemic makes it impossible for people in prison to work toward earlier release."
- Prisons shouldn't be charging medical co-pays - especially during a pandemic
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2020.
"Most states are still charging medical co-pays in prisons despite the ongoing pandemic."
- People in jails are using more phone minutes during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite decreased jail populations
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2021.
"Our study of 14 jails finds that there were 8% more overall minutes used during the pandemic, despite the fact that nationwide jail populations have fallen about 15%."
- Parole boards approved fewer releases in 2020 than in 2019, despite the raging pandemic
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2021.
"In over half of the states we studied--Alabama, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina - between 2019 and 2020, there was either no change or a decrease in parole grant rates."
Wednesday, February 3 2021:
- The Reintegration Agenda During Pandemic:
Criminal Record Reforms in 2020,
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
January, 2021.
"In 2020, 32 states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government enacted 106 legislative bills, approved 5 ballot initiatives, and issued 4 executive orders to restore rights and opportunities to people with a criminal record."
- Reining in Solitary Confinement in Texas:
Recent Progress and Next Steps,
Texas Public Policy Foundation.
January, 2021.
"As of 2019, some 25.5% of those in solitary confinement in Texas have been there for 6 years or more, compared to the 5.7% average across the 33 surveyed states."
- Raising Arizona's Commitment to Health and Safety:
The Need for Independent Oversight of Arizona's Prison System,
Michele Deitch.
January, 2021.
"Over the last decade or so, Arizona's prisons have become synonymous with mismanagement, lack of safety, unconstitutional health care, and abysmal conditions for people in custody."
- The Cost of Incarceration in New York State:
How Counties Outside New York City Can Reduce Jail Spending and Invest in Communities,
Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2021.
"In 2019, the 57 counties outside New York City -- which are responsible for funding their own jails -- collectively spent more $1.3 billion to staff and run their jails."
- An Essay Concerning Pretrial Services
Lehigh County Controller.
January, 2021.
"In 2019, there were a total of 5,230 cases that made their way through Lehigh County's criminal justice system...Of those cases, roughly 49% were unable to post bail."
- Do District Attorneys Represent Their Voters?
Evidence from California's Era of Criminal Justice Reform,
Michael W. Sances.
January, 2021.
"While voter preferences vary greatly across issues and geography, DA's almost always take the conservative position."
- Racial Disparities in Youth Incarceration Persist
Sentencing Project.
February, 2021.
"In ten years, the United States has cut youth incarceration in half.1 While the reduction is impressive, youth involvement in the juvenile justice system continues to impact youth of color disproportionately."
Tuesday, February 2 2021:
- The Pandemic Behind Bars:
COVID-19, Vaccination, and the People in Colorado's Prisons and Jails,
Colorado Health Institute.
January, 2021.
"Outbreaks at prisons, jails, and other correctional and detention facilities account for 1 in every 24 cases of COVID-19 in Colorado since the start of the pandemic, and 15 of the 20 largest outbreaks in the state have occurred in prisons and jails."
- Local Spending on Jails Tops $25 Billion in Latest Nationwide Data
The Pew Charitable Trusts.
January, 2021.
"Jail and other local corrections costs had risen sixfold since 1977, with jail costs reaching $25 billion."
- The Demand Is Still #DefundPolice:
Lessons from 2020,
Interrupting Criminalization.
January, 2021.
(Over the past six months, organizers secured divestment of over $840 million dollars from police departments, investments of at least $160 million dollars in communities, and increased transparency and community control over budgets in many areas.)
Thursday, January 28 2021:
- The Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Prison Adjustment and Recidivism Among
Military Veterans: Evidence from Minnesota,
Matthew W. Logan, Susan McNeeley, and Mark Morgan.
January, 2021.
"Our results indicate that the effects of TBI, PTSD, and other indicators of criminogenic risk are relevant when examining the experiences of justice-involved military veterans--especially with respect to recidivism-based outcomes."
- Health Departments Taking Action on Incarceration:
A Framework for Advancing Health Instead of Punishment During COVID-19,
Human Impact Partners.
January, 2021.
"We know that there is no way for anyone to be truly safe and healthy inside a jail, prison, or immigration detention center, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic."
- People in Jail and Prison in 2020
Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2021.
"The number of people incarcerated in state and federal prisons and local jails in the United States dropped from around 2.1 million in 2019 to 1.8 million by mid-2020--a 14 percent decrease."
Tuesday, January 26 2021:
- Immigration and Crime:
A Public Policy Red Herring,
CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance.
January, 2021.
"Despite fears that more immigration leads to higher rates of violent crime, one of the most consistent findings among research on this topic is that increases in immigration are associated with decreases--not increases--in violent offenses."
- Punishing Relations:
How WA DOC's Collateral Damage and Hidden Costs Imprison Families,
Washington Corrections Watch.
January, 2021.
"The financial and emotional burdens of incarceration are primarily borne by female family members, most especially in communities of color."
- Health Care Needs and Utilization Among New Yorkers With Criminal Justice System Involvement
NYC Health, NYC Criminal Justice, and NYU Wagner.
January, 2021.
"Individuals who have had any jail contact have a higher burden of disease, including chronic illness, multi-morbidity, mental health and substance use disorders, and greater health care utilization."
- Unmasked:
Impacts of Pandemic Policing,
COVID19 Policing Project.
October, 2020.
"Black people specifically were 4.5 times more likely to be policed and punished for violations of COVID-19 orders than white people."
- Top Trends in State Criminal Justice Reform, 2020
Sentencing Project.
January, 2021.
"Incarcerated people are nearly 5X more likely to get COVID-19 compared to the general population. Yet only a handful of states took steps to decarcerate in 2020."
- Chasing Justice:
Addressing Police Violence and Corruption in Maryland,
ACLU of Maryland.
January, 2021.
"91% of officers' use of force was targeted toward Black residents."
- Mass Extraction:
The Widespread Power of U.S. Law Enforcement to Search Mobile Phones,
Upturn Toward Justice in Technology.
October, 2020.
"We found that state and local law enforcement agencies have performed hundreds of thousands of cellphone extractions since 2015, often without a warrant."
- Building Safe, Thriving Communities:
Research-Based Strategies for Public Safety,
NYU Law School Center for Race, Inequality, and the Law and the Justice Collaborative Institute.
October, 2020.
"More and more, elected leaders and their constituents are recognizing that a path to safety and stability does not lie in a return to past, failed practices, but in an evidence-based, innovative reimagining of our law enforcement system."
Tuesday, December 29 2020:
- "Defunding the Police" and People With Mental Illness
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.
August, 2020.
"We should dramatically reduce the role of the police in the lives of people with mental illness. As the same time, mental health services should be expanded and racial disparities in their delivery eliminated."
Tuesday, December 22 2020:
- Incarcerated people and corrections staff should be prioritized in COVID-19 vaccination plans
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2020.
"38 of the 49 states addressed (or seemed to address) incarcerated people as a priority group at all, in the original plans or in later updates. But in many states, correctional staff are prioritized before incarcerated people."
- Officer Use of Force and the Failure of Oversight of New York City Jails
Jennifer Ferentz.
November, 2020.
"Ultimately, this Note argues the actors responsible for changing the rules governing New York City jails and the practices carried out within them are abdicating that responsibility when it comes to this violence."
- Since you asked:
Just how overcrowded were prisons before the pandemic and how overcrowded are they now?,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2020.
"41 states are currently operating at 75% or more of their capacity, with at least 10 of those state prison systems and the federal Bureau of Prisons operating at more than 100%."
- The research is clear:
Solitary confinement causes long-lasting harm,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2020.
"Prisons and jails are already inherently harmful, and placing people in solitary confinement adds an extra burden of stress that has been shown to cause permanent changes to people's brains and personalities."
- The Impact of Incarceration on Food Insecurity among Households with Children
Sally Wallace and Robynn Cox.
October, 2012.
"Food insecurity for adults and households with children (a less dire level of food insecurity than very low food security) is affected by parental incarceration under most specifications with magnitudes of impact from 4 to 15 percentage points."
- Trends in Issuance of Criminal Summonses in New York City, 2003-2019
Data Collaborative for Justice.
December, 2020.
"Almost half of all marijuana possession summonses were issued to Black people (45.5%). Over 40% of summonses issued for disorderly conduct, public consumption of alcohol, and violations of transit authority rules were issued to Black people."
Monday, December 21 2020:
- The Accreditation Con:
A Broken Prison and Detention Facility Accreditation System That Puts Profits Over People,
Office of Senator Elizabeth Warren.
December, 2020.
"It reveals that the ACA's private prison accreditation system is riddled with conflicts of interest, lacks transparency, and is subject to zero accountability even though millions in taxpayer dollars to flow to the ACA and private prison companies."
Thursday, December 17 2020:
- Hotbeds of Infection:
How ICE Detention Contributed to the Spread of COVID-19 in the United States,
Detention Watch Network.
December, 2020.
"ICE's failure to release people from detention during the pandemic added over 245,000 cases to the total U.S. caseload."
Wednesday, December 16 2020:
- Defund Sheriffs:
A Toolkit for Organizers,
Working Families, Sheriffs for Trusting Communities, Faith in Action Fund, & Community Resource Hub for Safety and Accountability.
October, 2020.
"Defunding sheriffs should be an urgent priority for anyone concerned with mass incarceration and police violence."
- Emergency Department visits for depression following police killings of unarmed African Americans
Paywall :(
Abhery Das, Parvati Singh, Anju K.Kulkarni, and Tim A. Bruckner.
November, 2020.
"Police killings of unarmed African Americans correspond with an 11% increase in ED visits per 100,000 population related to depression among African Americans in the concurrent month and three months following the exposure (p < 0.05)."
Tuesday, December 15 2020:
- Eating Behind Bars:
Ending the Hidden Punishment of Food in Prison,
Impact Justice.
December, 2020.
"Budget cuts and stagnant spending have led to fewer hot meals, smaller portions, lower-quality protein, fewer fresh fruits and vegetables, and more ultra-processed foods, as well as poorly equipped and ill-supervised kitchens that compromise quality."
- Reducing Violence Without Police:
A Review of Research Evidence,
John Jay College of Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation Center.
November, 2020.
"Non-policing approaches to violence prevention can produce significant benefits without the attendant harms of policing and punishment."
- Medicaid's Evolving Role in Advancing the Health of People Involved in the Justice System
The Commonwealth Fund.
November, 2020.
"Siloes between correctional and community health care providers disrupt care coordination and create gaps in treatment and health services that can be life-threatening."
- Experience to Action:
Reshaping Criminal Justice After COVID-19,
Council on Criminal Justice.
December, 2020.
"The size, scale, and scope of the criminal justice system, along with the absence of effective public health coordination, posed a significant obstacle to COVID-19 prevention and control."
- The "Radical" Notion of the Presumption of Innocence
Square One Project.
May, 2020.
"Of the approximately 612,000 individuals that are currently being held in county jails, the vast majority, about 460,000, are awaiting some type of adjudication and thus are presumed innocent."
- Counterevidence of crime-reduction effects from federal grants of military equipment to local police
Paywall :(
Gunderson et al.
December, 2020.
"We show that the 2014 data are flawed and that the more recent data provide no evidence that 1033 SME reduces crime."
- The Prison Industry:
How It Started, How It Works, How It Harms,
Worth Rises.
December, 2020.
"This report maps the twelve sectors of the prison industry and details the extraction of wealth from the families that have been most disproportionately brutalized by over-policing, mass criminalization, mass incarceration, and mass surveillance."
- Exploring Disproportionate Minority Contact in the Juvenile Justice System Over the Year Following First Arrest
Paywall :(
Padgaonkar et al.
December, 2020.
"Black youth committed fewer offenses prior to arrest than White youth, Black and Latino youth were more likely to be formally processed, and Black youth were most likely to be rearrested."
- Learned Helplessness, Criminalization, and Victimization in Vulnerable Youth
Square One Project.
December, 2020.
"In the United States and worldwide, youth detainment has become an immediate, catch-all response to challenges perceived as affecting public order and safety."
Friday, December 11 2020:
- Institutional Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic in American Prisons
Meghan A. Novisky, Chelsey S. Narvey, and Daniel C. Semenza.
October, 2020.
"Correctional facilities remain high-risk locales for outbreaks and it is imperative that policies moving forward protect those who are most vulnerable while ensuring equity in access to those protections."
- Racial prejudice predicts police militarization
Tyler Jimenez, Peter J. Helm, Alexis Wilkinson, & Jamie Arndt.
December, 2020.
"Studies 2 and 3 are the first to explicitly connect these variables, finding that racial prejudice is predictive of both support for police militarization and actual police acquisitions of military equipment."
- States Can Shorten Probation and Protect Public Safety
The Pew Charitable Trusts.
November, 2020.
"Many people on supervision serve longer terms than are necessary for public safety."
- Institutionalizing inequality in the courts:
Decomposing racial and ethnic disparities in detention, conviction, and sentencing, Paywall :(
Marisa Omori and Nick Petersen.
September, 2020.
"Our findings indicate that inequality is, in part, institutionalized through legal case factors, suggesting these factors are not "race neutral" but instead racialized and contribute to inequalities in court outcomes."
Tuesday, November 24 2020:
- Naming and Shaming:
Violations of the Human Rights of Transgender Persons with Felonies in Texas,
Human Rights Clinic, Austin Community Law Center, and Trans Pride Initiative.
November, 2020.
"By contributing to and facilitating an environment where the human rights of transgender persons are repeatedly and callously disregarded, Texas violates international treaties and the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States."
Monday, November 23 2020:
- Dollars and Sense in Cook County:
Examining the Impact of General Order 18.8A on Felony Bond Court Decisions, Pretrial Release, and Crime,
Safety and Justice Challenge.
November, 2020.
"GO18.8A also had no impact on new criminal activity or new violent criminal activity of those defendants released."
- Hepatitis C Litigation:
Healing Inmates as a Public Health Strategy,
Robert Katz.
April, 2020.
"When an inmate HCV lawsuit brings about the universal treatment of infected inmates, it simultaneously vindicates the inmates' Eighth Amendment rights and maximally advances the public health goal of eradicating HCV. I"
Thursday, November 19 2020:
- Punishing status and the punishment status quo:
Solitary confinement in U.S. Immigration prisons, 2013-2017,
Konrad Franco, Caitlin Patler, and Keramet Reiter.
October, 2020.
"Solitary confinement cases involving immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean are vastly overrepresented in comparison to the share of these groups in the overall detained population."
- Since you asked:
What role does drug enforcement play in the rising incarceration of women?,
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2020.
"Over the past 35 years, total arrests have risen 25% for women, while decreasing 33% for men. The increase among women is largely driven by drugs."
- Spend Your Values, Cut Your Losses 2021 Divestment Portfolio:
Smart and Safe Justice System Solutions That Put Communities First,
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
November, 2020.
"Texas spends the most in the nation on prisons and jails; over the past three decades, it has grown 5x faster than the state's rate of spending on elementary and secondary education."
- MA DOC Expenditures and Staffing Levels for Fiscal Year 2020
Lifers' Group Inc..
October, 2020.
"The DOC spent nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars in Fiscal 2020, a 6% increase or nearly $40 million over Fiscal 2019."
- How Governors Can Use Categorical Clemency as a Corrective Tool
Urban Institute.
November, 2020.
"Though many clemency deliberations are independent case-by-case assessments, in some cases, governors can also extend clemency eligibility categorically to groups of people in prison to mitigate structural issues or accomplish larger reform goals."
- Evidence Shows That Most Immigrants Appear for Immigration Court Hearings
Vera Institute of Justice.
October, 2020.
"Data from Vera's programs and other studies shows that most immigrants released from custody continue to appear in court when represented by counsel."
- New BJS data:
Prison incarceration rates inch down, but racial equity and real decarceration still decades away,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2020.
"At the current pace of decarceration, it will be 2088 when state prison populations return to pre-mass incarceration levels."
- Behavioral Health Crisis Alternatives:
Shifting from Police to Community Responses,
Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2020.
"Communities must pursue new approaches that minimize trauma and distress, promote dignity and autonomy, and reduce repeat encounters with police for people who experience behavioral health crises."
- The Community Responder Model:
How Cities Can Send the Right Responder to Every 911 Call,
Center for American Progress.
October, 2020.
"Estimates for the share of calls that could be handled by [community responders] range from a low of 21 percent of calls in Detroit to a high of 38 percent in Seattle and Portland."
- Wealth and Retirement:
Pondering the Fate of Formerly Incarcerated Men During the Golden Years, Paywall :(
Ngina Chiteji.
October, 2020.
"We find that formerly incarcerated men have little wealth accumulated by their late 40s and 50s, that they have limited access to on-the-job pensions, and that some may not even be able to rely on Social Security when they are old."
- The Case Against Pretrial Risk Assessment Instruments
Pretrial Justice Institute.
November, 2020.
"RAIs simply add a veneer of scientific objectivity and mathematical precision to what are really very weak guesses about the future, based on information gathered from within a structurally racist and unequal system of law, policy and practice."
- Releasing people pretrial doesn't harm public safety
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2020.
"No matter the type of pretrial reform, the results were the same: Releasing people pretrial did not negatively impact public safety."
- New BJS data reveals a jail-building boom in Indian country
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2020.
"The share of people held pretrial in Indian country jails increased by 20 percentage points (an 80% increase) from 1999 to 2018, and the average length of stay in Indian country jails has doubled since 2002."
Tuesday, November 10 2020:
- COVID and Corrections:
A Profile of COVID Deaths in Custody in Texas,
COVID, Corrections, and Oversight Project.
November, 2020.
"In one prison, the Duncan Unit, almost 6% of the incarcerated population has died."
- Understanding Health Reform As Justice Reform:
Medicaid, Care Coordination, and Community Supervision,
Square One Project.
October, 2020.
"Health system reform built upon the foundation of Medicaid programs can provide many of the health and social supports needed to help people with health problems successfully return and remain in their communities."
- 2020 State Ratings Report:
Human Rights Protections for Children in the U.S. Justice System,
Human Rights for Kids.
November, 2020.
"Our findings reveal that the overwhelming majority of the nation - 42 states - have made minimal to no efforts to create a legal framework to protect the human rights of children in the justice system."
Monday, November 9 2020:
- Misunderstood and Mistreated:
How Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Experience the Texas Criminal Legal System,
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
October, 2020.
"Approximately 14,700 people with I/DDs are currently incarcerated in Texas."
- Civic Responses to Police Violence
Desmond Ang and Jonathan Tebes.
October, 2020.
"We find that exposure to police violence leads to significant increases in registrations and votes. These effects are driven entirely by Blacks and Hispanics and are largest for killings of unarmed individuals."
- New York's Ferguson Problem:
How the state's racist fee system punishes poverty, lacks transparency, and is overdue for reform,
No Price on Justice.
September, 2020.
"A national study found that 34 New York localities are about as reliant, if not more reliant, on fines and fees revenue as Ferguson was during the period investigated."
- Reducing Racial Disparities in Crime Victimization
Anna Harvey and Taylor Mattia.
July, 2020.
"We find that successful litigation over racially discriminatory practices substantially reduced both absolute and relative Black crime victimization, without increasing white victimization."
Wednesday, October 21 2020:
- Time-In-Cell 2019:
A Snapshot of Restrictive Housing Based on a Nationwide Survey of U.S. Prison Systems,
The Arthur Liman Public Interest Program at Yale Law School and the Association of State Correctional Administrators.
September, 2020.
"As of the summer of 2019, an estimated 55,000 to 62,500 prisoners in the United States were held in isolation for an average of 22 hours a day for 15 days."
- Sanctuary policies reduce deportations without increasing crime
Paywall :(
David K. Hausman.
October, 2020.
"hese findings suggest that sanctuary policies, although effective at reducing deportations, do not threaten public safety."
Tuesday, October 20 2020:
- Locked Out 2020:
Estimates of People Denied Voting Rights Due to a Felony Conviction,
Sentencing Project.
October, 2020.
"As of 2020, an estimated 5.17 million people are disenfranchised due to a felony conviction."
- Voting with a Criminal Record
How Registration Forms Frustrate Democracy,
ACLU.
October, 2008.
"This analysis finds that 33 states plus the District of Columbia currently use registration forms that do not sufficiently convey information about the voter eligibility of the 47 million Americans with criminal records."
- Challenging Jail-Based Disenfranchisement:
A Resource Guide for Advocates,
Campaign Legal Center.
December, 2019.
"Jail-based disenfranchisement is not the result of one bad law; instead, it is caused by a complicated, convoluted net of practical barriers that deprive eligible, incarcerated voters of their constitutional right to vote."
- Voting in California Jails:
A community toolkit,
ACLU of Northern California.
August, 2020.
"There are roughly 82,000 people in California's jails and practically all of those individuals who are adult citizens have the right to vote."
- Jails in Indian Country, 2017-2018
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2020.
"A total of 84 jails in Indian country held an estimated 2,870 inmates at midyear 2018, a 2% increase from the 2,820 inmates held in 84 facilities at midyear 2017"
- NYPD Officer Misconduct Analysis
New York University's Public Safety Lab.
September, 2020.
"We find that precincts with higher percentages of Black residents had higher levels of excess misconduct complaints, both all and substantiated, between 2006-2019."
- Criminal Justice System Involvement and Food Insufficiency:
Findings from the 2018 New York City Community Health Survey, Paywall :(
Alexander Testa and Dylan B.Jackson.
September, 2020.
"Personal and family history of CRJ involvement is associated with a higher likelihood of experiencing moderate-to-severe food insufficiency."
- The Treatment-Industrial Complex:
Alternative Corrections, Private Prison Companies, and Criminal Justice Debt,
Laura I Appleman.
October, 2020.
"This Article explores and analyzes the little-researched area of criminal justice debt arising from alternative corrections: how private corrections companies profit from supervising those individuals released, paroled, sent to rehabilitation or diversion"
- Woke Retailers -- This You?
Corporations That Embraced Criminal Justice Reform Rhetoric Have Been Fueling Mass Incarceration,
Public Citizen.
October, 2020.
"In recent years, the retail industry has advocated against criminal justice reforms that reduce shoplifting sentences and/or supported harsher antishoplifting laws in 18 states. Most of the time - in 11 states - the retail industry prevailed."
- Improving Health Equity for Women Involved in the Criminal Legal System
Golembeski et al..
May, 2020.
"We delineate reproductive health and motherhood, aging in prison, and reentry as critical areas exemplifying women's complex health-related needs, which may be best addressed via gender-responsive and trauma-informed care."
- Specialized Parole and Resentencing Laws Focused on Emerging Adults:
New and proposed reforms in CA, IL, CO, D.C., and FL,
Emerging Adult Justice Project.
September, 2020.
"Essentially, emerging adults are viewed as less culpable and more malleable by virtue of their age, and the statutes and proposals examined in this factsheet codify that conception."
Friday, October 9 2020:
- Credit Overdue:
How States Can Mitigate Academic Credit Transfer Problems for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System,
Southern Poverty Law Center.
October, 2020.
"The findings confirmed that youth frequently don't receive credit for the work they complete while in juvenile justice facilities."
- Understanding Police Enforcement
Vera Institute of Justice.
September, 2020.
"Most calls do not relate to serious or violent crime; instead, the most frequent calls involve nuisance complaints and low-level crimes."
- America's Hidden Common Ground on Police Reform and Racism in the United States:
Results from a Public Agenda/USA Today/Ipsos Hidden Common Ground survey,
Ipsos and Public Agenda.
June, 2020.
"Most Americans (58%) say racial bias against Black or African Americans committed by police and law enforcement is a serious problem in their community, including 75% of Democrats and 51% of Independents as well as 40% of Republicans."
- Youth Justice Under the Coronavirus:
Linking Public Health Protections with the Movement for Youth Decarceration,
Sentencing Project.
September, 2020.
"Despite almost two decades of declines in U.S. youth incarceration, The Sentencing Project reveals more than 1,800 incarcerated youth have tested positive for COVID-19 since March, including more than 300 cases in Florida and Texas."
Tuesday, October 6 2020:
- Eligible, but excluded:
A guide to removing the barriers to jail voting,
Prison Policy Initiative & Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
October, 2020.
"Most people in jail are legally eligible to vote, but they are prevented from doing so by numerous barriers."
Thursday, October 1 2020:
- Solitary Confinement in the Pelican State
Texas Public Policy Foundation & Right on Crime.
September, 2020.
"Louisiana ranks #1 in percentage of inmates in segregation in the United States."
- Associations Between Parole, Probation, Arrest, and Self-reported Suicide Attempts
William C. Bryson, Jennifer Piel & Stephen Thielke.
August, 2020.
"Adults with recent arrest had higher risk of suicide attempts than those with parole, probation, or matched controls with no CJ involvement."
- Research Memo:
Police Unions and the Obstacles They Pose,
Community Resource Hub for Safety and Accountability.
September, 2020.
"Police unions and the LEOBR/POBR pose major obstacles to police reform, specifically in regard to accountability, transparency, and community safety."
- Ohio Could Save Big by Implementing Bail Reform:
A Fiscal Impact Analysis,
ACLU of Ohio.
September, 2020.
(Over 3,000 people charged with a misdemeanor are awaiting trial in Ohio jails at an annual cost of $74 to $96 million. And nearly 9,600 people charged with a felony are awaiting trial in Ohio jails at an annual cost of $235 to $306 million.)
- Toward Shared Safety:
The First-Ever National Survey of America's Safety Gaps,
Alliance for Safety and Justice.
September, 2020.
"Broad consensus exists at the neighborhood level and across different demographics: public safety policies and investments should prioritize violence prevention, recovery, mental health, reentry and the most effective strategies to stop the cycle of crime"
- Trauma, Healing, and Justice:
Native Hawaiian Women in Hawaii's Criminal Justice System, Paywall :(
Toni Bissen.
September, 2020.
"Native Hawaiian women comprise 21% of the female population in Hawaii but account for 40% of the jail and prison population."
Wednesday, September 30 2020:
Tuesday, September 29 2020:
- Tracking Enforcement Trends in New York City:
2003-2018,
Data Collaborative for Justice.
September, 2020.
"There were 5.8 enforcement actions among Black people for every one enforcement action among White people in 2018."
- Pardons and Public Safety:
Examining A Decade of Recidivism Data in Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity.
August, 2020.
"Of the 3,037 people who applied for a pardon, only 2 (0.066%) were later convicted of a crime of violence."
Friday, September 11 2020:
- Monitoring Pretrial Reform in Harris County:
First Sixth Month Report of the Court-Appointed Monitor,
Independent Monitor for the Odonnell v. Harris County Decree.
September, 2020.
"Second, contrary to bail industry and prosecutor propaganda, the data shows that recidivism has not increased, but is actually slightly down. This suggests that systems can release far more people while also reducing the rates of new arrests."
Wednesday, September 9 2020:
- Correctional Populations in the United States, 2017-2018
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2020.
"An estimated 6,410,000 persons were held in prisons or jails or were on probation or parole in 2018."
- How Many Complaints Against Police Officers Can Be Abated by Incapacitating A Few "Bad Apples?"
Aaron Chalfin and Jacob Kaplan.
August, 2020.
"Our analysis suggests that surgically removing predictably problematic police officers is unlikely to have a large impact on citizen complaints."
- Officer-Involved Shootings in Texas:
2016-2019,
Texas Justice Initiative.
August, 2020.
"Shootings of civilians and their subsequent deaths caused by officers have been increasing over the four years"
- Racial Disparities in the Massachusetts Criminal System
The Criminal Justice Policy Program, Harvard Law School.
September, 2020.
"The Commonwealth significantly outpaced national race and ethnicity disparity rates in incarceration, imprisoning Black people at a rate 7.9 times that of White people and Latinx people at 4.9 times that of White people."
- The Effects of Holistic Defense on Criminal Justice Outcomes
RAND Corporation.
January, 2019.
"Over the ten-year study period, holistic defense in the Bronx resulted in nearly 1.1 million fewer days of custodial punishment."
- In the Shadows:
A Review of the Research on Plea Bargaining,
Vera Institute of Justice.
September, 2020.
"Researchers estimate that more than 90% of criminal cases that end in conviction are the result of plea bargaining, a low-visibility, off-the-record, and informal process that usually occurs far from open court."
- Lives on the Line:
Women with Incarcerated Loved Ones and the Impact of COVID-19 Behind Bars,
Essie Justice Group and Color of Change.
September, 2020.
(Only 7% of respondents reported that their incarcerated loved one had adequate access to basic necessities to prevent the spread of COVID-19.)
Tuesday, September 8 2020:
- The Many Roads to Reintegration:
A 50-State Report on Laws Restoring Rights and Opportunities After Arrest or Conviction,
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
September, 2020.
"The area where there is least consensus, and that remains most challenging to reformers, is managing dissemination of damaging criminal record information."
- The Science of Solitary:
Expanding the Harmfulness Narrative,
Craig Haney.
September, 2020.
"Solitary confinement represents a particularly toxic, dangerous subset of a much broader, scientifically well-documented, extremely harmful condition--the deprivation of meaningful social contact."
- Polluting our prisons?
An examination of Oklahoma prison locations and toxic releases, 2011-2017, Paywall :(
Maggie Leon-Corwin, Jericho R McElroy, Michelle L Estes, Jon Lewis, Michael A Long.
January, 2020.
"Our results find that prison zip codes have greater TRI emissions compared to non-prison zip codes."
- State supervision, punishment and poverty:
The case of drug bans on welfare receipt,
Amanda Sheely.
August, 2020.
"I find that poverty is lower among people with drug convictions in states that opted out of the drug ban, compared to full ban states."
- Local Labor Market Inequality in the Age of Mass Incarceration
Luke Petach and Anita Alves Pena.
2020.
"While income inequality is associated with higher rates of incarceration for all race and ethnicity groups (although not always in statistically significant fashion), the effect is largest for non-white, nonHispanic individuals."
- 96 Deaths in Detention:
A View of COVID-19 in the Federal Bureau of Prisons as Captured in Death Notices,
World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School.
August, 2020.
"They reveal substantial shortcomings that are an indictment of the Bureau, the Department of Justice, and the current Administration, and the American public that has proven too willing to write off the lives of millions of incarcerated people."
- Law Enforcement Super Pacs and the Fight for Reform
Democratic Policy Center.
June, 2020.
"This report outlines an under-investigated aspect of law enforcement union power: their use of independent expenditure groups to influence elections and their ability to hire top Democratic consultants to execute their campaigns."
- Which Side Are We On:
Can Labor Support #BlackLivesMatter and Police Unions?,
David Unger.
July, 2020.
"An estimated 60 to 80 percent of police officers nationwide are unionized,twice the 34 percent unionization rate for the entire public sector, and at least ten times the rate of private sector unionization."
- Impacts of Private Prison Contracting on Inmate Time Served and Recidivism
Anita Mukherjee.
August, 2020.
"The empirical analysis shows that private prison inmates serve 90 additional days. This is alternatively estimated as 4.8 percent of the average sentence."
- More Work to Do:
Analysis of Probation and Parole in the United States, 2017-2018,
Kendra Bradner, Vincent Schiraldi, Natasha Mejia, and Evangeline Lopoo.
August, 2020.
"From 2008 to 2018, the decline in the number of people on probation has failed to keep pace with the decline in arrests, resulting in an increase in the rate of probation, per arrest."
- Life Years Lost to Police Encounters in the United States
Elizabeth Wrigley-Field.
August, 2020.
"This implies a loss of roughly 16,000 years of life for recent cohorts of Black men."
- An Examination of Women's Experiences with Reporting Sexual Victimization Behind Prison Walls
Paywall :(
April Surrell and Ida M. Johnson.
September, 2020.
"The interviewees identified stigma and gossip, officer camaraderie, and fear of retaliation as the dominant barriers to reporting and investigating incidents of sexual assault."
Tuesday, September 1 2020:
- The Other Epidemic:
Fatal Police Shootings in the Time of COVID-19,
ACLU.
August, 2020.
"From January 1, 2015, to June 30, 2020, police officers shot and killed 5,442 people."
Monday, August 31 2020:
- The First Step Act of 2018:
One Year of Implementation,
United States Sentencing Commission.
August, 2020.
(Since authorized by the First Step Act, 2,387 out of 226,000 people incarcerated in federal prisons received a reduction in sentence as a result of retroactive application of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010.)
- Hidden in Plain Sight:
Racism, White Supremacy, and Far-Right Militancy in Law Enforcement,
Brennan Center for Justice.
August, 2020.
"Alarmingly, internal FBI policy documents have also warned agents assigned to domestic terrorism cases that the white supremacist and anti-government militia groups they investigate often have "active links" to law enforcement officials."
Thursday, August 20 2020:
Tuesday, August 18 2020:
- No Access to Justice:
Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness and Jail,
Vera Institute of Justice.
August, 2020.
"Researchers have found that homelessness is between 7.5 and 11.3 times more prevalent among the jail population, and in some places the rate is much higher."
- Public opinion and the politics of collateral consequence policies
Paywall :(
Travis Johnston and Kevin H Wozniak.
August, 2020.
"We find that Americans generally oppose benefit restrictions, though support for these policies is higher among Republicans and people with higher levels of racial resentment."
Tuesday, August 4 2020:
- Limiting COVID-19 Transmission and Mitigating the Adverse Consequences of a COVID-19 Outbreak in Correctional Settings:
RELEASE * COHORT * TEST,
AMEND & Berkeley School of Public Health.
May, 2020.
"As the COVID-19 epidemic sweeps into correctional institutions around the nation, these critical actions must be urgently prioritized by system and political leaders in order to avert a health and humanitarian disaster among incarcerated people..."
- Whom the State Kills
Scott Phillips & Justin Marceau.
July, 2020.
"The overall execution rate is a staggering seventeen times greater for defendants convicted of killing a white victim."
- National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies COVID-19 Policy Response Survey
National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies.
July, 2020.
"Most surveyed jurisdictions increased: use of video conferencing for court hearings, pretrial release, release on personal recognizance for non-violent crimes, and cite & release."
- Probation and Parole in the United States, 2017-2018
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2020.
"An estimated 1 in 58 adults in the U.S. were under community supervision at year-end 2018."
- Revoked:
How Probation and Parole Feed Mass Incarceration in the United States,
Human Rights Watch & the ACLU.
July, 2020.
"The most common rule violations that trigger incarceration in Wisconsin are using drugs and consuming alcohol or entering bars. In Pennsylvania, state parole violations largely result from people failing to report address changes and using drugs."
- Sticker Shock 2020:
The Cost of Youth Incarceration,
Justice Policy Institute.
July, 2020.
"The average state cost for the secure confinement of a young person is now $588 per day, or $214,620 per year, a 44 percent increase from 2014."
Thursday, July 30 2020:
- Criminal Disqualifications in the Paycheck Protection Program
Keith Finlay, Michael Mueller-Smith, Brittany Street.
July, 2020.
"Black and Hispanic men, younger men, and Black women experience higher than average exclusion from PPP eligibility due to higher rates of contact with the criminal justice system in each state."
- Who Must Pay to Regain the Vote?
A 50-State Survey,
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
July, 2020.
"In most of the others (16 states), regaining the vote is tied to completion of supervision, which may give courts and supervision officials some discretion to delay reenfranchisement temporarily if LFOs have not been paid, but not to deny it permanently."
- Aligning Correctional Health Standards With Medicaid-Covered Benefits
Marin G. Olson, Utsha G. Khatri, Tyler N. A. Winkelman.
July, 2020.
"Few correctional facilities have formal accreditation, and even accredited facilities do not always meet constitutional requirements."
- Confronting the Demographics of Power:
America's Sheriffs,
Women Donors Network.
June, 2020.
"Ninety two percent of sheriffs are white. Ninety percent are white men."
- Good Cop, Bad Cop:
Using Civilian Allegations to Predict Police Misconduct,
Kyle Rozema and Max Schanzenbach.
May, 2019.
"The worst 1 percent of officers, as measured by civilian allegations, generate almost 5 times the number of payouts and over 4 times the total damage payouts in civil rights litigation."
- Do Detainees Plead Guilty Faster?
A Survival Analysis of Pretrial Detention and the Timing of Guilty Pleas, Paywall :(
Nick Peterson.
April, 2019.
"Survival analyses indicate that pretrial detainees plead guilty 2.86 times faster than released defendants do."
- Use of Structured Sanctions and Incentives in Probation and Parole Supervision
Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice.
July, 2020.
"There is strong evidence that the use of incentives by supervising officers produces improved supervision outcomes for individuals convicted of more serious offenses and people classified as higher risk to reoffend."
- Illinois Failing Key Pillar of COVID-19 Response:
Prisons Remain Crowded While Early Releases Exacerbate Racial Inequity,
Restore Justice.
June, 2020.
"White people are being released from prison at much higher rates--and much earlier--than their Black and Latino peers. While white people comprise just 32 percent of the Illinois prison population, they account for nearly half of all early releases."
- Barred from working:
A Nationwide Study of Occupational Licensing Barriers for Ex-Offenders,
Institute for Justice.
May, 2020.
"Six states--Alabama, Alaska, Nevada, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Vermont--were tied for last, receiving a zero on a 100-point scale for their lack of protections for felons seeking licenses."
- Youth Detention Admissions Remain Low, But Releases Stall Despite COVID-19
The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
July, 2020.
"In the months since the pandemic emerged in March, the disparities in detention that disadvantage Black youth have gotten worse, solely because Black youth have been released at a slower rate than their white peers."
Tuesday, July 28 2020:
- Medical Isolation and Solitary Confinement:
Balancing Health and Humanity in US Jails and Prisons During COVID-19,
David H. Cloud, Cyrus Ahalt, Dallas Augustine, David Sears MD & Brie Williams.
2015.
"Any effective and ethical medical isolation and quarantine program in US jails and prisons must be preceded by the immediate release of as many people as possible from jails and prisons to ensure that adequate physical space & medical staff are available."
- Decarceration and Crime During COVID-19
ACLU.
July, 2020.
"Over this time period, we found that the reduction in jail population was functionally unrelated to crime trends in the following months."
- No Excuses:
Governors Must Pursue Decarceration Along With Investments in Reentry Services,
The Justice Collaborative Institute.
June, 2020.
"Meaningful reentry services are available and can be expanded by building upon a large network of existing programs."
Monday, July 27 2020:
Thursday, July 2 2020:
- Police Officers Rarely Charged for Excessive Use of Force in Federal Court
TRAC.
June, 2020.
"In fact, in the twenty-year period between 1990 and 2019, federal prosecutors filed SS 242 charges about 41 times per year on average."
- Race and Reasonableness in Police Killings
Jeffrey Fagan and Alexis Campbell.
May, 2020.
"Black suspects are more than twice as likely to be killed by police than are persons of other racial or ethnic groups; even when there are no other obvious circumstances during the encounter that would make the use of deadly force reasonable."
- Second Look for Justice, Safety and Savings:
A Plan to Address Rehabilitated Youth Serving Extreme Sentences in Adult Prisons,
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
May, 2020.
"Texas' 40-year requirement before parole can be considered a harsh outlier, rendering its ban on juvenile LWOP virtually meaningless because the "remedy" is equally punitive and extreme."
Wednesday, July 1 2020:
- The Cumulative Probability of Arrest by Age 28 Years in the United States by
Disability Status, Race/Ethnicity, and Gender,
Erin J. McCauley.
2015.
"Estimates demonstrated that those with disabilities have a higher cumulative probability of arrest than those without. The risk was disproportionately spread across races/ethnicities, with Blacks with disabilities experiencing the highest risk of arrest."
- "Whatever they do, I'm her comfort, I'm her protector."
How the foster system has become ground zero for the U.S. drug war,
Movement for Family Power, NYU Family Defense Clinic, Drug Policy Alliance.
June, 2020.
"We estimate this number jumps to one in three Black and/or Latinx children having had contact with ACS in the past five years, either through an investigation, service provision or foster care."
- The Broad Scope and Variation of Monetary Sanctions:
Evidence From Eight States,
Sarah Shannon, Beth M. Huebner, Alexes Harris, et al..
June, 2020.
(Key trends include: the lack of transparent processes in implementing this form of punishment, the wide variation in practices and policies across jurisdictions, and the ways that noncompliance deepens legal entanglements and collateral consequences.)
- Incarcerated Parents and Child Welfare in Washington
Sayer Rippey.
March, 2020.
"From 2006 to 2016, 32,000 incarcerated parents in the United States permanently lost their parental rights without ever being accused of child abuse.1 Of these, approximately 5,000 lost their parental rights solely because of their incarceration."
- Incarceration Weakens a Community's Immune System:
Mass Incarceration and COVID-19 Cases in Milwaukee Preliminary Results,
Measures for Justice.
June, 2020.
"The number of incarcerations is a strong predictor of the number of COVID-19 cases above and beyond the effect of other predictors in the model, including poverty, unemployment, and population not in the labor force."
- Examining the Relationship Between Incarceration and Population Health:
The Roles of Region and Urbanicity, Paywall :(
Robert R. Weidner and Jennifer Schultz.
May, 2020.
"Results indicate that level of incarceration has a detrimental effect on both mortality (i.e., premature death) and morbidity (i.e., self-reported health), and that these effects are more pronounced in rural and Southern counties."
- Injustice and the Disappearance of Discretionary Detention under Trump:
Detaining Low Risk Immigrants without Bond,
Robert Koulish and Katherine Evans.
May, 2020.
"The data show that officers have manipulated the risk tool by subjecting low-risk immigrants to blanket detention, which has come to define the no-release Trump immigration policy in the New York City area."
- Trauma and Loss During Reentry:
Early Findings from a Multi-State Trial,
Florida State University Institute for Justice Research and Development.
May, 2020.
"47% of our participants experienced at least one traumatic event in the 8 months after their release from incarceration."
- Sending New Yorkers to Jail:
Police Unions, Campaign Contributions, and the Political Fight to Rollback Bail Reform,
Center for Community Alternatives, Citizen Action of New York, and the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York.
June, 2020.
(On average, Senators who voted to expose more New Yorkers to money bail received 10 times as much in law enforcement union donations as those who voted in opposition.)
- Widespread Desire for Policing and Criminal Justice Reform
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
June, 2020.
"Americans, regardless of race, strongly support policies that include body cameras, holding police accountable for excessive force and racially biased policing, and creating criteria for the use of force."
- To Serve and Protect Each Other:
How Police-Prosecutor Codependence Enables Police Misconduct,
Somil Trivedi and Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve.
May, 2020.
"The persistent, codependent relationship between police and prosecutors exacerbates police misconduct and violence and is aided by prosecutors in both legal and extralegal ways."
- Police Brutality Bonds:
How Wall Street Profits from Police Violence,
Action Center on Race & the Economy.
June, 2020.
"In the twelve cities and counties included here, we found a total of nearly $878 million in bond borrowing to cover police related settlements and judgments."
- #DefundPolice Toolkit:
Concrete Steps Toward Divestment from Policing & Investment in Community Safety,
Interrupting Criminalization: Research in Action & Movement for Black Lives.
June, 2020.
"#DefundPolice is a strategy that goes beyond dollars and cents--it is not just about decreasing police budgets, it is about reducing the power, scope, and size of police departments."
- Police Killings in the US:
Inequalities by Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Position,
People's Policy Project.
June, 2020.
"Whites in the poorest areas have a police killing rate of 7.9 per million, compared to 2 per million in the least-poor areas. Blacks in the poorest areas have a police killing rate of 12.3 per million, compared to 6.7 per million in the least-poor areas."
- The Limits of Fairer Fines:
Lessons from Germany,
Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School.
June, 2020.
"Germany also shows us that considering ability to pay at sentencing in every case is possible without being unduly cumbersome."
- Why Bail Reform is Safe and Effective:
The Case of Cook County,
The JFA Institute.
April, 2020.
"Judge Evans' Order has resulted in over 3,000 people each year who no longer are needlessly jailed because they can't afford bail. Thousands more are either spending less time in jail or avoiding prison sentences. And crime rates have dropped."
- Paying on Probation:
How Financial Sanctions Intersect with Probation to Target, Trap, and Punish People Who Cannot Pay,
Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School.
June, 2020.
"All but two states have statutes authorizing the imposition of supervision fees on people sentenced to some or all types of supervised probation.75 Most supervision fees are assessed monthly, and can be quite high, ranging from $10 to $150 per month."
- The Complexities of Race and Place:
Childhood Neighborhood Disadvantage and Adult Incarceration for Whites, Blacks, and Latinos,
Steven Elias Alvarado.
June, 2020.
"Blacks, the findings suggest, experience the weakest neighborhood associations with incarceration, suggesting that residential mobility for blacks does not protect against incarceration as much as it does for whites and Latinos."
- Whitewashing the Jury Box:
How California Perpetuates the Discriminatory Exclusion of Black and Latinx Jurors,
Berkeley Law Death Penalty Clinic.
2015.
"We evaluated nearly 700 cases decided by the California Courts of Appeal from 2006 through 2018, which involved objections to prosecutors' peremptory challenges. In nearly 72% of these cases, district attorneys used their strikes to remove Black jurors."
- Do Public Defender Resources Matter?
The Effect of Public Defender and Support Staff Caseloads on the Incarceration of Felony Defendants,
Aaron Gottlieb and Kelsey Arnold.
April, 2020.
"Results suggest that felony defendants in counties with higher public defender and support staff caseloads are more likely to be detained pretrial and that felony defendants in counties with smaller support staff caseloads receive shorter incarceration."
Friday, June 26 2020:
- Physical Health and Disability Among U.S. Adults Recently on Community Supervision
Tyler N. A. Winkelman, Michelle S. Phelps, Kelly Lyn Mitchell, Latasha Jennings, and Rebecca J. Shlafer.
April, 2020.
"Compared to the general population, adults recently on community supervision were significantly more likely to report fair or poor health, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hepatitis B or C, one or more chronic conditions, and any disability."
- Failing Grades:
States' Responses to COVID-19 in Jails & Prisons,
Prison Policy Initiative and ACLU.
June, 2020.
"Despite all of the information, voices calling for action, and the obvious need, state responses ranged from disorganized or ineffective, at best, to callously nonexistent at worst."
- Police Disciplinary Appeals
Stephen Rushin.
2019.
"Many communities have established appeals procedures that may hamper reform efforts, contribute to officer misconduct, and limit public oversight of police departments."
Tuesday, June 23 2020:
Friday, June 5 2020:
- Commercialized (In)justice Litigation Guide:
Applying Consumer Laws to Commercial Bail, Prison Retail, and Private Debt Collection,
National Consumer Law Center.
June, 2020.
"States and local governments have increasingly offloaded core functions of their criminal legal systems--traditionally public services--onto private corporations operating to maximize profit for their owners and shareholders."
Tuesday, June 2 2020:
- Criminal Record Stigma in the College-Educated Labor Market
Michael Cerda-Jara, Aminah Elster, and David J. Harding.
May, 2020.
"The overall callback rate is 50 percent lower for college-educated men with criminal records compared to college-educated men with no record."
- Compassionate release was never designed to release large numbers of people
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2020.
"Unfortunately, what they, and the American public, are learning is that compassionate release is not a transparent and linear process, but an unpredictably ordered series of obstacles."
- Persistent and aggressive interactions with the police:
potential mental health implications,
J.L. Hirschtick et al..
February, 2019.
(Men reporting a high number of lifetime police stops have three times greater odds of current PTSD symptoms compared with men who did not report high lifetime police stops, even after adjusting for a range of factors.)
- Collateral Damage:
The Health Effects of Invasive Police Encounters in New York City,
Abigail A. Sewell and Kevin A. Jefferson.
April, 2016.
"It shows that, holding constant crime levels, segregation measures, and known sociodemographic correlates of health, community-level Terry stop patterns associate with individual-level illness."
- Risk of Police-Involved Death by Race/Ethnicity and Place, United States, 2012-2018
Paywall :(
Frank Edwards, Michael H. Esposito, and Hedwig Lee.
August, 2018.
(Police were responsible for about 8% of all homicides with adult male victims between 2012 and 2018, with Black men having the highest risk of mortality from police violence.)
- Police Union Contracts
Stephen Rushin.
March, 2017.
"Across America's largest cities, many police officers receive excessive procedural protections during internal disciplinary investigations, effectively immunizing them from the consequences of misconduct."
- TRENDS:
Police Militarization and the Use of Lethal Force, Paywall :(
Edward Lawson, Jr..
July, 2018.
(There is a positive and significant association between militarization and the number of suspects killed, controlling for several other possible explanations.)
- The Wandering Officer
Ben Grunwald & John Rappaport.
April, 2020.
"In any given year over the last three decades, an average of roughly 1,100 full-time law-enforcement officers in Florida walk the streets having been fired in the past, and almost 800 having been fired for misconduct."
- Catalyzing Policing Reform with Data:
Policing Typology for Los Angeles Neighborhoods,
Urban Institute.
May, 2020.
"However, across all groups and their varied activity levels, Black people are stopped at the highest rate."
- Bail Reform Revisited:
The Impact of New York's Amended Bail Law on Pretrial Detention,
Center for Court Innovation.
May, 2020.
"When compared to the original reforms passed in 2019, the amendments will produce a 16 percent relative increase in the use of money bail and pretrial detention among New York City criminal cases and a 16 percent increase in the pretrial jail population."
- The Relationship Between Structural Racism and Black-White Disparities in Fatal Police Shootings at the State Level
Paywall :(
Aldina Mesic et al.
April, 2018.
"For every 10-point increase in the state racism index, the Black-White disparity ratio of police shooting rates of people not known to be armed increased by 24%."
- Using Shifts in Deployment and Operations to Test for Racial Bias in Police Stops
John M. MacDonald and Jeffrey Fagan.
May, 2019.
"For blacks, impact-zone formation increases arrests, summons, and frisks. For Hispanics, impact-zone formation increases arrests, frisks, and street detention."
Monday, June 1 2020:
- Does contact with the justice system deter or promote future delinquency?
Results from a longitudinal study of British adolescent twins,
Ryan T. Motz et al..
December, 2019.
"We found that contact with the justice system--through spending a night in jail/prison, being issued an ASBO, or having an official crime record--promotes misbehavior, which supports the labeling hypothesis."
- U.S. Prison Decline:
Insufficient to Undo Mass Incarceration,
Sentencing Project.
May, 2019.
"At the pace of decarceration since 2009, averaging 1% annually, it will take 65 years-- until 2085--to cut the U.S. prison population in half."
- Racial Disparities in NYPD's COVID-19 Policing:
Unequal Enforcement of 311 Social Distancing Calls,
The Legal Aid Society.
May, 2020.
"Although the official data released by the city is limited and incomplete, the data that is available demonstrates the disproportionate impacts of the NYPD's pandemic policing on Black and Latino New Yorkers."
- A randomized control trial evaluating the effects of police body-worn cameras
David Yokum, Anita Ravishankar, and Alexander Coppock.
May, 2019.
"Our results indicate that cameras did not meaningfully affect police behavior on a range of outcomes, including complaints and use of force."
- Examining the Role of Use of Force Policies in Ending Police Violence
Samuel Sinyangwe.
September, 2016.
"These results suggest specific changes to police department use of force policies can significantly reduce police violence in America."
- Evidence that curtailing proactive policing can reduce major crime
Paywall :(
Christopher M. Sullivan & Zachary P. O'Keeffe.
September, 2017.
"Analysing several years of unique data obtained from the NYPD, we find that civilian complaints of major crimes (such as burglary, felony assault and grand larceny) decreased during and shortly after sharp reductions in proactive policing."
- The Effect of Direct and Vicarious Police Contact on the Educational Achievement of Urban Teens
Paywall :(
Aaron Gottlieb and Robert Wilson.
August, 2019.
"We find that arrest, police contact that does not result in arrest, and vicarious police contact are all associated with reductions in educational achievement."
- Preventing the Use of Deadly Force:
Paywall :(
Jay T. Jennings and Meghan E. Rubado.
February, 2017.
"Findings show that one policy--the requirement that officers file a report when they point their guns at people but do not fire--is associated with significantly lower rates of gun deaths."
Friday, May 15 2020:
- People in Prison in 2019
[Website] Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2020.
""Vera researchers collected data on the number of people who were incarcerated in state and federal prisons as of December 31, 2019...[and] updated data on people in prison at the end of the first quarter of 2020.""
Thursday, May 14 2020:
- Prisons as Panacea or Pariah?
The Countervailing Consequences of the Prison Boom on the Political Economy of Rural Towns,
John M. Eason.
January, 2017.
"Thus, neither entirely pariah nor panacea, the prison functions as a state-sponsored public works program for disadvantaged rural communities but also supports perverse economic incentives for prison proliferation."
Tuesday, May 12 2020:
Friday, May 8 2020:
- The Prison Industry:
Mapping Private Sector Players,
Worth Rises.
May, 2020.
"This report exposes over 4,100 corporations that profit from the devastating mass incarceration of our nation's marginalized communities--disproportionately those of color and with low income."
Thursday, May 7 2020:
- How prepared are state prison systems for a viral pandemic?
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2020.
"Most prisons are still aiming to keep the virus out of their facilities, rather than focusing on how to minimize the harm to incarcerated people, to their staff and to society as a whole"
- Voting in Jails
Sentencing Project.
May, 2020.
"In local jails the vast majority of persons are eligible to vote because they are not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction."
- While jails drastically cut populations, state prisons have released almost no one
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2020.
"Our analysis finds that jails are responding to the unprecedented public health crisis by rapidly dropping their populations. In contrast, state prisons have barely budged."
- Prisoners in 2018
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2020.
"At year-end 2018, an estimated 1,465,200 prisoners were under state or federal jurisdiction."
- Resentencing of Juvenile Lifers:
The Philadelphia Experience,
Tarika Daftary-Kapur and Tina M. Zottoli.
April, 2020.
"269 lifers have been re-sentenced in Philadelphia and 174 have been released. Six (3.5%) have been re-arrested. Charges were dropped in four of the cases and two (1%) resulted in new convictions."
- A Review of Recreation Requirements in U.S. Juvenile Justice Facilities
Paywall :(
Maria Leon, Corliss Outley, Miner Marchbanks, Brandy Kelly Pryor.
August, 2019.
"There is not a shared definition of recreation, only 70% of states have daily mandatory minimums requirements, only 44% of states require youth be given time outside, and only 56% of states include justifications for denying youth access to recreation."
Wednesday, May 6 2020:
- Rikers 6-A Early Release Program:
Results After One Month of Operations,
Center for Court Innovation.
April, 2020.
"After one month of operations, only 7 of the 312 released individuals--2.2 percent--have been re-arrested while in the program. Of these, 4 were for alleged misdemeanor offenses."
Friday, May 1 2020:
- Recommendations for Rapid Release and Reentry During the COVID-19 Pandemic
NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management.
April, 2020.
"[The assumptions and recommendations in this report] provide guidance to agencies supporting rapid release from incarceration and community reentry in response to COVID-19."
- Since you asked:
Is social distancing possible behind bars?,
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2020.
"The short answer is no - social distancing is even harder behind bars than in nursing homes or on cruise ships."
- Since you asked:
What data exists about Native American people in the criminal justice system?,
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2020.
"Problems with data collection - and an unfortunate tendency to group Native Americans together with other ethnic and racial groups in data publications - have made it hard to understand the effect of mass incarceration on Native people."
- A Tale of Two Countries:
Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform,
ACLU.
April, 2020.
"On average, a Black person is 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though Black and white people use marijuana at similar rates."
- Large scale releases and public safety
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2020.
"Large-scale releases have been common throughout U.S. and international history for a variety of legal, political and health reasons."
- Reproductive Healthcare Experiences of Incarcerated Women:
A Qualitative Study, Paywall :(
Sarah O'Connor and Rebecca Perkins.
2015.
"Most women described fragmentation of care with inability to consistently access reproductive and prenatal healthcare services. Frequent transitions between institutions exacerbated problems with access."
Thursday, April 30 2020:
- Flattening the Curve:
Why Reducing Jail Populations Is Key to Beating COVID-19,
ACLU, Washington State University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Tennessee.
April, 2020.
"Models projecting total U.S. fatalities to be under 100,0001 may be underestimating deaths by almost another 100,000 if we continue to operate jails as usual."
- Policing in a Time of Pandemic:
Recommendations for Law Enforcement,
Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics and Georgetown Law Innovative Policing Program.
April, 2020.
"Traditional law enforcement practices such as stops, searches, and arrests currently create a substantial risk of infection for police, suspects and community members alike."
- Modeling COVID-19 and impacts on U.S. Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities, 2020
Irvine et al..
April, 2020.
"Preventing the rapid spread necessitates intervention measures such as granting ICE detainees widespread release from an unsafe environment by returning them to the community."
- Protecting Rural Jails from Coronavirus
Data for Progress and The Justice Collaborative.
April, 2020.
"Our analysis shows that a significant percentage of people being held in jails--12% nationally and over a third in some states--are housed in counties without any ICU beds."
- Hundreds are still jailed for technical parole violations in NYC, which means decarceration is happening far too slowly
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2020.
"As of April 22nd, there were still 293 people held in NYC jails for technical parole violations:"
- Policy Reforms Can Strengthen Community Supervision:
A framework to improve probation and parole,
The Pew Charitable Trusts.
April, 2020.
"This report details the challenges facing community supervision systems around the country and outlines specific policy changes that states can make to achieve improved outcomes."
- At Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Dramatic and Rapid Reductions in Youth Detention
The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
April, 2020.
"A survey of juvenile justice agencies in 30 state finds that the number of young people in local secure detention centers fell by 24% in March 2020, a sign that the coronavirus pandemic is dramatically altering the juvenile justice system."
Monday, April 27 2020:
Tuesday, April 14 2020:
- Understanding Violent-Crime Recidivism
J.J. Prescott, Benjamin Pyle, and Sonja B. Starr.
September, 2020.
"Although estimates vary, our synthesis of the available evidence suggests that released violent offenders, especially homicide offenders who are older at release, have lower overall recidivism rates relative to other released offenders."
Tuesday, April 7 2020:
- Five ways the criminal justice system could slow the pandemic
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2020.
"Given the toll COVID-19 has already taken on our jails and prisons, as well as our society at large, the time is now for federal, state, and local officials to put public health before punishment."
- The Case for Clean Slate in North Carolina
R Street.
March, 2020.
"1.6 million North Carolinians, or close to one in five individuals, have a criminal record."
- Mapping disadvantage:
The geography of incarceration in New York,
Prison Policy Initiative and VOCAL-NY.
February, 2020.
"A relatively small number of areas in New York are disproportionately impacted by incarceration, and high imprisonment rates correlate with other community problems related to poverty, employment, education, and health."
- Opioids, Race, and Drug Enforcement:
Exploring Local Relationships Between Neighborhood Context and Black-White Opioid-Related Possession Arrests, Paywall :(
Ellen A. Donnelly, Jascha Wagner, Madeline Stenger, Hannah G. Cortina, Daniel J. O'Connell, Tammy L. Anderson.
March, 2020.
"Calls for police service for overdoses increase White arrests in more advantaged, rural communities. Economic disadvantage and racial diversity in neighborhoods more strongly elevate possession arrest rates among Blacks relative to Whites."
- The National Registry of Exonerations Annual Report
The National Registry of Exonerations.
March, 2020.
"Last year saw a record number of years lost to prison by defendants exonerated for crimes they did not commit--1,908 years in total for 143 exonerations, an average of 13.3 years lost per exoneree."
- Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2020,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2020.
"The American criminal justice system holds almost 2.3 million people"
- Data Collected Under the First Step Act, 2019
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2020.
(At year-end 2018, a total of 80,599 people in federal prisons-- or 45% of the BOP population--were the parent, step-parent, or guardian of a minor child.)
- Contraception need and available services among incarcerated women in the United States:
a systematic review,
Mishka S. Peart & Andrea K. Knittel.
March, 2020.
"Incarcerated women desire access to standard and emergency contraception from carceral health care systems."
- Post-release mortality among persons hospitalized during their incarceration
Paywall :(
David L. Rosen, Andrew L. Kavee, Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein.
April, 2020.
"People hospitalized during incarceration constitute a particularly vulnerable, yet relatively easily identifiable priority population to focus health interventions supporting continuity of care following prison release."
- Federal Sentencing of Hispanic Defendants in Changing Immigrant Destinations
Paywall :(
Jeffery T. Ulmer and Brandy R. Parker.
June, 2019.
"New destinations, along with non-immigrant destinations, sentenced Hispanic non-citizens more harshly, especially the undocumented."
- Long-term consequences of being placed in disciplinary segregation
Christopher Wildeman and Lars Hojsgaard Andersen.
March, 2020.
"The results from matched difference-in-differences analyses show that Danish inmates placed in disciplinary segregation experience larger drops in employment and larger increases in the risk of being convicted of a new crime in the 3 years after release."
- Jail Inmates in 2018
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2020.
"The male jail inmate population decreased 9% from 2008 to 2018, while the female inmate population increased 15%."
- Which Police Departments Want Reform?
Barriers to Evidence-Based Policymaking,
Samantha Goerger, Jonathan Mummolo, and Sean J. Westwood.
April, 2020.
"Many agencies that indicate interest in transparent, evidence-based policymaking are likely engaging in cheap talk, and recoil once performance evaluations are made salient."
- Demonstrations, demoralization, and de-policing
Paywall :(
Christopher J. Marier and Lorie A. Fridell.
March, 2020.
"Post-Ferguson protests in 2014 did not appreciably worsen police morale nor lead to substantial withdrawal from most police work, suggesting that the police institution is resilient to exogenous shocks."
- Policing the American University
Civilytics Consulting LLC.
February, 2020.
"Since reporting began, campus police departments arrests of black adults have annually increased. Recent reductions in total arrests are due to a sharp decrease in arrests of white adults."
- Time, Money, and Punishment:
Institutional Racial-Ethnic Inequalities in Pretrial Detention and Case Outcomes, Paywall :(
Brandon P. Martinez, Nick Petersen, Marisa Omori.
October, 2019.
"Results indicate that time and money significantly stratify defendants by race and ethnicity, where bond amounts increase time detained, and that time detained in turn reinforces racial inequalities in conviction and incarceration."
- Technical violations, immigration detainers, and other bad reasons to keep people in jail
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2020.
"We found that across 10 urban areas, the share of people held at least in part for probation or parole reasons ranged widely, from 6% to 58% of the average daily jail population."
- Connecting Families:
Compelling messaging for prison phone justice campaigns,
Worth Rises.
March, 2020.
"71% of people support providing families and their loved ones behind bars phone calls at no cost."
- Racial Inequities in New York Parole Supervision
Kendra Bradner and Vincent Schiraldi.
March, 2020.
"Black and Latinx people are significantly more likely than white people to be under supervision, to be jailed pending a violation hearing, and to be incarcerated in New York State prisons for a parole violation."
- The Race of Defendants and Victims in Pennsylvania Death Penalty Decisions:
2000-2010, Paywall :(
Jeffery T. Ulmer, John H. Kramer, and Gary Zajac.
August, 2019.
"We find that those who kill white victims, regardless of defendant race, are more likely to receive the death penalty."
- Life Without Parole Sentencing in North Carolina
Brandon L. Garrett et al.
October, 2020.
"We find that fewer LWOP sentences are predicted to occur as the number of black victim homicides increase in a county, but no such relationship is found when considering the number of white victim homicides."
- Reforms without Results:
Why states should stop excluding violent offenses from criminal justice reforms,
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2020.
"Almost all of the major criminal justice reforms passed in the last two decades explicitly exclude people accused and convicted of violent offenses."
- Treatment Needs and Gender Differences Among Clients Entering a Rural Drug Treatment Court With a Co-Occurring Disorder
The National Drug Court Resource, Policy, and Evidence-Based Practice Center.
February, 2020.
"Males had longer CJ involvement, alcohol use, and more needle sharing compared to females. Females reported more trauma, sexual abuse, interpersonal violence, chronic and recent medical conditions, unstable housing, and a lower rate of employment."
- The Future of Dignity:
Insights from the Texas Women's Dignity Retreat,
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
March, 2020.
"Female incarceration in Texas has increased at more than twice the rate of male incarceration over the past 40 years."
- Recommendations for Addressing Racial Bias in Risk and Needs Assessment in the Juvenile Justice System
Child Trends.
January, 2020.
"Because risk and needs assessments may disproportionately impact youth of color, there is a need to improve their accuracy and underlying properties."
Wednesday, March 4 2020:
- Changing Course in the Overdose Crisis:
Moving from Punishment to Harm Reduction and Health,
Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2020.
"U.S. policies, practices, and systems continue to criminalize and punish people who use drugs within and beyond the criminal justice system."
- Incarcerated Adults with Dependent Children
Daniel M. Leeds, Juliana Pearson, Simone Robers, and Leslie Scott.
February, 2020.
"More than three-quarters of incarcerated parents with a child under the age of 18 have low literacy (75 percent) and numeracy (89 percent) skills."
- From Decarceration to E-Carceration
Chaz Arnett.
February, 2020.
"A move from decarceration to e-carceration, or from mass incarceration to mass surveillance, will likely fail to resolve, and may exacerbate, one of the greatest harms of mass incarceration: the maintenance of social stratification."
- Restorative Prosecution?
Rethinking Responses to Violence,
Olivia Dana and Sherene Crawford.
January, 2020.
"As progressive prosecutors attempt to take on criminal justice reform, restorative justice offers a path forward, as well as a means of handling violent cases, and complements the reforms they are already carrying out for lower-level, nonviolent cases."
- County-level jail incarceration and preterm birth among non-Hispanic Black and white U.S. women, 1999-2015
Paywall :(
Jaquelyn L. Jahn, Jarvis T. Chen, Madina Agenor, Nancy Krieger.
July, 2020.
"Jail incarceration increases non-Hispanic Black and White women's risk of preterm birth."
- After Cash Bail:
A Framework for Reimagining Pretrial Justice,
The Bail Project.
February, 2020.
"As we look to a future after cash bail, it is clear that transformational change will require a clear commitment to move past the incarceration paradigm and reimagine how society responds to poverty, mental illness, substance abuse, and violence."
- Driving While Black and Latinx:
Stops, Fines, Fees, and Unjust Debts,
New York Law School Racial Justice Project.
February, 2020.
"Traffc debt suspensions disproportionately harm New Yorkers of color, and will continue to do so if the current law remains unchanged."
- Women in Prison:
Seeking Justice Behind Bars,
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
February, 2020.
"Many incarcerated women continue to experience physical and psychological safety harms while incarcerated and insufficient satisfaction of their constitutional rights."
Tuesday, February 18 2020:
- A Never-Ending Sentence:
The Impact of Criminal Conviction in Project-Based Section 8 Housing Tenant Selection Plans in Cuyahoga County,
Reentry Housing Workgroup of the Cleveland Reentry Strategy Coalition.
2015.
"The review of [Tenant Selection Plans] shows that criminal convictions, even from misdemeanors, have a long-term impact on access to Project-Based Section 8 Housing in Cuyahoga County"
- Ending the War on Drugs in Travis County, Texas:
How Low-Level Drug Possession Arrests are Harmful and Ineffective,
TCJC, Grassroots Leadership, Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, and the Civil Rights Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law.
February, 2020.
"Between 2013 and 2017, the number of low-level Possession of a Controlled Substance (POCS) cases in Travis County increased by 43 percent,3 and Travis County courts saw a 66 percent increase in the overall number of new felony drug possession cases."
- Laying the Groundwork:
How States Can Improve Access to Continued Education for People in the Criminal Justice System,
Council of State Governments Justice Center.
February, 2020.
"These findings highlight how far all states have to go to adopt the statewide postsecondary education policies and practices necessary to help incarcerated people transition to leading productive lives in the community."
- Mortality in State and Federal Prisons, 2001-2016
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2020.
"The number of deaths in state prisons rose 1.3% from 2015 to 2016 (from 3,682 to 3,729), while the number of deaths in federal prisons fell 15% (from 455 to 388)."
- County Jail Incarceration Rates and County Mortality Rates in the United States, 1987-2016
Sandhya Kajeepeta, Caroline G. Rutherford, Katherine M. Keyes, Abdulrahman M. El-Sayed, and Seth J. Prins.
January, 2020.
"Within-county increases in jail incarceration rates are associated with increases in subsequent mortality rates after adjusting for important confounders."
- Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2016
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2020.
"From 2006 to 2016, suicide was the leading single cause of death in local jails each year; it accounted for nearly a third of jail deaths in 2016 (31%)."
- Reconciling Police and Communities with Apologies, Acknowledgements, or Both:
A Controlled Experiment,
Thomas C. O'Brien, Tracey L. Meares, Tom R. Tyler.
February, 2020.
"The evidence suggests that police leaders should combine acknowledgement of responsibility for the mistrust with an apology if they want to enlist the cooperation of people who are least likely to trust the police."
- In Trouble: How the Promise of Diversion Clashes With
the Reality of Poverty, Addiction, and Structural Racism in Alabama's Justice,
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.
February, 2020.
"Fifty-five percent of them made less than $14,999 per year, yet the median amount they reported paying for diversion was $1,600 -- more than ten percent of their total income."
- An Organizer's Guide to Confronting Pretrial Risk Assessment Tools in Decarceration Campaigns
Community Justice Exchange.
December, 2019.
"This guide provides tools for opposing [risk assessment tools], and an analysis that our opposition to them is one part of a larger organizing strategy to end pretrial incarceration and mass supervision."
- Successful Reentry:
A Community-Level Analysis,
The Harvard University Institute of Politics Criminal Justice Policy Group.
December, 2019.
"Our research showed that several dynamic risk factors - namely health, employment, housing, skill development, mentorship, social networks, and organization type - significantly affect the success of reentry."
Monday, February 17 2020:
- Pathways to Reintegration:
Criminal Record Reforms in 2019,
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
February, 2020.
"In 2019, 43 states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government enacted an extraordinary 152 laws aimed at reducing barriers faced by people with criminal records in the workplace, at the ballot box, and in many other areas of daily life."
- "Gladiator School:
Returning Citizens' Experiences with Secondary Violence Exposure in Prison", Paywall :(
Meghan A. Novisky & Robert L. Peralta.
February, 2020.
"We find that secondary violence was frequently experienced in prison and often took the form of witnessing non-weaponized assaults, weaponized assaults, multi-perpetrator assaults, and homicide."
- Reversing the Pipeline to Prison in Texas:
How to Ensure Safe Schools AND Safe Students,
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
February, 2020.
"Traditional, punitive models of student discipline are not only ineffective, but harmful to students and communities."
Friday, January 24 2020:
- Criminal Justice Reform in the Fentanyl Era:
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back,
Drug Policy Alliance.
January, 2020.
"A recent analysis of federal fentanyl sentencing revealed that 75% of all individuals sentenced for fentanyl trafficking were people of color, suggesting that fentanyl enforcement already mirrors other disparate drug enforcement."
Thursday, January 23 2020:
- Avoiding the Runaround:
The Link Between Cultural Health Capital and Health Management Among Older Prisoners, Paywall :(
Meghan A. Novisky.
July, 2018.
"Findings show that older prisoners make deliberate choices to protect their health from the constraints and deprivations inherent in their carceral lives."
Wednesday, January 22 2020:
- Solitary Confinement and the U.S. Prison Boom
Paywall :(
Ryan T. Sakoda, Jessica T. Simes.
December, 2019.
"Long stays in solitary confinement were rare in the late 1980s with no detectable racial disparities, but a sharp increase in capacity after a new prison opening began an era of long-term isolation most heavily affecting Black young adults."
- State criminal justice policy context and opioid agonist treatment delivery among opioid treatment admissions, 2015
Shivani Mantha, Pia M. Mauro, Christine M. Mauro, Silvia S. Martins.
January, 2020.
"Criminal justice referral to treatment was associated with an 85% reduction in the odds of receiving [opioid agonist treatment], compared to other sources of treatment referral"
- America's Favorite Antidote:
Drug-Induced Homicide in the Age of the Overdose Crisis,
Leo Beletsky.
September, 2019.
"At a time of crisis, drug-induced homicide laws and prosecutions represent a false prophecy of retribution, deterrence, and incapacitation."
- Diverted Opportunities:
Gaps in Drug Treatment for Justice System-Involved Populations in Harris County, Texas,
Katharine Neill Harris and Jay Jenkins.
December, 2019.
"Findings from this project are consistent with prior research that suggests the justice system is generally not designed to meet the needs of a large segment of the diverted population."
- School Discipline, Safety, and Climate:
A Comprehensive Study in New York City,
Center for Court Innovation.
October, 2019.
"Students with disabilities, those who were chronically absent, and those who were economically disadvantaged were more likely to be arrested than their counterparts."
- Court-Ordered Community Service:
A National Perspective,
Center for Court Innovation.
November, 2019.
"Numerous findings also suggest current practices are undercutting the potential of community service to act as an alternative to fines and fees."
- Racial disparities in health conditions among prisoners compared with the general population
Kathryn M. Nowotny, Richard G. Rogers, Jason D. Boardman.
December, 2017.
"The incarcerated population generally has worse health than the noninstitutionalized population, especially for hypertension, heart problems, asthma, kidney problems, stroke, arthritis, and cancer."
- Health Behaviors and Outcomes Associated With Personal and Family History of Criminal Justice System Involvement,
New York City, 2017, Paywall :(
Maria Baquero, Kimberly Zweig, and Sharon B. Meropol.
January, 2020.
"New York City adults with personal or family CJS involvement, or both, were more likely to report adverse health outcomes and behaviors."
- Drug use in the year after prison
Paywall :(
Bruce Western, Jessica T. Simes.
August, 2019.
"Results suggest that in a Medicaid expansion state where health coverage is widely provided to people leaving prison, formerly-incarcerated men and women use medications, not illegal drugs, to address their health needs."
- Mass incarceration and public health:
the association between black jail incarceration and adverse birth outcomes among black women in Louisiana,
Lauren Dyer, Rachel Hardeman, Dovile Vilda, Katherine Theall & Maeve Wallace.
December, 2019.
(This analysis of births among black women in Louisiana demonstrated that higher parish-level incarceration prevalence for black individuals were associated with significantly greater risks for preterm birth among parish residents.)
- An Analysis of State Statutes Regarding the Role of Law Enforcement
Paywall :(
Carly E. Cortright, Wesley McCann, Dale Willits, Craig Hemmens, Mary K. Stohr.
October, 2018.
"Our findings indicate a counterintuitive reversal in the trend, with more states removing order maintenance and peacekeeping duties from their statutes despite the wide dominance of community-oriented policing."
- Bias in Video Evidence:
Implications for Police Body Cameras,
Ashley Kalle, Georgina Hammock.
2019.
"While watching the same video, diff erent conclusions were drawn about what transpired, who was culpable, the character of the individuals involved, and the level of force used based on observers' focus and their racial attitudes."
- Crisis Response Services for People with Mental Illnesses or Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities:
A Review of the Literature on Police-based and Other First Response Models,
Vera Institute of Justice.
October, 2019.
"Police-based and related crisis response services for people with mental illnesses or I/DD can play a vital role in reducing justice system contact and improving health outcomes among these vulnerable populations."
- Housing Not Handcuffs:
Ending the Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities,
National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.
December, 2019.
"Over the past thirteen years, there has been a dramatic increase in criminalization laws, yet access to affordable housing grows ever more elusive."
- Civil Rights and Pretrial Risk Assessment Instruments
David G. Robinson and Logan Koepke.
December, 2019.
"Pretrial risk assessment instruments often appear to function as a substitute for broader or more fundamental changes."
- Testifying while black:
An experimental study of court reporter accuracy in transcription of African American English,
Taylor Jones, Jessica Rose Kalbfeld, Ryan Hancock, and Robin Clark.
2019.
"Here, we demonstrate that Philadelphia court reporters consistently fail to meet this level of transcription accuracy when confronted with mundane examples of spoken African American English."
- National Study of Prosecutor Elections
UNC School of Law.
January, 2020.
"Although most prosecutor elections are uncontested, most voters tend to live in jurisdictions that are more likely to give them a choice."
- Fee Abolition and the Promise of Debt-Free Justice for Young People and Their Families in California:
A Status Report on the Implementation of Senate Bill 190,
Berkeley Law Policy Advocacy Clinic.
October, 2019.
"In violation of SB 190, some counties continue to assess prohibited fees against young people ages 18-21 in criminal court for home detention, electronic monitoring, and drug testing."
Tuesday, January 21 2020:
- Treatment versus Punishment:
Understanding Racial Inequalities in Drug Policy,
Jin Woo Kim, Evan Morgan, Brendan Nyhan.
December, 2019.
"Policy makers were more likely to introduce punitive drug-related bills during the crack scare and are more likely to introduce treatment-oriented bills during the current opioid crisis."
- One Year After the First Step Act:
Mixed Outcomes,
Sentencing Project.
December, 2019.
"Expansion of good-time credits implemented in July led to the release of approximately 3,000 in federal prisons; one-third, however, were transferred to the custody of other jurisdictions because of existing detainers."
- Gang Takedowns in the De Blasio Era:
The Dangers of 'Precision Policing',
The Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College.
December, 2019.
"Gang policing replicates the harms of mass incarceration strategies that have come under increased scrutiny. It is dangerous and discriminatory and will not uplift neighborhoods struggling with intra-community violence, gang-related or otherwise."
Friday, January 17 2020:
- Winnable criminal justice reforms:
A Prison Policy Initiative briefing on promising state reform issues for 2020,
Prison Policy Initiative.
2015.
"https://static.prisonpolicy.org/reports/winnable2020.pdf"
- Top Trends in State Criminal Justice Reform, 2019
Sentencing Project.
January, 2020.
"In recent years most states have enacted reforms designed to reduce the scale of incarceration and the impact of the collateral consequences of a felony conviction."
- Suicide in North Carolina Jails:
High Suicide and Overdose Rates Require Urgent Jail Reform Action,
Disability Rights North Carolina.
October, 2019.
"Jail deaths by overdose nearly tripled between 2017 and 2018, increasing by 175%"
- Snapping Back:
Food Stamp Bans and Criminal Recidivism,
Cody Tuttle.
May, 2019.
"This paper provides evidence that denying drug offenders SNAP benefits has increased their likelihood of recidivism."
- Measuring Change:
From Rates of Recidivism to Markers of Desistance,
Cecelia M. Klingele.
2019.
"This Article suggests that, however popular, recidivism alone is a poor metric for gauging the success of criminal justice interventions or of those who participate in them."
- We All Pay:
Mississippi's Harmful Habitual Laws,
FWD.us.
November, 2019.
"Despite making up 13 percent of the state's population,75 percent of the people with 20+ year habitual sentences are Black men."
- The Problem of Problem-Solving Courts
Erin Collins.
November, 2019.
"They also reveal a new problem with the model itself - its entrenchment creates resistance to alternatives that might truly reform the system."
- Youth Confinement:
The Whole Pie 2019,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2019.
"On any given day, over 48,000 youth in the United States are confined in facilities away from home as a result of juvenile justice or criminal justice involvement."
Tuesday, January 14 2020:
- Should a one-point difference in I.Q. mean the death penalty? SCOTUS says no.
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2014.
"Supreme Court struck down Florida decision that Freddie Lee Hall was eligible for execution with an IQ score of 71, above the cutoff of disability at 70."
- "Do no harm" or "Do no expense"?:
Ohio's prisoners are dying from inadequate medical care,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2003.
"Ohio Department of Corrections' health care budget cuts and poor oversight is compromising the quality of care."
- Explaining Texas' overnight prison boom
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2015.
"Throughout the 1980s, the Texas imprisonment rate closely matched the national imprisonment rate. But between 1993 and 1998, the Texas imprisonment rate almost doubled, causing Texas' total custody population to quickly escalate."
- What's behind New York State's elderly prison boom?
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2015.
"While the number of people behind bars has fallen for most age groups, the number of people over the age of 50 incarcerated in New York State prisons is climbing."
- BJS victimization figures show slight decline in violent crime
Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2014.
"State policy drives mass incarceration. States with high rates of incarceration have very little to show for it."
- New BJS figures show that mass incarceration is getting bigger
Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2014.
"Overall, the state and federal prison population increased slightly between 2012 and 2013."
- Why is West Virginia the federal prison capital of the country?
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2014.
"West Virginia has more federal prison cells per capita than any other state."
- Incarceration is not a solution to mental illness
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2000.
"Years ago, behavior that would have been considered annoying, such public urination, is now treated as a criminal offense."
- The demographics of computer ownership and high-speed internet access
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2015.
"The poor, the elderly, and African-Americans and Latinos are less likely to have computers or high-speed internet at home. Replacing regular jail visits with computer video chats is a bad idea."
- In prisons, Blacks and Latinos do the time while Whites get the jobs
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2015.
"Stark racial and ethnic differences between incarcerated people and staff members continue to persist in Attica, New York State, and across the national prison landscape"
Monday, January 13 2020:
- Aging alone:
Uncovering the risk of solitary confinement for people over 45,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2017.
"We estimate that more than 44,000 people 45 and older experience solitary in state prisons each year."
- EFF warns against using incarcerated people as "endless supply of free data"
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2016.
"Research using incarcerated people now must be pre-approved by an Independent Review Board. That review didn't happen here."
- 20 years is enough:
Time to repeal the Prison Litigation Reform Act,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2016.
"The Prison Litigation Reform Act, which made it much harder for incarcerated people to file and win civil rights lawsuits in federal court, was a key part of the Clinton-era prison boom."
- Actual violent crime has nothing to do with our fear of violent crime
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2018.
"Comparing violent crime rates to public opinion data shows that there's a long-standing disconnect between perception and reality."
- Police, courts, jails, and prisons all fail disabled people
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2017.
"In 2015, police shot 124 people experiencing a mental health crisis. In 36% of those cases, the officers were called to help the person get medical treatment, and shot them instead."
- New report:
Disabled people targeted by violence at high rates,
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2017.
"Disabled people experience violent victimization at over twice the rate of people without disabilities."
- We know how to prevent opioid overdose deaths for people leaving prison. So why are prisons doing nothing?
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2019.
"Proven treatments for opioid use disorders exist -- they just aren't accessible to people in and recently released from prison."
- Seizing Chicago:
Drug stings and asset forfeiture target the poor,
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2017.
"Instead of protecting Chicago's communities, state asset forfeiture practices and drug stings set up by federal agents target low-income, Black, and Latino residents, setting them up to fail."
- BJS report:
Drug abuse and addiction at the root of 21% of crimes,
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2017.
"More than half of the state prison population and two-thirds of the sentenced jail population report drug dependence or abuse, compared to just 5% of the adult general population."
- Have we gone too far myth busting criminal justice reform?
Drug policy is still important,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2016.
"We didn't get mass incarceration from War on Drugs alone, but drugs play an important role in less discussed stages of criminal justice systems"
- Tracking the impact of the prison system on the economy
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2017.
"In 2012 -- the most recent data available -- the more than 2.4 million people who work for the justice system (in police, corrections and judicial services) at all levels of government constituted 1.6% of the civilian workforce."
- Uncovering Mass Incarceration's Literacy Disparity
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2016.
"People in prison are 13 to 24 percent more represented in the lowest levels of literacy than people in the free world."
- How does unaffordable money bail affect families?
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2018.
"Using a national data set, we find that over half of the people held in jail pretrial because they can't afford bail are parents of minor children."
- For families of incarcerated dads, Father's day comes at a premium
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2017.
"Over 1.5 million children have a father incarcerated in prison today."
- It's not just the franchise:
Mass incarceration undermines political engagement,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2017.
"Contact with the criminal justice system impacts not only individual experiences of political participation, but also community-wide political engagement."
- Incarceration shortens life expectancy
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2017.
"Each year in prison takes 2 years off an individual's life expectancy. With over 2.3 million people locked up, mass incarceration has shortened the overall U.S. life expectancy by 5 years."
- Unpacking the connections between race, incarceration, and women's HIV rates
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2017.
"If it weren't for the racial disparity in male incarceration rates, Black women would have lower rates of HIV infection than white women."
- Food for thought:
Prison food is a public health problem,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2017.
"Administrators looking to save a few cents per meal have traded a healthy food service program for processed foods that make incarcerated people sick."
- The life-threatening reality of short jail stays
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2016.
"Suicide continues to be the leading cause of death in local jails."
- How America's major urban centers compare on incarceration rates
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2019.
(Only 13 of the urban counties evaluated had incarceration rates significantly (that is, more than 10%) lower than the states they belong to.)
- New York State's elderly prison boom:
An update,
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2018.
"Even as the incarceration rate for all other age groups declines, the number of people age 50 and over incarcerated in New York continues to rise rapidly."
- Incremental declines can't erase mass incarceration
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2018.
"Ending mass incarceration will require a fresh and holistic look at our societal values and priorities."
- Another century of mass incarceration?
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2016.
"If the U.S. doesn't make reducing the correctional population a priority, generations will be burdened by mass incarceration."
- Tallying the extent of the Clinton-era crime bills
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2016.
"The problem isn't one bill, or two or even three but at least seven bills."
- BJS data shows graying of prisons
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2016.
"ccording to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, people 55+ are now the fastest growing age group in the U.S. prison population."
- President Obama's record on clemency:
A premature celebration,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2016.
"With a little over 6 months left in his term, President Obama is on track to become the President who has granted the smallest portion of clemency requests in history."
- Using the federal budget to fuel decarceration
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2015.
"Given the federal government's historical role in fueling mass incarceration, Chettiar points out, federal budgetmakers could switch gears to instead incentivize smarter and more measured criminal justice policymaking."
- Criminal justice reform at the ballot box:
Even County Auditors are worth your attention,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2018.
"In some counties - like Multnomah County, Oregon - auditors are joining the movement to hold jails accountable."
- Money and Power:
Corruption in Local Sheriff Departments,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2017.
"This practice has led to an unfortunate temptation: some sheriffs try to spend as little as possible on jail food (a cruel practice that also raises public health concerns), so that they can keep any unspent funds for themselves."
- Exploring the staying power of elected sheriffs - a preliminary analysis
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2017.
"The average expenditures of a sheriff over his/her career is nearly 2 million dollars and just looking at a single four year campaign cycle, average expenditures top $600,000."
- The downstream effect of 35 years of jail growth?
A state prison boom,
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2017.
"Putting more people in jail for minor crimes will soon mean a state prison system bursting at the seams."
- Some private prisons are, um, public.
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2016.
"It is time to accept the counter-intuitive truth: sometimes the government profits off of mass incarceration."
- Jails matter. But who is listening?
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2015.
"Jails matter because a staggering 11 million people cycle through them each year."
- LGBTQ youth are at greater risk of homelessness and incarceration
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2019.
"Homelessness is the greatest predictor of involvement with the juvenile justice system. And since LGBTQ youth compose 40% of the homeless youth population, they are at an increased risk of incarceration."
- The dismal state of transgender incarceration policies
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2017.
"Even in supposed progressive bastions such as California and Vermont, a trans person is not assured of the full range of basic rights that the federal commission deemed necessary for their safety while incarcerated."
- New government report points to continuing mental health crisis in prisons and jails
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2017.
"Only a third of incarcerated people experiencing serious psychological distress were receiving treatment"
- Police stops are still marred by racial discrimination, new data shows.
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2018.
"Police threatened or used force against nearly 1 million people, who were disproportionately Black or Hispanic."
- Data confirms that police treat Black Americans with less respect
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2017.
"Analyses of police body cam footage reveals racial disparities in officer respect toward civilians."
- Don't confuse respect for police with confidence in them
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2016.
"Americans' respect for local police is apparently much higher than their confidence in the police in general."
- Stop and frisk dropping but still ineffective
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2016.
"The number of stop and frisks has gone down in recent years, but the practice is still not working."
- New report reveals civil forfeiture
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2015.
"Criminal forfeiture accounts for only 13% of all government seizure of property. So almost 90% of forfeiture proceeds come from situations where citizens may have done nothing wrong."
- New data highlights pre-incarceration disadvantages
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2018.
"Boys born into families at the bottom 10% of the income distribution are 20 times more likely to experience prison in their 30's than their peers born into the top 10%."
- The Crippling Effect of Incarceration on Wealth
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2016.
"Once released, that individual may make gains in wealth accumulation, but they will always remain at significantly lower levels of wealth compared to those who are never incarcerated in their lifetime."
- Findings from Harris County:
Money bail undermines criminal justice goals,
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2017.
"The authors' findings provide strong evidence that bail set without consideration of defendants' ability to pay violates the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses."
- Pretrial detention costs $13.6 billion each year
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2017.
"On any given day, this country has 451,000 people behind bars who are being detained pretrial... It costs local governments nationwide: $13.6 billion."
- Who is in jail? Deep dive
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2015.
"It's very important that we get local officials to focus on the policies that impact the size of their pretrial populations because that's the overwhelming majority of the people in jail on a given day."
- Why expensive phone calls can be life-altering for people in jail - and can derail the justice process
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2019.
"The cost of jail phone calls punishes people in the most desperate circumstances, most of whom have not been convicted of a crime."
- Who's really bringing contraband into jails?
Our 2018 survey confirms it's staff, not visitors,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2018.
"By blaming contraband on in-person visitors, sheriffs distract from a far more likely source: jail staff."
- Texas prisons, we've got some questions about your commissary vendors
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2018.
"Incarcerated people can't hunt for the best price -- they are captive to the questionable decisions of commissary purchasing managers."
- How to spot the hidden costs in a "no-cost" tablet contract
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2018.
"Companies like JPay are offering "free" tablet programs to a growing number of states, and legislators should approach these offers with caution."
- Findings from Knox County, Tenn.:
Replacing in-person visits with video calling is bad policy,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2018.
"The ban on in-person visits makes the jail more dangerous, does nothing to stop the flow of contraband, and strips money from the pockets of families."
- Jail phone companies flood money into sheriff races
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2017.
"New research shows jail phone companies contributing significant sums to Sheriff's campaigns, in one case funding a quarter of Sheriff's campaign spending."
- The Wireless Prison:
How Colorado's tablet computer program misses opportunities and monetizes the poor,
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2017.
"Tablets could be an important rehabilitative tool, but not when GTL puts profit above service."
- Evading regulation, some in-state phone calls from jails cost over $1.50 a minute
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2017.
"These pricing schemes have resulted in 15 minute calls that would cost $24.95 from the Arkansas County Jail via Securus and $17.77 from the Douglas County jail in Oregon via Global Tel*Link."
- The multi-million dollar market of sending money to an incarcerated loved one
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2017.
"Private companies amassing monopoly contracts, creating potential to rake in $172 million from friends and family sending money to incarcerated loved ones."
- Paging anti-trust lawyers:
Prison commissary giants prepare to merge,
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2016.
"We estimate that commissaries throughout the country rake in about $1.6 billion in sales each year."
- Travis County, Texas:
A Case Study on Video Visitation,
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2016.
"While the majority rated their experience with video visitation as positive, almost all (91%) reported they would prefer face-to-face visitation."
- Prison profiteers use campaign contributions to buy contracts
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2015.
"The Voice of OC has revealed that $85,000 in campaign contributions to two Orange County, California county supervisors by Global Tel*Link flipped the two supervisors from being opponents of charging families high phone rates into supporters."
- Are private prisons driving mass incarceration?
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2015.
"Private prisons are more like a parasite on the publicly-owned prison system, not the root cause of mass incarceration."
- Are campaign contributions the new "commission"?
Analysis of Securus's contributions in Sacramento,
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2015.
"We argue that the FCC can simply ensure that the rates and fees charged are reasonable and leave the companies and the facilities to fight over whether and how to share the reasonable profits that remain."
- Red states, blue states:
What do these mean for people on parole?,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2019.
(In 2016, Massachusetts returned almost a quarter of its entire parole population to prison for technical violations, while Texas returned only 1%..)
- Should prosecutors and survivors have a voice in shortening long sentences?
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2018.
"Prosecutors are particularly unfit to determine whether individuals they have not seen in years or decades still pose a threat to public safety."
- New reports show probation is down, but still a major driver of incarceration
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2018.
"Probation and parole widen the net of incarceration by keeping people under onerous restrictions and monitoring instead of focusing squarely on reentry assistance."
- Probation population declines:
Good, but not good enough,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2016.
"o make a real dent in the country's bloated correctional population, policy makers need to advance criminal justice and social policies aimed at reducing the number of people on probation."
- Probation:
The nicest sounding way to grease the skids of mass incarceration,
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2015.
"More than half the people under correctional control are on probation."
- New poll shows mass incarceration is a Latinx issue
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2018.
"The majority of Latinxs favor rehabilitation over more punitive responses to crime, such as added police or prisons."
- The parallel epidemics of incarceration & HIV in the Deep South
Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2017.
"HIV disproportionately impacts communities that are already marginalized by poverty, inadequate resources, discrimination -- and mass incarceration."
- New data:
The rise of the "prosecutor politician",
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2017.
"Shugerman argues that the prosecutor's office has become a "stepping stone for higher office... with dramatic consequences in American criminal law and mass incarceration.""
- Jail will separate 2.3 million mothers from their children this year
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2018.
"80% of the women jailed each year are mothers. We're inflicting profound damage not only on them, but their children as well."
- State-level studies identify causes of the national "gender divide"
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2018.
"Nationally, women's incarceration rates still hover near record highs, even as men's rates are going down."
- BJS update:
Women's state prison populations rose while men's fell, again.,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2018.
"State prisons cut men's populations in 2016, but incarcerated more women, widening the 'gender divide.'"
- Breaking open the "black box":
How risk assessments undermine judges' perceptions of young people,
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2018.
"Algorithmic risk assessments treat youth as a one-dimensional factor, pointing only to higher risk."
- Locking up youth with adults:
An update,
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2018.
"Incarcerating youth in adult facilities is even more harmful than incarcerating them with people their own age."
- Girls are being put behind bars more and more. Will Congress do anything to help?
Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2016.
"Girls, and especially girls of color, are judged for their 'bad character' while boys are 'just being boys.'"
- Why do we lock juveniles up for life and throw away the key?
Race plays a big part.,
Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2016.
"The Phillips Black Project found that black youth are twice as likely to receive a juvenile life without parole sentence compared to their white peers for committing the same crime."
Friday, January 10 2020:
- Cruel and unusual punishment:
When states don't provide air conditioning in prison,
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2019.
"13 famously hot states lack universal A/C in their prisons."
- Since You Asked:
How did the 1994 crime bill affect prison college programs?,
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2019.
"Without federal aid, the rate of college course participation in prisons dropped by half."
- Since you asked:
Is it me, or is the government releasing less data about the criminal justice system?,
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2019.
(Reports by the Bureau of Justice Statistics are slowing down - and its framing of criminal justice issues is becoming more punitive.)
- Prisons neglect pregnant women in their healthcare policies
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2019.
"Our 50-state survey finds that in spite of national standards, most states lack important policies on prenatal care and nutrition for pregnant women."
- How many people in your state go to local jails every year?
Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2019.
(The number of people who go to jail each year varies dramatically from state to state. In South Dakota, 2,888 people per 100,000 go to jail each year, while in California 934 per 100,000 go.)
- How race impacts who is detained pretrial
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2019.
"In large urban areas, Black felony defendants are over 25% more likely than white defendants to be held pretrial."
- When jails replace in-person visits with video, what happens when the technology fails?
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2019.
"As more jails ban face-to-face visits in favor of paid video chats, a growing number of people in jail are being cut off from their families when the technology breaks down."
- The biggest priorities for prison and jail phone justice in 40 states
Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2019.
"For example, the Minnesota Department of Corrections charges only $0.75 for a 15-minute in-state call from state prison, but the jails in the state charge, on average, $7.19 for the same call."
- More states are signing harmful "free prison tablet" contracts
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2019.
"Tablet computers are delivering a captive audience to profit-seeking companies, while enabling prisons to cut essential services like law libraries."
- On kickbacks and commissions in the prison and jail phone market
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2019.
"Phone providers are so creative in their influence-peddling that the most viable reform strategies do not focus only on "commissions.""
- New data:
Low incomes - but high fees - for people on probation,
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2019.
"Nationwide, two-thirds (66%) of people on probation make less than $20,000 per year."
- BJS fuels myths about sex offense recidivism, contradicting its own new data
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2019.
"The BJS data show that people who served time for sex offenses had markedly lower recidivism rates than almost any other group. Yet the data continue to be framed in misleading ways."
- Who's helping the 1.9 million women released from prisons and jails each year?
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2019.
"In 2016, about 81,000 women were released from state prisons nationwide, and women and girls accounted for at least 1.8 million releases from local jails in 2013 (the last year all jails were surveyed)."
Thursday, December 19 2019:
- Paying for Jail:
How County Jails Extract Wealth from New York Communities,
Worth Rises and Brooklyn Community Bail Fund.
December, 2019.
"We estimate that in 2017 the 57 counties outside of New York City extracted over $25.1 million for phone calls, $14.1 million for commissary, and $0.2 million for disciplinary tickets."
Wednesday, December 18 2019:
- Rethinking the "Drug Dealer"
Drug Policy Alliance.
December, 2019.
"Imprisoning people who sell drugs does not reduce the drug supply, increase drug prices, or prevent drug use."
Monday, December 16 2019:
- A Piece of the Puzzle:
State Financial Aid for Incarcerated Students,
Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2019.
"Partnering with colleges and universities to provide postsecondary programs can help state corrections agencies meet institutional goals related to evidence-based practices and recidivism reduction."
- People in Jail in 2019
Vera Institute of Justice.
December, 2019.
"At midyear 2019, there were an estimated 758,400 people in local jails, up 13,200 (1.8 percent increase) from midyear 2017."
- Ineffective Assistance of Library:
The Failings and the Future of Prison Law Libraries,
Jonathan Abel.
June, 2012.
"The courts' attempts to graft an access-to-courts rationale onto a law library system that had developed for other purposes led to a law library doctrine riddled with contradictions and doomed to failure."
Wednesday, December 4 2019:
- Driving on Empty:
Florida's Counterproductive and Costly Driver's License Suspension Practices,
Fines & Fees Justice Center.
2015.
"Between 2015-2017, more than 3.5 million suspension notices were issued for unpaid court debt."
- Association of Punitive and Reporting State Policies Related to Substance Use in Pregnancy
With Rates of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome,
Laura J. Faherty, Ashley M. Kranz, Joshua Russell-Fritch, et al..
November, 2019.
(Punitive policies related to substance use in pregnancy were not associated with a reduction in (neonatal abstinence syndrome) NAS rates, and in fact, these policies may have been associated with an increase in rates of NAS.)
- Prosecutors and Responses to Violence
Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College.
November, 2019.
"The current approach to violent crime contributes nothing to falling crime rates, imprisons people far longer than necessary, diverts resources from more productive strategies, and subjects people to a brutality that should make any prosecutor shudder."
Tuesday, December 3 2019:
- Socioeconomic Barriers to Child Contact with Incarcerated Parents
Paywall :(
Batya Y. Rubenstein, Elisa L. Toman, Joshua C. Cochran.
August, 2018.
"Analyses suggest that lower income parents are less likely to be visited by their children. We also find that economic disadvantage may condition impacts of other practical barriers, such as distance from home."
- Bringing it all back home:
Understanding the medical difficulties encountered by newly released prisoners in New Orleans, Louisiana,
William Lee Vail, Anjali Niyogi, Norris Henderson, and Ashley Wennerstrom.
2015.
"Most FIPs face significant barriers to access of healthcare, including lack of insurance, funding, knowledge of community services and social support. Importantly, there is an overall distrust of institutions and medical care systems."
- Growth in ICE Detention Fueled by Immigrants with No Criminal Conviction
TRAC Immigration.
November, 2019.
"On the last day of April 2019, ICE held about 50,000 people in detention centers nationwide. Nearly 32,000 - or 64% - of detainees had no criminal conviction on record."
- Trends in Correctional Control by Race and Sex
The Council on Criminal Justice.
December, 2019.
(For Black individuals, increases in length of stay, admissions per arrest, and arrests per offender offset the 3% decline in offending rates for rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.)
- The Influence of Familial Social Support on Physical Health During Reentry
Paywall :(
Chantal Fahmy and Danielle Wallace.
August, 2019.
"The results suggest that social support has important repercussions on one's physical health and thus success at reintegration."
Friday, November 29 2019:
- Trapped Inside:
The Past, Present, and Future of Solitary Confinement in New York,
New York Civil Liberties Union.
October, 2019.
"40,000 solitary confinement sanctions were given in 2018. One-quarter were in the form of special housing unit, or SHU sanctions, the most restrictive form of isolation."
- The Steep Costs of Criminal Justice Fees and Fines:
A Fiscal Analysis of Three States and Ten Counties,
Brennan Center for Justice.
November, 2019.
(Criminal fines and fees burden the members of society who are least able to pay, and the costs of collection are many times greater than those of general taxation, effectively canceling out much of the revenue.)
- The Company Store and the Literally Captive Market:
Consumer Law in Prisons and Jails,
Stephen Raher.
November, 2019.
"The growth of public expense associated with mass incarceration has led many carceral systems to push certain costs onto the people who are under correctional supervision."
- The Price of Taxation by Citation:
Case Studies of Three Georgia Cities that Rely Heavily on Fines and Fees,
Institute for Justice.
October, 2019.
"Our findings also suggest taxation by citation is shortsighted. Cities may gain revenue, but they may also pay a price for it in the form of lower community trust and cooperation."
- Unintended Consequences:
Effects of Paternal Incarceration on Child School Readiness and Later Special Education Placement,
Anna R. Haskins.
April, 2014.
"Mass incarceration facilitates the intergenerational transmission of male behavioral disadvantage, and because of the higher exposure of black children to incarceration, it also plays a role in explaining the persistently low achievement of black boys."
- Overcoming Barriers that Prevent Eligible Incarcerated People from Voting in Massachusetts
The Emancipation Initiative.
October, 2019.
"There are up to 10,000 voters incarcerated in Massachusetts on any given day who retain the right to vote on paper."
- An Examination of Care Practices of Pregnant Women Incarcerated in Jail Facilities in the United States
C. M. Kelsey, Nickole Medel, Carson Mullins, Danielle Dallaire, Catherine Forestell.
February, 2017.
(In this first study to examine practices in regional jails nationwide, we found evidence that standards of care guidelines to improve health and well-being of pregnant incarcerated women are not being followed in many facilities.)
- Jails: Inadvertent Health Care Providers:
How county correctional facilities are playing a role in the safety net,
The Pew Charitable Trusts.
January, 2018.
(This report examines two ways in which jails can deliver healthcare more effectively: by providing high-value care within their walls and by facilitating well-designed health handoffs to community providers at re-entry.)
- Jailing Immigrant Detainees:
A National Study of County Participation in Immigration Detention, 1983-2013,
Emily Ryo and Ian Peacock.
November, 2019.
"We find that the number of counties confining immigrant detainees steadily increased between 1983 and 2013, with the largest growth concentrated in small to medium sized, rural, and Republican counties located in the South."
- Broken Ground:
Why America Keeps Building More Jails and What It Can Do Instead,
Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2019.
"Rural areas, suburban areas, and midsized cities remain in a jail population boom and continue to build larger jails."
- Statewide Policies Relating to Pre-Arrest Diversion and Crisis Response
R Street.
October, 2019.
"Laws that grant local officials noncriminal responses to crises can propel diversion efforts or provide alternative, supplemental crisis responses."
- Pushed Out and Locked In:
The Catch-22 for New York's Disabled, Homeless, Sex-Offender Registrants,
Allison Frankel.
November, 2019.
"New York should immediately stop detaining people solely because they are homeless, and divert its attention from sex-offender regulations that have no demonstrable impact on public safety."
- Women's Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2019,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2019.
"More incarcerated women are held in local jails than in state prisons, in stark contrast to incarcerated men, meaning that reforms that only impact people in prison will not benefit them."
Wednesday, November 13 2019:
- Criminal records and college admissions:
A modified experimental audit,
Robert Stewart and Christopher Uggen.
October, 2019.
"We find that applicants with prior criminal records were rejected at arate approximately 3 times higher than applicants without records from colleges that require criminal history information."
Monday, November 11 2019:
- Acute Care for Patients Who Are Incarcerated:
A Review, Paywall :(
Lawrence A. Haber, Hans P. Erickson, Sumant R. Ranji, et al.
September, 2019.
"Patients who are incarcerated have a protected right to health care but may experience exceptions to physical comfort, health privacy, and informed decision-making in the acute care setting."
- The Right to Counsel in Wayne County, Michigan:
Evaluation of Assigned Counsel Services in the Third Judicial Circuit,
Sixth Amendment Center.
August, 2019.
"Every aspect of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel is impaired."
Friday, November 8 2019:
- Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution in the San Francisco County Jail
Paywall :(
Lynn D. Wenger et al..
October, 2019.
(Of incarcerated people who received naloxone upon re-entry, 32% reported reversing an overdose and 44% received refills from community-based programs after reentry.)
- Incarceration Exposure and Maternal Food Insecurity During Pregnancy:
Findings from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2004-2015, Paywall :(
Alexander Testa and Dylan B. Jackson.
October, 2019.
"Exposure to incarceration either personally or vicariously through a partner is associated with a 165% increase in the odds of food insecurity."
- Remote Adjudication in Immigration
Ingrid V. Eagly.
November, 2015.
(Detained litigants assigned to televideo courtrooms exhibited depressed engagement with the adversarial process--they were less likely to retain counsel, apply to remain lawfully in the United States, or seek voluntary departure.)
- The Power of Observation:
An Empirical Analysis of the Effects of Body Worn Cameras on Police Use of Force and Productivity,
Taeho Kim.
October, 2019.
(This study finds that body worn cameras are associated with a drop of 43% in use of force, a reduction of 81% in subject injury, yet not with officer injury, or other productivity measures such as crime and clearance rates.)
- Police Stops and Searches of Indigenous People in Minneapolis:
The Roles of Race, Place, and Gender,
Marina Mileo Gorsuch and Deborah Rho.
April, 2018.
"Our analysis shows that Minneapolis police disproportionately stopped Native Americans in Minneapolis in non-vehicle stops and suspicious vehicle stops, but not in traffic enforcement stops."
- Age-Standardized Mortality of Persons on Probation, in Jail, or in State Prison and the General Population, 2001-2012
Paywall :(
Christopher Wildeman, Alyssa W. Goldman, and Emily A. Wang.
August, 2019.
"Persons on probation died at a rate 3.42 times higher than persons in jail, 2.81 times higher than persons in state prison, and 2.10 times higher than the general US population."
Tuesday, October 15 2019:
- The benefits and implementation challenges of the first state-wide comprehensive medication for addictions program
in a unified jail and prison setting, Paywall :(
Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein et al..
August, 2019.
"A majority of participants discussed program benefits such as reduced withdrawal symptoms, decreased prevalence of illicit drug use in the facility, improved general environment at the RIDOC, and increased post-release intentions to continue MAT."
- Law enforcement and criminal justice personnel interactions with transgender people in the United States:
A literature review, Paywall :(
Rebecca L. Stotzer.
April, 2014.
"Large percentages of transgender people in institutional settings also reported abuse committed by criminal justice personnel, including harassment, assault, and a lack of protection from other inmates."
- Criminal Justice Contact and Health Service Utilization among Women across Health Care Settings:
Analyzing the Role of Arrest, Paywall :(
Kathryn M. Nowotny, Anastasiia Kuptsevych-Timmer, Carrie Oser.
March, 2019.
"Specifically, women recently arrested are hospitalized and seek care at the emergency department at higher rates than non-recently arrested women and this may be associated with their vulnerable mental and behavioral health status."
Monday, October 14 2019:
- Postincarceration Fatal Overdoses After Implementing Medications for Addiction Treatment
in a Statewide Correctional System,
Traci C. Green et al..
April, 2018.
"We observed a large and clinically meaningful reduction in postincarceration deaths from overdose among inmates released from incarceration after implementation of a comprehensive MAT program in a statewide correctional facility."
- Cops and No Counselors:
How the Lack of School Mental Health Staff is Harming Students,
ACLU.
March, 2019.
"We found that schools with police reported 3.5 times as many arrests as schools without police. As a result, students with disabilities and students of color are frequently sent into the criminal system."
Friday, October 11 2019:
- Torture By Another Name:
Solitary Confinement in Texas,
Texas Civil Right Project.
October, 2019.
"Our continued investigation has confirmed that people are still suffering severe harm in Texas' solitary confinement cells and are being deprived of minimal life necessities."
- Literature Locked Up:
How Prison Book Restriction Policies Constitute the Nation's Largest Book Ban,
Pen America.
September, 2019.
"With over two million Americans incarcerated, the book-restriction regulations within the United States carceral system represent the largest book ban policy in the United States."
- Association of Restrictive Housing During Incarceration With Mortality After Release
Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, Josie Sivaraman, David L. Rosen, et al..
October, 2019.
"Compared with individuals who were incarcerated and not placed in restrictive housing, individuals who spent any time in restrictive housing were 24% more likely to die in the first year after release, especially from suicide and homicide."
- Dying in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison
The Promise of Justice Initiative.
July, 2018.
"Focusing on data from 2012 to 2016, the report notes that inadequate medical and mental healthcare and insufficient staff training has left to a mortality rate among prisoners that is several times higher than the national average."
- The Cannabis Effect on Crime:
Time-Series Analysis of Crime in Colorado and Washington State,
Ruibin Lu et al..
October, 2019.
"Our results suggest that marijuana legalization and sales have had minimal to no effect on major crimes in Colorado or Washington."
- Level of Criminal Justice Contact and Early Adult Wage Inequality
Robert Apel and Kathleen Powell.
February, 2019.
"On the contrary, formerly incarcerated blacks earn significantly lower wages than their similar-age siblings with no history of criminal justice contact (and even their similar-age siblings who have an arrest record)."
- Can Restorative Practices Improve School Climate and Curb Suspensions?
RAND Corporation.
December, 2018.
"Suspension rates of African American students and of those from low-income families also went down in PERC schools, shrinking the disparities in suspension rates between African American and white students andbetween low- and higher-income students."
- Value to the Soul:
People with Criminal Convictions on the Power of the Vote,
New Jersey Institute for Social Change.
2015.
(In 2019, New Jersey denies the right to vote to 102,245 people. That is more people than reside in New Jersey's capital city of Trenton, and more people than live in Camden, Hoboken, and in hundreds of other municipalities in New Jersey.)
- Diversion to What?
Evidence-Based Mental Health Services that Prevent Needless Incarceration,
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.
September, 2019.
"Investing in community-based mental health services provides numerous benefits, including a reduction in law enforcement intervention and incarceration."
- Atlas of Surveillance:
Southwestern Border Communities,
Electronic Frontier Foundation.
October, 2019.
"We found 36 local government agencies using automated license plate readers (ALPR), 45 outfitting officers with body-worn cameras, and 20 flying drones."
- Police Contact and the Legal Socialization of Urban Teens
Amanda Geller and Jeffrey Fagan.
February, 2019.
"We find that both personal and vicarious police contact are associated with increased legal cynicism...Legal cynicism is amplified in teens reporting intrusive contact but diminished among teens reporting experiences characterized by procedural justice."
- The Great Decoupling:
The Disconnection Between Criminal Offending and Experience of Arrest Across Two Cohorts,
Vesla M. Weaver, Andrew Papachristos, and Michael Zanger-Tishler.
February, 2019.
"The criminal justice system, we argue, slipped from one in which arrest was low and strongly linked to offending to one where a substantial share of Americans experienced arrest without committing a crime."
- Face Off:
Law Enforcement Use of Face Recognition Technology,
Electronic Frontier Foundation.
February, 2018.
"Law enforcement officers can use mobile devices to capture face recognition-ready photographs of people they stop on the street; surveillance cameras boast real-time face scanning and identification capabilities."
- New Era of Public Safety:
A Guide to Fair, Safe, and Effective Community Policing,
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
March, 2019.
(This report was developed to give individuals, communities, activists, advocacy organizations, law makers, and police departments the knowledge to carry out police reform.)
- Assessing Potential Impacts of 2020 Bail Reforms in New York City
Data Collaborative for Justice.
September, 2019.
"Had the 2020 Bail Reforms been in place in 2018, 20,349 of the 31,609 cases where bail was set would have resulted in release without bail."
- Bail and Pretrial Detention:
Contours and Causes of Temporal and County Variation,
Katherine Hood and Daniel Schneider.
February, 2019.
"The politicization of judicial offices, partisan affiliations of district attorneys and governors, income inequality, unemployment rates, and the size of the black population all seem to be related to bail-setting practices."
- Disordered Punishment:
Workaround Technologies of Criminal Records Disclosure and the Rise of a New Penal Entrepreneurialism,
Alessandro Corda and Sarah E. Lageson.
September, 2019.
"Criminal records, or proxies for them, are now actively produced and managed by third parties via corporate decision-making processes, rather than government dictating boundaries or outsourcing duties to private actors."
- State Medical and Geriatric Parole Laws
National Conference of State Legislatures.
August, 2018.
"While the vast majority of states have medical parole laws and a number of states have a geriatric parole law, they are rarely used."
- Voters Support Reducing the Use of Fines and Fees in Sentencing
Data for Progress and The Justice Collaborative.
August, 2019.
"Sixty-four percent either somewhat or strongly supported limiting the use of fines and fees to those able to pay."
- The Effect of Scaling Back Punishment on Racial Disparities in Criminal Case Outcomes
John MacDonald and Steven Raphael.
September, 2019.
"The findings from this study suggest that policy reforms that scale back the severity of punishment for criminal history and active criminal justice status for less serious felony offenses may help narrow racial inequalities in criminal court dispositions"
- In Brief:
Examining the Changing Racial Composition of Three States' Prison Populations,
CSG Justice Center.
March, 2015.
"In each of these cases, closer inspection of the data shows that these states experienced considerable reductions in the overall number of people being admitted to prison, and that the decline in admissions has been steepest for blacks and Hispanics."
- State Supreme Court Diversity
Brennan Center for Justice.
July, 2019.
"Twenty-four states currently have an all-white supreme court bench, including eight states in which people of color are at least a quarter of the state's general population."
- Rhetoric, Not Reform:
Prosecutors & Pretrial Practices in Suffolk, Middlesex, and Berkshire Counties,
CourtWatch MA.
October, 2019.
"Prosecutors in Massachusetts may talk about reform and decarceration, but the limited available data suggest their practices don't live up to their rhetoric."
- On Track:
How well are states preparing youth in the juvenile justice system for employment?,
CSG Justice Center.
September, 2019.
"Most incarcerated youth are not provided the workforce development services necessary to obtain viable employment in the community after release."
Thursday, October 10 2019:
Tuesday, September 24 2019:
- Cashing in on Cruelty:
Stories of death, abuse and neglect at the GEO immigration detention facility in Aurora,
ACLU of Colorado.
September, 2019.
"The decision to stop Mr. Samimi's methadone, and subsequent failure to recognize and treat his withdrawal properly, exposes a critical lack of competency, compassion and proper medical care inside the facility."
- The Effect of Sentencing Reform on Crime Rates:
Evidence from California's Proposition 47,
Patricio Dominguez-Rivera, Magnus Lofstrom, and Steven Raphael.
July, 2019.
"We find little evidence that the changes in correctional populations, arrests, and convictions reclassifications ushered in by California's proposition 47 impacted violent crime rates in the state."
- Immigrants' Deportations, Local Crime and Police Effectiveness
Annie Laurie Hines and Giovanni Peri.
June, 2019.
(We find that Secure Communities-driven increases in deportation rates did not reduce crime rates for violent offenses or property offenses.)
- Louisiana Death-Sentenced Cases and Their Reversals, 1976-2015
Frank Baumgartner and Tim Lyman.
April, 2016.
"No matter the race of the offender, killers of whites are more than six times more likely to receive a death penalty than killers of blacks, and 14 times more likely to be executed."
- Fees, Fines and Fairness:
How Monetary Charges Drive Inequity in New York City's Criminal Justice System,
New York City Comptroller.
September, 2019.
"100,000 civil judgments were issued in just one year for failure to pay criminal court debts in New York City, all but criminalizing poverty."
- Plus a Life Sentence?
Incarceration's Effects on Expected Lifetime Wage Growth,
Theodore S. Corwin III and Daniel K. N. Johnson.
June, 2019.
"Our work indicates a dampening effect of incarceration on wage growth in the lifetime."
- The School to Prison Pipeline:
Long-Run Impacts of School Suspensions on Adult Crime,
Andrew Bacher-Hicks, Stephen B. Billings, and David J. Deming.
August, 2019.
"Students who are quasi-randomly assigned to schools with higher conditional suspension rates are significantly more likely to be arrested and incarcerated as adults."
- The 1994 Crime Bill Legacy and Lessons, Part 1:
Impacts on Prison Populations,
The Council on Criminal Justice.
September, 2019.
"Congress appropriated $3 billion in funding for grant programs to expand prison capacity; the funding supported the construction of about 50,000 prison beds, representing about 4% of state prison capacity at the time."
- The Role of Police Unions in the 21st Century
Texas Public Policy Foundation.
September, 2019.
"However, police unions have more recently become involved in policy issues beyond those bounded by typical labor relations--for instance, criminal justice public policy and training; and union involvement can become problematic."
- Policing, Poverty, and Racial Inequality in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Human Rights Watch.
September, 2019.
"Human Rights Watch found that, beyond the statistical disparities of treatment by police of the different races, black people nearly all had personal experiences of abusive policing, ranging from extreme violence towards themselves or family members, to m"
- When Stop and Frisk Comes Home:
Policing Public and Patrolled Housing,
Alexis Karteron.
July, 2019.
"Largely because of the vast array of behavior that is regulated in public and patrolled housing, law enforcement officers have broad authority to stop, arrest, and search people in and around such locations."
- Free to Drive:
States punish poverty by suspending millions of driver's licenses for unpaid fines and fees,
Free to Drive.
September, 2019.
"44 states and District of Columbia still suspend, revoke or do not allow a person to renew their driver's license if they have unpaid court debt."
- Racial Profiling in Louisiana:
Unconstitutional and Counterproductive,
Southern Poverty Law Center.
September, 2018.
"For example, in 2016, black people were 2.9 times as likely as white people to be arrested for marijuana possession in Louisiana, despite evidence that black people and white people use marijuana at similar rates."
- Los Angeles County Office of Diversion and Reentry's Supportive Housing Program
A Study of Participants' Housing Stability and New Felony Convictions,
RAND Corporation.
August, 2019.
"LA County ODR's supportive housing program improved housing stability and reduced criminal justice involvement. 86% had no new felony convictions after 12 months."
- The impact of residential change and housing stability on recidivism:
pilot results from the Maryland Opportunities through Vouchers Experiment (MOVE),
David S. Kirk, Geoffrey C. Barnes, Jordan M. Hyatt, and Brook W. Kearley.
December, 2017.
"Rearrest was lower among the treatment group of movers than the non-movers, and was also lower for non-movers who received free housing versus non-movers who did not receive housing."
- Are a Disproportionate Number of Federal Judges Former Government Advocates?
The Cato Institute.
September, 2019.
"The key takeaway is that the federal judiciary is massively tilted in favor of former prosecutors over former criminal defense attorneys, and in favor of advocates for government more generally over advocates for individuals in cases against government."
Friday, September 20 2019:
- The State of Capital Punishment
National Conference of State Legislatures.
July, 2019.
"Increasingly, capital punishment legislation being considered in state legislatures across the nation is focused on concerns over cost, viable methods of execution, intellectual disability, and lengthy trial and appellate procedures."
- The Construction and Criminalization of Disability in School Incarceration
Jyoti Nanda.
September, 2019.
"For students of color, instead of a designation that attracts more resources, disability is one of the mechanisms through which they are criminalized."
- Unlocking the Bar:
Expanding Access to the Legal Profession for People with Criminal Records in California,
Stanford Center on the Legal Profession & Stanford Criminal Justice Center.
July, 2019.
"Successive barriers impede access to California's legal profession for qualified candidates with criminal records."
Thursday, September 19 2019:
- The Effect of Public Health Insurance on Criminal Recidivism
Erkmen Giray Aslim, Murat C. Mungan, Carlos Navarro, and Han Yu.
July, 2019.
"Exploiting administrative data on prison spells, we show that the ACA Medicaid coverage expansion significantly reduces the probability of returning to prison for violent and public order crimes among multi-time reoffenders."
- U.S. Prison Population Trends:
Massive Buildup and Modest Decline,
The Sentencing Project.
September, 2019.
"By yearend 2017, 1.4 million people were imprisoned in the United States, a decline of 7% since the prison population reached its peak level in 2009. This follows a nearly 700% growth in the prison population between 1972 and 2009."
- A Fair Fight:
Achieving Indigent Defense Resource Parity,
Brennan Center for Justice.
September, 2019.
"Chronic underfunding has led to drastic resource disparities between prosecutors and defenders, undermining the very basis of our criminal legal system."
- Raise The Floor:
Increasing the Minimum Age of Prosecution of Youth as Adults,
Campaign for Youth Justice.
September, 2019.
"Efforts by state legislatures to set or raise the minimum age of transfer are critical first steps toward protecting children and youth from a system that was not created to serve or rehabilitate them."
Friday, September 6 2019:
- Efficiency and Cost:
The Impact of Videoconferenced Hearings on Bail Decisions,
[PDF] Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology.
2010.
"We find a sharp increase in the average amount of bail set in cases subject to the video conferencing, but no change in cases that continued to have live hearings."
Friday, August 30 2019:
- Arrest, Release, Repeat:
How police and jails are misused to respond to social problems,
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2019.
"Our analysis confirms that people who are repeatedly arrested and jailed are arrested for lower-level offenses, have unmet medical and mental health needs, and are economically marginalized."
- Women in Prison Camp:
Judicial Process and Effect on Families,
Capella.
June, 2019.
"Most women in this study (86%) consider themselves punished predominantly by separation from their families and children. Collateral damage to the families and young children is considered legally permissible and thus remains ignored."
Wednesday, August 28 2019:
- Association of Parental Incarceration With Psychiatric and Functional Outcomes of Young Adults
Elizabeth J. Gifford, Lindsey Eldred Kozecke, and Megan Golonka.
August, 2019.
"Parental incarceration is associated with a broad range of psychiatric, legal, financial, and social outcomes during young adulthood. Parental incarceration is a common experience that may perpetuate disadvantage from generation to generation."
- Examining the relationship between U.S. incarceration rates and population health at the county level
Robert R. Weidner and Jennifer Schultz.
August, 2019.
"Results of our analyses indicate that higher levels of incarceration are associated with higher levels of both morbidity (percentage reporting fair or poor health) and mortality (life expectancy)."
- The Treatment of People with Mental Illness in the Criminal Justice System:
The Example of Oneida County, New York,
Alexander Black, Kylie Davis, Kenneth Gray, Connor O'Shea, Alexander Scheuer.
June, 2019.
"The sub-standard condition of inpatient psychiatric facilities, due to deinstitutionalization and capital flight, means that there are not nearly enough beds or psych wards to house, let alone care for, all individuals with severe mental health issues."
- The Effectiveness of Mental Health Courts in Reducing Recidivism and Police Contact:
A Systematic Review,
Desmond Loong, Sarah Bonato, Jan Barnsley, Carolyn S. Dewa.
June, 2019.
(The results suggest there is some evidence that mental health courts help to reduce recidivism rates, but the effect on police contact is less clear. Results also suggest case managers or access to vocational and housing may be important components.)
- The Contagiousness of Police Violence
Thibaut Horel, Trevor Campbell, Lorenzo Masoero, Raj Agrawal, Andrew Papachristos and Daria Roithmayr.
November, 2018.
"Most remarkably, within two years, exposure to a single shooting more than doubles a network neighbor's probability of a future shooting."
- Decriminalization and Depenalization of Marijuana Possession:
A Case Study of Enforcement Outcomes in Prince George's County,
Meghan Kozlowski, Emily Glazener, James A. Mitchell, James P. Lynch, Jinney Smith.
2015.
"The results suggest that changing arrest policies for low-quantity marijuana possession led to increases in enforcement for other low-level misdemeanor offenses. Additionally, our findings shed light on net-widening as a potential unintended consequence."
- Fighting Crime or Raising Revenue?
Testing Opposing Views of Forfeiture.,
Brian Kelly.
June, 2019.
"These results add to a growing body of scholarly evidence supporting forfeiture's critics, suggesting that claims about forfeiture's value in crime fighting are exaggerated at best and that police do use forfeiture to raise revenue."
- Confirmation Bias and Other Systemic Causes of Wrongful Convictions:
A Sentinel Events Perspective,
Kim Rossmo and Joycelyn Pollock.
July, 2019.
"Detectives must minimize the risk of error by accurately assessing evidence reliability and avoiding premature shifts to suspect-based investigations. Resolving issues of cognitive bias and avoiding logic/analytic mistakes are equally important."
- Diversity on the Force:
Where Police Don't Mirror Communities,
Governing.
September, 2015.
"Despite efforts to improve diversity, minorities remain largely underrepresented in many local police departments."
- Sentences of Incarceration Decline Sharply, Public Safety Improves During Kim Foxx's Second Year in Office
New data portal demonstrates benefit of criminal justice reform, transparency,
The People's Lobby, Reclaim Chicago, and Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice.
July, 2019.
"We find that the use of prosecutorial discretion in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office has led to a decrease in incarceration sentences. At the same time, public safety has improved."
Tuesday, August 27 2019:
- The Darkest Corner:
Special Administrative Measures and Extreme Isolation in the Federal Bureau of Prisons,
Center for Constitutional Rights.
September, 2017.
"Special Administrative Measures are the darkest corner of the U.S. federal prison system, combining the brutality and isolation of maximumsecurity units with additional restrictions that deny individuals almost any connection to the human world."
- Immigration, Citizenship, and the Federal Justice System, 1998-2018
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2019.
"In 1998, 63% of all federal arrests were of U.S. citizens; in 2018, 64% of all federal arrests were of non-U.S. citizens."
Monday, August 26 2019:
- Pretrial Release Without Money:
New York City, 1987-2018,
New York City Criminal Justice Agency.
March, 2019.
"In 2018 there were more than three times as many releases without money than money bails."
Friday, August 23 2019:
- Collateral Consequences:
The Crossroads of Punishment, Redemption, and the Effects on Communities,
The United States Commission on Civil Rights.
June, 2019.
"The reach of each collateral consequence extends past people with criminal records to affect families and communities."
- Incarceration and opioid withdrawal:
The experiences of methadone patients and out-of-treatment heroin users,
Mitchell et al..
June, 2019.
(Withdrawal is infrequently treated and represents a lost opportunity to engage or retain heroin addicted individuals in treatment and thereby reduce their risk for HIV, for overdose deaths, and for recidivism to drug use and crime.)
- ISOLATED:
ICE Confines Some Detainees with Mental Illness in Solitary for Months,
Project On Government Oversight.
August, 2019.
"About 40 percent of the records show detainees placed in solitary have mental illness. At some detention centers, the percentage is much higher."
- An Analysis of Texas Jail Bookings:
How Texas Counties Could Save Millions of Dollars by Safely Diverting People From Jail,
Texas Appleseed.
April, 2019.
"Our overarching finding is that tens of thousands of people who are booked into Texas jails each year never need to be booked in jail at all."
- Gatekeepers:
The Role of Police in Ending Mass Incarceration,
Vera Institute of Justice.
August, 2019.
"The mass enforcement of relatively minor law violations suggests that policing practices currently tend toward punitive approaches in ways that are often not necessary to achieve public safety."
- The 911 Call Processing System:
A Review of the Literature as it Relates to Policing,
Vera Institute of Justice.
August, 2019.
"Analysis of calls for service data provides a huge and largely untapped opportunity for researchers and practitioners to inform and transform policy and practice."
- Opportunity Costs:
Unequal Justice in Alabama's Community Corrections Programs,
Southern Poverty Law Center.
August, 2019.
"The SPLC's eight-month investigation of community corrections programs in Alabama reveals serious flaws in a "user-funded justice" system that, in many locales, seems to be focused more on raising money than on rehabilitation or public safety."
- The Agony & the Ecstasy of #MeToo:
The Hidden Costs of Reliance on Carceral Politics,
Guy Padraic Hamilton-Smith.
July, 2019.
"Approaches that rely on carceral politics are deaf to the needs of survivors, especially when those needs diverge from maximizing state power."
- Misdemeanor Appeals
Nancy J. King and Michael Heise.
July, 2019.
(Authors found that appellate courts review no more than eight in 10,000 misdemeanor convictions, and disturb only one conviction or sentence out of every 10,000 misdemeanor judgments.)
Monday, August 12 2019:
- Can't Pay, Can't Vote:
A National Survey on the Modern Poll Tax,
Campaign Legal Center and the Civil Rights Clinic at Georgetown Law.
July, 2019.
"But, the majority of states condition rights restoration, either explicitly or implicitly, on the payment of legal financial obligations."
- The National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice:
Key Process and Outcome Evaluation Findings,
Urban Institute.
August, 2019.
"Although community perceptions improved in the aggregate, views of police and police legitimacy remain largely negative in the neighborhoods most affected by crime and disadvantage."
Friday, August 9 2019:
Wednesday, August 7 2019:
- Capital Punishment, 2017:
Selected Findings,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2019.
"At year-end 2017, a total of 32 states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) held 2,703 prisoners under sentence of death, which was 94 (3%) less than at year-end 2016."
- Use of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Criminal Justice Settings
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
July, 2019.
"Following incarceration, individuals with opioid use disorder enter back into the environment where their substance use originated. Unfortunately, this puts the individual at high risk for relapse."
- LGBTQ Youth of Color Impacted by the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems:
A Research Agenda,
UCLA Williams Institute.
June, 2019.
"LGBTQ youth of color appear to stay longer in child welfare and juvenile justice systems and to be at elevated risk of discrimination and violence once system-involved compared to other groups of youth."
- Managing Mental Illness in Jails:
Sheriffs Are Finding Promising New Approaches,
Police Executive Research Forum.
September, 2018.
"The mental health crisis in the United States has been thrust upon America's correctional agencies."
- Police-Mental Health Collaborations:
A Framework for Implementing Effective Law Enforcement Responses for People Who Have Mental Health Needs,
Council of State Governments.
July, 2019.
"Increasingly, officers are called on to be the first--and often the only--responders to calls involving people experiencing a mental health crisis."
- Network exposure and excessive use of force:
Investigating the social transmission of police misconduct,
Marie Ouellet, Sadaf Hashimi, Jason Gravel, and Andrew V. Papachristos.
July, 2019.
"Our findings indicate officers' peers may serve as social conduits through which misconduct may be learned and transmitted."
- Changes in Enforcement of Low-Level and Felony Offenses Post-Ferguson:
An Analysis of Arrests in St. Louis, Missouri,
Lee Ann Slocum, Claire Greene, Beth M. Huebner, and Richard Rosenfeld.
July, 2019.
"We find that there was an initial reduction in low-level arrests of Whites and Blacks in the wake of Ferguson. Enforcement of misdemeanors and ordinance violations then increased and returned to expected levels, but only for Blacks."
- Examining Judicial Pretrial Release Decisions:
The Influence of Risk Assessments and Race,
Brian P. Schaefer and Tom Hughes,.
January, 2019.
"The findings indicate that Black, moderate or high risk felony arrestees are more likely to be required to post a financial bond than non-financial bond compared to their White or lower risk counterparts."
- As Wall Street Banks Sever Ties, Private Prison Companies Stand to Lose Over $1.9B in Future Financing
Center for Popular Democracy, In the Public Interest, and Public Accountability Initiative.
July, 2019.
"Given the six banks' commitments to provide no new financing, GEO Group and CoreCivic will potentially face a $1.9 billion shortfall when the current agreements expire."
- Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Arrests for Drug Possession After California Proposition 47, 2011-2016
Mooney et al..
August, 2018.
"Reducing criminal penalties for drug possession can reduce racial/ethnic disparities in criminal justice exposure and has implications for improving health inequalities linked to social determinants of health."
- Cumulative Sexual Victimization and Mental Health Outcomes Among Incarcerated Women
Jennifer Hartsfield, Susan F. Sharp, and Sonya Conner.
March, 2017.
"Our findings confirm prior research about the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among women prisoners with more than half of the respondents reported experiencing childhood sexual abuse, similar to past research."
Tuesday, August 6 2019:
- Collective Bargaining and Police Misconduct:
Evidence from Florida,
Dhammika Dharmapala, Richard H. McAdams, and John Rappaport.
January, 2018.
"Collective bargaining rights lead to about a 27% increase in complaints of officer misconduct for the typical sheriff's office."
Tuesday, July 30 2019:
- Fulfilling the Promises of Free Exercise for All:
Muslim Prisoner Accommodation in State Prisons,
Muslim Advocates.
July, 2019.
"Despite Muslims constituting a significant and growing share of prisoners, many state departments of correction still have policies that are outdated, under-accommodating, or non-accommodating of Muslim prisoners."
- The Impact of Police on Criminal Justice Reform:
Evidence from Cincinnati, Ohio,
Robin S. Engel, Nicholas Corsaro, M. Murat Ozer.
May, 2017.
"When arrest becomes systematically viewed by police as a limited and precious commodity, to be used sparingly and for the most chronic or serious offenders, change throughout the criminal justice system will likely result."
- New York, New York:
Highlights of the 2019 Bail Reform Law,
Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2019.
"If implemented effectively, a conservative estimate of the legislation's impact suggests that New York can expect at least a 40 percent reduction overall in the state's pretrial jail population."
Friday, July 26 2019:
- Reducing Crime Through Environmental Design:
Evidence from a Randomized Experiment of Street Lighting in New York City,
Crime Lab New York & Science in Service of Cities.
April, 2019.
"After accounting for potential spatial spillovers, we find that the provision of street lights led, at a minimum, to a 36 percent reduction in nighttime outdoor index crimes."
- The California Death Penalty is Discriminatory, Unfair, and Officially Suspended.
So Why Does Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey Still Seek to Use It?,
ACLU.
June, 2019.
"All of the 22 people who have received death sentences while Lacey has been in office are people of color."
- Decreasing HIV transmissions to African American women through interventions for men living with HIV post-incarceration:
An agent-based modeling study,
Adams et al..
July, 2019.
"Interventions to improve care engagement and decrease sexual risk behaviors post-incarceration for men living with HIV have the potential to decrease HIV incidence within African American heterosexual networks."
- Does our county really need a bigger jail?
A guide for avoiding unnecessary jail expansion,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2019.
"Counties will likely find that most people incarcerated in their local jail do not need to be incarcerated and would be better served in the community, allowing the county to avoid the costly and harmful route of jail expansion altogether."
- Survey of law enforcement access to sealed non-conviction records
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
2015.
"25 states, plus two territories, the District of Columbia and the Federal system, exempt law enforcement agencies generally from sealing or expungement laws, or in a few cases have no law authorizing sealing of non-conviction records."
- Effect of Pretrial Detention in Oregon
Oregon Criminal Justice Commission.
2015.
"After controlling for several factors (e.g., criminal history), our analyses reveal that detained defendants were more than twice as likely to be incarcerated as part of their sentence compared to those who were released prior to their disposition.."
- Promoting Equity with Youth Diversion
R Street.
July, 2019.
"The full potential of diversion policies and programs are undermined when youth of different racial and ethnic backgrounds do not have the same opportunities to be diverted and are not offered programs with their individual needs in mind."
Thursday, July 25 2019:
- Louisiana on Lockdown:
A Report on the Use of Solitary Confinement in Louisiana State Prisons, With Testimony From the People Who Live It,
Solitary Watch, ACLU LA, and Jesuit Social Research Institute.
June, 2019.
"The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (LADOC) reported that 19 percent of the men in its state prisons--2,709 in all--had been in solitary confnement for more than two weeks. Many had been there for years or even decades."
- Still Worse Than Second-Class:
Solitary Confinement of Women in the United States,
ACLU.
June, 2019.
"Nearly 70 percent of women in prison or jail have a history of mental health conditions--a much higher rate than for men in prison or jail. Solitary confinement has been shown to exacerbate underlying mental health conditions."
- Not in Isolation:
How to Reduce Room Confinement While Increasing Safety in Youth Facilities,
Stop Solitary for Kids.
June, 2019.
"It is more critical than ever that youth justice facility and agency administrators develop alternatives to room confinement consistent with evolving best practices, professional standards, and an understanding of adolescent development."
Wednesday, July 17 2019:
- ICEwatch: ICE Raids Tactics Map
A Brief Summary of ICE Raids Trends to Accompany,
Immigrant Defense Project.
July, 2018.
"Since its inception, ICE has demonstrated an indifference to community members' constitutional rights and little interest in internal accountability for misconduct."
Tuesday, July 16 2019:
- Convictions of Innocent People with Intellectual Disability
Sheri Lynn Johnson, John H. Blume, Amelia Hritz.
June, 2019.
"The available data raise the disturbing likelihood that wrongful convictions of the persons with intellectual disability are not rare/"
- Preventing Suicide and Self-Harm in Jail:
A Sentinel Events Approach,
Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2019.
"Research and guidance from experts demonstrate that it is possible to forestall suicides in custody with a comprehensive suicide prevention program."
- Bail Reform in New York:
Legislative Provisions and Implications for New York City,
Center for Court Innovation.
April, 2019.
"In New York City, 43 percent of the almost 5,000 people detained pretrial on April 1, 2019 would have been released under the new legislation. Outside of New York City, the effects could be even greater."
- Prosecutorial Misconduct:
Mass Gang Indictments and Inflammatory Statements,
Babe Howell.
May, 2019.
"Inflammatory narratives which improperly attribute carnage and enormous amounts of violence to large groups of young men of color play into three pressing problems of society--racism, wrongful convictions, and mass incarceration."
- At the Intersection of Health and Justice: How the Health of American Indians and Alaska Natives
Is Disproportionately Affected by Disparities in the Criminal Justice System,
Bette Jacobs, Mehgan Gallagher, and Nicole Heydt.
February, 2019.
"Issues related to unemployment, substance abuse, and systemic legal disparities are precursors to many cases leading to disability and death. Incarceration affects one's life course and, consequently, one's health."
Monday, July 15 2019:
- Economic decline, incarceration, and mortality from drug use disorders in the USA between 1983 and 2014:
an observational analysis,
Elias Nosrati et al..
July, 2019.
(The rapid expansion of the prison and jail population in the USA over the past four decades might have contributed to the increasing number of deaths from drug use disorders.)
- The Debt Spiral:
How Chicago's Vehicle Ticketing Practices Unfairly Burden Low-Income and Minority Communities,
Woodstock Institute.
2015.
"Tickets are disproportionally issued to drivers from low-income and minority areas, who then become trapped in an inescapable cycle of debt simply because they lack the means to pay these tickets."
- Punishing Homelessness
Sara Rankin.
January, 2019.
"Cities throughout the country are increasingly enacting and enforcing laws that punish the conduct of necessary, life-sustaining activities in public, even when many people have no other option."
- Disparate Justice:
Where Kentuckians Live Determines Whether They Stay in Jail Because They Can't Afford Cash Bail,
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.
June, 2019.
"In certain counties, people with low incomes face much higher risk of harms from being detained in jail ranging from job loss to higher likelihoods of being found guilty and committing crimes in the future."
- Democracy, Bureaucracy and Criminal Justice Reform
Lauren M. Ouziel.
May, 2019.
"Elected leaders are voted in with high expectations for transformative change, yet may be stymied by the bureaucracy's resistance to it."
- Understanding Risk and Needs in Misdemeanor Populations:
A Case Study in New York City,
Center for Court Innovation.
June, 2018.
"Despite the low-level nature of most criminal behavior, many defendants have serious needs for treatment and services that, if left unmet, can lead to a revolving door of more low-level arrests and re-arrests."
- Second Looks & Second Chances
Shon Hopwood.
June, 2019.
"It is difficult, if not impossible, to determine who, after having been convicted of a serious crime, has the capacity to become rehabilitated and redeemed. Character is not static, people change, and the law must recognize this reality."
- Extraneous factors in judicial decisions
Shai Danziger, Jonathan Levav, and Liora Avnaim-Pesso.
April, 2011.
"We find that the percentage of favorable rulings drops gradually from ~65% to nearly zero within each decision session and returns abruptly to ~65% after a break. Our findings suggest that judicial rulings can be swayed by extraneous variables."
- "Nothing Good Happens in There:"
Closing and Repurposing Youth Detention Facilities in California,
Impact Justice.
July, 2019.
"Our experience in this field has demonstrated time and again that simply closing a facility is not enough: The real focus of the work must be in developing and implementing repurposing strategies which truly benefit the community."
- Restorative Justice and Youth Offenders in Nebraska
Kristen M. Blankley and Alisha Caldwell Jimenez.
June, 2019.
"Although Nebraska's statewide victim/youth conference program is developing, the program is promising and offers some opportunities for other restorative justice programs around the country."
Wednesday, July 3 2019:
- The Public Finance of Capital Punishment
Alex Lundberg.
April, 2019.
"In Texas the cost of trial is borne primarily at the county level. A panel of Texas county spending over the last decade shows counties meet the expense of trial by raising property tax rates and by reducing public safety expenditure."
- Next Steps in Federal Corrections Reform
Implementing and Building on the First Step Act,
Urban Institute.
May, 2019.
(Successful implementation will require the commitment and buy-in of the DOJ and BOP, education and training, adequate funding, faithful development and execution of the risk and needs assessment tool, and outside oversight to monitor progress.)
- The Impact of Parental Incarceration on the Physical and Mental Health of Young Adults
Rosalyn D. Lee, Xiangming Fang, and Feijun Luo.
December, 2012.
"This study suggests exposure to parental incarceration in childhood is associated with health problems in young adulthood."
- Linkages Between Incarceration and Health
Michael Massoglia and Brianna Remster.
May, 2019.
"Incarceration is associated with worse health for all formerly incarcerated persons compared with never incarcerated persons."
- Citizenship and Punishment:
The Salience of National Membership in U.S. Criminal Courts,
Michael T. Light, Michael Massoglia, and Ryan D. King.
October, 2014.
"Noncitizens--particularly undocumented immigrants--are far more likely to be incarcerated and sentenced for longer periods than are U.S. citizens."
- Hidden challenges:
Sex offenders legislated into homelessness,
Jill S. Levenson.
June, 2016.
(The unique stigma of the registered sex offender status coupled with residence restrictions can obstruct community re-entry even more profoundly)
- Emotional Judges and Unlucky Juveniles
Ozkan Eren and Naci Mocan.
September, 2016.
"We show that upset losses of the LSU football team increase disposition (sentence) length imposed by judges, and that this effect persists throughout the work week following a Saturday game."
Tuesday, July 2 2019:
- Appropriate Placement and Treatment of Transgender Prisoners:
Constitutional Concerns and Arguments for Alternative Housing and Treatment Policies,
Scott J. Schweikart.
December, 2018.
"The problem facing transgender prisoners has a significant racial and socio-economic component as imprisoned transgender people are"
Friday, June 28 2019:
- Recidivism of Felony Offenders in California
Public Policy Institute of California.
June, 2019.
"We find that rearrest and reconviction rates have declined for felony offenders released from October 2011 to October 2015."
Thursday, June 27 2019:
Friday, June 21 2019:
- Judicial Politics and Sentencing Decisions
Alma Cohen and Crystal S. Yang.
June, 2017.
"Exploiting the random assignment of cases to judges, we find that Republican appointed judges sentence black defendants to longer prison terms than similar whites compared to Democratic appointed judges."
Wednesday, June 19 2019:
- Sharks and Minnows in the War on Drugs:
A Study of Quantity, Race and Drug Type in Drug Arrests,
Joseph E. Kennedy, Isaac Unah, and Kasi Wahlers.
December, 2018.
"This Article is the first to conclusively establish that the war on drugs is being waged primarily against those possessing or selling minuscule amounts of drugs."
- How Police Technology Aggravates Racial Inequity:
A Taxonomy of Problems and a Path Forward,
Laura Moy.
February, 2019.
"Police technology may (1) replicate inequity in policing, (2) mask inequity in policing, (3) transfer inequity from elsewhere to policing, (4) exacerbate inequitable policing harms, and/or (5) compromise oversight of inequity in policing."
- Confined and Costly:
How Supervision Violations Are Filling Prisons and Burdening Budgets,
Council of State Governments.
June, 2019.
(45% of state prison admissions nationwide are due to violations of probation or parole.)
Friday, June 14 2019:
- The Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative:
Findings and Recommendations for the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections,
Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2019.
"17.4 percent of people incarcerated in Louisiana's state-operated prisons were housed in some form of segregated housing, which is approximately 3.9 times the estimated national average of 4.5 percent."
- Not in my Exam Room:
How U.S. Immigration Enforcement Is Obstructing Medical Care,
Physicians for Human Rights.
June, 2019.
"Public health research has documented widening racial and ethnic health disparities as a result of punitive and discriminatory immigration enforcement practices within the militarized border zone."
- Promoting Reentry Success Through Increased Access to Social Security Benefit
American Jail Association.
February, 2019.
"Jails that connect people experiencing disabling health conditions to Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits programs can see significant reductions in recidivism rates."
- Aggressive Policing and the Mental Health of Young Urban Men
Geller et al..
December, 2014.
"Participants who reported more police contact also reported more trauma and anxiety symptoms, associations tied to how many stops they reported, the intrusiveness of the encounters, and their perceptions of police fairness."
- Paid in Full:
A Plan to End Money Injustice in New Orleans,
Vera Institute of Justice.
June, 2019.
"Money injustice is deeply unfair and harmful to those directly impacted, exacerbates poverty and racial inequality, wastes scarce taxpayer dollars, and does not deliver the safety all people value."
- The State of Black Immigrants
Black Alliance for Just Immigration.
January, 2019.
"Black immigrants are disproportionately represented among immigrants facing deportation in immigration court on criminal grounds."
- The Gendered Burdens of Conviction and Collateral Consequences on Employment
Joni Hersch and Erin E. Meyers.
June, 2019.
"Licensing restrictions, stigma, and perceived risk in hiring decisions in female-dominated occupations and industries, along with barriers to childcare subsidies are all likely to exert a heightened burden on women."
- Promoting a New Direction for Youth Justice
Strategies to Fund a Community-Based Continuum of Care and Opportunity,
Urban Institute.
March, 2019.
"Structural inequalities result in the reality that some communities simply do not have the resources to offer all youth the same access to education, jobs, health care, supports, and opportunities that promote healthy development and safe neighborhoods."
Wednesday, June 12 2019:
- Evaluation of North Carolina's Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education Program
RAND Corporation.
May, 2019.
"Housing, employment, and transportation were among the top referrals to services provided to Pathways students, followed by family and substance abuse treatment services."
- Unlocking Potential:
Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education,
Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2019.
(The presence of higher education in prisons has the potential to reshape the ways in which incarcerated people--and their future potential--are viewed, by shifting the perspectives of corrections staff, faculty, administrators, families and students.)
- Investing in Futures:
Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Postsecondary Education in Prison,
Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2019.
"Expanding access to postsecondary education in prison is likely to reduce recidivism rates, resulting in a decrease in incarceration costs across states of $365.8 million per year."
- Expanding Medicaid Access to Halfway House Residents:
Early Qualitative Findings from Connecticut's Experience,
Urban Institute.
December, 2018.
"Residents no longer have to contend with their fears of returning to the medical unit of a correctional facility for care, and they perceive that Medicaid gives them access to their choice of higher-quality providers."
- Gone but Not Forgotten:
The Untold Stories of Jail Deaths in Washington,
Columbia Legal Services.
May, 2019.
(Over 200 people died in Washington jails between January 1, 2005 and June 15, 2016.)
- The Immediate Consequences of Federal Pretrial Detention
Stephanie Holmes Didwania.
June, 2019.
"Using data spanning 71 federal district courts, I find that pretrial release reduces a defendant's sentence length by around 67 percent and increases the probability that a defendant will receive a sentence below the recommended sentencing range."
- Moving Beyond Youth Prisons:
Lessons from New York City's Implementation of Close to Home,
Columbia University Justice Lab.
February, 2019.
(New York City's Close to Home initiative represented more than moving jurisdictional control over residential services from one place to another. Rather, it was a fundamental shift in philosophy, which prioritized communities over incarceration.)
Thursday, June 6 2019:
- Prosecutors and Frequent Utilizers: How Can Prosecutors Better Address
The Needs of People Who Frequently Interact with the Criminal Justice and Other Social Systems?,
Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College.
February, 2019.
"These considerations shift the focus of prosecution from punishment to problem solving, and metrics of success beyond conviction and recidivism rates to individual and community wellbeing."
- Does Locked Up Mean Locked Out?
The Effects of the Anti-Drug Act of 1986 on Black Male Students' College Enrollment,
Tolani Britton.
April, 2019.
"The results suggest that Black males had a 2.2% point decrease in the relative probability of college enrollment after the passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986."
- Do Private Prisons Affect Criminal Sentencing?
Christian Dippel and Michael Poyker.
March, 2019.
"We found that a doubling of private prisons' capacities causes a moderate increase in the sentencing length of 23 days, but has no effect on the probability of getting a prison term."
Tuesday, June 4 2019:
- Aggressive Policing and Academic Outcomes:
Examining the Impact of Police "Surges" in NYC Students' Home Neighborhoods,
Joscha Legewie, Chelsea Farley, Kayla Stewart.
May, 2019.
"Aggressive policing in communities can harm Black boys' educational performance, as measured by state tests."
- Justice "cost points":
Examination of privatization within public systems of justice,
Alexes Harris, Tyler Smith, Emmi Obara.
May, 2019.
"Even though justice institutions primarily remain public entities, private corporations are running many key justice system programs and generating large profits from captive populations."
- Levers of Change In Parole Release And Revocation
Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice.
May, 2019.
"Paroling authorities have continued to occupy an influential, but low visibility niche, across the landscape of corrections. Parole boards and the release systems they drive exert a large impact on prison populations that is seldom acknowledged."
Friday, May 31 2019:
- Thinking About Emerging Adults and Violent Crime
Emerging Adult Justice Project.
May, 2019.
"Viewed through this lens, punishment oriented approaches to violent acts are inadequate. Instead, punitive criminal justice policy often perpetuates violence by adding to the socio-economic disadvantage in which violence can flourish."
- Urban crime rates and the changing face of immigration:
Evidence across four decades,
Robert Adelman, Lesley Williams Reid, Gail Markle, Saskia Weiss, and Charles Jaret.
September, 2016.
"Our results indicate that immigration is consistently linked to decreases in violent (e.g., murder) and property (e.g., burglary) crime throughout the time period."
- Reconsidering the "Violent Offender"
Square One Project.
May, 2019.
"A meaningful decrease in the United States' historically high rates of incarceration will require that reforms extend to people imprisoned for offenses considered violent."
- More Black than Blue:
Politics and Power in the 2019 Black Census,
The Black Futures Lab.
May, 2019.
"More than half (55 percent) of respondents have personally had a negative interaction with the police at some point, and 28 percent have had at least one negative interaction in the last 6 months."
Thursday, May 30 2019:
- Policing Women:
Race and gender disparities in police stops, searches, and use of force,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2019.
"Women make up an increasing share of arrests and report much more use of force than they did twenty years ago."
Friday, May 24 2019:
- Failing to Protect and Serve:
Police Department Policies Towards Transgender People,
National Center for Transgender Equality.
May, 2019.
(Only 9 of the 25 departments reviewed include gender identity and/or expression language in their non-discrimination policy, which is the best way to clarify that transgender people are protected.)
- LGBTQ People Behind Bars:
A Guide to Understanding the Issues Facing Transgender Prisoners and Their Legal Rights,
National Center for Transgender Equality.
October, 2018.
"Transgender people are nearly ten times more likely to be sexually assaulted than the general prison population, with an estimated 40% of transgender people in state and federal prisons reporting a sexual assault in the previous year."
- Road Runners:
The Role and Impact of Law Enforcement in Transporting Individuals with Severe Mental Illness,
Treatment Advocacy Center.
May, 2019.
"Approximately one-third of individuals with severe mental illness have their first contact with mental health treatment through a law enforcement encounter."
- America Under Watch:
Face Surveillance in the United States,
Georgetown Law Center on Privacy and Technology.
May, 2018.
"For the millions of Americans living in Detroit and Chicago, face surveillance may be an imminent reality."
- Racial Disparities in D.C. Policing:
Descriptive Evidence From 2013-2017,
ACLU of the District of Columbia.
May, 2019.
"From 2013 to 2017, Black individuals composed 47% of D.C.'s population but 86% of its arrestees. During this time, Black people were arrested at 10 times the rate of white people."
- When Music Takes the Stand:
A Content Analysis of How Courts Use and Misuse Rap Lyrics in Criminal Cases,
Erin Lutes, James Purdon, and Henry F. Fradella.
May, 2019.
"The analyses demonstrate that rap evidence is routinely admitted against defendants in criminal proceedings, even in cases in which the prejudicial effect of such evidence clearly outweighs its probative value."
Thursday, May 2 2019:
- Criminal Justice Solutions:
Model State Legislation,
Brennan Center for Justice.
December, 2018.
"This report offers state lawmakers model legislation based on smart, bold policy solutions that would keep crime low while reducing mass incarceration."
- Cellphones, Law Enforcement, and the Right to Privacy
Brennan Center for Justice.
December, 2018.
"New technologies that extend the power and reach of law enforcement are likely to exacerbate existing biases in policing and add more surveillance to communities that are already extensively policed."
- Say Her Name:
Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women,
African American Policy Forum.
July, 2015.
(The failure to highlight and demand accountability for the countless Black women killed by police over the past two decades leaves Black women unnamed and thus underprotected in the face of their continued vulnerability to racialized police violence.)
Wednesday, May 1 2019:
- Can We Downsize Our Prisons and Jails Without Compromising Public Safety?
Findings from California's Prop 47,
Bradley J. Bartos and Charis E. Kubrin.
August, 2018.
"Our findings reveal that Prop 47 had no effect on homicide, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, and burglary. At the same time, we find that larceny and motor vehicle thefts appear to have increased moderately."
- Criminal Justice Administrative Fees:
High Pain for People, Low Gain for Government,
The Financial Justice Project of San Francisco.
May, 2018.
"Over the last six years, more than 265,000 fines and fees have been charged to local individuals, totaling almost $57 million."
- Prisoners in 2017
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2019.
"The imprisonment rate for sentenced prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction decreased 2.1% from 2016 to 2017 (from 450 to 440 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents)."
- Jail Inmates in 2017
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2019.
"County and city jails held 745,200 inmates at midyear 2017."
- Heat in U.S. Prisons and Jails
Corrections and the Challenge of Climate Change,
Daniel W. E. Holt.
August, 2015.
"Correctional departments should consider not only the direct impacts of rising temperatures but also indirect impacts such as greater risks of wildfires and drought, increased burdens on the electric grid, and growing pressures on food and water supplies."
- The Voluntariness of Voluntary Consent:
Consent Searches and the Psychology of Compliance,
Roseanna Sommers and Vanessa K. Bohns.
April, 2019.
"This is problematic because it indicates that a key justification for suspicionless consent searches--that they are voluntary--relies on an assessment that is subject to bias."
- The Prison Industrial Complex:
Mapping Private Sector Players,
Worth Rises.
April, 2019.
"More than half of the $80 billion spent annually on incarceration by government agencies is used to pay the thousands of vendors that serve the criminal legal system."
- Are Private Prisons to Blame for Mass Incarceration and Its Evils?
Prison Conditions, Neoliberalism, and Public Choice,
Hadar Aviram.
January, 2015.
"Public institutions have privatized so many of their internal functions that they can hardly be differentiated from private ones. Public actors behave in ways as atrocious and neglectful, and they respond to the same market pressure, as private actors."
- Applying a racial equity lens to fines and fees in the District of Columbia
D.C. Policy Center.
2015.
"Fixed fines and fees can disproportionately harm families of color, both due to discriminatory practices in issuing fines and fees and in the systemic issues of income and wealth inequities that make it more difficult for these families to pay"
- The Determinants of Declining Racial Disparities in Female Incarceration Rates, 2000-2015
Samuel L. Myers, Jr., William J. Sabol, and Man Xu.
December, 2018.
"From 2000 to 2016 there was considerable narrowing of the disparity in incarceration rates between black females and white females in America's prisons."
- Report on the Bronx 120 Mass "Gang" Prosecution
Babe Howell and Priscilla Bustamante.
April, 2019.
"The Bronx 120 indictments appear not only to be overbroad and unfair, but they seem profoundly unwise."
- Girls in the Juvenile Justice System
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
April, 2019.
"More than half of all female delinquency cases involved black or Hispanic youth."
Friday, April 26 2019:
- Solitary Confinement:
Inhumane, Ineffective, and Wasteful,
Southern Poverty Law Center.
April, 2019.
"solitary is disproportionately used for people with mental illnesses, people of color, and people with disabilities."
- The Next Step:
Ending Excessive Punishment for Violent Crimes,
The Sentencing Project.
April, 2019.
"Excessive penalties for violent crimes are not only ineffective--incapacitating people who no longer pose a public safety threat and producing little deterrent effect--they also divert investment from more effective public safety programs."
- Judged for More Than Her Crime:
A Global Overview of Women Facing the Death Penalty,
The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide.
September, 2018.
"We estimate that at least 500 women are currently on death rows around the world"
- Neither Justice nor Treatment:
Drug Courts in the United States,
Physicians for Human Rights.
June, 2017.
"Overall, PHR found that drug courts largely failed at providing treatment to those who truly needed it, and filled up limited treatment spaces with court-mandated patients who didn't always need the care."
- Reclassified
State Drug Law Reforms to Reduce Felony Convictions and Increase Second Chances,
Urban Institute.
October, 2018.
"Reclassifying drug possession from a felony to a misdemeanor can reduce the negative impacts imposed on people and communities by felony convictions, reduce imprisonment of people convicted of drug possession, and redirect limited resources to treatment."
- People in Prison in 2018
Vera Institute of Justice.
April, 2019.
"Prison incarceration rates fell in 35 states and grew in 15 others."
- Swept Up in the Sweep:
The Impact of Gang Allegations on Immigrant New Yorkers,
New York Immigration Coalition.
May, 2018.
"By broadly casting immigrant Latinx youth as gang members to be targeted for incarceration and deportation, even the outward pretense of basic rights and due process is pushed to the side."
- Misdemeanors by the Numbers
Sandra Mayson and Megan Stevenson.
April, 2019.
"With a single exception, the per-capita misdemeanor case-filing rate is higher for black people than for white people for every offense type, in every jurisdiction."
Wednesday, April 17 2019:
Monday, April 8 2019:
- Mass Probation and Inequality:
Race, Class, and Gender Disparities in Supervision and Revocation,
Michelle Phelps.
2018.
"The results suggest that probation supervision contributes to racial disparities in imprisonment, both by diverting more white defendants to probation initially and by revoking black probationers at greater rates."
Friday, April 5 2019:
- Dirty Data, Bad Predictions:
How Civil Rights Violations Impact Police Data, Predictive Policing Systems, and Justice,
Rashida Richardson, Jason Schultz, Kate Crawford.
March, 2019.
"The failure to adequately interrogate and reform police data creation and collection practices can result in skewed predictive policing systems and create lasting consequences that will permeate throughout the criminal justice system."
- Impact of Risk Assessment on Judges' Fairness in Sentencing Relatively Poor Defendants
Jennifer L. Skeem, Nicholas Scurich, and John Monahan.
January, 2019.
"When risk assessment information was added to these cases, judges were more likely to sentence the relatively poor defendant to incarceration than his more affluent counterpart."
Monday, April 1 2019:
- A Public Health Strategy for the Opioid Crisis
Saloner et al..
November, 2018.
"A tough-on-crime approach has a high likelihood of backfiring: overzealous law enforcement can lead fewer people to come forward when their companions are overdosing, thereby increasing health risks."
- Incarceration as Forced Migration:
Effects on Selected Community Health Outcomes,
James C. Thomas and Elizabeth Torrone.
October, 2006.
"High rates of incarceration can have the unintended consequence of destabilizing communities and contributing to adverse health outcomes."
- Sheriffs Addressing the Mental Health Crisis
in the Community and in the Jails,
Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice.
2015.
"This report identifies successful practices that local law enforcement can employ to reduce the arrest and incarceration of people living with mental illness in their jurisdictions."
- Criminal Justice Debt in the South:
A Primer for the Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt,
National Consumer Law Center.
December, 2018.
"The excessive criminal justice debts that burden people leaving prison create a barrier to successful reentry, contributing to cycles of incarceration."
- The Effects of Pretrial Detention on Conviction, Future Crime, and Employment:
Evidence from Randomly Assigned Judges,
Will Dobbie, Jacob Goldin, and Crystal S. Yang.
January, 2018.
(We find that pretrial detention significantly increases the probability of conviction, primarily through an increase in guilty pleas. It has no net effect on future crime, but decreases formal sector employment and the receipt of some government benefits.)
- Evaluation of Pretrial Justice System Reforms That Use the Public Safety Assessment:
Effects in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina,
MDRC.
March, 2019.
"Mecklenburg County substantially reduced its use of money bail and detained fewer defendants, without sacrificing public safety or court appearance rates."
- The Unintended Impact of Pretrial Detention on Case Outcomes:
Evidence from New York City Arraignments,
Emily Leslie and Nolan G. Pope.
August, 2017.
"Our results indicate a strong causal relationship between pretrial detention and case outcomes. We see consistent evidence that detainees plead guilty more often to more serious offenses and some evidence that they serve longer sentences."
- Commercialized (In)Justice:
Consumer Abuses in the Bail And Corrections Industry,
National Consumer Law Center.
March, 2019.
"The growth of the corrections industry accelerates the trend whereby the costs of our legal system are imposed on low-income, disadvantaged communities least able to shoulder such burdens, rather than shared as a collective public responsibility."
- A National Survey of Criminal Justice Diversion Programs and Initiatives
Center for Health and Justice at TASC.
December, 2013.
(With many diversion programs in the country, there are no overarching standards for collecting or publishing data for the purposes of evaluating different types of programs against common sets of performance measures such as reducing costs and recidivism.)
- A Survey of Prosecutorial Diversion in Illinois
Center for Health and Justice at TASC.
March, 2017.
"As a growing field, there are many opportunities for improvement in diversion practices--in how programs are designed, implemented, and evaluated; in how data are collected and shared; and in ensuring that community services are available and accessible."
- Criminalization of Self-Induced Abortion in the United States:
Report to the U.N. Working Group on Discrimination Against Women,
Farah Diaz-Tello and Cynthia Soohoo.
June, 2017.
"Whether people end their own pregnancies out of preference or necessity, historical and present trends indicate that criminalization is not a deterrent to self-induction."
Friday, March 29 2019:
- High Time for Criminal Justice Reform:
Marijuana Expungement Statutes in States with Legalized or Decriminalized Marijuana Laws,
Alana E. Rosen.
February, 2019.
"States that legalize or decriminalize marijuana should automatically include expungement provisions that dismiss and erase, resentence, or redesignate the records of individuals with previous marijuana-related convictions."
- No Credit For Time Served?
Incarceration and Credit-Driven Crime Cycles,
Abhay Aneja and Carlos Avenancio-Leon.
February, 2019.
"Incarceration significantly reduces access to credit, and that in turn leads to substantial increases in recidivism, creating a perverse feedback loop."
- What Percentage of Americans Have Ever Had a Family Member Incarcerated?:
Evidence from the Family History of Incarceration Survey,
Enns et al..
March, 2019.
"45 percent of Americans have ever had an immediate family member incarcerated. The incarceration of an immediate family member was most prevalent for blacks (63 percent) but common for whites (42 percent) and Hispanics (48 percent) as well."
- Pregnancy Outcomes in US Prisons, 2016-2017
Sufrin et al..
March, 2019.
"Overall, 1396 pregnant women were admitted to prisons; 3.8% of newly admitted women and 0.6% of all women were pregnant in December 2016."
- Misdemeanor Disenfranchisement?
The demobilizing effects of brief jail spells on potential voters,
Ariel White.
March, 2018.
"Jail sentences arising from misdemeanor cases decrease voter turnout in the next election, especially for black defendants."
- Aggressive Policing and the Educational Performance of Minority Youth
Joscha Legewie and Jeffrey Fagan.
February, 2019.
"Aggressive policing can thus lower educational performance for some minority groups, providing evidence that the consequences of policing extend into key domains of social life, with implications for the educational trajectories of minority youth."
- A Proposal to End Regressive Taxation through Law Enforcement
The Hamilton Project.
March, 2019.
"Over the past few decades the directives handed down to the everyday agents of law enforcement have incrementally shifted focus away from public safety and toward public finance."
- No Right to Rest:
Criminalizing Homelessness in Colorado,
The Denver Homeless Out Loud Report Team.
April, 2015.
"In addition to formal citation and arrest, this survey finds evidence of extrajudicial harassment of homeless people. Both police and private security forces commonly harass and enforce punishments on homeless people, even without legal authority to do so"
- Too High a Price:
What Criminalizing Homelessness Costs Colorado,
Homeless Advocacy Policy Project.
February, 2016.
"Cities issue citations to homeless residents at a staggering rate."
- "Forced into Breaking the Law":
The Criminalization of Homelessness in Connecticut,
Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic.
October, 2016.
"This cycle of incarceration and homelessness comes at a steep cost to people experiencing homelessness, as well as to taxpayers, all while failing to address the root cause of homelessness: a lack of housing solutions."
- Towed into Debt:
How Towing Practices in California Punish Poor People,
Western Center on Law & Poverty.
March, 2019.
"For many Californians, a vehicle tow means the permanent loss of their car and, along with it, the loss of employment, access to education and medical care, and, for some, their only shelter."
- Driver's License Suspension in North Carolina
Brandon L. Garrett and William Crozier.
March, 2019.
"We found that there are 1,225,000 active driver's licenses suspensions in North Carolina for non-driving related reasons, relating to failure to pay traffic fines and court courts, and failure to appear in court for traffic offenses."
- Racial Bias in Bail Decisions
David Arnold, Will Dobbie, and Crystal S. Yang.
April, 2018.
"Estimates from Miami and Philadelphia show that bail judges are racially biased against black defendants, with substantially more racial bias among both inexperienced and part-time judges."
- Who Pays for Government?
Descriptive Representation and Exploitative Revenue Sources,
Michael W. Sances and Hye Young You.
September, 2016.
"We find municipal governments with higher black populations rely more heavily on fines and fees for revenue. Further, we find that the presence of black city council members significantly reduces - though does not eliminate - this pattern."
Tuesday, March 19 2019:
- Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2019,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2019.
"The American criminal justice system holds almost 2.3 million people."
- Criminal Immigrants in 2017:
Their Numbers, Demographics, and Countries of Origin,
Cato Institute.
March, 2019.
"Legal and illegal immigrants were less likely to be incarcerated than native-born Americans in 2017, just as they were in 2014 and 2016."
- Failure should not be an option:
Grading the parole release systems of all 50 states,
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2019.
"Parole systems should give every incarcerated person ample opportunity to earn release and have a fair, transparent process for deciding whether to grant it."
- Reducing Barriers to Reintegration:
Fair chance and expungement reforms in 2018,
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
January, 2019.
"In terms of sheer volume of new laws, 2018 marks the high point of recent state efforts to restore rights and status to people with a criminal record."
- Expungement of Criminal Convictions:
An Empirical Study,
J.J. Prescott and Sonja B. Starr.
March, 2019.
(Among those legally eligible for expungement in Michigan, just 6.5% obtain it within five years of eligibility.)
- Diversion in the Criminal Justice System
Michael Mueller-Smith and Kevin T. Schnepel.
January, 2019.
"We find robust evidence across both experiments that diversion cuts reoffending rates in half (-32 p.p.) and grows quarterly employment rates by 53 percent (+18 p.p.) over 10 years."
Monday, March 18 2019:
- Reforming Restrictive Housing:
The 2018 ASCA-Liman Nationwide Survey of Time-in-Cell,
The Association of State Correctional Administrators & The Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale Law School.
October, 2018.
"Across all the reporting jurisdictions, the median percentage of the population held in restrictive housing was 4.2%; the average was 4.6%."
- Community and the Crime Decline:
The Causal Effect of Local Nonprofits on Violent Crime, Paywall :(
Patrick Sharkey, Gerard Torrats-Espinosa, Delaram Takyar.
October, 2017.
"We find strong evidence that establishment of community nonprofits had a substantively meaningful negative effect on murder, violent crime, and property crime."
- Toward Misdemeanor Justice:
Lessons from New York City,
Greg Berman & Julian Adler.
June, 2018.
"This article seeks to articulate a new approach to misdemeanor justice that reconciles the maintenance of public safety with the urgent need to reduce unnecessary incarceration."
- Criminalization of HIV Transmission and Exposure:
Research and Policy Agenda,
Zita Lazzarini et al..
August, 2013.
"More than half the states have HIV-specific criminal laws, whereas all have traditional criminal provisions. Yet criminal laws have not been shown to be effective in reducing rates of HIV infection."
- Police killings and their spillover effects on the mental health of black Americans:
a population-based, quasi-experimental study,
Jacob Bor, Atheendar S Venkataramani, David R Williams, Alexander C Tsai.
June, 2018.
"Police killings of unarmed black Americans have adverse effects on mental health among black American adults in the general population."
- Too Poor to Pay:
How Arkansas's Offender-Funded Justice System Drives Poverty & Mass Incarceration,
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
March, 2019.
"In Arkansas, thousands have been jailed, often repeatedly, for weeks or even months at a time, simply because they are poor and cannot afford to pay court costs, fines and fees."
- How New Orleans Funds Justice
Vera Institute of Justice.
September, 2018.
"New Orleans's criminal justice system has a funding structure that requires the court and other justice system agencies to raise revenues by imposing fees on people who come in contact with the system."
- Ending Mass Incarceration:
A Presidential Agenda,
Brennan Center for Justice.
February, 2019.
(Presidential candidates should commit to tackling some of the most pervasive and damaging parts of our criminal justice system, including overly punitive sentences, bail practices that favor the rich, and drug policies that unfairly target people of color)
- Criminalizing Race:
Racial Disparities in Plea-Bargaining,
Carlos Berdejo.
April, 2018.
"Efforts to mitigate racial disparities in sentencing and incarceration rates should consider disparities in the plea-bargaining process and initial charging decisions."
- A New Path to Justice:
Getting Women Off Rikers Island,
Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2018.
"The advisory group developed several recommendations for how New York City can embrace a different approach at three critical junctures in the criminal justice system: (1) at arrest; (2) at arraignment; and (3) when women are held at RMSC."
Friday, March 15 2019:
- Mass incarceration, public health, and widening inequality in the USA
Christopher Wildeman, Emily A Wang.
April, 2017.
"Soaring incarceration since the mid-1970s has profoundly affected health in the USA, especially in poor and minority communities."
- Exploring Healthcare Experiences for Incarcerated Individuals Who Identify as Transgender in a Southern Jail
Erin McCauley et al..
2015.
"Participants experienced high levels of abuse and harassment, solitary confinement, mental health issues, and lack of access to hormone treatment."
- Consequences of Policing Prostitution:
An Analysis of Individuals Arrested and Prosecuted for Commercial Sex in New York City,
Urban Institute.
April, 2017.
"The history of criminalizing prostitution is long, but its modern incarnation in New York City is inextricably intertwined with "broken windows policing," which originated in the early 1990s."
- A large-scale analysis of racial disparities in police stops across the United States
Stanford Computational Policy Lab.
March, 2019.
"Our investigation of nearly 100 million traffic stops across the United States reveals evidence of widespread discrimination in decisions to stop and search drivers."
- Return to Nowhere:
The Revolving Door Between Incarceration and Homelessness,
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
February, 2019.
"People experiencing homelessness are 11 times more likely to face incarceration when compared to the general population, and formerly incarcerated individuals are almost 10 times more likely to be homeless than the general public."
- No Safe Place:
The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities,
National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.
July, 2014.
"Despite a lack of affordable housing and shelter space, many cities have chosen to criminally punish people living on the street for doing what any human being must do to survive."
- Seattle's Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD):
Program Effects on Recidivism Outcomes,
Susan E. Collins, Heather S. Lonczak, Seema L. Clifasefi.
2015.
(Findings indicated positive effects of the Seattle's Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program on criminal recidivism over shorter six-month and longer evaluation-wide timeframes.)
- Mothers Behind Bars:
A state-by-state report card and analysis of federal policies on conditions of confinement for pregnant/parenting women,
The Rebecca Project for Human Rights and The National Women's Law Center.
October, 2010.
"Pregnant women, incarcerated women and their children are subject to federal and state correctional policies that fail to recognize their distinct needs or honor their families."
Wednesday, February 20 2019:
- Evaluating the Impacts of Eliminating Prosecutorial Requests for Cash Bail
Aurelie Ouss and Megan T. Stevenson.
February, 2019.
"In spite of this large decrease in the fraction of defendants having monetary incentives to show up to court, we detect no change in failure-to-appear in court or in recidivism."
- Perinatal Needs of Pregnant, Incarcerated Women
Barbara A. Hotelling.
April, 2008.
"Pregnant prisoners have health-care needs that are minimally met by prison systems."
- The Price They Pay:
Protecting the Mother-Child Relationship Through the Use of Prison Nurseries and Residential Parenting Programs,
Anne E. Jbara.
October, 2012.
"Based on the emotional and cognitive benefits for both mothers and babies, the prison nursery program is a worthwhile addition to the prison system in the United States."
Tuesday, February 19 2019:
- Health Insurance Trends and Access to Behavioral Healthcare
Among Justice-Involved Individuals--United States, 2008-2014,
Tyler N. A. Winkelman et al..
December, 2016.
(High uninsurance rates, lack of care coordination, and poor access to high quality behavioral health treatment are critical public health issues given the prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders among justice-involved individuals.)
- Release from Prison -- A High Risk of Death for Former Inmates
Ingrid A. Binswanger et al..
January, 2007.
"During the first 2 weeks after release from the Washington State Department of Corrections, the risk of death among former inmates was 12.7 times that among Washington State residents of the same age, sex, and race."
- A randomized clinical trial of methadone maintenance for prisoners:
Findings at 6 months post-release,
Michael S. Gordon et al..
August, 2008.
"This study suggests that methadone maintenance treatment, provided to prisoners with histories of heroin addiction, may be an effective intervention for interrupting the cycle of relapse often experienced by individuals with heroin addiction histories."
- A Study of Methadone Maintenance For Male Prisoners:
3-Month Postrelease Outcomes,
Timothy W. Kinlock et al..
July, 2008.
"Participants who received prison-initiated maintenance treatment were significantly more likely to enter community-based treatment than were inmates who received either information on how to access drug abuse treatment after release or counseling only"
- Why It's Inappropriate Not to Treat Incarcerated Patients with Opioid Agonist Therapy
Sarah E. Wakeman.
2015.
"In addition to not offering treatment initiation for those who need it, most correctional facilities forcibly withdraw stable patients from opioid agonist therapy upon their entry into the criminal justice system."
- Potential drivers of HIV acquisition in African-American women related to mass incarceration:
An agent-based modelling study,
Joella Adams et al..
December, 2018.
"Using Philadelphia as a case study, we found that the mass incarceration of African American men can substantially increase the number of HIV transmissions to African American women within the community."
- Jail Inmates in 2016
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2018.
"At midyear 2016, about 740,700 inmates were confined in county and city jails in the United States."
- State of Phone Justice:
Local jails, state prisons and private phone providers,
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2018.
(Charging pretrial defendants high phone rates punishes people who are legally innocent, drives up costs for their appointed counsel, and makes it harder for them to contact family members and others who might help them post bail or build their defense.)
- The Unfair Criminalization of Gay and Transgender Youth:
An Overview of the Experiences of LGBT Youth in the Juvenile Justice System,
Center for American Progress.
June, 2012.
"Gay, transgender, and gender nonconforming youth are significantly over-represented in the juvenile justice system--approximately 300,000 gay and transgender youth are arrested and/or detained each year, of which more than 60 percent are black or Latino."
- The Overrepresentation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Questioning, Gender Nonconforming and Transgender Youth
Within the Child Welfare to Juvenile Justice Crossover Population,
Angela Irvine and Aisha Canfield.
April, 2016.
(The experience of crossing from the child welfare system to the juvenile justice system is important to think about because it is a measure of the heightened vulnerability and marginalization of LGBQ/GNCT youth, especially LGBQ/GNCT youth of color.)
- Confronting California's Continuing Prison Crisis:
The Prevalence And Severity Of Mental Illness Among California Prisoners On The Rise,
Stanford Justice Advocacy Project.
May, 2017.
"While the overall state prison population has decreased dramatically, the percentage of state prisoners with mental illness has increased by 77 percent."
- Every Three Seconds:
Unlocking Police Data on Arrests,
Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2019.
"Across the United States, an arrest occurs every three seconds."
- Where Pretrial Improvements Are Happening
Pretrial Justice Institute.
January, 2019.
"There are many ways jurisdictions can improve pretrial systems and the outcomes they produce without introducing new laws or amending state constitutions. Simply changing practice within existing legal structures can create immediate and positive results."
- The Wisconsin Community Corrections Story
[PDF] Columbia University Justice Lab.
January, 2019.
"Wisconsin serves as a good example of a place where parole and probation supervision are contributing to a prison population that is highly racially disparate and growing."
- Undue Influence:
A Prosecutor's Role in Parole Proceeding,
R. Michael Cassidy.
September, 2018.
(Prosecutors should ordinarily refrain from personally testifying at parole hearings, and should submit written comments to the parole board only in rare situations.)
- Compassionate Release Policy Reform:
Physicians as Advocates for Human Dignity,
Andreas Mitchell and Brie Williams.
September, 2017.
"Physicians can help generate political momentum toward policy analysis and change, contribute medical expertise toward the structuring of scientifically sound compassionate release policies, and advocate directly for their incarcerated patients."
- Unlocking the Black Box:
How the Prosecutorial Transparency Act Will Empower Communities and Help End Mass Incarceration,
ACLU.
2015.
(We cannot end mass incarceration until we transform the practices of prosecutors. This requires a far more complete picture of how they are making their decisions as well as the direct impact of those decisions on individuals and communities.)
- Guidelines for Indigent Defense Caseloads:
A Report to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission,
Public Policy Research Institute.
January, 2015.
(The problems in providing criminal defense representation for the indigent in state courts are well documented. But of all the difficulties, none has proven more vexing than outrageously high caseloads of public defenders and sometimes private lawyers.)
- Juvenile Arrests, 2016
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
December, 2018.
"Juvenile arrests have been on the decline for more than a decade, but patterns vary by offense and demographic group."
Wednesday, January 16 2019:
- To Serve and Collect:
The Fiscal and Racial Determinants of Law Enforcement,
Michael D. Makowsky, Thomas Stratmann, and Alexander T. Tabarrok.
2015.
(This study finds increases in arrest rates of African-Americans and Hispanics for drugs, DUI violations, and prostitution where local governments are running deficits, but only in states that allow police departments to retain seizure revenues.)
- Driven by Dollars:
A State-By-State Analysis of Driver's License Suspension Laws for Failure to Pay Court Debt,
Legal Aid Justice Center.
September, 2017.
"43 states (and D.C.) suspend driver's licenses because of unpaid court debt."
- Associations between sex work laws and sex workers' health:
A systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative and qualitative studies,
Lucy Platt et al..
December, 2018.
"The public health evidence clearly shows the harms associated with all forms of sex work criminalization, including regulatory systems, which effectively leave the most marginalized, and typically the majority of, sex workers outside of the law."
- Mortality After Prison Release:
Opioid Overdose and Other Causes of Death, Risk Factors, and Time Trends From 1999 to 2009,
Ingrid A. Binswanger et al..
October, 2013.
"The leading cause of death in former prisoners was overdose. Pharmaceutical opioids were the most common substances involved in these deaths."
- Intra-City Differences in Federal Sentencing Practices
Federal District Judges in 30 Cities, 2005 - 2017,
United States Sentencing Commission.
January, 2019.
"In most cities, the length of a defendant's sentence increasingly depends on which judge in the courthouse is assigned to his or her case."
- Top Trends in State Criminal Justice Reform, 2018
Sentencing Project.
January, 2019.
(This briefing paper describes key criminal justice reforms undertaken in 2018.)
Tuesday, January 15 2019:
- Work and opportunity before and after incarceration
Brookings Institution.
March, 2018.
"The combination of high rates of incarceration and low employment rates among exprisoners implies that roughly one third of all not-working 30-year-old men are either in prison, in jail, or are unemployed former prisoners."
- The Economics of Bail and Pretrial Detention
The Hamilton Project.
December, 2018.
"Pretrial detention has a substantially negative economic impact on individuals, disrupting their labor market activities and causing increased recidivism."
- Justice Derailed:
A case study of abusive and unconstitutional practices in Colorado city courts,
ACLU of Colorado.
2015.
"Colorado's municipal courts operate with little meaningful statewide oversight or accountability, providing an opportunity for civil liberties violations and other abusive practices to occur unnoticed, unreported, and unaddressed by state agencies."
- Roe v Wade and the new Jane Crow:
Reproductive rights in the age of mass incarceration,
[PDF] Lynn Paltrow.
January, 2013.
"Efforts to establish separate legal"
- The War on Drugs and the War on Abortion:
Some Initial Thoughts on the Connections, Intersections, and the Effects,
Lynn Paltrow.
May, 2002.
(By recognizing the similarity between reproductive rights and the drug war there is an opportunity for a deeper understanding of each issue and a basis for developing analysis and action that can counteract the forces of punishment and prohibition.)
- Criminalizing Pregnancy:
Policing Pregnant Women Who Use Drugs in the USA,
Amnesty International.
May, 2017.
"Often known as "fetal assault", "chemical endangerment" or "personhood" laws, these measures have been used to arrest and prosecute women who experience pregnancy complications and conditions such as drug dependence."
- How the Criminalization of Pregnancy Robs Women of Reproductive Autonomy
Michele Goodwin.
November, 2017.
"More than one-third of states consider pregnant women's illicit drug use a form of child abuse, resulting in unprecedented forms of criminal and civil punishment"
- Invisible Women:
Mass Incarceration's Forgotten Casualties,
Michele Goodwin.
June, 2015.
"To place this in context, the U.S. jails more women than Russia, China, Thailand, and India combined. Nearly a third of the world's women inmates are incarcerated in the United States."
Thursday, December 20 2018:
- Crime in 2018:
Updated Analysis,
Brennan Center for Justice.
December, 2018.
"This analysis updates the September report and finds that, where data were available, rates of crime, violent crime, and murder in major American cities are estimated to decline through the end of 2018."
- New York Should Re-examine Mandatory Court Fees Imposed on Individuals Convicted of Criminal Offenses and Violations
New York City Bar.
November, 2018.
"Courts should not prioritize revenue-raising over the successful re-integration of incarcerated persons back into society."
- Paradox of Probation:
Community Supervision in the Age of Mass Incarceration,
Michelle Phelps.
March, 2013.
(The results suggest that across place and time, probation paradoxically exerts both a prison alternative and net-widener effect, with the two forces often cancelling one another out.)
- Correctional Control 2018:
Incarceration and supervision by state,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2018.
"An estimated 4.5 million adults are under community supervision, nearly twice the number of people who are incarcerated in jails and prisons combined."
- The Minimum Wage, EITC, and Criminal Recidivism
Amanda Y. Agan and Michael D. Makowsky.
September, 2018.
(This report finds that the average minimum wage increase of $0.50 reduces the probability that men and women return to prison within 1 year by 2.8%.)
- 50-State Comparison Characteristics of Pardon Authorities
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
June, 2018.
(This report provides a 50 state comparison of pardons, including: type of administration, type of process, eligibility requirements, effect, frequency of grants, and alternative restoration.)
- 21 Principles for the 21st Century Prosecutor
Brennan Center for Justice.
2015.
"Given their powers, prosecutors are well positioned to make changes that can roll back over-incarceration. They can use their discretion to improve the overall fairness and efficacy of the criminal justice system."
- Fact Check:
A Survey of Available Data on Juvenile Crime in Baltimore City,
Abell Foundation.
June, 2018.
"While there has been an increase in the number of juveniles charged as adults for serious crimes, the number of these cases remains relatively small--less than 10 percent of all juvenile arrests."
Monday, December 17 2018:
- The Death Penalty in 2018:
Year End Report,
Death Penalty Information Center.
December, 2018.
"The 25 executions carried out in 2018 marked the fourth consecutive year with fewer than 30 executions-something that had not occurred in the United States since 1988-1991."
- Every Second:
The Impact of the Incarceration Crisis on America's Families,
FWD.us.
December, 2018.
"Every second adult in America has had an immediate family member incarcerated."
- The Opportunity Atlas:
Mapping the Childhood Roots of Social Mobility,
Opportunity Insights.
October, 2018.
"Moving to a neighborhood that is just a mile or two away can change children's average earnings by several thousand dollars a year and have significant effects on a spectrum of other outcomes ranging from incarceration to teenage birth rates."
- Incarceration Incentives in the Decarceration Era
Avlana Eisenberg.
January, 2016.
"The detailed incentives unearthed by this study demonstrate the significant hurdles facing emerging decarceration policies and the urgent challenge of accounting for, overcoming, and co-opting entrenched prison industry stakeholders."
- Modernizing Parole Statutes:
Guidance from Evidence-Based Practice,
Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice.
August, 2018.
(This paper's recommendations serve as a starting place for those interested in modernizing parole laws around three areas: the parole decision-making process, the terms/conditions of supervision, and the administration of the paroling authority itself.)
- Recidivism in Delaware:
An Analysis of Prisoners Released in 2011 through 2013,
Delaware Criminal Justice Council Statistical Analysis Center.
December, 2017.
(This report finds in 2011-2013, between 71-78% of people released from prison in Delaware are arrested again within 3 years.)
- Everywhere and Nowhere:
Compassionate Release in the States,
Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
June, 2018.
"While compassionate release is nearly universal, it is underused. We believe that is due, in part, to poor design."
Tuesday, November 20 2018:
- Defendants Whose Death Sentences Have Been Reduced Because of a Finding of "Mental Retardation" since Atkins v. Virginia
Death Penalty Information Center.
July, 2012.
"The authors found that states that significantly deviated from accepted clinical methods for determining intellectual disability, such as Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas, had the lowest success rates."
- Improving Parole Release in America
Edward E. Rhine, Joan Petersilia, and Kevin R. Reitz.
January, 2016.
"This article lays out a ten-point program for the improve-ment of discretionary parole-release systems in America."
- The Ungers, 5 Years and Counting:
A Case Study in Safely Reducing Long Prison Terms and Saving Taxpayer Dollars,
Justice Policy Institute.
November, 2018.
"The experience of the Unger group, with 188 people who were incarcerated for decades for serious violent crimes having been safely released to the community, demonstrates that this country locks up too many people for too long."
- Eight Keys to Mercy:
How to shorten excessive prison sentences,
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2018.
(This report provides state leaders with eight strategies to shorten overly long prison sentences.)
- Making Sense of Sentencing
State Systems and Policies,
National Conference of State Legislatures.
June, 2015.
(This report summarizes states' criminal codes and sentencing systems.)
- The Continuing Leverage of Releasing Authorities:
Findings from a National Survey: Executive Summary,
Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice.
October, 2016.
"Releasing authorities continue to retain significant and unrecognized clout in their decision-making. Their practices and policies impact the achievement of the criminal justice system's fundamental goals: fairness, offender rehabilitation, and safety."
- Model Penal Code:
Sentencing, Proposed Final Draft,
The American Law Institute.
June, 2017.
(The Model Penal Code provides guidance on some of the most important issues that courts, corrections systems, and policymakers are facing today.)
- Women's Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2018,
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2018.
"Women's incarceration has grown at twice the pace of men's incarceration in recent decades, and has disproportionately been located in local jails."
Tuesday, November 6 2018:
- Money for Communities, Not Cages:
The Case for Reducing the Cook County Sheriff's Jail Budget,
Chicago Community Bond Fund.
October, 2018.
"By re-allocating money from reactionary corrections programs to proactive and preventative community services, Cook County can begin to effectively invest in the communities and people previously neglected and criminalized."
- Getting Back on Course:
Educational exclusion and attainment among formerly incarcerated people,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2018.
"This report reveals that formerly incarcerated people are often relegated to the lowest rungs of the educational ladder."
- Expanding the Vote:
Two Decades of Felony Disenfranchisement Reform,
Sentencing Project.
October, 2018.
"More than 6 million citizens will be ineligible to vote in the midterm elections in November 2018 because of a felony conviction."
- A Failure in the Fourth Degree:
Reforming the State Jail Felony System in Texas,
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
October, 2018.
"This report demonstrates through data and personal interviews with 140 incarcerated individuals the defective nature of Texas' state jail system, and it puts forth actionable policy recommendations for consideration by the 2019 Texas Legislature"
- Out of Sight:
LGBTQ Youth and Adults in Texas' Justice Systems,
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
October, 2018.
"LGBTQ people are more likely to experience abuse and harassment by staff and others in the correctional facility, improper placement and solitary confinement, and denial of health care and programming."
- Contacts Between Police and the Public, 2015
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2018.
(When police initiated the contact, black and Hispanic residents were more likely to experience the threat or use of physical force than white residents.)
- Under Pressure:
How fines and fees hurt people, undermine public safety, and drive Alabama's racial wealth divide,
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.
October, 2018.
(83% of people surveyed gave up necessities like rent, food, medical bills, car payments, and child support, in order to pay down their court debt.)
- Philadelphia Bail Watch Report
Findings and Recommendations based on 611 Bail Hearings,
Philadelphia Bail Fund & Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts.
October, 2018.
"Philadelphia's preliminary arraignment system disadvantages individuals charged with crimes and, as a result, threatens one of the most sacred principles in our nation's criminal justice system: a person is innocent until proven guilty"
- The Color of Youth Transferred to the Adult Criminal Justice System:
Policy & Practice Recommendations,
Campaign for Youth Justice.
September, 2018.
(Black youth are disproportionately sent to adult court by judges at some of the highest percentages seen in 30 years.)
- Diversion from Justice:
A Rights-Based Analysis of Local "Prostitution Diversion Programs",
Global Health Justice Partnership of the Yale Law School and Yale School of Public Health.
September, 2018.
"While progressive at face value, prostitution diversion programs lack the evidence base and public accountability mechanisms to support their claims of doing good in the lives of people selling sex."
- Un-Meetable Promises:
Rhetoric and Reality in New York City's Human Trafficking Intervention Courts,
Global Health Justice Partnership of the Yale Law School and Yale School of Public Health.
September, 2018.
(Embedding social services in a criminal justice context enables an overreach by the courts as gatekeepers and managers of service; mitigating immediate harms to sex workers requires shrinking (not expanding) the authority of the courts over defendant.)
- The High Costs of Low Risk:
The Crisis of America's Aging Prison Population,
The Osborne Association.
May, 2018.
- Mandatory Minimum Penalties for Federal Identity Theft Offenses in the Federal Criminal Justice System
U.S. Sentencing Commission.
September, 2018.
(Section 1028A convictions have increased both as a number and as a percentage of cases involving a mandatory minimum penalty since the Commission began collecting data on these offenses.)
- Electronic Monitoring of Youth in the California Juvenile Justice System
UC Berkeley School of Law.
July, 2017.
"The report demonstrates electronic monitoring programs can impose dozens of strict and inflexible rules on participants. Financial burdens imposed by electronic monitoring programs disproportionately hurt low-income families."
Wednesday, September 19 2018:
- Decarceration Strategies:
How 5 States Achieved Substantial Prison Population Reductions,
The Sentencing Project.
September, 2018.
(This report summarizes key strategies and practices used by Connecticut, Michigan, Mississippi, Rhode Island, and South Carolina to reduce their prison populations, followed by extensive reviews for each of the five states.)
- Emerging Issues in American Policing
Volume 4, July 2018,
Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2018.
(This quarterly digest presents innovations in the field of policing from leading academic journals and research publications.)
- The effect of prison visitation on reentry success:
A meta-analysis,
Meghan Mitchell and Kallee McCollough.
July, 2016.
(Results indicate that prison visitation generates modest reductions in post-release offending, which is moderated by gender, visitation type, time at risk, and recidivism measures.)
- Repairing the Road to Redemption in California
Californians for Safety and Justice.
September, 2018.
(This report highlights the lifetime consequences of having a conviction in California for individuals, families, and communities and includes recommendations to increase legal remedies and remove unnecessary restrictions.)
- A Way Out:
Abolishing Death by Incarceration in Pennsylvania,
Abolitionist Law Center.
September, 2018.
(This report articulates a multi-strategy, movement-building framework for abolishing death by incarceration in Pennsylvania.)
- Exonerations in 2017
The National Registry of Exonerations.
March, 2018.
"The National Registry of Exonerations has recorded 139 exonerations in 2017."
- Exonerations in the United States Before 1989
National Registry of Exonerations.
March, 2018.
"This year we have added stories and data about 369 earlier exonerations, from 1820 through 1988."
- The Price of Justice:
The High Cost of "Free" Counsel for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System,
Juvenile Law Center.
July, 2018.
(The report shows that requiring youth and their families to pay for the cost of court-appointed counsel forces youth deep into the criminal justice system, keeps them under justice system supervision longer, and pushes families deeper into poverty.)
Tuesday, September 18 2018:
- Officer Health and Wellness:
Results from the California Correctional Officer Survey,
Amy E. Lerman.
November, 2017.
(This report summarizes the results from a correctional officer study examining mental and physical wellness; exposure to violence; attitudes towards rehabilitation and punishment; job training and management; work-life balance; and training and support.)
- The Role of Gun Supply in 1980s and 1990s Youth Violence
Alan Bartley & Geoffrey Fain Williams.
June, 2015.
(This report documents that the positive supply shock increased the availability of guns to criminally active youth and led to higher rates of gun access for young black men.)
Monday, August 27 2018:
- Full Human Beings:
An argument for incarcerated voter enfranchisement,
Peoples Policy Project.
May, 2018.
(This report argues that all US states should allow incarcerated people to vote, something that only Maine and Vermont currently permit.)
- Militarization fails to enhance police safety or reduce crime but may harm police reputation
Jonathan Mummolo.
August, 2018.
(This article argues that militarized police units are more often deployed in communities with large shares of African American residents, they fail to enhance officer safety or reduce local crime, and may diminish police reputation in the mass public.)
- New York State Parole Board:
Failures in Staffing and Performance,
The Parole Preparation Project and The Release Aging People in Prison Campaign.
August, 2018.
(This report examines the status of the New York State Parole Board, finding that severe staffing shortages, unlawful procedures, and unethical behavior threaten the board's integrity and fail both incarcerated people and the public.)
Wednesday, August 22 2018:
Wednesday, August 15 2018:
- Nowhere to Go:
Homelessness among formerly incarcerated people,
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2018.
"Formerly incarcerated people are almost 10 times more likely to be homeless than the general public."
Wednesday, August 8 2018:
- Reentering Women:
The Impact of Social Ties on Long-Term Recidivism,
Kelle Barrick, Pamela K. Lattimore, and Christy A. Visher.
July, 2014.
"Results from this study suggest that in-prison family contact and post-release family support are protective whereas in-prison non-family contact is a risk factor."
- The Trial Penalty:
The Sixth Amendment Right to Trial on the Verge of Extinction and How to Save It,
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
July, 2018.
"The 'trial penalty' (the difference between the sentence offered in a plea offer prior to trial vs the sentence a defendant receives after trial) is now so severe & pervasive that it has virtually eliminated the constitutional right to a trial."
- Young Adults and Community Supervision
The Need for a Developmentally Appropriate Approach to Probation,
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
August, 2018.
"The purpose of this report is to highlight evidence-based probation practices that improve outcomes, strengthening public safety and changing the life trajectory of young adults who might otherwise spend years in prison."
Tuesday, August 7 2018:
Monday, August 6 2018:
- The Changing State of Recidivism:
Fewer People Going Back to Prison,
The Pew Charitable Trusts.
August, 2018.
"The share of people who return to state prison three years after being released dropped by nearly a quarter over a recent seven-year period."
- Girls Matter:
Centering Gender in Status Offense Reform Efforts,
Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2018.
"This report helps stakeholders analyze how policies and practices may be negatively or differently impacting girls and address disparities that are missed when systems assessment and reform do not include a targeted gender lens."
Thursday, July 26 2018:
Wednesday, July 25 2018:
- Unequal Treatment:
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Miami-Dade Criminal Justice,
ACLU Florida Greater Miami.
July, 2018.
(This report finds that from arrest to sentencing, racial disparities exist at each decision point in the Miami-Dade County’s criminal justice system.)
Monday, July 23 2018:
- Reckless Indifference:
Deadly Heat in Texas Prisons,
Human Rights Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law.
March, 2015.
(This report highlights the extreme heat conditions in Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilities, the treatment of heat-sensitive individuals, and the failed grievance system employed by the TDCJ.)
Wednesday, July 18 2018:
- Silent Injustice:
Solitary Confinement in Virginia,
ACLU Virginia.
May, 2018.
"This report discusses the negative impacts of solitary confinement as practiced in Virginia."
Tuesday, July 17 2018:
- Out of Prison & Out of Work:
Unemployment among formerly incarcerated people,
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2018.
(This report calculates that 27% of formerly incarcerated people are looking for a job, but can't find one.)
Monday, July 9 2018:
- The Impact of Early Representation:
An Analysis of the San Francisco Public Defender's Pre-Trial Release Unit,
California Policy Lab.
June, 2018.
(In October 2017, the San Francisco Public Defender's Office piloted the Pre-Trial Release Unit (PRU) which doubled the likelihood of release at arraignment - from 14% to 28% - for arrestees who received arrest-responsive interventions from the PRU.)
- Parole Revocation in Connecticut:
opportunities to reduce incarceration,
Samuel Jacobs Criminal Justice Clinic.
September, 2017.
(The Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles revoked parole and imposed a prison sanction in 100% of the hearings observed by the Samuel Jacobs Criminal Justice Clinic in November of 2015.)
Monday, June 25 2018:
- Texas Custodial Death Report
Police, jail, and prison deaths 2005-2015,
Texas Justice Initiative.
July, 2016.
(This report examines who is dying in the Texas criminal justice system and how they are dying.)
- Officer-involved Shootings and Custodial Deaths in Texas
Texas Justice Initiative.
June, 2018.
(Overall, most deaths that occur in Texas law enforcement custody are due to natural causes, but that nearly half of all deaths of inmates housed alone in a jail cell are suicides.)
Monday, June 18 2018:
- The New Dynamics of Mass Incarceration
Vera Institute of Justice.
June, 2018.
"Contemporary decarceration exists alongside continuous growth, stagnation, and jurisdictional shifts between prisons and jails, akin to a shell game."
Thursday, June 14 2018:
Tuesday, June 12 2018:
- The Mercy Lottery:
A Review of the Obama Administration’s Clemency Initiative,
NYU Law School.
January, 2018.
(This report analyzes President Obama’s clemency initiative and tells the stories of individual petitioners who were either denied clemency or whose petitions were never granted, despite being ideal candidates by the Initiative’s own terms.)
Friday, June 8 2018:
- The Company Store:
A Deeper Look at Prison Commissaries,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2018.
(Incarcerated people spend an average of $947 per person annually through commissaries - mostly to meet basic needs - which is well over the typical amount they can earn at a prison job.)
- States of Women's Incarceration:
The Global Context 2018,
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2018.
"This report updates how U.S. women fare in the world's carceral landscape, comparing incarceration rates for women of each U.S. state with the equivalent rates for countries around the world."
- States of Incarceration:
The Global Context 2018,
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2018.
"Compared to the rest of the world, every U.S. state relies too heavily on prisons and jails to respond to crime."
- Open Roads and Overflowing Jails:
Addressing High Rates of Rural Pretrial Incarceration,
Right On Crime.
May, 2018.
(This report examines the contributors to rural pretrial incarceration and makes evidence-based recommendations to improve public safety while reducing the number of defendants held pretrial.)
Tuesday, June 5 2018:
- Driving on Empty:
Payment Plan Reforms Don’t Fix Virginia’s Court Debt Crisis,
Legal Aid Justice Center.
January, 2018.
(After Virginia implemented significant changes to rules governing payment plans for court debt, roughly one in six licensed drivers in Virginia still has their driver’s license suspended, due at least in part to unpaid court debt.)
Monday, June 4 2018:
Thursday, May 31 2018:
- You Get What You Measure:
New Performance Indicators Needed to Gauge Progress of Criminal Justice Reform,
Harvard Kennedy School.
May, 2018.
(This report argues that we need new performance measures that shed light on correctional population composition and recidivism by risk in order to gauge the effectiveness of reform efforts.)
Tuesday, May 29 2018:
- Rethinking Restrictive Housing
Lessons from Five U.S. Jail and Prison Systems,
VERA Institute of Justice.
May, 2018.
(This report examines the use of restrictive housing in five states, documenting important trends in practice, policy, and outcomes.)
- People in Prison in 2017
Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2018.
"The total U.S. prison population dropped below 1.5 million for the first time since 2004. Despite the overall declines, 20 states increased their prison population, leaving 10 states with all-time-high numbers of people in prison."
Wednesday, May 23 2018:
Tuesday, May 22 2018:
Monday, May 21 2018:
- Life imprisonment:
A Policy Briefing,
Penal Reform International and University of Nottingham.
May, 2018.
(The number of people serving formal life sentences has risen by nearly 84 percent in 14 years.)
Thursday, May 17 2018:
- Global Prison Trends 2018
Penal Reform International.
May, 2018.
(This report analyzes trends in criminal justice and the use of imprisonment, showing that while overall crime rates around the world have declined, the number of people in prison on any given day is rising.)
- From Bondage to Bail Bonds:
Putting a Price on Freedom in New Orleans,
The Data Center.
May, 2018.
(This report examines the extent to which money bail in New Orleans is a descendant of slavery and subsequent practices of racial exploitation.)
- Workers With Criminal Records
Society for Human Resource Management and the Charles Koch Institute.
May, 2018.
(74 percent of managers and 84 percent of HR professionals nationwide said they were willing or open to hiring individuals with a criminal record.)
- Because She’s Powerful:
The Political Isolation and Resistance of Women with Incarcerated Loved Ones.,
ESSIE Justice Group.
May, 2018.
(Mass incarceration is a direct cause of significant to extreme psychological distress and trauma, and a serious obstacle to the financial health and economic agency of women with incarcerated loved ones.)
Thursday, May 10 2018:
Monday, May 7 2018:
- An Unjust Burden:
The Disparate Treatment of Black Americans in the Criminal Justice System,
Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2018.
(This brief presents an overview of the ways in which America’s history of racism & oppression continues to manifest in the criminal justice system, & a summary of research demonstrating how the system perpetuates the disparate treatment of black people.)
Thursday, May 3 2018:
- Aging Out:
Using Compassionate Release to Address the Growth of Aging and Infirm Prison Populations,
Vera Institute of Justice.
December, 2017.
"This report examines the challenges states face in using compassionate release mechanisms to reduce these populations and related costs."
Wednesday, May 2 2018:
- Cruel and Usual:
A National Prisoner Survey of Prison Food and Health Care Quality,
Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee.
April, 2018.
(This report examines survey responses from incarcerated people on unsanitary prison conditions, poor food quality, and inadequate health care treatment.)
Tuesday, May 1 2018:
- Detention of Juveniles in Illinois
Recommendations to Right-Size Detention through Reforms and Fiscal Incentives to Develop Community-Based Alternatives.,
Juvenile Justice Initiative.
April, 2018.
"This report includes a series of recommendations to "right-size" juvenile detention in Illinois."
Friday, April 27 2018:
Tuesday, April 24 2018:
- The Prison Industrial Complex
Mapping Private Sector Players,
Urban Justice Center.
April, 2018.
"This report exposes over 3,100 corporations that profit from the devastating mass incarceration of our nation’s marginalized communities."
- An Unsupported Population
The Treatment of Women in Texas' Criminal Justice System,
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
April, 2018.
(This report explores the unique issues facing women impacted by the criminal justice system, including challenges within Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) facilities.)
Monday, April 23 2018:
- Report to the United Nations on Racial Disparities in the U.S. Criminal Justice System
The Sentencing Project.
April, 2018.
"This report chronicles the racial disparity that permeates every stage of the United States criminal justice system, from arrest to trial to sentencing to post prison experiences."
- 65 Million
The Case for Reforming Criminal Background Checks for Employment,
The National Employment Law Project.
March, 2011.
(Too often, employers, staffing firms, and screening firms disregard civil rights and consumer protections, categorically banning people with criminal records from employment.)
Thursday, April 19 2018:
- The Evolving Landscape of Crime and Incarceration
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research.
April, 2018.
(This report shows that a 67 percent majority agrees that “building more jails and prisons to keep more people in jail does not reduce crime,” including 61 percent of rural Americans.)
- 2017 Federal Sentencing Statistics
United States Sentencing Commission.
April, 2018.
"These reports examine federal sentencing statistics from each judicial district, the districts within each judicial circuit, and the districts within each state."
Tuesday, April 17 2018:
- Mass Incarceration:
A Major Cause of Hunger,
Bread for the World Institute.
February, 2018.
(This paper explains how mass incarceration increases food insecurity.)
Monday, April 16 2018:
- Injuries associated with bunk beds that occur in jail
Randall T. Lodera and Jocelyn Cole Young.
October, 2017.
"Jails account for 29% of all bunk bed injuries resulting in an ED visit in the USA (for people age 10 and over). Addressing this problem will require a multidisciplinary approach involving medicine, material engineering, and criminal justice."
- An Overview of Offender Reentry
National Institute of Justice.
2018.
"The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of the offender reentry literature, offender outcomes, and the reentry initiatives that may work to improve public safety."
Friday, April 6 2018:
- 50-State Report on Public Safety
The Council of State Governments.
March, 2018.
(This report brings together data from all 50 states on crime, recidivism, corrections trends, and key findings from research on what works to guide the design of new public safety efforts.)
- Integrated Health Care and Criminal Justice Data
Viewing the Intersection of Public Safety, Public Health, and Public Policy Through a New Lens: Lessons from Camden, NJ,
Harvard Kennedy School.
April, 2018.
(This study suggests that we should shift from reacting to immediate health & crime crises as distinct events to focusing on holistic approaches that result in better individual outcomes, increased public safety, and reduced system costs.)
Wednesday, April 4 2018:
- Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2018,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2018.
(Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie answers the essential questions of how many people are locked up, where, and why.)
- Winnable criminal justice reforms:
A Prison Policy Initiative briefing on promising state reform issues for 2018,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2017.
(This briefing outlines a number of criminal justice policy reforms lawmakers can implement to reduce mass incarceration in 2018.)
- What "Stop-and-Frisk" Really Means:
Discrimination & Use of Force,
Prison Policy Initiative.
August, 2017.
"This report analyzes the racially disparate use of force in police stops in New York City in 2011."
- Youth Confinement:
The Whole Pie,
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2018.
"This report provides an introductory snapshot of what happens when justice-involved youth are held by the state: where they are held, under what conditions, and for what offenses."
Wednesday, March 28 2018:
- Keeping Kids and Parents Together:
A Healthier Approach to Sentencing in Louisiana,
Human Impact Partners.
March, 2018.
"In this report, we evaluate the health and equity impacts of Primary Caretaker legislation in the state of Louisiana. If passed, this legislation would expand the ability to set community-based sentences for parents."
Tuesday, March 27 2018:
- The Scale of Misdemeanor Justice
Megan T. Stevenson and Sandra G. Mayson.
March, 2018.
(There are 13.2 million misdemeanor cases filed in the United States each year, but contrary to conventional wisdom, this number is not rising. There are, however, profound racial disparities in the misdemeanor arrest rate for most offense types.)
Monday, March 26 2018:
- Don't Stop Now:
California leads the nation in using public higher education to address mass incarceration. Will we continue?,
Corrections to College California.
March, 2018.
"This publication highlights California's successful efforts to build public higher education access for thousands of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students, both in custody and on college campuses throughout the state."
Thursday, March 22 2018:
- Confronting Criminal Justice Debt:
A Guide for Policy Reform,
Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School.
September, 2016.
"By disproportionately burdening poor people with financial sanctions, and by jailing people who lack the means to pay, many jurisdictions have created a two-tiered system of criminal justice."
- Cuyahoga County Bail Task Force:
Report and Recommendations,
Cuyahoga County Bail Task Force.
March, 2018.
(Money bail should not be used to simply detain defendants. Rather than relying on bond schedules, courts should assess each defendant's risk of non-appearance and danger to the community using a uniform risk assessment tool.)
- Presumed Innocent for a Price:
The Impact of Cash Bail Across Eight New York Counties,
New York Civil Liberties Union.
March, 2018.
(This report shows that over a five year period, tens of thousands of New Yorkers were jailed without having had their day in court simply because they could not pay bail.)
- Advancing Bail Reform in Maryland:
Progress and Possibilities,
Baltimore City and Prince George's County Branches of the NAACP.
February, 2018.
"This report argues that Maryland policymakers should continue to strengthening the alternatives to bail and pretrial detention."
- Youth Transfer:
The Importance of Individualized Factor Review,
Campaign for Youth Justice.
March, 2018.
(This brief discusses the importance of weighing individual factors when judges and prosecutors consider the transfer of youth to the adult system, as well as recent state-level reforms addressing youth transfer.)
Tuesday, March 20 2018:
- The Detention and Forced Medical Treatment of Pregnant Women:
A Human Rights Perspective,
American Constitution Society.
March, 2018.
(This report argues that laws authorizing the detention and forced medical treatment of pregnant women suspected of drug or alcohol abuse violate human rights standards and are a mistaken legal response to address individual and public health issues.)
- "She Doesn't Deserve to be Treated Like This":
Prisons as Sites of Reproductive Injustice,
Rachel Roth, The Feminist Press, 2017 (updated).
January, 2017.
"This essay explores prisons as sites of reproductive injustice by focusing on barriers to abortion and safe childbirth."
Thursday, March 15 2018:
- Recidivism Reconsidered:
Preserving the Community Justice Mission of Community Corrections,
Harvard Kennedy School.
March, 2018.
(This report argues that when recidivism is used as the sole measure of effectiveness, it misleads policymakers & the public, encourages inappropriate comparisons of dissimilar populations, & focuses policy on negative rather than positive outcomes.)
- The Juvenile Record Myth
Joy Radice.
March, 2018.
(This report illuminates the variety of ways states treat juvenile records — revealing that state confidentiality, sealing, and expungement provisions often provide far less protection than those terms suggest.)
Monday, March 12 2018:
- Plea Bargaining:
From Patent Unfairness to Transparent Justice,
Mirko Bagaric, Julie N. Clarke, and William Rininger.
March, 2018.
(This article proposes reforms to the plea bargaining process (by shifting discretion and power from prosecutors into the hands of - impartial - sentencing judges) that will demonstrably and profoundly reshape the framework for plea negotiations.)
Thursday, March 8 2018:
Monday, March 5 2018:
- Louisiana’s 2017 Criminal Justice Reforms:
The most incarcerated state changes course,
The Pew Charitable Trusts.
March, 2018.
(On June 15, 2017, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards (D) signed the most comprehensive justice reform package in state history, projected to reduce prison & community supervision populations, and save taxpayers $262 million dollars over a 10 year period.)
- Parents as Partners:
Family Connection and Youth Incarceration,
Children and Family Justice Center.
February, 2018.
(This report shows that family and community-based responses to youth offending result in better public safety outcomes than more punitive measures such as incarceration.)
Friday, March 2 2018:
- The State of Justice Reform 2017
Vera Institute of Justice.
March, 2018.
(This report identifies the major trends & developments in the justice system during 2017, and looks ahead to how this new policy landscape will inform criminal justice reform work in 2018.)
- An Analysis of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Case Dispositions and Sentencing Outcomes
for Criminal Cases Presented to and Processed by the Office of the San Francisco District Attorney,
John MacDonald & Steven Raphael.
December, 2017.
(This study finds substantial racial & ethnic disparities in criminal justice outcomes that disfavor Black people in particular. These disparities are primarily due to case characteristics related to arrest charges, pre-trial detention, & criminal history.)
Tuesday, February 27 2018:
- Divided Justice:
Trends in Black and White Jail Incarceration, 1990-2013,
Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2018.
(This report looks at incarceration trends from 1990 to 2013, finding that although significant racial disparities still exist between black & white jail incarceration rates, rates for black people are declining while rates for white people are rising.)
Thursday, February 22 2018:
- A Pound of Flesh
The Criminalization of Private Debt,
American Civil Liberties Union.
February, 2018.
"Arrests stemming from private debt are devastating communities across the country, and amount to a silent financial crisis that, due to longstanding racial & economic inequalities, is disproportionately affecting people of color & low-income communities."
- “Set up to Fail”:
The Impact of Offender-Funded Private Probation on the Poor,
Human Rights Watch.
February, 2018.
"This report examines the use and impact of privatized probation services for misdemeanor offenses in four US states, and provides recommendations to protect against the abuses of criminal justice debt."
Tuesday, February 20 2018:
- Keeping Kids and Parents Together
A Healthier Approach to Sentencing in Tennessee,
Human Impact Partner & Free Hearts.
February, 2018.
"This report finds that House Bill 825 and Senate Bill 919 would have a positive health impact on children, parents, and communities, especially those that are the hardest hit by incarceration."
- 1844 No More
New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.
December, 2017.
"Rather than strengthen our democracy, New Jersey’s decision to deny the right to vote to people with criminal convictions deprives its most vulnerable communities of valuable voices needed to affect systemic change."
- Realignment and Recidivism in California
Public Policy Institute of California.
2015.
"California’s historic public safety realignment has had a modest effect on the state’s persistently high recidivism rates, varying across groups of offenders and counties."
Tuesday, February 13 2018:
- Civil Asset Forfeiture:
Forfeiting Your Rights,
Southern Poverty Law Center.
January, 2018.
(This report finds that civil asset forfeiture snares mostly low-level offenders and many individuals who are never charged with a crime in the first place into an unequal system that undercuts due process and property rights.)
Monday, February 12 2018:
- Social Media Monitoring in Boston:
Free Speech in the Crosshairs,
ACLU Massachusetts.
February, 2018.
(From 2014-16 the Boston Police Dept. used a social media surveillance system to gather data irrelevant to law enforcement concerns. It treated ordinary citizens as justifiable targets of surveillance, without deterring or solving serious crimes.)
- Investing Justice Resources to Address Community Needs
[PDF] Urban Institute.
February, 2018.
(This report provides an overview of a Colorado based program designed to coordinate the flow of resources to community-led organizations providing direct services to formerly incarcerated people navigating the reentry process.)
Monday, February 5 2018:
- Paroling people who committed serious crimes:
What is the actual risk?,
Citizens Alliance on Prisons & Public Spending.
December, 2014.
(People who commit homicides or sex offenses have extremely low re-offense rates. This report argues that parole decisions should take into account this reality & aim to better repare people for release, not incarcerate them needlessly.)
Friday, February 2 2018:
- Too big to succeed:
The impact of the growth of community corrections and what should be done about it,
Columbia University Justice Lab.
January, 2018.
(This report discusses the consequences of the tremendous growth in probation and parole supervision in the United States over the past several decades, and argues that the number of people under supervision needs to be cut in half.)
- Less is More in New York:
An Examination of the Impact of State Parole Violations on Prison and Jail Populations,
Columbia University Justice Lab.
January, 2018.
(This research brief examines the decline in the number of people in New York's state prisons and local jails, including Rikers Island, and the simultaneous rise in the number of people incarcerated for state parole violations.)
Monday, January 29 2018:
- The Effects of Pre-Trial Detention on Conviction, Future Crime, and Employment:
Evidence from Randomly Assigned Judges,
Will Dobbie, Jacob Goldin, and Crystal S. Yang.
September, 2017.
(Pre-trial detention significantly increases the probability of conviction, primarily through increases in guilty pleas. Pre-trial detention has no net effect on future crime, but decreases employment & the receipt of certain government benefits.)
Wednesday, January 24 2018:
- Raising the Bar:
Reducing Conflicts of Interest and Increasing Transparency in District Attorney Campaign Fundraising,
Columbia Law School Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity.
January, 2018.
(This reports provides recommendations on fundraising policies and procedures that are designed to address conflicts of interest and unconscious bias, that may arise when campaign contributors also have business with a district attorney's office.)
- Estimating the Effects of Law Enforcement and Public Health Interventions Intended to Reduce Gun Violence in Baltimore
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
January, 2018.
"Although surges in arrests for illegal drug distribution may have a very short-term (1-2 months) violence-reducing effect in an area, there appear to be violence-generating effects up to a year after these drug arrest surges."
- Forensic Patients in State Psychiatric Hospitals:
1999-2016,
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors.
September, 2017.
"The results from this study indicate that, over a little less than two decades, states have seen an increase in the number of forensic patients who are present in their state hospitals."
- Breaking Down Barriers
Experiments into Policies That Might Incentivize Employers to Hire Ex-Offenders,
RAND Corporation.
2015.
(This report argues that employers would be more likely to consider hiring ex-offenders if hiring agencies provided replacement workers, if ex-offenders provided proof of positive work performance histories, and if increased tax credits were available.)
Monday, January 22 2018:
- Cruel & Usual Punishment:
Excessive Use of Force at the Estelle Unit,
[PDF] Prison Justice League.
February, 2015.
(This report reveals countless instances of Estelle correctional officers using excessive force on prisoners, causing serious bodily injuries. It is a pattern apparently well-known to prison officials, but ignored.)
- A Texas Sized Failure:
Sexual Assaults in Texas Prisons,
Prison Justice League & the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault.
November, 2016.
"Regardless of claims that PREA standards are being implemented in Texas prisons, reports from prisoners themselves indicate that sexual assaults in Texas correctional facilities remain a serious problem."
- A "Rigged System":
How the Texas Grievance System Fails Prisoners and the Public,
Prison Justice League.
June, 2017.
(Prisoners in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice lack confidence in the available grievance system to adequately address their complaints, noting a range of issues such as delays in receiving a response and concerns about oversight.)
- Designed to Fail:
The President's Deference to the Department of Justice in Advancing Criminal Justice Reform,
Rachel E. Barkow and Mark Osler.
June, 2017.
"This Article offers institutional changes that would help future presidents make the system less punitive and reduce prison populations."
- Advancing Sensible Justice in Tennessee
Beacon Center of Tennessee.
January, 2018.
(More than 130,000 Tennesseans are behind bars or working through the criminal justice system. This report calls for a sharp change in the state's criminal justice system in order to reduce costs, increase public safety, and prevent recidivism.)
- Pretrial Detention Reform:
Recommendations to the Chief Justice,
Judicial Branch of California Pretrial Detention Reform Workgroup.
October, 2017.
(California's pretrial detention system unnecessarily compromises victim & public safety because it bases a person's liberty on financial resources, not their likelihood of future criminal behavior, exacerbating socioeconomic disparities & racial bias.)
- One War. Two Races.
Bias Reigns in Florida's War on Drugs,
Herald Tribune.
January, 2018.
"Blacks represent 17 percent of Florida’s population but have accounted for 46 percent of the state’s felony drug convictions since 2004."
Thursday, January 11 2018:
- Court Fines and Fees:
Criminalizing Poverty in North Carolina,
North Carolina Poverty Research Fund.
January, 2018.
(In recent decades, the North Carolina General Assembly has levied a costly array of fees on low income Tar Heels and their families, creating massive hardships for those caught in webs of criminal justice debt.)
Wednesday, January 10 2018:
- The Gender Divide:
Tracking women's state prison growth,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2018.
"This report sheds more light on women in the era of mass incarceration by tracking prison population trends since 1978 for all 50 states."
Monday, January 8 2018:
- Crime in 2017:
Updated Analysis,
Brennan Center for Justice.
December, 2017.
(This report finds that murder rates in major American cities are estimated to decline slightly through the end of 2017.)
- Access to Health Care and Criminal Behavior:
Short-Run Evidence from the ACA Medicaid Expansions,
Jacob Vogler.
September, 2017.
(This research article indicates that state Medicaid expansions have resulted in significant decreases in annual crime by 3.2 percent.)
- Substance Abuse Treatment Centers and Local Crime
Bondurant, Samuel R.; Lindo, Jason M.; and Swensen, Isaac D..
September, 2016.
(This report finds that substance-abuse-treatment facilities reduce both violent and financially motivated crimes in an area, and that the effects are particularly pronounced for relatively serious crimes.)
- Police Employment, Officers Per Capita Rates for U.S. Cities
Governing.
October, 2016.
"In 2016, police departments serving cities with populations exceeding 25,000 employed an average of 16.8 officers and 21.4 total personnel for every 10,000 residents."
Wednesday, January 3 2018:
- 2017 Police Violence Report
Mapping Police Violence.
December, 2017.
"Compiling information from media reports, obituaries, public records, and databases like Fatal Encounters and the WashingtonPost, this report represents the most comprehensive accounting of deadly police violence in 2017."
Tuesday, December 19 2017:
- The Death Penalty in 2017:
Year End Report,
Death Penalty Information Center.
December, 2017.
"Executions and death sentences remained near historically low levels in 2017, as public support for the death penalty fell to its lowest level in 45 years."
Monday, December 18 2017:
- Empire State of Incarceration
Vera Institute of Justice.
December, 2017.
(This report analyzes county-level factors that lead people to jail in New York state, providing a deeper understanding of the drivers of local incarceration.)
Thursday, December 14 2017:
- Yakima County, Washington Pretrial Justice System Improvements:
Pre- and Post- Implementation Analysis,
Smart Pretrial Demonstration Initiative.
November, 2017.
"Jurisdiction can reduce pretrial detention & improve racial/ethnic equity by replacing high use of secured money bail with non-financial release conditions guided by actuarial-risk-based decision making, with no harm to public safety or court appearance."
- Second Chance Reforms in 2017:
Roundup of new expungement and restoration laws,
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
December, 2017.
"In 2017, 23 states enacted laws aimed at reducing barriers faced by people with criminal records in the workplace and elsewhere."
Wednesday, December 13 2017:
- OPIOIDS:
Treating an Illness, Ending a War,
The Sentencing Project.
December, 2017.
"This report examines the sources of the opioid crisis, surveys health and justice policy responses at the federal and state levels, and draws on lessons from past drug crises to provide guidance on how to proceed."
- “Not in it for Justice”:
How California’s Pretrial Detention and Bail System Unfairly Punishes Poor People,
Human Rights Watch.
April, 2017.
"Nearly every offense in California is bail-eligible, yet many defendants cannot afford to pay. In California, the majority of county jail prisoners have not been sentenced, but are serving time because they are unable to pay for pretrial release."
- "Don't Look Around":
A Window into Inhumane Conditions for Youth at NORCOR,
Disability Rights Oregon.
December, 2017.
"A lack of oversight and accountability has allowed Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility (NORCOR) to neglect the basic mental health and social development needs of kids in custody."
Tuesday, December 12 2017:
- “Money Bail”:
Making Ohio a More Dangerous Place to Live,
The Buckeye Institute.
2015.
"Ohio should address the demonstrated shortcomings of the cash bail system by expanding the judiciary’s access to proven risk-assessment tools that can provide a fairer, more efficient way to keep our communities safe and secure."
Thursday, December 7 2017:
- Policing the Houseless 2.0
Million Dollar Hoods.
December, 2017.
"This report documents that LAPD arrests of houseless persons continued to climb during the first six months of 2017 and that just five charge categories accounted for the majority of houseless arrests."
- The Price for Freedom:
Bail in the City of L.A.,
Million Dollar Hoods.
December, 2017.
(The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), using the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s misdemeanor and felony bail schedules, levied over $19 billion in money bail on persons they arrested between 2012 and 2016.)
Wednesday, December 6 2017:
- Jails in Indian Country, 2016
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2017.
"An estimated 2,540 inmates were held in 80 Indian country jails at midyear 2016, a 1.2% increase from the 2,510 inmates held in 76 facilities at midyear 2015."
Tuesday, December 5 2017:
- Disrupting the Cycle:
Reimagining the Prosecutor’s Role in Reentry,
NYU Center on the Administration of Criminal Law.
November, 2017.
(Prosecutors have traditionally focused on their “front-end” role, but by defining their role as ending at case disposition, prosecutors miss an important opportunity to have a greater impact on public safety.)
- Prison Health Care:
Costs and Quality,
[PDF] The Pew Charitable Trust.
October, 2017.
(This report paint a comprehensive picture of how states fund and deliver prison health care, how they compare with one another, and some reasons for differences.)
- Born Suspect:
Stop-and-Frisk Abuses & the Continued Fight to End Racial Profiling in America,
NAACP.
2015.
"This report is an analysis of the fight to end racial profiling in New York and the potential for nationwide implementation these efforts in every jurisdiction across the country."
- Influences of Truth-in-Sentencing Reforms on Changes in States’ Sentencing Practices and Prison Populations
William J. Sabol ; Katherine Rosich ; Kamala Mallik Kane ; David Kirk ; Glenn Dubin.
July, 2002.
(The federal Truth In Sentencing grant program had very limited influence on state decisions to adopt truth in sentencing policies.)
Monday, November 20 2017:
- Florida Criminal Justice Reform:
Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities,
The Project on Accountable Justice.
November, 2017.
(This report is an effort to help Florida’s citizens and policy makers understand the nature of some of the problems found in the criminal justice system, notably resulting in dangerous prisons. It also suggests opportunities for reform.)
- Racial Disparity in Federal Criminal Sentences
University of Michigan Law School.
2014.
(Blacks defendants receive federal sentences that are almost 10 percent longer than those of comparable whites arrested for the same crimes. Most of this disparity can be explained by prosecutors’ initial charging decisions.)
- Demographic Differences in Sentencing:
An Update to the 2012 Booker Report,
United States Sentencing Commission.
2015.
(Black male offenders continue to receive longer federal sentences than similarly situated White male offenders.)
Thursday, November 9 2017:
- An Overdose Death Is Not Murder:
Why Drug-Induced Homicide Laws Are Counterproductive and Inhumane,
Drug Policy Alliance.
November, 2017.
(This report argues that drug-induced homicide laws exacerbate the very problem they seek to remediate by discouraging people who use drugs from seeking help and assistance.)
- Reforming Criminal Justice:
Bridging the Gap Between Scholarship and Reform,
Academy for Justice.
October, 2017.
(This report covers dozens of topics within the areas of criminalization, policing, pretrial and trial processes, punishment, incarceration, and release.)
Thursday, November 2 2017:
- Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2017,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2017.
(Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie answers the essential questions of how many people are locked up, where, and why.)
- The State of Pretrial Justice in America
Pretrial Justice Institute.
November, 2017.
(This report uses basic indicators to document and grade current pretrial practice in all fifty states.)
- Women's Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2017,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2017.
"This report provides a first-of-its-kind detailed view of the 219,000 women incarcerated in the United States, and how they fit into the even larger picture of correctional control."
- The Intersection of Juvenile Courts and Exclusionary School Discipline
[PDF] National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
October, 2017.
(This report provides real-world strategies to reduce the number of youth who unnecessarily come into contact with law enforcement and the juvenile justice system.)
Monday, October 30 2017:
- Punishment Is Not a “Service”:
The Injustice of Pretrial Conditions in Cook County,
Chicago Community Bond Fund.
October, 2017.
"The overwhelming experience of people supported by CCBF shows that pretrial conditions expand and compound the harms of incarceration by denying people access to their jobs, housing, social supports, and even medical care."
- 50,000 children:
The Geography of America's Dysfunctional & Racially Disparate Youth Incarceration Complex,
Youth First.
October, 2017.
"While the US Department of Justice reports that youth incarceration rates have decreased 50% between 1999 and 2013, too many youth are still locked up, and racial disparities among committed youth have widened."
Friday, October 27 2017:
- Reducing Substance Use Disorders and Related Offending
A Continuum of Evidence-Informed Practices in the Criminal Justice System,
Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
April, 2017.
"By integrating evidence-informed practices, criminal justice agencies and communities can save lives, decrease costs to the criminal justice system, healthcare systems, and taxpayers."
- Ban the Box and Racial Discrimination
Urban Institute.
February, 2017.
"When information about a person’s criminal history is not present, employers may make hiring decisions based on their perception of the likelihood that the applicant has a criminal history."
- Addressing the Intersections of Juvenile Justice Involvement and Youth Homelessness
Principles for Change,
Coalition for Juvenile Justice.
February, 2017.
"The Principles in this document provide a roadmap for communities to help young people avoid experiencing juvenile justice system involvement and/or youth homelessness."
Wednesday, October 25 2017:
- Final Implementation Findings from the Responsible Fatherhood Reentry Projects
Urban Institute.
April, 2017.
"Fathers recently released from correctional institutions have significant service needs and can face considerable barriers to meeting those needs as they reintegrate back to their communities."
- The Use and Impact of Correctional Programming for Inmates on Pre- and Post-Release Outcomes
National Institute of Justice.
June, 2017.
"This paper reviews the available evidence on the impact of institutional programming on pre- and post-release outcomes for prisoners."
- The Case for Paid Apprenticeships Behind Bars
Center for American Progress.
April, 2017.
"This brief argues that greater access to paid prison apprenticeship programs could effectively improve inmates’ post-release outcomes, particularly for a group of individuals who already face significant barriers to labor market entry."
- Trends in State Courts
Fines, Fees, and Bail Practices--Challenges and Opportunities,
National Center for State Courts.
July, 2017.
"Low-income offenders in many towns and cities are faced with paying fines and fees they simply cannot afford, often leading to even more fees and late charges."
- Mentoring as a Component of Reentry
Practical Considerations from the Field,
Council of State Governments Justice Center.
June, 2017.
"This publication from the National Reentry Resource Center offers five broad, field-based practical considerations for incorporating mentoring into reentry programs for adults."
- Reducing Recidivism:
States Deliver Results,
Council of State Governments Justice Council.
June, 2017.
"This brief from the National Reentry Resource Center profiles seven states in which recidivism has significantly decreased over the last decade according to several different measures."
- Making People's Transition from Prison and Jail to the Community Safe and Successful
A Snapshot of National Progress in Reentry,
Council of State Governments Justice Center.
June, 2017.
"This brief from the National Reentry Resource Center highlights advancements made in state and local governments' approaches to reentry and reducing recidivism since the passage of the Second Chance Act in 2008."
- Forgiving and Forgetting in American Justice
A 50-State Guide to Expungement and Restoration of Rights,
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.
October, 2017.
"This report catalogs and analyzes the various provisions for relief from the collateral consequences of conviction that are now available in each state."
- Criminal Justice Debt
Costs and Consequences,
The Fortune Society.
October, 2017.
"In the United States today, people owe local, state, and federal governments billions of dollars in unpaid debt related to contact with the criminal justice system."
- One Strike to Second Chances
Using Criminal Backgrounds in Admission Decisions for Assisted Housing,
Housing Policy Debate.
April, 2017.
"Many public housing authorities have not updated their admission policies for using criminal backgrounds and still adhere to the one-strike philosophy."
- Ban the Box and Beyond
Ensuring Individuals with a Criminal Record Have Access to the Labor Market,
Center for American Progress.
July, 2017.
"Fair chance hiring policies, including ban the box, can ensure that employers evaluate candidates not on their criminal history but instead on their ability to do their jobs successfully."
- Nevada's Statewide Approach to Reducing Recidivism and Improving Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
Council of State Government Justice Center.
September, 2017.
"As a result of participating in Improving Outcomes for Youth: A Statewide Juvenile Justice Initiative (IOYouth), Nevada passed legislation that supports the adoption and implementation of key changes to the state's juvenile justice system"
- Improving Access to Career Pathways for Philadelphia’s Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice System Involved Youth
Juvenile Law Center.
August, 2017.
"Juvenile Law Center wrote this report to facilitate the expansion of access to career pathway supports for system-involved youth in Philadelphia by analyzing the barriers these youth encounter and offering policy recommendations for reform."
- Building Communities, Changing Lives
The NYC Justice Corps Community Benefit Projects,
Prisoner Reentry Institute.
June, 2017.
"When justice system-involved young adults seek an opportunity to change, too often they expe- rience continued stigmatization, including barriers to education, employment, and housing."
Wednesday, October 18 2017:
- Targeted Fines and Fees Against Communities of Color
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
September, 2017.
(Unchecked discretion or stringent requirements to impose fines or fees can lead to discrimination and inequitable access to justice when not exercised in accordance with … the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the U.S. Constitution.)
- The Geography of Incarceration in a Gateway City:
The Cost and Consequences of High Incarceration Rate Neighborhoods in Worcester,
MassINC.
September, 2017.
(The analysis explores the cost and consequences of high incarceration rates in Worcester neighborhoods, offering vital information for policymakers crafting comprehensive criminal justice reform legislation.)
Thursday, October 12 2017:
- Native Disparities in Youth Incarceration
The Sentencing Project.
October, 2017.
"Native youth were three times as likely to be incarcerated as white youth, according to data collected in October 2015."
- Latino Disparities in Youth Incarceration
The Sentencing Project.
October, 2017.
"Latino youth are 65 percent more likely to be detained or committed than their white peers, according to data collected in October 2015."
Wednesday, October 11 2017:
- Economic Impacts of Cash Bail on the City of Philadelphia
City of Philadelphia Office of the Controller.
October, 2017.
(The City of Philadelphia, by eliminating the cash bail system, could save over $75 million annually and provide a viable alternative to jail for a significant number of those arrested in Philadelphia in a given year.)
- A Place to Call Home:
A Vision for Safe, Supportive and Affordable Housing for People with Justice System Involvement,
Prisoner Reentry Institute.
October, 2017.
(This document makes the case for providing digni ed housing that meets the needs of those with criminal justice histories, and providing it as quickly as possible upon reentry.)
- Native American Youth and the Juvenile Justice System
National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
March, 2008.
(Juvenile Justice disparities between Native American youth and White youth are alarmingly high and in need of remediation.)
- Raising the Bar:
State Trends in Keeping Youth Out of Adult Courts (2015-2017),
Campaign for Youth Justice.
October, 2017.
(Between 2015 & 2017, nine states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to limit or remove youth from adult facilities. In Oregon and New York, lawmakers passed bills in 2017 to categorically ban incarcerating youth with adults in the coming year.)
Tuesday, October 10 2017:
- The Crisis of Criminalization:
A Call for a Comprehensive Philanthropic Response,
Barnard Center for Research on Women.
September, 2017.
(This report is an urgent call for a comprehensive philanthropic response to the growing crisis of criminalization.)
Wednesday, October 4 2017:
- Opening Doors:
How to develop reentry programs using examples from public housing authorities,
Vera Institute of Justice.
September, 2017.
"This guide is designed to support PHAs and other agencies that are beginning to develop new housing strategies and programming to meet the needs of formerly incarcerated people."
- Reflections on New National Data on LGBQ/GNCT Youth in the Justice System
Harvard Kennedy School.
September, 2017.
(12-13% of boys in the justice system identify as gay, bisexual, questioning, gender nonconforming, or transgender (GBQ/GNCT), while 40% of girls identify as LBQ/GNCT. And, of these LGBQ/GNCT youth, 85% nationally are of color.)
Friday, September 29 2017:
- The Long Road Home:
Decreasing Barriers to Public Housing for People with Criminal Records,
Human Impact Partners.
May, 2016.
(This report assesses the health and equity impacts of public housing admissions screening policies that exclude people with a criminal history from public housing, using the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) in Oakland, California as a case study.)
- Report to the New York City Housing Authority:
Applying and Lifting Permanent Exclusions for Criminal Conduct,
Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2017.
"The New York Housing Authority has a commitment to maintain the safety of its residents, but must also recognize the important role of families and housing for people involved with the criminal justice system when considering permanent exclusions."
- Remote Access:
Using Video Technology to Treat Substance Users on Probation and Parole in South Dakota,
Vera Institute of Justice.
October, 2016.
"The state worked with local providers to pilot a teleconferencing program aimed at connecting people to community-based services without the cost and barrier of transportation or other access issues."
- Bridging the Divide:
Improving Parole Outcomes for Native Americans in South Dakota,
Vera Institute of Justice.
October, 2016.
"This brief describes the issues that tribal communities face and how they are working together with the state government to provide effective services for Native American people on parole."
- Public Housing for People with Criminal Histories
Vera Institute of Justice.
September, 2015.
"Cities such as New York City, Oakland, and Chicago have implemented reforms in tenant-selection criteria that ensure a person’s application for housing is not negatively impacted by his or her criminal record."
- Creating a Culture of Safety:
Sentinel Event Reviews for Suicide and Self-Harm in Correctional Facilities,
Vera Institute of Justice.
December, 2016.
"Investigating the feasibility of using a sentinel events approach to review and learn from errors in the criminal justice system such as wrongful convictions, eyewitness misidentifications, or incidents of suicide and self-harm in custody."
- Partnering with Community Sexual Assault Response Teams:
A Guide for Local Community Confinement and Juvenile Detention Facilities,
Vera Institute of Justice.
March, 2016.
"Partnerships with SARTs can help facilities implement coordinated, victim-centered response policies and procedures that meet key requirements of the PREA standards."
- How Safe are Americans with Disabilities?:
The Facts About Violent Crime and Their Implications,
Vera Institute of Justice.
April, 2017.
"This brief provides basic information on disability in the United States. It explores what is known about violent victimization of people with disabilities and the factors that contribute to their higher risk of experiencing violent crime."
- Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2017
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2017.
"At midyear 2015, an estimated 2,510 inmates were confined in 76 Indian country jails. This was a 5.5% increase from the 2,380 inmates confined at midyear 2014 in 79 facilities."
- PREA Data Collection Activities, 2017
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2017.
"Rates of youth-on-youth sexual assault in female-only juvenile facilities (5.3%) were more than three times greater than those in male-only facilities (1.5%)."
- Treatment Instead of Prison HIA (Case Story)
Human Impact Partners.
November, 2012.
"Expanding alternatives to incarceration would reduce the prison population, reduce crime, lower recidivism, and strengthen families by keeping up to 1,600 parents a year out of prison each year."
- Racial Disparity in Marijuana Policing in New Orleans
Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2016.
"This report illuminates through quantitative analysis the persistent racial disparities in marijuana policing from 2010 - 2015 and discusses the impacts of statutory and policy reforms the city has implemented to date."
- Bridging the Gap:
Improving the Health of Justice-Involved People through Information Technology,
Vera Institute of Justice.
March, 2015.
"Aims to address the problems of disconnected justice and health systems and to develop solutions by describing barriers, benefits, and best practices for connecting community providers and correctional facilities using health information technology (HITs)"
- Past Due:
Examining the Costs and Consequences of Charging for Justice in New Orleans,
Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2017.
"Past Due, and its accompanying technical report, reveal the costs and other consequences of a system that tries to extract money from low-income people and then jails them when they can't pay."
- Cost-Benefit Analysis and Justice Policy Toolkit
Vera Institute of Justice.
December, 2014.
"In recent years, policymakers and the public have been asking whether justice policies pass the “cost-benefit test.” Two questions drive this discussion: First, what works to reduce crime? And second, are those programs and policies worth the cost?"
- Turning on the TAP:
How Returning Access to Tuition Assistance for Incarcerated People Improves the Health of New Yorkers,
Human Impact Partners.
May, 2015.
"Expanding access to college education for people in New York prisons would benefit the overall health and well-being of the communities that formerly incarcerated people return to, as well as the individuals who receive the education, and their families."
- School Discipline and Restorative Justice (Case Story)
Human Impact Partners.
September, 2014.
"If properly implemented, restorative justice could reduce suspensions in the six schools by 20% to 40%. Restorative justice would also lower dropout rates, which in turn would lead to fewer students who end up poor or in prison."
- Expanding Access to Postsecondary Education in Prison:
Fact Sheet for Corrections Leaders,
Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2017.
"Incarcerated people who participate in prison education programs are 43 percent less likely to recidivate than those who do not."
- Future Now:
A Process and Intermediate Outcomes Evaluation of the NYC GED Preparatory Program,
Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2015.
"Future Now is a GED preparatory program housed at Bronx Community College offering programs tailored to meet each student’s personal and educational needs, prepare them for college, and support students through their first year of enrollment."
- Keeping Kids and Parents Together:
A Healthier Approach to Sentencing in Massachusetts,
Human Impact Partners.
September, 2017.
"Increasing judges' discretion to authorize alternatives to incarceration that include treatment instead of prison or jail where appropriate can keep families intact."
- Coming Home:
An Evaluation of the New York City Housing Authority’s Family Reentry Pilot Program,
Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2016.
"The study revealed that participants reuniting with their families both received support and supported others as they took on familial roles, especially as caregivers for elderly parents."
- It Take a Village:
Diversion for Police and Families,
Vera Institute of Justice.
June, 2016.
"This brief explores the creative, collaborative, and community-focused work being done in Nevada, Connecticut, Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois, and Oregon to find productive responses to youth “acting out.”"
- Expanding the Reach of Victim Services:
Maximizing the Potential of VOCA Funding for Underserved Survivors,
Vera Institute of Justice.
August, 2016.
"Too often, victims of crime who are from underserved backgrounds are left out of victim services. With this new infusion of funds, the field can grow to better provide for marginalized people."
- Family Unity, Family Health:
An Inquiry on Federal Immigration Policy (Case Story),
Human Impact Partners.
June, 2013.
"If deportations continue at 2012 levels, tens of thousands of U.S.-citizen children will suffer from poorer health, more behavioral problems, diminished educational achievement, increased poverty, and food insufficiency that may lead to hunger."
- 23 Hours in the Box:
Solitary Confinement in New Jersey Immigration Detention,
New Jersey Advocates for Immigrant Detainees.
June, 2015.
"The passage of a bill like NJ S 2588 would mark a dramatic and humane improvement over the current disciplinary system."
- Locked in the Past:
Montana's Jails in Crisis,
ACLU of Montana.
February, 2015.
"Many county detention centers in Montana have severe conditions issues and are underfunded, inadequately staffed, and largely ignored by county commissioners, county law enforcement departments, and the public."
- Jail in New York City:
Evidence-Based Opportunities for Reform,
Center for Court Innovation.
March, 2017.
"The report models the impact of several potential reform scenarios based on risk score including the possible cost savings to the city from downsizing the jail system."
- Greater Oklahoma City Chamber Criminal Justice Reform Task Force:
Report and Recommendations,
Vera Institute of Justice.
December, 2016.
"The Oklahoma County pretrial justice system needs greater collaboration and oversight to ensure that the jail—the county’s most restrictive and most costly criminal justice resource—is being used judiciously."
- The Human Toll of Jail Fact Sheet
Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2016.
"Today, about 14.5 percent of men and 31 percent of women in jails have a serious mental illness, compared to 3.2 and 4.9 percent respectively in the general population."
- Behind the Eleventh Door:
Solitary Confinement of Individuals with Mental Illness in Oregon's State Penitentiary Behavioral Health Unit,
Disability Rights Oregon.
May, 2015.
(This report looks at case studies from the Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) of the Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) to determine the detrimental effects on mentally ill patients in solitary confinement.)
- Selected Issues in Mental Health and Corrections:
A Collection and Summary of Research,
Disability Rights Nebraska.
2014.
"Although only 7% of inmates were in solitary confinement, they accounted for 53% of acts of self-harm."
- A Crisis in Search of Data:
The Revolving Door of Serious Mental Illness in Super Utilization,
Treatment Advocacy Center.
April, 2017.
"National or state-level data that quantify the role and cost of individuals with serious mental illness on law enforcement, corrections, emergency medical or homelessness services do not exist. "
- Emptying the 'New Asylums':
A Beds Capacity Model to Reduce Mental Illness Behind Bars,
Treatment Advocacy Center.
January, 2017.
"In Texas, reducing the average hospital stay from 189 days to 186 days would reduce forensic bed waits from an average of two months to three days."
- Overlooked in the Undercounted:
The Role of Mental Illness in Fatal Law Enforcement Encounters,
Treatment Advocacy Center.
December, 2015.
"The risk of being killed while being approached or stopped by law enforcement in the community is 16 times higher for individuals with untreated serious mental illness than for other civilians."
- Police Perspectives Guidebook Series
Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2016.
"To improve relations between police and the communities they serve, this three-part guide series—written for police, by police—highlights practical, field-informed approaches to building trust with multiracial and multi-ethnic communities."
- New York City's Pretrial Supervised Release Program:
An Alternative to Bail,
Vera Institute of Justice.
April, 2017.
"The supervised release program (SR) in NYC is an example of a new approach to handling cases pretrial. SR gives judges the option to release some defendants who would otherwise be detained due to their inability to make bail."
- Common Ground:
How all of Oregon Contributes to Criminal Justice Reform,
Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2016.
"This brief describes how the state of Oregon worked together with its local community and government partners to address its growing prison population."
- Illusion of Justice:
Human Rights Abuses in US Terrorism Prosecutions,
Human Rights Watch and Columbia Law School.
July, 2014.
"This report documents the significant human cost of certain counterterrorism practices, such as aggressive sting operations and unnecessarily restrictive conditions of confinement."
- Excessive Revocations in Wisconsin:
The Health Impacts of Locking People Up without a New Conviction,
Human Impact Partners.
December, 2016.
"Revocation -- being incarcerated for breaking the rules of a supervision arrangement (like parole, probation, or extended supervision) -- feeds the mass incarceration cycle in the United States."
- Parole Perspectives in Maryland:
A Survey of People Who Returned to Prison from Parole and Community,
Justice Policy Institute.
May, 2015.
"A new analysis from the Justice Policy Institute (JPI) shows the connection between efforts to reduce prison populations, connect people to work, and address the challenges of Baltimore's distressed communities"
- The Health Impacts of Prop 47:
A Case Story,
Human Impact Partners.
September, 2014.
(A health impact analysis study of the public health and equity benefits of reclassifying six low-level crimes of drug possession and petty theft from felonies to misdemeanors in California.)
- A Prosecutor's Guide for Advancing Racial Equity
Vera Institute of Justice.
March, 2015.
"Despite efforts to be fair and equitable, prosecutors may unintentionally contribute to the overrepresentation of minorities in the nation’s courtrooms, prisons, and jails."
- Reducing Youth Arrests Keeps Kids Healthy and Successful:
A Health Analysis of Youth Arrest in Michigan,
Human Impact Partners.
June, 2017.
"We evaluate the health and equity impacts of youth arrest (for kids under the age of 17) in Michigan, with a focus on the city of Detroit, and Wayne and Washtenaw Counties."
- Juvenile InJustice:
Charging Youth as Adults is Ineffective, Biased, and Harmful,
Human Impact Partners.
February, 2017.
"This practice undermines the purpose of the juvenile court system, pursues punishment rather than rehabilitation, and conflicts with what we know from developmental science[...]and reinforce the racial inequities that characterize the justice system."
- Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut:
How Collaboration and Commitment Have Improved Public Safety and Outcomes for Youth,
Justice Policy Institute.
February, 2013.
"Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut highlights the past two decades of Connecticut's successful efforts to improve responses to youth who engage in delinquent behavior and to reduce the number of youth placed into residential facilities"
- Rising Up, Speaking Out:
Youth Transforming Los Angeles County's Juvenille Justice System,
Children's Defense Fund - California.
January, 2015.
"Five young people [...] share their own unique experiences inside probation camps and amplify key recommendations from an important UCLA focus group study on how to improve conditions inside Los Angeles County's camps."
Wednesday, September 27 2017:
- Drug Use, Dependence, And Abuse Among State Prisoners And Jail Inmates, 2007-2009
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2017.
"More than half of state prisoners and two-thirds of sentenced jail inmates met the criteria for drug dependence or abuse...In comparison, approximately 5% of the total general population age 18 or older met the criteria"
- Hidden Consequences:
The Impact of Mass Incarceration on Dependent Children,
National Institute of Justice.
May, 2017.
"It is critical that correctional practitioners develop strong partnerships with law enforcement, public schools, and child welfare agencies to understand the unique dynamics of the family in question and try to ensure a safety net for the child"
- Trends in U.S. Corrections
Sentencing Project.
June, 2017.
(This fact sheet, updated June 2017, provides a compilation of key developments in the criminal justice system over the past several decades.)
- The Cost of Crimmigration:
Exploring the Intersection Between Criminal Justice and Immigration,
Justice Policy Institute.
June, 2017.
"While costing counties and cities more, immigration enforcement also undermines public safety as residents fear interacting with local law enforcement, and policing resources are deployed away from more effective crime prevention and enforcement"
- Criminal Background Checks and Access to Jobs:
A Case Study of Washington, DC,
Urban Institute.
June, 2017.
"Examining local regulations and DC's labor market reveals that justice-involved people-- whether formally incarcerated or not-- face significant challenges finding work in the city."
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2017.
"In 2015, among students ages 12-18, there were about 841,100 nonfatal victimizations at school and 545,100 nonfatal victimizations away from school."
- Improving Approaches to Serving Young Adults in the Justice System
Justice Policy Institute.
December, 2016.
"Over the past year, a number of different advocates, policymakers, practitioners, funders and directly impacted individuals and families have sought to flesh out what a more effective approach to serving 18 to 24-year-olds"
Tuesday, September 26 2017:
- The impacts of incarceration on crime
Open Philanthropy Project.
September, 2017.
"The best estimate of the impact of additional incarceration on crime in the United States today is zero. And, while that estimate is not certain, there is as much reason overall to believe that incarceration increases crime as decreases it."
Thursday, September 21 2017:
Monday, September 18 2017:
- Against the Odds:
Experimenting with Alternative Forms of Bail in New York City’s Criminal Courts,
Vera Institute of Justice.
September, 2017.
"If New York City courts opted more frequently for alternative forms of bail, they could potentially reduce the use of pretrial detention without compromising other important considerations of compliance with court appearances and public safety."
Friday, September 15 2017:
Thursday, September 14 2017:
Wednesday, September 6 2017:
Tuesday, August 29 2017:
- Less Is More:
How Reducing Probation Populations Can Improve Outcomes,
[PDF] Harvard Kennedy School.
August, 2017.
(The decline in the number of people on probation supervision in the U.S. should not only be sustained but significantly increased, with a goal of reducing the number of people under probation supervision by 50 percent over 10 years.)
Monday, August 21 2017:
- Incarceration Rates and Traits of Sexual Minorities in the United States:
National Inmate Survey, 2011-2012,
[PDF] Meyer et al.
February, 2017.
"The incarceration rate of self-identified lesbian, gay, or bisexual persons was 1882 per 100 000, more than 3 times that of the US adult population."
- Who Does Civil Asset Forfeiture Target Most?:
A Review of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Forfeiture Activities for Fiscal Year 2016,
[PDF] Nevada Policy Research Institute.
August, 2017.
"Forfeitures disproportionately target neighborhoods with relatively high levels of minorities and low-income residents."
- It Matters If You're Black or White:
Racial Disparities in the Handling of Complaints against North Charleston Police Officers,
[PDF] NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc..
July, 2017.
"Although 60 percent of the citizen complaints against NCPD officers were filed by Black residents, their complaints were much less likely to be sustained by NCPD than complaints filed by White residents."
- Community-Based Responses to Justice-Involved Young Adults
[PDF] Harvard Kennedy School & National Institute of Justice.
2015.
(This report outlines a number of thoughtful recommendations aimed at making our justice system more developmentally appropriate in its response to young adults.)
Tuesday, August 15 2017:
Thursday, August 10 2017:
- Just Kids:
When Misbehaving Is a Crime,
[Website] Vera Institute of Justice.
August, 2017.
"As policymakers and practitioners across the country look to reduce mass incarceration, status offenses demand attention as early and improper points of entry into the juvenile justice system, and potentially the criminal justice system more broadly."
Tuesday, August 8 2017:
- Juvenile Life Without Parole:
An Overview,
[Website] The Sentencing Project.
August, 2017.
"The United States stands alone as the only nation that sentences people to life without parole for crimes committed before turning 18. This briefing paper reviews the Supreme Court precedents that limited the use of JLWOP and the challenges that remain."
Monday, August 7 2017:
- Testing The Impact of Criminal Jury Instructions on Verdicts:
A Conceptual Replication,
[PDF] Columbia Law Review.
March, 2017.
"Mock jurors who were instructed “not to search for doubt” but instead “to search for the truth” convicted at a significantly higher rate than mock jurors who were properly instructed on reasonable doubt."
Friday, August 4 2017:
Tuesday, August 1 2017:
- Assessing the Impact of Georgia’s Sentencing Reforms
[PDF] Urban Institute.
July, 2017.
(This brief examines the impact of H.B. 1176 on commitments to prison, sentence lengths, and time served in the state of Georgia.)
- Summary of School Safety Statistics
[PDF] National Institute of Justice.
July, 2017.
"On the national level, crime at K-12 schools in the U.S., including violent crime, decreased from 1992 to 2013. Though violent crime against students increased from 2010 to 2013, the violent crime rate in 2013 was still lower than in 1992."
Thursday, July 27 2017:
- Freedom To Thrive:
Reimagining safety & security in our communities,
[PDF] The Center for Popular Democracy, Law for Black Lives, and the Black Youth Project 100.
June, 2017.
"This report examines racial disparities, policing landscapes, and budgets in twelve jurisdictions across the country, comparing the city and county spending priorities with those of community organizations and their members."
Wednesday, July 26 2017:
Monday, July 24 2017:
- The Prison Paradox:
More Incarceration Will Not Make Us Safer,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2017.
"The impact of incarceration on crime is limited and has been diminishing for several years. Increased incarceration has no effect on violent crime and may actually lead to higher crime rates when incarceration is concentrated in certain communities."
- Measuring Public Safety:
Responsibly Interpreting Statistics on Violent Crime,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2017.
"With a few exceptions that require targeted attention, violent crime rates are lower today than they have been at any point over the past four decades."
Tuesday, July 18 2017:
Monday, July 17 2017:
- Unequal & Unfair:
New Jersey’s War on Marijuana Users,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.
May, 2017.
"New Jersey is making more arrests for marijuana possession than ever before."
- Racial Disparities in Military Justice
[PDF] Protect Our Defenders.
May, 2017.
"For every year reported and across all service branches, black service members were substantially more likely than white service members to face military justice or disciplinary action."
- Travis County Jail in 2015:
Data points to racism and longer confinement of African Americans,
[PDF] Grassroots Leadership.
July, 2017.
"Booking data from the Travis County Jail in 2015 reveals signi cant and persistent discrepancies in the number of days spent in the County jail by people of color, particularly Blacks, as compared to Whites."
- Orange County Jails
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.
June, 2017.
"Failing to remedy poor conditions of confinement and hold deputies accountable for misconduct, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department has implicitly endangered the constitutional rights of incarcerated individuals."
- Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Use of Restrictive Housing
for Inmates with Mental Illness,
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice.
July, 2017.
"BOP Policies Do Not Adequately Address the Confinement of Inmates with Mental Illness in RHUs, and the BOP Does Not Sufficiently Track or Monitor Such Inmates"
Thursday, July 13 2017:
- Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009-2015 - Statistical Tables
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2017.
"In 2015, the rate of violent victimization against persons with disabilities (29.5 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older) was 2.5 times higher than the rate for persons without disabilities (11.8 per 1,000)."
- A Matter of Time:
The Causes and Consequences of Rising Time Served in America's Prisons,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
July, 2017.
(• A growing share of the U.S. prison population has been incarcerated for 10 or more years – and in at least 11 states the number of people in prison for a decade or longer has more than doubled since 2000.)
- False Hope:
How Parole Systems Fail Youth Serving Extreme Sentences,
[PDF] ACLU.
November, 2016.
"Parole boards today are both ill-equipped to provide mean- ingful individualized review and resistant to releasing people who, even if they were children at the time, committed a serious offense."
Monday, July 10 2017:
- Girlhood Interrupted:
The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood,
[PDF] Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality.
June, 2017.
(Adults view black girls as less innocent and more adult-like than their white peers, especially in the age range of 5-14)
Friday, July 7 2017:
- The Lack of a Relationship between Drug Imprisonment and Drug Problems
[PDF] The Pew Charitable Trusts.
June, 2017.
"There is no statistically significant relationship between state drug offender imprisonment rates and three measures of state drug problems: rates of illicit drug use, drug overdose deaths, and drug arrests."
- Racism & Felony Disenfranchisement:
An Intertwined History,
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
May, 2017.
"One in every 13 voting-age African Americans cannot vote, a disenfranchisement rate more than four times greater than that of all other Americans."
- A Federal Agenda to Reduce Mass Incarceration
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
May, 2017.
"Federal funding drives state policy, and helped create our current crisis of mass incarceration. And the federal government sets the national tone, which is critical to increasing public support and national momentum for change."
- Federal Justice Statistics, 2013-2014
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2017.
"At fiscal yearend 2014, about 400,000 offenders were under some form of federal correctional control."
- Public Opinion on Criminal Justice Reform in Massachusetts
[PDF] MassInc.
June, 2017.
(A new MassINC poll shows most people support reforms to both the front and back ends of the system to reduce repeat offending and refocus the system on prevention and rehabilitation.)
- Raise the Age:
17-Year-Olds in the Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] Texas Appleseed.
April, 2017.
"Texas is one of only seven states in which 17-year olds accused of committing crimes are automatically shuffled into the adult criminal justice system rather than the juvenile justice system, regardless of the crime."
Thursday, July 6 2017:
- Criminal Background Checks and Access to Jobs:
A Case Study of Washington, DC,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
June, 2017.
"Examining local regulations and DC’s labor market reveals that justice-involved people—whether formerly incarcerated or not—face significant challenges finding work in in the city."
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety:
2016,
[PDF] National Center for Education Statistics.
May, 2017.
(This annual report, a joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, presents data on crime and safety at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, and principals.)
- U.S. Prison Population Trends 1999-2015:
Modest Reductions with Significant Variation,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
May, 2017.
(While the majority of states have at least modestly reduced their prison populations in recent years, 16 states have achieved double-digit rates of decline and the federal system has downsized at almost twice the national rate.)
- Hate Crime Victimization, 2004-2015
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2017.
"In 2015, the rate of violent hate crime victimization was 0.7 hate crimes per 1,000 persons age 12 or older."
- Examining Racial Disparities in Criminal Case Outcomes
among Indigent Defendants in San Francisco,
[PDF] The Quattrone Center & The University of Pennsylvania Law School.
May, 2017.
"Our analysis revealed that Black, White and Latinx indigent defendants in San Francisco have substantially different experiences during the criminal adjudication process."
Wednesday, July 5 2017:
- Militarization and police violence:
The case of the 1033 program,
[PDF] Casey Delehanty, Gardner-Webb University.
2015.
"We find a positive and statistically significant relationship between 1033 transfers and fatalities from officer-involved shootings across all models."
- Bail Reform in California
[PDF] UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
May, 2017.
(This report examines California's system of commercial surety bail, recommending that it be replaced with risk assessment tools and non-bail release to improve predictive accuracy, race neutrality, and other outcomes such as fiscal impact.)
- The Devil in the Details:
Bail Bond Contracts in California,
[PDF] UCLA School of Law.
May, 2017.
"After analyzing the fine print in more than 100 contract documents online corresponding to 10 sureties, we identified 20 problems with bail bond contracts that violate common notions of fairness and justice."
Tuesday, June 27 2017:
- Criminal, Victim, or Worker?:
The Effects of New York's Human Trafficking Intervention Courts on Adults Charged with Prostitution-Related Offenses,
[PDF] Red Umbrella Project.
October, 2014.
(Decreasing the incarceration of people charged with prostitution is a good step forward, but as long as people who are in the sex trades are "rescued" through arrest, they will continue to be re-victimized by the police and the courts.)
Thursday, June 22 2017:
- Indicators of Mental Health Problems Reported by Prisoners & Jail Inmates:
2011-12,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2017.
"About 1 in 7 state and federal prisoners (14%) and 1 in 4 jail inmates (26%) reported experiences that met the threshold for serious psychological distress (SPD) in the 30 days prior to a survey that was conducted between February 2011 and May 2012."
Monday, June 19 2017:
- Unlocking solitary confinement:
Ending Extreme Isolation in Nevada State Prisons,
[PDF] The ACLU of Nevada, Solitary Watch, Nevada Disability Advocacy & Law Center.
February, 2017.
"In this report, we found that solitary confinement is, in fact, widely used in the state of Nevada, often for prolonged periods of time, and that many of the people held there are denied basic human needs like daily exercise and sufficient medical care."
- Geographic Variation in the Cumulative Risk of Imprisonment
and Parental Imprisonment in the United States,
[PDF] University of California & Cornell University.
2016.
(This article reports estimates of the cumulative risk of imprisonment and parental imprisonment for demographic groups in four regions and four states. Findings indicate that there is substantial racial inequality in levels of risk.)
Thursday, June 15 2017:
- Sense of self and responsibility:
a review of learning from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Prison Reform Fellowships – Part 5,
Institute for Criminal Policy Research, Birkbeck, University of London.
June, 2017.
"This report profiles interventions which encourage imprisoned people to develop a positive sense of self and a sense of responsibility for their own lives and towards others."
- Peer relations:
Review of learning from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Prison Reform Fellowships – Part 4,
Institute for Criminal Policy Research, Birkbeck, University of London.
June, 2017.
(This briefing examines the importance of positive peer relations for promoting desistance and providing moral and practical support to people in prison and on release.)
- Federal Prisons at a Crossroads
The Sentencing Project.
June, 2017.
"The number of people incarcerated in federal prisons has declined substantially in recent years. But recently enacted policy changes at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and certain Congressional proposals appear poised to reverse this progress."
Wednesday, June 14 2017:
- America's Toxic Prisons:
The Environmental Injustices of Mass Incarceration,
[Website] Earth Island Journal and Truthout.
June, 2017.
"The toxic impact of prisons extends far beyond any individual prison, or any specific region in the United States. Mass incarceration in the US impacts the health of prisoners, prison-adjacent communities, and local ecosystems from coast to coast."
- Back to Business:
How Hiring Formerly Incarcerated Job Seekers Benefits Your Company,
[PDF] The Trone Private Sector and Education Advisory Council to the American Civil Liberties Union.
June, 2017.
"Research by economists confirms that hiring people with records is simply smart business. Researchers have found that “employees with a criminal background are in fact a better pool for employers.”"
Tuesday, June 13 2017:
- Out of Sight:
The Growth of Jails in Rural America,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
June, 2017.
"America’s 3,283 local jails are the “front door” to mass incarceration, but for too long have grown outside of public view. Our latest analysis reveals an unexpected finding: there has been a dramatic shift in the geography of incarceration."
Friday, June 9 2017:
- Leading with Conviction:
The Transformative Role of Formerly Incarcerated Leaders in Reducing Mass Incarceration,
[PDF] Columbia Law School.
May, 2017.
"This report documents the roles of 48 formerly incarcerated leaders engaged in work related to reducing incarceration and rebuilding communities."
- Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses in County Jails:
A Survey of Jail Staff’s Perspectives,
[PDF] Public Citizen’s Health Research Group and The Treatment Advocacy Center.
July, 2016.
(This report uses data from 230 sheriff’s departments in 39 states to examine how correctional staffs understand and deal with inmates struggling with serious mental illnesses.)
- Forfeiting the American Dream:
How Civil Asset Forfeiture Exacerbates Hardship for Low-income Communities and Communities of Color,
[PDF] Center for American Progress.
April, 2016.
"The abuse of civil asset forfeiture falls hardest on those who are least able to weather the economic shock of losing a home, car, or financial resources—namely, low-income individuals and people of color."
- Pretrial Release in California
[PDF] Public Policy Institute of California.
May, 2015.
"This report uses newly available data to provide information about pretrial release in California and to give policymakers a better understanding of the defendants who tend to be released and the form of release they secure."
Wednesday, June 7 2017:
- Language from police body camera footage shows
racial disparities in officer respect,
[PDF] Stanford University.
June, 2017.
"Officers speak with consistently less respect toward black versus white community members, even after controlling for the race of the officer, the severity of the infraction, the location of the stop, and the outcome of the stop."
Monday, June 5 2017:
- Supervision in the Community:
Probation and Parole,
[PDF] Michelle S. Phelps and Caitlin Curry, University of Minnesota.
April, 2017.
"In the United States, the number of adults on probation and parole supervision increased from one million in 1980 to a peak of nearly 5.1 million in 2007, more than double the number of inmates in local, state, and federal jails and prisons."
Friday, June 2 2017:
- Drawing Blood from Stones:
Legal Debt and Social Inequality in the Contemporary United States,
[PDF] Alexes Harris, Heather Evans, and Katherine Beckett, University of Washington.
May, 2010.
"[F]indings suggest that monetary sanctions create long-term legal debt and significantly extend punishment's effects over time."
Thursday, June 1 2017:
- Using Time to Reduce Crime:
Federal Prisoner Survey Results Show Ways to Reduce Recidivism,
[PDF] Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
May, 2017.
"An estimated 45 percent of federal prisoners have mental health and behavioral problems...Two-thirds of prisoners who responded to our survey said they had not received mental or behavioral health counseling while in federal prison."
- Era of Mass Expansion:
Why State Officials Should Fight Jail Growth,
[Website] Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2017.
"In most states over the last three decades, the number of people in jails has outpaced population growth by 2, 3 or even 4 times. In 12 states, the jail population has grown more than 3 times faster than the general population."
- Evaluating the Role of Race in Criminal Justice Adjudications in Delaware
[PDF] John M. MacDonald and Ellen A. Donnelly, University of Pennsylvania.
September, 2016.
"African American-White disparities in incarceration sentences are largely explained by differences in most serious of arrest charge, type of arrest charge, detention between arrest and final disposition, and county location."
Friday, May 26 2017:
- The Price of Prisons:
Examining State Spending Trends, 2010-2015,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2017.
"Since 2010, 23 states have reduced the size of their prison populations. Vera’s research found that 13 of these states have saved considerably in taxpayer money — $1.6 billion — at the same time."
Friday, May 19 2017:
- Getting Tough on Spending:
An Examination of Correctional Expenditure in Massachusetts,
[PDF] MassINC and the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Coalition.
May, 2017.
"DOC [Department of Corrections] and county facilities combined, the state budget allocation per inmate rose 34 percent between FY 2011 and FY 2016. Over this period, education aid per student increased by only 11 percent."
- When did prisons become acceptable mental healthcare facilities?
[PDF] Stanford Law School Three Strikes Project.
May, 2017.
"While the overall state prison population has decreased dramatically, the number of prisoners with mental illness continues to climb and is expected grow in the years ahead."
Monday, May 15 2017:
- The Economic Burden of Incarceration in the U.S.
Institute for Advancing Justice Research and Innovation.
October, 2016.
"This study estimates the annual economic burden of incarceration in the United States [by including] important social costs...an aggregate burden of one trillion dollars."
- Selling Off Our Freedom:
How insurance corporations have taken over our bail system,
[PDF] Color of Change and the American Civil Liberties Union.
May, 2017.
"Fewer than 10 insurance companies are behind a significant majority of bonds issued by as many as 25,000 bail bond agents."
Thursday, May 4 2017:
- Capital Punishment, 2014-2015
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2017.
"Two states accounted for 80% of the executions [in 2016]: Georgia executed nine inmates, and Texas executed seven."
- Paying More for Being Poor:
Bias and Disparity in California's Traffic Court System,
[PDF] Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.
May, 2017.
"The available county-level data shows that African-American people in particular are four to sixteen times more likely to be booked on arrests related to failure to pay an infraction ticket."
Wednesday, May 3 2017:
- Still Life:
America's Increasing Use of Life and Long-Term Sentences,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
May, 2017.
"Nearly half (48.3%) of life and virtual life-sentenced individuals are African American, equal to one in five black prisoners overall. As of 2016, 1 in every 9 people in prison was serving a life sentence."
- Making Families Pay:
The Harmful, Unlawful, and Costly Practice of Charging Juvenile Administrative Fees in California,
[Website] Stephanie Campos-Bui, Jeffrey Selbin, Hamza Jaka, Tim Kline, Ahmed Lavalais, Alynia Phillips, Abby Ridley-Kerr, University of California Berkeley School of Law.
March, 2017.
"[W]e did not find a single county in which fee practices were both fair and cost-effective. Counties either improperly charge low-income families and net little revenue, or they fairly assess families’ inability to pay and net even less."
Monday, May 1 2017:
- Preventable Tragedies:
How to Reduce Mental-Health Related Deaths in Texas Jails,
[PDF] The University of Texas School of Law Civil Rights Clinic.
November, 2016.
"In Texas, state health officials estimate that 30 percent of jail inmates have one or more serious mental illnesses."
- To Protect and Serve:
Trends in State-Level Policing Reform, 2015-2016,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
April, 2017.
"Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Utah and Washington have enacted laws that either limit the use of certain types of force, such as chokeholds, or mandate or strengthen police training on the legal boundaries of justifiable force."
Friday, April 28 2017:
- Gender and Trauma, Somatic Interventions for Girls in Juvenile Justice:
Implications for Policy and Practice,
[PDF] Rebecca Epstein and Thalia González, Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality.
April, 2017.
"Trauma-informed, gender-responsive, and culturally competent somatic interventions can serve as a critical component of physical and mental health approaches for system-involved girls."
Wednesday, April 26 2017:
- Designed to Break You:
Human Rights Violations on Texas' Death Row,
[PDF] Human Rights Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law.
2015.
"Every individual on Texas’ death row thus spends approximately 23 hours a day in complete isolation for the entire duration of their sentence, which, on average, lasts more than a decade."
- The Voting Rights of Ex-Felons and Election Outcomes in the United States
[PDF] Tilman Klumpp, Hugo Mialon, Michael Williams.
March, 2017.
"The changes in felony disenfranchisement laws examined are evidence of a growing consensus that lifelong voting bans are not only ethically problematic, but also stand in the way of efforts to reduce recidivism."
Tuesday, April 25 2017:
- The steep cost of medical co-pays in prison puts health at risk
[Website] Wendy Sawyer, Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2017.
"In Michigan, it would take over a week to earn enough for a single $5 co-pay, making it the free world equivalent of over $300. In 13 states co-pays are equivalent to charging minimum wage workers more than $200."
- How much do incarcerated people earn in each state?
[Website] Wendy Sawyer, Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2017.
"[P]risons appear to be paying incarcerated people less today than they were in 2001. The average of the minimum daily wages paid to incarcerated workers for non-industry prison jobs is now 87 cents, down from 93 cents reported in 2001."
- Lethally Deficient:
Direct Appeals in Texas Death Penalty Cases,
[PDF] Texas Defender Service.
2016.
"Review by the U.S. Supreme Court was not sought in 34.6% of the cases surveyed, meaning that defense lawyers waived the first opportunity for federal review in more than a third of Texas death penalty cases decided on direct appeal between 2009 and 2015."
- Locked Up and Locked Down:
Segregation of Inmates with Mental Illness,
[PDF] Anna Guy, Amplifying Voices of Inmates with Disabilities Prison Project.
September, 2016.
"[Protection and Advocacy Agencies] have received countless reports of abuse and neglect of inmates in segregation, including prolonged isolation, deplorable conditions, inadequate care, increased self-harm and suicide attempts, and even death."
- “If They Hand You a Paper, You Sign It“:
A Call to End the Sterilization of Women in Prison,
[PDF] Rachel Roth and Sara L. Ainsworth, Hastings Women's Law Journal.
January, 2015.
"[A] number of states allow the sterilization of incarcerated women—flouting important policy norms—and that medical providers and their professional organizations play key roles in sanctioning and carrying out these procedures."
- Obstructing Justice:
Prisons as Barriers to Medical Care for Pregnant Women,
[PDF] Rachel Roth, UCLA Women's Law Journal.
August, 2010.
"Jail and prison staff appear unprepared for pregnancy-related emergencies, and their dismissive attitudes toward pregnant women who say they need medical attention only increase the likelihood of delaying and denying care."
Wednesday, April 19 2017:
- A Wealth of Inequalities:
Mass Incarceration, Employment, and Racial Disparities in U.S. Household Wealth, 1996 to 2011,
[PDF] Bryan L. Sykes, University of Washington and Michelle Maroto, University of Alberta.
October, 2016.
"[A] non-Hispanic white household with an institutionalized member would actually hold more in assets than an otherwise similar black or Hispanic household without an institutionalized member."
- The Dose-Response of Time Served in Prison on Mortality:
New York State, 1989-2003,
[Website] Evelyn J. Patterson, University of Vanderbilt.
March, 2013.
"After controlling for a variety of demographic and offense-related factors...each year in prison increased the odds of death by 15.6% in this 1989 to 1993 parole cohort...an increased odds of death of 78% for somebody who spent 5 years in prison."
- “She Doesn’t Deserve to be Treated Like This”:
Prisons as Sites of Reproductive Injustice,
[PDF] Rachel Roth, Center for Women Policy Studies.
July, 2012.
"[T]he well-established nature of women’s rights has not stopped prison and jail personnel from trying to deny women abortion care, or at least obstruct women’s access to abortion."
Tuesday, April 18 2017:
Thursday, April 13 2017:
- Bullies in Blue:
Origins and Consequences of School Policing,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union.
April, 2017.
"[A]t at its origins, school policing enforced social control over Black and Latino youth who could no longer be kept out of neighborhoods and schools through explicitly discriminatory laws."
Tuesday, March 21 2017:
- Breaking Down the Walls:
Lessons Learned From Successful State Campaigns to Close Youth Prisons,
[PDF] Youth First Initiative.
March, 2017.
"No state has completely dismantled the youth prison model that has been the signature feature of juvenile justice since the early 1800s. Yet, successful campaigns have resulted in the closure of dozens of youth prisons in all regions of the country."
Friday, March 17 2017:
- Women Injustice:
Gender and the Pathway to Jail in New York City,
[PDF] John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Prisoner Reentry Institute.
2015.
"Only 12% to 15% of the average daily population of women at Rikers have been sentenced to jail, as most are detained on pending cases."
Thursday, March 16 2017:
- Prison: Evidence of its use and over-use from around the world
[PDF] Institute for Criminal Policy Research.
March, 2017.
"Whether you would end up in prison is also affected by who you are. For example, Roma people make up around 40% of Hungary’s prison population, despite representing only 6% of the national population."
- Ohio's Statehouse-to-Prison Pipeline:
131st General Assembly (2015-2016),
[PDF] ACLU of Ohio.
March, 2017.
"These laws often use incarceration to address public health issues like addiction, mental health, and poverty, which only serves to exacerbate those problems."
(The ACLU of Ohio reviewed all 1,004 bills introduced during the 2015-2016 legislative session and found nearly one in 10 included language to lock more people up longer.)
Monday, March 13 2017:
- How Do People in High-Crime, Low-Income Communities View the Police?
[PDF] Urban Institute.
February, 2017.
"27.8% of respondents agreed/strongly agreed that police almost always behave according to the law. Approximately one-third agreed or strongly agreed that police stand up for values that are important to them and often arrest people for no good reason."
Wednesday, March 8 2017:
- Multi-Site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering
[PDF] Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
March, 2016.
"Fathers with younger children rated their parental warmth and their relationship quality with their children more highly than did fathers of older children, and they also engaged in more activities with their children."
- Driving While Black:
A Report on Racial Profiling in Metro Nashville Police Department Traffic Stops,
[PDF] Gideon's Army.
October, 2016.
"Between 2011-2015, MNPD (Metro Nashville Police Department) stopped an average of 1,122 per 1,000 black drivers: more black drivers than were living in Davidson County."
- Exonerations in 2016:
The National Registry of Exonerations,
[PDF] The National Registry of Exonerations, University of Michigan Law School.
March, 2017.
"A record 94 exonerations in 2016 were cases in which no crime actually occurred."
- Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States
National Registry of Exonerations, University of Michigan Law School.
March, 2017.
"Innocent black murder suspects, especially those who are falsely convicted...are additional victims of murders committed by others. Those who have been exonerated spent on average more than 14 years in prison before they were released."
- Raising The Age:
Shifting to a Safer and More Effective Juvenile Justice System [Executive Summary],
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
March, 2017.
"Over the past ten years, half of the states that had previously excluded all 16- and/or 17-year-olds from juvenile court based solely on their age have changed their laws."
Tuesday, March 7 2017:
- Accounting for Violence:
How to Increase Safety and Break Our Failed Reliance on Mass Incarceration,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2017.
"[J]ust as it would be wrong to excuse people’s actions simply because they were previously victimized, it is also wrong to ignore someone’s victimization because the person previously broke a law or committed harm in the past."
- A New Normal:
Helping the Criminal Justice System Address Opioid Overdoses,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2017.
"[O]ver the last decade communities and public officials have increasingly called for an approach to drug use that employs harm reduction principles, making the issue a public health concern rather than one to be managed by the criminal justice system."
Friday, March 3 2017:
- World Pre-trial/Remand Imprisonment List:
Third Edition,
[PDF] Institute for Criminal Policy Research.
2015.
"Close to three million [people are] held in pre-trial detention and other forms of remand imprisonment throughout the world."
Thursday, March 2 2017:
- Connecticut Employer Survey Practices and Attitudes:
The Hiring of Formerly-Incarcerated Persons and Recommendations for Driving Better Outcomes,
[PDF] Malta Justice Initiative Inc..
December, 2016.
"4 in 10 respondents have no experience in hiring ex-offenders and a quarter say their company has a policy against it. Very few (3%) are actively hiring individuals with a criminal record."
Wednesday, March 1 2017:
- Voting Rights of Former Felons
ACLU of Nebraska.
June, 2016.
"Disturbingly, a decade after our ex-felon voting rights law was adopted, only half of all counties provided correct and accurate information."
- Felony Disenfranchisement in the Commonwealth of Kentucky
[PDF] League of Women Voters of Kentucky.
February, 2017.
"[O]ne of every four African American adults in Kentucky cannot vote. This rate (26.2%) is more than triple the national African American disenfranchisement rate (7.44%)."
Tuesday, February 28 2017:
- Neither here nor there:
Incarceration and family instability,
[PDF] Kristin Turney, University of California, Irvine.
January, 2014.
"[F]indings suggest that, regardless of level of relationship commitment, maintaining relationships while one partner is behind bars is difficult."
Wednesday, February 8 2017:
- Following the Money of Mass Incarceration
[Website] Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2017.
"In this first-of-its-kind report, we find that the system of mass incarceration costs the government and families of justice-involved people at least $182 billion every year."
- Punishing Poverty:
The high cost of probation fees in Massachusetts,
[Website] Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2016.
"Despite evidence that many probationers come from the poorest areas of the state, and the court's ability to waive probation fees, the state manages to collect $20 million per year in fees."
- Reinstating Common Sense:
How driver's license suspensions for drug offenses unrelated to driving are falling out of favor,
[Website] Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2016.
"Our criminal justice system should not set people up to fail. Yet that is exactly what mandatory driver's license suspensions do: they introduce new legal, economic, and social barriers for people who are in the midst of reentry."
Monday, February 6 2017:
- Sentencing Outcomes in U.S. District Courts:
Can Offenders’ Educational Attainment Guard Against Prevalent Criminal Stereotypes?,
[PDF] Travis W. Franklin, Sam Houston State University.
February, 2017.
"[C]ourt actors may be less concerned (or not at all concerned) with factors typically linked to perceptions of dangerousness (e.g., race, ethnicity, age, sex, detention status) when dealing with offenders of higher educational status."
Thursday, February 2 2017:
- Mass incarceration and children’s outcomes:
Criminal Justice Policy is Education Policy,
[PDF] Economic Policy Institute.
December, 2016.
"It is more common for children of incarcerated parents to drop out of school than it is for children of nonincarcerated parents, controlling for race, IQ, home quality, poverty status, and mother’s education."
Tuesday, January 31 2017:
- Delaying a Second Chance:
The Declining Prospects for Parole on Life Sentences,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
January, 2017.
"By placing upward pressure on prison sentences for people with less serious convictions, excessive prison terms for lifers have contributed to a major cause of mass incarceration."
Thursday, January 26 2017:
- Building Trust and Legitimacy Within Community Corrections
[PDF] Harvard Kennedy School Program in Criminal Justice.
December, 2016.
"A shift from incarceration to community corrections could present numerous opportunities for reform of the criminal justice system as well as significant challenges."
- Shackled to Debt:
Criminal Justice Financial Obligations and the Barriers to Re-entry They Create,
[PDF] Harvard Kennedy School Program in Criminal Justice.
January, 2017.
"[T]his form of sanction can, if left unchecked, have long-term effects that significantly harm the efforts of formerly incarcerated people to rehabilitate and reintegrate..."
- Community-Based Responses to Justice-Involved Young Adults
[PDF] Harvard Kennedy School Program in Criminal Justice.
September, 2015.
"[T]oday’s neurobiological and developmental research suggests that young people ages 18-24 are more developmentally akin to juveniles than fully mature adults."
Monday, January 23 2017:
- Pretrial Justice:
How Much Does It Cost,
[Website] Pretrial Justice Institute.
January, 2017.
"The evidence shows that current pretrial practices--especially those that use money bail and over-use jail beds for lower risk people--are needlessly expensive and doesn't produce positive results."
Tuesday, January 17 2017:
- Declining Drug Enforcement After Proposition 47
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
January, 2017.
"The county data suggests [that] Proposition 47 reduced inconsistencies in the classification of drug possession offenses as felonies or misdemeanors."
Friday, January 13 2017:
- The Death Penalty in Five Florida Counties:
Disproportionately Used Against Persons with Significant Mental Impairments,
[Website] Fair Punishment Project.
January, 2017.
"These findings have raised a legitimate question as to whether Florida's capital punishment scheme-even one with a unanimous jury requirement- is capable of limiting application of the death penalty to the most culpable offenders."
- One Year Later:
Race Relations and the Emanuel 9 Shooting,
[PDF] University of South Carolina Institute for Public Service and Policy Research.
June, 2016.
"Among blacks, 30.9% favored the death penalty, while 64.7% believed he should receive life without parole; among whites, 64.2% supported the death penalty if found guilty in this case and 29.7% felt he should be given life without parole."
- Severe Mental Illness and the Death Penalty
[PDF] American Bar Association.
December, 2016.
"...[N]one of the current legal mechanisms afford adequate protection against the death penalty to those diagnosed with serious mental disorders or disabilities."
Thursday, January 12 2017:
- Caged In:
Solitary Confinement's Devastating Harm on Prisoners with Physical Disabilities,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union.
January, 2017.
"In Florida, only 44 of 792 grievances by prisoners with disabilities were resolved from 2013 to 2015."
- Behind the Badge:
How Police View Their Jobs, Key Issues, and Recent Fatal Encounters Between Blacks and Police,
[PDF] Pew Research Center.
January, 2017.
"27% of all white officers but 69% of their black colleagues say the protests that followed fatal encounters between police and black citizens have been motivated at least to some extent by a genuine desire to hold police accountable."
Thursday, January 5 2017:
- Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009-2014
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2016.
"40% of violence against persons with disabilities was committed by persons the victim knew well or who were casual acquaintances."
- Florida:
An Outlier in Denying Voting Rights,
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
December, 2016.
"With roots tracing back to Reconstruction and the Jim Crow period, racial discrimination has stifled the right to vote in Florida for hundreds of years."
Wednesday, December 14 2016:
- Repurposing:
New Beginnings for Closed Prisons,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
December, 2016.
"Since 2011, at least 22 states have closed or announced closures for 92 state prisons and juvenile facilities, resulting in the elimination of over 48,000 state prison beds and an estimated cost savings of over $333 million."
- Helping Moms, Dads, & Kids To Come Home:
Eliminating Barriers to Housing for People with Criminal Records,
[Website] Legal Action Center.
December, 2016.
"America’s “revolving-door” approach to mass incarceration is inextricably linked to the problem of homelessness."
- Beyond Bars:
Keeping Young People Safe at Home and Out of Youth Prisons,
[PDF] The National Collaboration for Youth.
December, 2016.
"The youth prison is the signature feature of nearly every state juvenile justice system even though it is harmful, ineffective and expensive."
- Stemming The Rising Tide:
Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Youth Incarceration & Strategies for Change,
[PDF] W. Haywood Burns Institute.
May, 2016.
"Youth are being incarcerated for longer periods of time, with Black and Latino youth having the longest stays out of home."
Tuesday, December 13 2016:
Monday, December 12 2016:
- Health and Prisoner Reentry:
How Physical, Mental, and Substance Abuse Conditions Shape the Process of Reintegration,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
February, 2008.
"Nearly all returning prisoners—8 in 10 men and 9 in 10 women—had chronic health conditions requiring treatment or management."
- How Many Americans Are Unnecessarily Incarcerated?
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
December, 2016.
"Nearly 40 percent of the U.S. prison population — 576,000 people — are behind bars with no compelling public safety reason."
- Beyond Second Chances:
Returning Citizens' Re-Entry Struggles and Successes In The District of Columbia,
[PDF] Council for Court Excellence.
December, 2016.
"The population of D.C. Code offenders is starkly homogeneous. Although slightly fewer than half of all D.C. residents are black, more than 96 percent of D.C. Code offenders incarcerated at BOP facilities are black."
- How Tough on Crime Became Tough on Kids:
Prosecuting Teenage Drug Charges in Adult Courts,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
December, 2016.
"The ability of states to send teenagers into the adult system on nonviolent offenses, a relic of the war on drugs, threatens the futures of those teenagers who are arrested on drug charges, regardless of whether or not they are convicted."
Tuesday, December 6 2016:
- Aiming to Reduce Time-In-Cell:
Reports from Correctional Systems on the Numbers of Prisoners in Restricted Housing,
[PDF] The Arthur Liman Public Interest Program at Yale Law School and the Association of State Correctional Administrators.
November, 2016.
"[T]he new 2016 Report found that 67,442 prisoners were held, in the fall of 2015, in prison cells for 22 hours or more for 15 continuous days or more."
Thursday, November 17 2016:
- Highlights from the U.S. PIAAC Survey of Incarcerated Adults:
Their Skills, Work Experience, Education, and Training,
[PDF] National Center for Education Statistics.
November, 2016.
"Around two-thirds of the survey’s respondents reported that they were working prior to their incarceration: about half of them were employed full-time, with another 16 percent working part-time."
Monday, November 14 2016:
- The Geography of Incarceration:
[PDF] Boston Indicators Project, MassINC, and the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Coalition.
November, 2016.
"Many people of color live in Boston neighborhoods with such highly concentrated rates of incarceration that nearly every street—in some cases every other building— contains a resident who has been incarcerated."
Tuesday, November 1 2016:
- Ban The Box In Employment:
A Grassroots History,
[PDF] All Of Us or None (Legal Services for Prisoners With Children).
October, 2016.
"Today, between all of the states and localities that have Ban the Box, over 185 million Americans now live in areas that have adopted fair chance hiring policies."
- Violent Crime Arrests of Youth in California:
Expected to Decline Through 2020,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
October, 2016.
"Based on the declining rates of youth arrest over the last several decades, California can expected continued decline and historically low rates of violent felony arrest of youth through 2020."
- The Prosecution of Youth As Adults in California:
A 2015 Update,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, National Center for Youth Law, W. Haywood Burns Institute.
2015.
"The race and location of youth—rather than the seriousness of the offense—impacted the likelihood they were direct filed in adult criminal court and subjected to the adult system."
Friday, October 28 2016:
- Governments' Management of Private Prisons:
[PDF] Abt Associates.
September, 2003.
"This report examines state and federal governments’ practices of contracting with private firms to manage prisons, including prisons owned by state and federal governments and those owned by private firms."
Thursday, October 27 2016:
- Correcting Food Policy in Washington Prisons:
How the DOC Makes Healthy Food Choices Impossible for Incarcerated People & What Can Be Done,
Prison Voice Washington.
October, 2016.
"When the Department of Corrections turned over responsibility for food services to Correctional Industries (CI)...it substituted 95% industrialized, plastic-wrapped, sugar-filled "food products" for locally prepared healthy food."
- Moving Beyond Money:
A Primer on Bail Reform,
[PDF] Criminal Justice Policy Program, Harvard Law School.
October, 2016.
"When pretrial detention depends on whether someone can afford to pay a cash bond, two otherwise similar pretrial defendants will face vastly different outcomes based merely on their wealth."
Monday, October 24 2016:
- Responsible Prison Project:
Reshaping The Texas Prison System for Greater Public Safety,
[Website] Aaron Flaherty, David Graham, Michael Smith, William D Jones, and Vondre Cash.
October, 2016.
"It has often been said that those who are closest to a problem are closest to its solution. That is no less true for those who are in prison."
- The Future of Youth Justice:
A Community-Based Alternative to the Youth Prison Model,
[PDF] Patrick McCarthy, Vincent Schiraldi, and Miriam Shark.
October, 2016.
"Closing these failed institutions requires a clear-headed, common-sense, bipartisan policy approach, and a commitment to replace these facilities with effective alternatives that are already available."
Wednesday, October 19 2016:
- Buying Influence:
How Private Prison Companies Expand Their Control of America’s Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] In The Public Interest.
October, 2016.
"In 2014, out of the 30 governors, lieutenant governors, controllers, attorney generals, and legislators that received individual contributions of $5,000 or greater from the corrections industry, 27 won their races."
Tuesday, October 18 2016:
- Use of Electronic Offender-Tracking Devices Expands Sharply
[PDF] The Pew Charitable Trusts.
September, 2016.
"In 2015, manufacturers reported that about 88,000 GPS units were being used for supervision of accused and convicted offenders, a thirtyfold increase from the roughly 2,900 reported a decade earlier."
Thursday, October 13 2016:
- Every 25 Seconds:
The Human Toll of Criminalizing Drug Use in the United States,
Human Rights Watch and the ACLU.
October, 2016.
"More than one of every nine arrests by state law enforcement is for drug possession, amounting to more than 1.25 million arrests each year."
Wednesday, October 12 2016:
- 2010 Inmate Releases:
Three Year Post Release Follow-up,
[PDF] State of New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
June, 2014.
"43% of the offenders released by the Parole Board during 2010 were returned for rule violations within three years and 8% returned for new felonies."
Tuesday, October 11 2016:
- We are not disposable:
The Toxic Impacts of Prisons and Jails,
[PDF] Californians United for a Responsible Budget.
October, 2016.
"Pollution and environmental degradation created by prisons and jails exacerbate public health risks for not only incarcerated people but also for the local communities where detention facilities are sited."
- Crime in 2016: A Preliminary Analysis
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
September, 2016.
"The data analyzed for this report suggest that most Americans will continue to experience low rates of crime."
- 6 Million Lost Voters:
State-Level Estimates of Felony Disenfranchisement, 2016,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
October, 2016.
"Approximately 2.5 percent of the total U.S. voting age population – 1 of every 40 adults – is disenfranchised due to a current or previous felony conviction."
- Defendant Remorse, Need for Affect, and Juror Sentencing Decisions
[Website] Emily Corwin, Louisiana State Univeristy; Professor Robert Cramer, Sam Houston State University; Desiree Griffin, Southern Virginia Mental Health Institute; Professor Stanley Brodsky, University of Alabama.
2015.
"Incongruent verbal and nonverbal behavior, as well as mock juror willingness to approach emotional situations (i.e., high need for affect resulted in more lenient sentences for defendants."
Monday, October 3 2016:
- Demilitarizing America's Police:
A Constitutional Analysis,
[PDF] The Constitution Project.
August, 2016.
"The use of military equipment and tactics by law enforcement has clear--and serious--constitutional implications."
- Righting Wrongs:
The Five-Year Groundswell of State Bans on Life Without Parole For Children,
[PDF] The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.
September, 2016.
"In just five years--from 2011 to 2016--the number of states that ban death-in-prison sentences for children has more than tripled."
Friday, September 30 2016:
- Police Violence and Citizen Crime Reporting in the Black Community
[PDF] Professor Matthew Desmond, Harvard University; Professor Andrew Papachristos, Yale University; Professor David Kirk, University of Oxford.
September, 2016.
"This study shows that publicized cases of police violence against unarmed black men have a clear and significant impact on citizen crime reporting."
Wednesday, September 21 2016:
- Juvenile Life Without Parole in Wayne County:
Time to Join the National Consensus,
[PDF] Fair Punishment Project.
July, 2016.
"Wayne County makes up only 18% of the state's population, yet it accounts for at least 40% of the individuals serving these [juvenile life without parole] sentences in Michigan."
Friday, September 9 2016:
- Right to Counsel in Utah:
An Assessment of Trial-Level Indigent Defense Services,
Sixth Amendment Center.
October, 2015.
"Utah’s trial courts do not uniformly provide counsel to indigent defendants at all critical stages of criminal cases as required by the U.S. Supreme Court[.]"
Wednesday, September 7 2016:
Friday, September 2 2016:
- Charging the Poor:
Criminal Justice Debt & Modern-Day Debtors' Prisons,
Texas A&M University - School of Law.
December, 2015.
"[M]y Article proposes eliminating egregious sanctions, providing courts flexibility to base fines on earning levels, and establishing procedures to enforce restrictions against incarcerating those who are truly unable to pay their criminal justice debt."
- Transforming Prisons, Restoring Lives:
Final Recommendations of the Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections,
Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections.
January, 2016.
"Sentencing reform and other policy changes will reduce our reliance on prison and cut costs as we reconsider which people truly need to be behind bars and for how long."
- Debtors' Prison for Kids?
The High Cost of Fines and Fees in the Juvenile Justice System,
Juvenile Law Center.
August, 2015.
"Youth who can’t pay for alternative programs may enter the juvenile justice system when a wealthier peer would not."
Friday, August 26 2016:
- Profit-Driven Prosecution and the Competitive Bidding Process
J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University.
August, 2016.
"This Article sheds light on the problems caused by introducing an overtly economic calculation (how cheaply and how profitably the prosecutorial function may be fulfilled) into the criminal adjudicative process."
- The Downstream Consequences of Misdemeanor Pretrial Detention
University of Pennsylvania Law School.
July, 2016.
"We find that detained defendants are 25% more likely than similarly situated releasees to plead guilty, 43% more likely to be sentenced to jail, and receive jail sentences that are more than twice as long on average."
- Distortion of Justice:
How the Inability to Pay Bail Affects Case Outcomes,
University of Pennsylvania Law School.
May, 2016.
"While previous research has shown correlations between pretrial detention and unfavorable case outcomes, this paper is the first to use a quasi-experimental research design to show that the relationship is causal."
- Community Cages:
Profitizing community corrections and alternatives to incarceration,
American Friends Service Committee.
August, 2016.
"The profitization of community corrections poses a serious threat to the movement to end mass incarceration."
Tuesday, August 23 2016:
- Defining Violence:
Reducing Incarceration and Rethinking America's Approach to Violence,
Justice Policy Institute.
August, 2016.
"[This report] explores how something is defined as a violent or nonviolent crime, how that classification affects how the justice system treats a person, and how all that relates to the use of incarceration."
Monday, August 22 2016:
- Local Justice Reinvestment:
Strategies, Outcomes, and Keys to Success,
Urban Institute.
August, 2016.
"Over the past six years, 17 local jurisdictions across the country have worked diligently to implement [Justice Reinvestment Initiative], and it appears these efforts have generally paid off."
- Unjust:
How the broken criminal justice system fails LGBT people of color,
Center for American Progress, Movement Advancement Project...
August, 2016.
"This report focuses on LGBT people of color and their interactions with the criminal justice system."
Thursday, August 18 2016:
- Roadblock to Economic Independence:
How Driver's License Suspension Policies in Indiana Impede Self-Sufficiency, Burden State Government...,
Health and Human Rights Clinic, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
February, 2016.
"Beside the cost to individuals, driver’s license suspensions significantly impact employers, government resources, and public safety."
- Overlooked:
Women and Jails in an Era of Reform,
Vera Institute of Justice.
August, 2016.
"At this critical moment in jail and local justice system reform, Vera has taken stock of the existing research on women in jail to begin to reframe the conversation to include them."
Wednesday, August 17 2016:
- A New Era for Expungement Law Reform?
Recent Developments at the State and Federal Levels,
Temple University, Beasley School of Law.
August, 2016.
"This article evaluates the recent flurry of state-level legislation relating to expungement remedies for publicly available criminal record information, including both conviction and arrest records."
Tuesday, August 16 2016:
Friday, August 12 2016:
- Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Monitoring of Contract Prisons
U.S. Department of Justice.
August, 2016.
"We found that, in most key areas, contract prisons incurred more safety and security incidents per capita than comparable BOP institutions and that the BOP needs to improve how it monitors contract prisons in several areas."
- Racial Profiling in Hiring:
A Critique of New,
National Employment Law Project.
August, 2016.
"Ban-the-box is working, both by increasing employment opportunities for people with records and by changing employer attitudes toward hiring people with records."
Wednesday, August 10 2016:
- Investigation of the Baltimore City Police Department
U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
August, 2016.
"[T]he Department of Justice concludes that there is reasonable cause to believe that BPD engages in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Constitution or federal law."
Tuesday, August 9 2016:
- New Orleans:
Who's in Jail and Why?,
Vera Institute of Justice.
August, 2016.
"This report aims to advance an important public conversation about how we are using our jail and how it impacts safety in our city."
- Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses in County Jails:
A Survey of Jail Staff’s Perspectives,
Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, The Treatment Advocacy Center.
July, 2016.
"The purpose of our survey was to understand the perspectives of county jail sheriffs, deputies, and other staff with respect to individuals with serious mental illnesses in jails."
- Justifiable Homicides by Law Enforcement Officers:
What is the Role of Mental Illness?,
Treatment Advocacy Center, National Sheriff's Association.
September, 2013.
"The transfer of responsibility for persons with mental illness from mental health professionals to law enforcement officers has brought with it major problems for the latter."
- Crime Survivors Speak:
The First-Ever National Survey of Victims' Views on Safety and Justice,
Alliance for Safety and Justice.
August, 2016.
"Perhaps to the surprise of some, victims overwhelmingly prefer criminal justice approaches that prioritize rehabilitation over punishment and strongly prefer investments in crime prevention and treatment to more spending on prisons and jails."
Wednesday, August 3 2016:
- Police Body Worn Cameras:
A Policy Scorecard,
The Leadership Conference, Upturn.
August, 2015.
"This scorecard evaluates the body-worn camera policies currently in place in major police departments across the country."
Monday, August 1 2016:
- Global burden of HIV, viral hepatitis, and tuberculosis
in prisoners and detainees,
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.
July, 2016.
"The most effective way of controlling these infections in prisoners and the broader community is to reduce the incarceration of people who inject drugs."
- Report to the Congress:
Career Offender Sentencing Enhancements,
United States Sentencing Commission.
August, 2016.
"The career offender directive should be amended to differentiate between career offenders with different types of criminal records, and is best focused on those offenders who have committed at least one 'crime of violence.'"
- National Survey of Prison Health Care:
Selected Findings,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
July, 2016.
"This report presents selected findings on the provision of health care services in U.S. state prisons."
Friday, July 22 2016:
- Is Justice Really Blind?
Race and Reversal in US Courts,
Journal of Legal Studies.
July, 2016.
"[B]lack federal judges are consistently overturned on appeal more often than similar white judges."
Thursday, July 21 2016:
- Disabled Behind Bars:
The Mass Incarceration of People With Disabilities in America's Jails and Prisons,
Center for American Progress.
July, 2016.
"This report highlights steps policymakers can take to combat inappropriate and unjust incarceration and criminalization of people with disabilities, as well as steps to ensure appropriate and humane treatment of people with disabilities[.]"
- The Science of Justice:
Race, Arrests, and Police Use of Force,
Center for Policing Equity.
July, 2016.
"[T]he analyses of 12 law enforcement departments from geographically and demographically diverse locations revealed that racial disparities in police use of force persist even when controlling for racial distribution of local arrest rates."
Wednesday, July 20 2016:
- Making the Grade:
Developing Quality Postsecondary Education Programs in Prison,
Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2016.
"[T]his report compiles lessons from the field, offering implementation guidance to programs seeking to develop, expand, or enhance postsecondary educational programming in corrections settings."
Monday, July 18 2016:
- Making Hard Time Harder:
Programmatic Accommodations for Inmates with Disabilities Under the Americans with Disabilities Act,
AVID Prison Project.
July, 2016.
"This report...aims to highlight the difficulties that inmates with disabilities face as they seek to access programs and services in state prison systems."
- Indefensible:
A Decade of Mass Incarceration of Migrants Prosecuted for Crossing the Border,
Grassroots Leadership, Justice Strategies.
July, 2016.
"The criminal prosecution of migrants crossing our southern border has had profound impacts on the federal courts and federal prisons over the last decade."
Monday, July 11 2016:
Tuesday, July 5 2016:
- Justice by Geography:
Do politics influence the prosecution of youth as adults?,
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
June, 2016.
"Granting prosecutors the sole discretion to determine whether a youth is tried in adult court contributes to a system of extreme disparities."
- The Prosecution of Youth as Adults:
A county-level analysis of prosecutorial direct file in California and its disparate impact on youth of color,
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, W. Haywood Burn's Institute, National Center for Youth Law.
June, 2016.
"This report...presents county rates of direct file compared to the youth population and rates of youth arrests, and highlights racial and ethnic disparities."
Thursday, June 30 2016:
- Overview of Federal Criminal Cases:
Fiscal Year 2015,
United States Sentencing Commission.
June, 2016.
"The 71,003 individual original cases reported to the Commission in fiscal year 2015 represent a decrease of 4,833 (6.4%) cases from fiscal year 2014."
- America's Top Five Deadliest Prosecutors:
How Overzealous Personalities Drive the Death Penalty,
The Fair Punishment Project.
June, 2016.
"There are more than 3,100 counties, 2,400 head prosecutors, and thousands of line prosecutors in America -- yet only a tiny handful of prosecutors are responsible for a vastly disproportionate number of death sentences."
Monday, June 27 2016:
- The Gavel Gap:
Who Sits in Judgment on State Courts?,
American Constitution Society for Law and Policy.
June, 2016.
"We find that courts are not representative of the people whom they serve -- that is, a gap exists between the bench and the citizens."
Friday, June 24 2016:
- Raising Cain:
The Role of Serious Mental Illness in Family Homicides,
Treatment Advocacy Center.
June, 2016.
"[T]his is the first study of the role of serious mental illness in all family homicides."
- Police Integrity Lost:
A Study of Law Enforcement Officers Arrested,
U.S. Department of Justice.
April, 2016.
"This study is a quantitative content analysis of archived news articles and court records reporting on the arrest(s) of law enforcement officers in the United States from 2005-2011."
Wednesday, June 22 2016:
- Isolated in Essex:
Punishing immigrants through solitary confinement,
New Jersey Advocates for Immigrant Detainees, American Friends Service Committee, and New York University School of Law Immigrants Rights Clinic.
June, 2016.
"This report completes the picture by presenting an analysis of previously unavailable data regarding the use of disciplinary solitary confinement ("disciplinary segregation") against immigrant detainees in Essex County Correctional Facility[.]"
- Recidivism of Offenders Placed on Federal Community Supervision in 2005:
Patterns from 2005 to 2010,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2016.
"Overall, 35% of these offenders were arrested within 3 years and 43% were arrested within 5 years of placement on community supervision."
Monday, June 20 2016:
- Ban the Box, Criminal Records, and Statistical Discrimination:
A Field Experiment,
Amanda Agan and Sonja Starr.
June, 2016.
"Our results confirm that criminal records are a major barrier to employment, but they also support the concern that BTB policies encourage statistical discrimination on the basis of race."
Thursday, June 16 2016:
- States of Incarceration:
The Global Context 2016,
Prison Policy Initiative.
2016.
"[P]lacing each state in a global context reveals that incarceration policy in every region of this country is out of step with the rest of the world."
Tuesday, June 14 2016:
- Marijuana Legalization in Colorado:
Early Findings,
Colorado Department of Public Safety.
March, 2016.
"The total number of marijuana arrests decreased by 46% between 2012 and 2014, from 12,894 to 7,004."
Friday, June 10 2016:
- Update: Changes in State Imprisonment
Brennan Center for Justice.
June, 2016.
"[This fact sheet] analyzes data from all 50 states on imprisonment and crime from 2006 (as bipartisan criminal justice reforms generally began around 2007) through 2014 (the most recent year of data)."
- The Color of Justice:
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in State Prisons,
The Sentencing Project.
June, 2016.
"This report documents the rates of incarceration for whites, African Americans, and Hispanics, providing racial and ethnic composition as well as rates of disparity for each state."
Monday, June 6 2016:
Thursday, June 2 2016:
- Correctional Control:
Incarceration and supervision by state,
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2016.
"For the first time, this report aggregates data on all of the kinds of correctional control: federal prisons, state prisons, local jails, juvenile incarceration, civil commitment, Indian Country jails, parole and, lastly but importantly, probation."
Wednesday, June 1 2016:
- Increases in police use of force in the presence of body-worn cameras
are driven by officer discretion: a protocol-based subgroup analysis of ten randomized experiments,
Journal of Experimental Criminology.
May, 2017.
"The core of the analysis presented below is to understand what role police discretion plays in the emergent area of police BWCs."
- Youth in Residential Placement, 2013
U.S. Department of Justice.
May, 2016.
"This survey details the characteristics of youth held for delinquency and status offenses in public and private residential facilities in every state."
Tuesday, May 31 2016:
- Degrees of Freedom:
Expanding College Opportunities for Currently and Formerly Incarcerated Californians,
Renewing Communities Initiative.
February, 2015.
"Our colleges and criminal justice agencies must break out of their silos and share a commitment to high-quality education for all students whether they are learning in prison, jail, or the community."
Friday, May 27 2016:
- Justice in Review:
New Trends in State Sentencing and Corrections 2014-2015,
Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2016.
"In 2014 and 2015, 46 states enacted at least 201 bills, executive orders and ballot initiatives to reform at least one aspect of their sentencing and corrections systems."
Thursday, May 26 2016:
- Corrections Statistics by State
[Website] National Institute of Corrections.
February, 2015.
"This unique compilation of data provides a visual representation of key statistics for each state as well as a comparison of each state in relation to other states."
Wednesday, May 25 2016:
- Study of the TDCJ Offender Visitation Policies
Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
August, 2014.
"A temporary online survey was conducted from November 2013 to March 2014 to obtain feedback from the public regarding their past visitation experience."
Monday, May 23 2016:
- By the Numbers:
Parole Release and Revocation Across 50 States,
Robina Institute.
April, 2016.
"The Data Profiles in this report are designed to provide a statistical snapshot of the relationships and movements between prison and parole supervision populations in each state."
Thursday, May 19 2016:
- Is Downsizing Prisons Dangerous?
The Effect of California’s Realignment Act on Public Safety,
Criminology and Public Policy.
May, 2016.
"Significant reductions in the size of prison populations are possible without endangering public safety."
- Protecting Written Family Communication in Jails:
A 50-State Survey,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2016.
"[W]e find a strong correlation between the states that have strong language protecting letter writing and the states in which no jails are experimenting with banning letters."
- Assessing the Impact of South Dakota's Sentencing Reforms
Urban Institute.
May, 2016.
"South Dakota’s presumptive probation policy and felony reclassifications played a significant role in averting South Dakota’s prison population growth."
Wednesday, May 18 2016:
- A Price Too High:
US Families Torn Apart by Deportations for Drug Offenses,
Human Rights Watch.
June, 2015.
"[T]he US is deporting a significant number of both permanent residents and undocumented individuals with strong family and community ties to the US, often for minor or old drug offenses."
- The Heavy Costs of High Bail:
Evidence from Judge Randomization,
Columbia Law School.
May, 2016.
"Our estimates suggest that the assignment of money bail causes a 6 percentage point rise in the likelihood of pleading guilty, and a 4 percentage point rise in recidivism."
- Breaking Promises:
Violations of the Massachusetts Pregnancy Standards & Anti-Shackling Law,
The Prison Birth Project and Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts.
May, 2016.
"Far too often Massachusetts prisons and jails violate the law in both policy and practice, undermining the public will and subjecting pregnant women to illegal, unsafe, and degrading treatment."
Tuesday, May 10 2016:
- Detaining the Poor:
How money bail perpetuates an endless cycle of poverty and jail time,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2016.
"A majority of people unable to meet bail fall within the poorest third of the national income distribution."
Thursday, May 5 2016:
- Mothers at the Gate:
How a Powerful Family Movement is Transforming the Juvenile Justice System,
Institute for Policy Studies.
May, 2016.
"[A] movement of family members — particularly mothers — is developing around the country, a movement that aims to challenge both the conditions in which their loved ones are held and the fact of mass incarceration itself."
- Chicago Prisoners' Experiences Returning Home
Urban Institute.
December, 2004.
"We present key findings on a range of reentry challenges and describe the factors related to postrelease success or failure[.]"
Friday, April 29 2016:
Wednesday, April 27 2016:
- Unlicensed & Untapped:
Removing Barriers to State Occupational Licenses for People with Records,
National Employment Law Project.
April, 2016.
"[H]aving a conviction record, particularly for people of color, is a major barrier to participation in the labor market."
- Economic Perspectives on Incarceration and the Criminal Justice System
White House Council of Economic Advisers.
April, 2016.
"[E]conomics can provide a valuable lens for evaluating the costs and benefits of criminal justice policy."
- San Francisco Justice Reinvestment Initiative:
Racial and ethnic disparities analysis for the reentry council,
The W. Haywood Burns Institute for Juvenile Justice Fairness & Equity.
June, 2015.
"Black adults are 7.1 times as likely as White adults to be arrested, 11 times as likely to be booked into County Jail, and 10.3 times as likely to be convicted of a crime in San Francisco."
Tuesday, April 26 2016:
- A Shared Sentence:
the devastating toll of parental incarceration on kids, families and communities,
The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
April, 2016.
"Nationally, the number of kids who have had a parent in jail or prison at some point in their childhood hovers around 5.1 million - a conservative estimate."
- Health Disparities in Drug- and Alcohol-Use Disorders:
A 12-Year Longitudinal Study of Youths After Detention,
American Journal of Public Health.
December, 2015.
"Drug abuse appears to have greater consequences for racial/ethnic minorities, especially African Americans, than for non-Hispanic Whites."
Thursday, April 21 2016:
- Crime in 2015:
A Final Analysis,
Brennan Center for Justice.
April, 2016.
"The data analyzed in this update support the initial report’s conclusion that Americans continue to experience low crime rates."
- Assessing Inmate Cause of Death:
Deaths in Custody Reporting Program and National Death Index,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2016.
"The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has collected data annually on inmates who died in state prison and local jail and the circumstances surrounding these deaths since...2000."
- Roadblocks to Reform:
District Attorneys, Elections, and the Criminal Justice System Status Quo,
ACLU of Oregon.
April, 2016.
"DAs are arguably the most powerful people in the criminal justice system, but voters don’t seem to know who DAs are or all that they do[.]"
Tuesday, April 12 2016:
- Stopped, Fined, Arrested:
Racial Bias in Policing and Traffic Courts in California,
Back on the Road California.
April, 2016.
"[T]here are dramatic racial and socioeconomic disparities in driver’s license suspensions and arrests related to unpaid traffic fines and fees."
Monday, April 11 2016:
- Children, Parents, and Incarceration:
Descriptive Overview of Data from Alameda and San Francisco County Jails,
Alameda County Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership; San Francisco Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership.
March, 2016.
"The survey was structured to gather information to inform program and policy decisions in consideration of the children’s well-being when their parents become incarcerated in local jails."
Tuesday, April 5 2016:
- Get To Work or Go To Jail:
Workplace Rights Under Threat,
UCLA Labor Center.
April, 2016.
"The work-or-jail threat adds the weight of the criminal justice system to employers’ power, and turns the lack of good jobs into the basis for further policing, prosecution, and incarceration."
Friday, April 1 2016:
Thursday, March 31 2016:
Wednesday, March 30 2016:
- Paying the Price:
Failure to Deliver HIV Services in Lousiana Parish Jails,
Human Rights Watch.
2016.
"The state of Louisiana is 'ground zero' for the dual epidemics of HIV and incarceration."
- Prosecutorial Oversight:
A National Dialogue in the Wake of Connick v. Thompson,
Innocence Project.
March, 2016.
"There are almost no adequate systems in place to keep prosecutorial error and misconduct in check and, in fact, prosecutors are rarely held accountable even for intentional misconduct."
Monday, March 28 2016:
- Rehabilitating Corrections in California:
The Health Impacts of Proposition 47,
Human Impact Partners.
September, 2014.
"The key to achieving the full benefits of sentencing reform is funding and implementation of the treatment, prevention, and recovery services called for in the initiative."
Thursday, March 24 2016:
- “Do You See How Much I’m Suffering Here?”
Abuse against Transgender Women in US Immigration Detention,
Human Rights Watch.
March, 2016.
"[T]his report details the abuses that transgender women suffer in immigration detention and the US government’s inadequate efforts to address them."
- Punishment Rate Measures Prison Use Relative to Crime
The Pew Charitable Trusts.
March, 2016.
"A more nuanced assessment of punishment than the ratio of inmates to residents is that of inmates to crime- what The Pew Charitable Trusts calls the 'punishment rate.'"
- A National Picture of Prison Downsizing Strategies
The RAND Corporation.
February, 2016.
"After decades of unprecedented correctional expenditures and prison population growth, many states faced fiscal pressures on their corrections budgets as the country entered a deep recession in 2008."
- Race, Wealth and Incarceration:
Results from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth,
Race and Social Problems.
March, 2016.
"[T]he likelihood of future incarceration still was higher for blacks at every level of wealth compared to the white likelihood[.]"
- The Effects of Changing State Theft Penalties
The Pew Charitable Trusts.
February, 2016.
"The Pew Charitable Trusts examined crime trends in the 23 states that raised their felony theft thresholds between 2001 and 2011[.]"
- Pretrial Incarcerated Women:
An Analysis of Women in Bristol County Jail, Massachusetts,
Wellesley Centers for Women.
March, 2016.
"This brief policy report examines these women’s demographic and criminal justice characteristics and, focusing particularly on their race and ethnicity, examines the relationships between them."
Monday, March 21 2016:
Friday, March 18 2016:
- Administrative Segregation in U.S. Prisons
National Institute of Justice.
March, 2016.
"Across the political spectrum, there is growing concern about the efficacy and utility of administrative segregation practices[.]"
Wednesday, March 16 2016:
- Is Proposition 47 to Blame for California's 2015 Increase in Urban Crime?
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
March, 2016.
"There are no obvious effects associated with Proposition 47 that would be expected if the reform had a significant and consistent impact on crime."
- Adult Sex Offender Management
Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking.
July, 2015.
"This brief has focused on the effectiveness of a number of prominent sex offender management strategies, including specialized supervision, COSA, polygraph, GPS, civil commitment, SORN, and residence restrictions."
Tuesday, March 15 2016:
- Evaluation of the Los Angeles Gang Reduction and Youth Development Program:
Year 4 Evaluation Report,
Urban Institute.
September, 2015.
"The analyses presented in this report address GRYD’s efforts to impact gang violence at the individual, family, and community levels, paralleling the GRYD program components targeting each of these levels."
- Children with Incarcerated Parents -
Considering Children's Outcomes in the Context of Family Experiences,
University of Minnesota.
June, 2013.
"Given the potential long-term consequences of parental incarceration for child and adult health, targeted, evidence-informed prevention and intervention efforts are sorely needed."
- Juvenile Court Statistics 2013
National Center for Juvenile Justice.
July, 2015.
"Juvenile Court Statistics 2013 describes delinquency cases handled between 1985 and 2013 and petitioned status offense cases handled between 1995 and 2013 by U.S. courts with juvenile jurisdiction."
- Juvenile Transfer Laws:
An Effective Deterrent to Delinquency?,
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
June, 2010.
"This Bulletin provides an overview of research on the deterrent effects of transferring youth from juvenile to criminal courts[.]"
Monday, March 14 2016:
- Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2016,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2016.
(The American criminal justice system holds more than 2.3 million people in thousands of facilities, and we go deeper to provide further detail on where and why.)
Thursday, March 10 2016:
- Criminal (In)justice:
A Cost Analysis of Wrongful Convictions, Errors, and Failed Prosecutions in California's Criminal Justice System,
The Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy, Berkeley School of Law.
March, 2016.
"Criminal (In)justice examines 692 adult felony criminal cases where California missed the mark in public safety by failing to prosecute the right person or by pursuing a flawed or unsustainable conviction."
- Recidivism Among Federal Offenders:
A Comprehensive Overview,
United States Sentencing Commission.
March, 2016.
"This report provides a broad overview of key findings from the United States Sentencing Commission’s study of recidivism of federal offenders."
Wednesday, March 9 2016:
- InCorrect Care:
A Prison Profiteer Turns Care into Confinement,
Grassroots Leadership.
February, 2016.
"This report’s in-depth analysis of GEO Group, GEO Care and now Correct Care Solutions’ involvement in operating mental health hospitals and civil commitment centers exposes serious concerns."
- Stakeholders' Views on the Movement to Reduce Youth Incarceration
National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
April, 2014.
"From June 2012 through June 2013, NCCD asked juvenile justice stakeholders to describe how youth incarceration was reduced in their jurisdictions."
Tuesday, March 8 2016:
Friday, March 4 2016:
- A New Role for Technology?
Implementing Video Visitation in Prison,
Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2016.
"This report examines the current landscape of video visitation in prisons nationwide and offers a detailed case study of an early adopter, Washington State."
Thursday, March 3 2016:
- Under Custody Report:
Profile of Incarcerated Offender Population Under Custody on January 1, 2012,
State of New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
January, 2012.
"This report...presents information on offenders held under Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) custody on January 1, 2012."
- Under Custody Report:
Profile of Inmate Population Under Custody on January 1, 2013,
State of New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
January, 2013.
"This report...presents information on inmates and incarcerated parolees held under Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) custody on January 1, 2013."
- Under Custody Report:
Profile of Under Custody Population As of January 1, 2014,
State of New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
January, 2014.
"This report...profiles under custody offenders' demographic and criminal history characteristics."
Wednesday, March 2 2016:
- Fatal Neglect:
How ICE Ignores Deaths in Detention,
ACLU; Detention Watch Network; National Immigrant Justice Center.
February, 2016.
"This report examines egregious violations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) own medical care standards that played a significant role in eight in-custody deaths from 2010 to 2012."
Tuesday, March 1 2016:
- What Do We Know About the Association Between
Firearm Legislation and Firearm-Related Injuries?,
Epidemiologic Reviews.
February, 2016.
"Evidence from 130 studies in 10 countries suggests that in certain nations the simultaneous implementation of laws targeting multiple firearms restrictions is associated with reductions in firearm deaths."
Monday, February 29 2016:
- Jobs After Jail:
Ending the prison to poverty pipeline,
Alliance for a Just Society.
February, 2016.
"For the 70 million adults with a serious misdemeanor or felony arrest or conviction record and the hundreds of thousands more each year released from prison, their record can be a life sentence of poverty and low wages."
Friday, February 26 2016:
- The Truth About Juvenile False Confessions
American Bar Association.
February, 2016.
"People, including judges and juries, are very reluctant to believe that a confession might be false - and the result, too often, can be a wrongful conviction."
Thursday, February 25 2016:
Wednesday, February 24 2016:
Tuesday, February 23 2016:
- Snapshot of Indigent Defense Representation
in Michigan’s Adult Criminal Courts,
Michigan Indigent Defense Commission.
February, 2016.
"The first survey of indigent defense court systems is just one part of an extensive, multipronged data gathering strategy that the MIDC will use to initiate comprehensive system change."
Monday, February 22 2016:
- Inside the Box:
The Real Costs of Solitary Confinement in New Mexico's Prisons and Jails,
The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty; The ACLU of New Mexico.
October, 2013.
"New Mexico urgently needs to reform the practice of solitary confinement in its prisons and jails."
Thursday, February 18 2016:
- Is Downsizing Prisons Dangerous?
The Effect of California’s Realignment Act on Public Safety,
Criminology and Public Policy.
February, 2016.
"Significant reductions in the size of prison populations are possible without endangering public safety."
- National Survey Key Findings - Federal Sentencing & Prisons
The Pew Charitable Trusts.
February, 2016.
"Voters are ready and willing to reform the criminal justice system in ways that reduce the size and cost of the federal prison system, while improving outcomes."
- Key findings from statewide surveys
in Florida, North Carolina, Nevada, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin,
Justice Action Network; The Tarrance Group.
February, 2016.
"[T]here is broad consensus that the federal criminal justice system jails too many non-violent criminals and spends too much on jailing nonviolent offenders."
Wednesday, February 17 2016:
Tuesday, February 16 2016:
- Special Committee on Re-entry
New York State Bar Association.
January, 2016.
"The cost of re-incarceration and the cost to victims of recidivism are far greater than the cost of providing the programs described in this report."
Friday, February 12 2016:
- Police Body-Worn Camera Policies
Brennan Center for Justice.
January, 2016.
"To help foster and inform this discussion, we have pulled together body camera policies from many police departments that have made them publicly available, as well as model policies from several organizations."
- The State of Sentencing 2015
Developments in Policy and Practice,
The Sentencing Project.
February, 2016.
"The policy reforms outlined in this document highlight changes in sentencing, community supervision, collateral consequences, and juvenile justice policies."
Thursday, February 4 2016:
- World Prison Population List
(eleventh edition),
International Centre for Prison Studies.
February, 2015.
"This eleventh edition of the World Prison Population List gives details of the number of prisoners held in 223 prison systems in independent countries and dependent territories."
- First-Episode Incarceration:
Creating a Recovery-Informed Framework for Integrated Mental Health and Criminal Justice Responses,
Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2016.
(This report outlines a new integrated framework that encourages the mental health and criminal justice fields to collaborate on developing programs based on early intervention.)
- Sexual Offender Laws and Prevention of Sexual Violence or Recidivism
American Journal of Public Health.
2010.
(Evidence on the effectiveness of sex offender laws suggests that they may not prevent recidivism or sexual violence and result in more harm than good.)
- Sex Offender Registration and Notification
Limited Effects in New Jersey,
National Institute of Justice.
April, 2009.
"Convicted offenders and their offense types in this study were similar before and after Megan’s Law was passed."
- Exonerations in 2015
The National Registry of Exonerations.
February, 2016.
"2015 set a record for exonerations in the United States - 149 that we know of so far, in 29 states, the District of Columbia, federal courts and Guam."
- A Legislated Study of Raising the Age of Juvenile Jurisdiction in Louisiana
The Future of 17-Year-Olds in the Louisiana Justice System,
Institute for Public Health and Justice.
February, 2016.
"Lousiana should strongly consider raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to include 17-year-old offenders."
Friday, January 29 2016:
- Report and Recommendations Concerning the Use of Restrictive Housing
U.S. Department of Justice.
January, 2016.
"At its worst, and when applied without regard to basic standards of decency, restrictive housing can cause serious, long-lasting harm. It is the responsibility of all governments to ensure that this practice is used only as necessary."
- Sexual Victimization Reported by Juvenile Correctional Authorities, 2007-12
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2016.
"In 2012, juvenile correctional administrators reported 865 allegations of sexual victimization in state juvenile systems and 613 in local or private facilities and Indian country facilities."
- You've Got Mail:
The promise of cyber communication in prisons and the need for regulation,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2016.
(There are many benefits to electronic messaging in correctional facilities, but our analysis finds that the technology is primed to be just another opportunity for for-profit companies to exploit families and subvert regulations of phone calls.)
- Locked Up & Shipped Away:
Interstate Prisoner Transfers and the Private Prison Industry Winter 2016 Update,
[PDF] Grassroots Leadership.
January, 2016.
(Since the 2013 release of Locked Up and Shipped Away, the same four states (Vermont, California, Idaho, and Hawaii) continue to house a portion of their prisoners in private prisons out of state. And, a fifth state, Arkansas has also opted to do so.)
Wednesday, January 20 2016:
- Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report,
January-June, 2015,
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
January, 2016.
(Preliminary figures indicate that law enforcement agencies throughout the nation showed an overall increase of 1.7 percent in the number of violent crimes brought to their attention for the first 6 months of 2015 when compared with the same time in 2014.)
Friday, January 8 2016:
- Public Research Universities:
Changes in State Funding,
American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
2015.
"In general, state spending on corrections has grown much faster than education spending over the last three decades. In eleven states, corrections has now surpassed higher education as a percentage of funding."
- Rates of Sexual Victimization in Prison for Inmates With and Without
Mental Disorders,
Psychiatric services.
2007.
"Approximately one in 12 male inmates with a mental disorder reported at least one incident of sexual victimization by another inmate over a six-month period, compared with one in 33 male inmates without a mental disorder."
Thursday, January 7 2016:
- The Correctional Policy Project:
Iowa Prison Population Forecast FY 2015-FY 2025,
[PDF] Iowa Department of Human Rights.
January, 2015.
"Long term projections suggest Iowa's prison population may be expected to increase from 8,188 inmates on June 30, 2015 to about 10,058 inmates on June 30, 2025, or by about 23% over the ten-year period."
- Tracking Enforcement Rates in New York City 2003-2014
[PDF] Misdemeanor Justice Project at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
December, 2015.
"This third report from the Misdemeanor Justice Project documents the changing patterns in felony arrests, misdemeanor arrests, criminal summonses, and stop, question and frisk activities in New York City from 2003-2014."
Tuesday, January 5 2016:
- Growing Up Locked Down
ACLU of Nebraska.
January, 2016.
"Before they are old enough to get a driver’s license, enlist in the armed forces, or vote, some children in Nebraska are held in solitary confinement for days, weeks--and even months."
Monday, January 4 2016:
- Developmental Estimates of Subnational Crime Rates Based on the
National Crime Victimization Survey,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2015.
"Developmental Estimates of Subnational Crime Rates Based on the National Crime Victimization Survey presents rates of violent and property crime victimization for the 50 states and select metropolitan statistical areas."
- Correctional Populations In The United States, 2014
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2015.
"The correctional population has declined by an annual average of 1.0% since 2007."
- Selective Policing:
Racially Disparate Enforcement of Low-Level Offenses in New Jersey,
[PDF] ACLU of New Jersey.
December, 2015.
"Racial disparities between Black and White arrests exist in every city studied."
Tuesday, December 22 2015:
- The Burden of Criminal Justice Debt in Alabama:
2014 Participant Self-Report Survey,
[PDF] UAB TASC Jefferson County's Community Corrections Program.
2014.
"The purpose of this study was to evaluate the success of this approach and the impact of these policies in Alabama. With the general knowledge that increased court costs have not produced projected revenue, we sought to understand why."
- The Family And Recidivism
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
September, 2012.
"Among the inmates surveyed, 84 percent reported that their families were supportive during their incarceration."
- Sentencing in California:
Moving Toward a Smarter, More Cost-Effective Approach,
California Budget & Policy Center.
December, 2015.
"Despite these positive steps, California's sentencing laws continue to overly rely on incarceration as the consequence for committing a felony or a misdemeanor, rather than promoting community-based interventions."
- The Conditioning Effects of Race and Gender on the Juvenile Court Outcomes
of Delinquent and "Neglected" Types of Offenders,
[PDF] Justice Quarterly.
November, 2015.
(The main inverse effect for status, probation violation, contempt, misdemeanor property, felony property, felony person, drugs, and other offenses with detention, was conditioned by whether the youth was Black.)
Thursday, December 17 2015:
- Parental Incarceration, Termination of Parental Rights and Adoption:
A Case Study of the Intersection Between the Child Welfare and Criminal Justice Systems,
[PDF] Justice Policy Journal.
2010.
"We found that less than a fifth of all parents, and only two percent with a history of incarceration, attended the dependency court hearings in which their children were detained, reunification requirements imposed, or parental rights terminated."
- Federal Sentencing Disparity:
2005-2012,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2015.
"Federal Sentencing Disparity, 2005-2012, examines patterns of federal sentencing disparity among white and black offenders, by sentence received, and looks at judicial variation in sentencing since Booker vs. United States, regardless of race."
- A Profile of Youth in the Los Angeles County Delinquency Prevention Project
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
December, 2015.
(This report outlines how the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services used an actuarial screening assessment to classify youth in the child welfare system by their likelihood of subsequent juvenile justice involvement.)
Wednesday, December 16 2015:
Tuesday, December 15 2015:
- Contagion in Mass Killings and School Shootings
PLoS ONE.
July, 2015.
"We find significant evidence that mass killings involving firearms are incented by similar events in the immediate past. On average, this temporary increase in probability lasts 13 days."
- In Our Own Backyard:
Confronting Growth and Disparities in American Jails,
Vera Institute of Justice.
December, 2015.
"Rather, mid-sized and small counties--which account for the vast majority of jails--have largely driven growth, with local jail populations increasing since 1970 by 4.1 times in mid-sized counties and 6.9 times in small counties."
Monday, December 14 2015:
- Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:
Summary of National Findings,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
September, 2014.
"In 2013, an estimated 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older---9.4 percent of the population---had used an illicit drug in the past month."
- Overwhelming, Broad, and Extensive Support Across Party, Ideology and
Demographics for Criminal Justice Reform in New Louisiana Survey Findings,
[PDF] Justice Action Network.
November, 2015.
"82.6% of Louisiana likely voters support justice reform, including 26.8% who believe the system needs a complete overhaul and 29% who think it needs major reform."
- Declines in Youth Commitments and Facilities in the 21st Century
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
December, 2015.
"Between 2001 and 2013, the number of juveniles committed to juvenile facilities after an adjudication of delinquency (or, as was the case for 413 juveniles, conviction in criminal court) fell from 76,262 to 35,659."
Friday, December 11 2015:
- Trends in Unwanted Online Experiences and Sexting:
Final Report,
[PDF] Crimes Against Children Research Center.
February, 2014.
"Unwanted sexual solicitations continued in decline -- from 19% in 2000 to 13% in 2005 and 9% in 2010."
- Online Victimization:
A Report on the Nation's Youth,
[PDF] Crimes Against Children Research Center.
June, 2000.
"Approximately one in five received a sexual solicitation or approach over the Internet in the last year."
- Breaking the Silence:
Civil and Human Rights Violations Resulting from Medical Neglect and Abuse of Women of Color in Los Angeles County Jails,
[PDF] Dignity and Power Now.
August, 2015.
"This Report by Dignity and Power Now ("DPN") documents how jail and prison officials violated the rights of seven women of color, and highlights the mental health consequences of the medical neglect and abuse these women suffered."
- Locked Out:
Improving Educational and Vocational Outcomes for Incarcerated Youth,
[PDF] Council of State Governments Justice Center.
November, 2015.
"At least one in three incarcerated youth is identified as needing or already receiving special education services--a rate nearly four times higher than youth attending school in the community."
Wednesday, December 9 2015:
- Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2015,
Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2015.
(The U.S. locks up more than 2.3 million people in prisons, jails, and other facilities on any given day.)
- Census of Jails:
Population Changes, 1999-2013,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2015.
"From 1999 to 2013, the number of inmates in local jails increased by 21%, from 605,943 to 731,570. During this period, the growth in the jail population was not steady, as the jail confined population peaked in 2008 at 785,533 then declined."
- Probation in California
Public Policy Institute of California.
December, 2015.
"Probation is the most widely used form of correctional supervision in California."
Friday, December 4 2015:
- How Judicial Elections Impact Criminal Cases
Brennan Center for Justice.
December, 2015.
"The more frequently television ads air during an election, the less likely state supreme court justices are, on average, to rule in favor of criminal defendants."
- Investigating Prisoner Reentry:
The Impact of Conviction Status on the Employment Prospects of Young Men,
[PDF] National Institute of Justice.
October, 2009.
"Across teams, a criminal record reduced the likelihood of a callback or job offer by nearly 50 percent (28% vs 15%)."
- 'Redemption' in an Era of Widespread Criminal Background Checks
[PDF] National Institute of Justice.
June, 2009.
"Thus, our analysis showed that the younger an offender was when he committed robbery, the longer he had to stay clean to reach the same arrest rate as people his same age in the general population."
Thursday, December 3 2015:
- Zero Tolerance:
How States Comply With PREA's Youthful Inmate Standard,
Campaign for Youth Justice.
December, 2015.
"Despite evidence based research highlighting the harms of placing youth in adult facilities and the long term costs of incarceration to youth and society, 1200 youth are in state prisons on any given day across the country."
Wednesday, December 2 2015:
- Ending and Defending Against HIV Criminalization:
State and Federal Laws and Prosecutions,
The Center for HIV Law and Policy.
November, 2010.
"Thirty-two states and two U.S. territories have HIV-specific criminal statutes and thirty-six states have reported proceedings in which HIV-positive people have been arrested and/or prosecuted for consensual sex, biting, and spitting."
Tuesday, December 1 2015:
- Crime in 2015:
A Preliminary Analysis,
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
November, 2015.
"Crime overall in 2015 is expected to be largely unchanged from last year, decreasing 1.5 percent."
Wednesday, November 25 2015:
- Prison Price Tag:
The High Cost of Wisconsin's Corrections Policies,
Wisconsin Budget Project.
November, 2015.
"Wisconsin state and local governments spend about $1.5 billion on corrections each year, significantly more than the national average given the size of our state."
- From Silo to System:
What Makes a Criminal Justice System Operate Like a System?,
[PDF] The Justice Management Institute.
April, 2015.
"JMI conducted in-depth interviews with and collected quantitative and qualitative data from eight county-based criminal justice systems that have been cited over the years as being "highly effective.""
- Justice in Katrina's Wake:
Changing Course on Incarceration in New Orleans,
Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2015.
"This report documents the groundbreaking reforms that the City of New Orleans has engaged in to safely decrease its use of detention, from reducing the physical size of its jail to implementing risk-based pretrial release practices."
Thursday, November 19 2015:
- Predicting Crime through Incarceration:
The Impact of Rates of Prison Cycling On Rates of Crime in Communities,
[PDF] National Institute of Justice.
May, 2014.
(The study found strong support for the impact of prison cycling on neighborhood crime rates, i.e., when resident removal rates due to incarceration were high, crime rates decreased; when reentry rates were high in a neighborhood, the crime rate increased.)
- Suspended Childhood:
An Analysis of Exclusionary Discipline of Texas' Pre-K and Elementary School Students,
Texas Appleseed.
November, 2015.
"In the 2013-2014 school year, Texas schools issued 88,310 out-of-school suspensions to young children."
- Hot Spots Policing
George Mason University Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy.
2015.
"Hot spots policing covers a range of police responses that all share in common a focus of resources on the locations where crime is highly concentrated."
- Evaluation of the Shreveport Predictive Policing Experiment
RAND Corporation.
2014.
"The program did not generate a statistically significant reduction in property crime."
- Predictive Policing:
The Role of Crime Forecasting in Law Enforcement Operations,
[PDF] RAND Corporation.
2013.
"Predictive policing is the application of analytical techniques--particularly quantitative techniques--to identify likely targets for police intervention and prevent crime or solve past crimes by making statistical predictions."
- Prison Time Surges for Federal Inmates
The Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project.
November, 2015.
"The average length of time served by federal inmates more than doubled from 1988 to 2012, rising from 17.9 to 37.5 months."
- States of Women's Incarceration:
The Global Context,
Prison Policy Initiative.
November, 2015.
"When compared to jurisdictions across the globe, even the U.S. states with the lowest levels of incarceration are far out of line."
Wednesday, November 18 2015:
- First Do No Harm:
Advancing Public Health in Policing Practices,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2015.
(This report details the cultural divide among system actors that amplify and sustain these problems and offers recommendations on how law enforcement policymakers and practitioners can enhance both public safety and community health.)
- Police Use of Nonfatal Force, 2002-11
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2015.
"Of those who had contact, 1.6% experienced the threat or use of nonfatal force by the police during their most recent contact."
- Investigation of the Newark Police Department
[PDF] United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
July, 2014.
"Approximately 75% of reports of pedestrian stops by NPD officers failed to articulate sufficient legal basis for the stop, despite the NPD policy requiring such justification."
Tuesday, November 17 2015:
- Hate Crime Statistics, 2014
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
November, 2015.
"Of the 5,462 single-bias incidents reported in 2014, 47 percent were racially motivated. Other motivators included sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, gender identity, disability, and gender."
- State Firearm Legislation and Nonfatal Firearm Injuries
[PDF] American Journal of Public Health.
August, 2015.
"There is significant variation in state-level hospital discharge rates for nonfatal firearm injuries, and stricter state firearm legislation is associated with lower discharge rates for such injuries."
Monday, November 16 2015:
- Proposition 47 Progress Report:
Year One Implementation,
[PDF] Stanford Law School Stanford Justice Advocacy Project.
October, 2015.
"Since the enactment of Proposition 47 on November 14, 2014, the number of people incarcerated in California's prisons and jails has decreased by approximately 13,000 inmates, helping alleviate crowding conditions in those institutions."
- Changing Gears:
California's Shift to Smart Justice,
[PDF] ACLU of California.
November, 2015.
"By June 2015, almost 160,000 petitions had been filed to reduce a felony to a misdemeanor."
Friday, November 13 2015:
- Who Gets Time for Federal Drug Offenses?
Data Trends and Opportunities for Reform,
Urban Institute.
November, 2015.
(This brief finds that many people in federal prison for drug crimes have minimal or no criminal histories, and most were not convicted of violent or leading roles.)
Thursday, November 12 2015:
- Does Parole Supervision Work?
Research Findings and Policy Opportunities,
Urban Institute.
March, 2006.
(This article begins with an argument for why we should study supervision and concludes with some thoughts about policy opportunities for the field, arguing that the current focus on prisoner reentry provides a timely opportunity to "reinvent" parole.)
Wednesday, November 11 2015:
- Battle Scars:
Military Veterans and the Death Penalty,
Death Penalty Information Center.
November, 2015.
"Although a definitive count has yet to be made, approximately 300 veterans are on death row today, and many others have already been executed."
- Policing for Profit:
The Abuse of Civil Asset Forfeiture,
Institute for Justice.
November, 2015.
"In 1986, the Department of Justice’s Assets Forfeiture Fund took in $93.7 million in revenue from federal forfeitures. By 2014, annual deposits had reached $4.5 billion--a 4,667 percent increase."
- Citizens Police Data Project
[Website] Invisible Institute.
2015.
"28,567 allegations of misconduct were filed against Chicago Police Department officers between March 2011 and September 2015."
Tuesday, November 10 2015:
- Corrections Spending Through the State Budget Since 2007-08:
Still High Despite Recent Reforms,
California Budget & Policy Center.
November, 2015.
(While total corrections spending as a share of the state budget is down slightly since 2007-08, spending for adults under state jurisdiction remains stubbornly high.)
- In Jail & In Debt:
Ohio's Pay-to-Stay Fees,
ACLU of Ohio.
November, 2015.
(Ohioans are getting billed up to $66.09 a day to be in jail.)
- Fees Paid by Jail Inmates:
Fee Categories, Revenues, and Management Perspectives in a Sample of U.S. Jails,
[PDF] National Institute of Corrections.
December, 2005.
"Survey responses indicate that 90% of the jails that responded are currently charging jail inmate fees."
- Juvenile Commitment Rate Drops 53%
The Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project.
November, 2015.
"From 2001 to 2013, the U.S. juvenile commitment rate declined 53 percent, according to data recently released by the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention."
Thursday, November 5 2015:
- Quick Facts: Federal Offenders in Prison
[PDF] United States Sentencing Commission.
January, 2015.
"Half of all offenders (50.0%) in the federal prison population were sentenced to more than ten years in prison, while 4.9% were sentenced to 30 years or longer, and 2.5% were sentenced to life in prison."
- Punishment Without End
[PDF] John Jay College of Criminal Justice Research & Evaluation Center.
July, 2014.
"By year five, the probability of arrest for 16 year olds arrested for burglary was equal to that of 16 year olds not arrested for burglary."
Wednesday, October 28 2015:
- Drug Offenders In Federal Prisons:
Estimates Of Characteristics Based on Linked Data,
Bureau of Justice Statistics; Urban Institute.
October, 2015.
"Almost all (99.5%) drug offenders in federal prison were serving sentences for drug trafficking."
- How to reduce the federal prison population
Urban Institute.
October, 2015.
"Substantial reductions to the BOP population can be achieved by reforming sentencing law and policy for drug trafficking."
- Close To Home:
Building on Family Support for People Leaving Jail,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
October, 2011.
"Among incarcerated people, 84 percent reported that their family members continued to be supportive."
- Parents Behind Bars:
What Happens to Their Children?,
Child Trends.
October, 2015.
"Children do not often figure in discussions of incarceration, but new research finds more than five million U.S. children have had at least one parent in prison at one time or another."
Monday, October 26 2015:
- Coming Out of Concrete Closets:
A report on Black & Pink's National LGBTQ Prisoners Survey,
Black & Pink.
October, 2015.
"Close to two thirds (58%) of respondents' first arrest occurred when they were under the age of 18."
- Historical Corrections Statistics in the United States,
1850-1984,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 1986.
"This work presents summary tables and commentary for published national government reports on corrections statistics for the period of U.S. history from 1850 (the date of the first national reports on the topic) to 1984."
- Does Prison Crowding Predict Higher Rates of
Substance Use Related Parole Violations? A Recurrent Events Multi-Level Survival Analysis,
PLoS ONE.
October, 2015.
"Prison crowding predicted higher rates of parole violations after release from prison. The effect was magnitude-dependent and particularly strong for drug charges."
Wednesday, October 21 2015:
- Separation by Bars and Miles:
Visitation in state prisons,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2015.
"Less than a third of people in state prisons receive a visit from a loved one in a typical month."
Wednesday, October 14 2015:
- Gender Injustice:
System-Level Juvenile Justice Reforms for Girls,
[PDF] The National Crittenton Foundation; National Women's Law Center.
September, 2015.
"Despite decades of attention, the proportion of girls in the juvenile justice system has increased and their challenges have remained remarkably consistent, resulting in deeply rooted systemic gender injustice."
Friday, October 9 2015:
Tuesday, October 6 2015:
Thursday, October 1 2015:
- No Hope:
Re-Examining Lifetime Sentences for Juvenile Offenders,
[PDF] The Phillips Black Project.
September, 2015.
"Nine states have abolished JLWOP after Miller, bringing the current number of jurisdictions completely banning the sentence to fifteen."
Wednesday, September 30 2015:
- Crime in the United States - 2014
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
September, 2015.
"The violent crime rate declined 1.0 percent compared to the 2013 rate, and the property crime rate declined 5.0 percent."
- Public Safety Realignment:
Impacts So Far,
Public Policy Institute of California.
September, 2015.
"Realignment did not increase violent crime, but auto thefts rose. Research so far shows no dramatic change in recidivism rates."
- Exploring the Potential for Pretrial Innovation in Massachusetts
[PDF] MassINC.
September, 2015.
"Since 2008, the state’s pretrial population has grown by nearly 13 percent, while arrests have declined by 10 percent and the number of commitments annually to state prisons and county houses of correction has fallen by 22 percent."
Thursday, September 24 2015:
- Debtors' Prisons in New Hampshire
ACLU of New Hampshire.
September, 2015.
(In 2013 New Hampshire judges jailed people who were unable to pay fines and without conducting a meaningful ability-to-pay hearing in an estimated 148 cases.)
Wednesday, September 23 2015:
- World Female Imprisonment List:
Third Edition,
[PDF] World Prison Brief; Institute for Criminal Policy Research.
September, 2015.
"This report shows that 700,000 women and girls are held in penal institutions throughout the world, either as pre-trial detainees/remand prisoners or having been convicted and sentenced."
Tuesday, September 22 2015:
- Race-Of-Victim Discrepancies in Homicides and Executions,
Louisiana 1976-2015,
[PDF] Loyola University of New Orleans Journal of Public Interest Law.
August, 2015.
"Black male victims comprise 61% of homicide victims in present day Louisiana, yet their killers have been executed in only 3 cases out of 12,949 homicides since Gregg v Georgia reinstated the death penalty in 1976."
- Stop and Frisk in Chicago
ACLU of Illinois.
March, 2015.
"Black Chicagoans were subjected to 72% of all stops, yet constitute just 32% of the city’s population."
- It's Not Just Ferguson:
Missouri Supreme Court Should Consolidate the Municipal Court System,
[PDF] Arch City Defenders.
July, 2014.
(This paper examines six municipalities in St. Louis County and offers a series of reforms, including the consolidation of St. Louis County's 81 municipal courts into a single regional court system.)
Friday, September 18 2015:
- Voting While Incarcerated:
A Tool Kit for Voting Rights Advocates,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union.
September, 2005.
(At midyear 2004, there were close to 714,000 people detained in our nation's jails, and the majority were eligible to register and vote.)
Thursday, September 17 2015:
- Prisoners in 2014
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2015.
"The number of prisoners held by state and federal correctional authorities on December 31, 2014 (1,561,500) decreased by 15,400 (down 1%) from yearend 2013."
Tuesday, September 15 2015:
- Who Pays?
The True Cost of Incarceration on Families,
[PDF] Ella Baker Center for Human Rights; Forward Together; Research Action Design.
September, 2015.
"Forty-eight percent of families in our survey overall were unable to afford the costs associated with a conviction, while among poor families (making less than $15,000 per year), 58% were unable to afford these costs."
- Violent Death in Delinquent Youth After Detention
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
September, 2015.
"The vast majority of deaths among delinquent youth were homicides from gunshot wounds."
Friday, September 4 2015:
- Criminal Victimization, 2014
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2015.
"No significant change occurred in the rate of violent crime from 2013 (23.2 victimizations per 1,000) to 2014 (20.1 per 1,000)."
Thursday, September 3 2015:
- Time-In-Cell:
The ASCA-Liman 2014 National Survey of Administrative Segregation in Prison,
[PDF] The Liman Program, Yale Law School.
August, 2015.
"If that number is illustrative of the whole, some 80,000 to 100,000 people were, in 2014, in segregation."
Friday, August 28 2015:
- Overview of Federal Criminal Cases Fiscal Year 2014
[PDF] United States Sentencing Commission.
August, 2015.
"Cases involving drugs, immigration, firearms, or fraud accounted for 81.5 percent of all cases reported to the Commission."
- Federal Drug Sentencing Laws Bring High Cost, Low Return:
Penalty increases enacted in 1980s and 1990s have not reduced drug use or recidivism,
Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project.
August, 2015.
"From 1980 to 2011 (the latest year for which comparable statistics are available), the average prison sentence imposed on drug offenders increased 36 percent."
Thursday, August 27 2015:
- Realignment and Crime in 2014:
California's Violent Crime in Decline,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
August, 2015.
"Contrary to alarms raised about potential increases in crime, consistent reports examining offenses at the county level over time show Realignment and crime do not have a causal relationship."
Tuesday, August 25 2015:
- Disproportionate Impact of K-12 School Suspension and Expulsion on Black
Students in Southern States,
[PDF] University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
August, 2015.
"In 132 Southern school districts, Blacks were disproportionately suspended at rates five times or higher than their representation in the student population."
- Breaking Schools' Rules:
A Statewide Study of How School Discipline Relates to Students' Success and Juvenile Justice Involvement,
[PDF] The Council of State Governments Justice Center.
July, 2011.
"Nearly six in ten public school students studied were suspended or expelled at least once between their seventh- and twelfth-grade school years."
Monday, August 24 2015:
- Correctional Health Care:
Addressing the Needs of Elderly, Chronically Ill, and Terminally Ill Inmates,
[PDF] National Institute of Corrections.
2004.
"While 50 may seem young to be classified as elderly in the free world, several important factors seem to speed the aging process for those in prison."
Thursday, August 20 2015:
- Louisiana's Debtors Prisons:
An Appeal to Justice,
[PDF] ACLU of Louisiana.
August, 2015.
"The ACLU of Louisiana (“ACLU”) investigated the imposition and collection of fines, fees and court costs or other legal financial obligations (LFOs) in twelve parishes and two cities from across Louisiana."
Wednesday, August 19 2015:
- Fishkill Correctional Facility:
2012,
[PDF] Correctional Association of New York.
December, 2013.
"Despite these positive aspects, the Visiting Committee was disturbed to observe so many people at Fishkill who were so physically and/or cognitively impaired that there no longer seemed to be any justifiable reason to keep them in prison."
- Unlocking Potential:
Results of a National Survey of Postsecondary Education in State Prisons,
Institute for Higher Education Policy.
May, 2011.
"Approximately 71,000 persons (roughly 6 percent of the total incarcerated population in responding states) are enrolled in vocational or academic postsecondary education programs in prisons for the 2009-10 academic year."
- Mass Probation:
Toward a More Robust Theory of State Variation in Punishment,
[PDF] University of Minnesota.
July, 2017.
"As a consequence, imprisonment rates became less reflective of states' overall supervision rates."
Monday, August 17 2015:
- Shadow Report of The Sentencing Project to the Committee on the Elimination
of Racial Discrimination: Regarding Racial Disparities in the United States Criminal Justice System,
Sentencing Project.
July, 2014.
(Our report documents continuing disparities in incarceration, the imposition of juvenile life without parole, the death penalty, and felony disenfranchisement.)
- Recidivism of Adult Sexual Offenders
[PDF] Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking.
July, 2015.
"The researchers found a sexual recidivism rate of 5.3 percent for the entire sample of sex offenders, based on an arrest during the 3-year followup period."
- Poverty and Opportunity Profile:
Americans with Criminal Records,
Sentencing Project; Half in Ten.
December, 2014.
"As a result, between 70 million and 100 million--or as many as one in three Americans--have some type of criminal record."
- Slow to Act:
State Responses to 2012 Supreme Court Mandate on Life Without Parole,
Sentencing Project.
June, 2014.
(While the Court struck down laws in 28 states that mandated life without parole, only 13 of those states have passed new sentencing laws.)
- Blackstrikes:
A Study of the Racially Disparate Use of Preemptory Challenges by the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office,
[PDF] Reprieve Australia.
August, 2015.
"In short, over the course of a ten year period, Caddo parish prosecutors exercised peremptory challenges against black prospective jurors at more than three times the rate at which they exercised peremptory challenges against white prospective jurors."
- A Stubborn Legacy:
The Overwhelming Importance of Race in Jury Selection in 173 Post-Batson North Carolina Capital Trials,
Michigan State University College of Law.
2012.
"Over the twenty-year period we examined, prosecutors struck eligible black venire members at about 2.5 times the rate they struck eligible venire members who were not black."
- Juvenile Life Without Parole:
An Overview,
Sentencing Project.
April, 2014.
(Still, the United States stands alone as the only nation that sentences people to life without parole for crimes committed before turning 18.)
Friday, August 14 2015:
- A Decade of Bail Research in New York City
[PDF] New York City Criminal Justice Agency, Inc..
August, 2012.
"Defendants who are detained pretrial are more likely to be convicted, if convicted they are more likely to be sentenced to incarceration, and if incarcerated, their sentences are likely to be longer."
- Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission:
2014 Annual Report,
[PDF] Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission.
December, 2014.
"During FY2014, judges continued to agree with the sentencing guidelines recommendations in approximately 78% of the cases."
- The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Disposition Matrix:
A Validation Study,
[PDF] Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
February, 2014.
"The recidivism rate of low risk to re-offend youth placed outside of the Disposition Matrix suggestions is 114% higher than the rate for low risk youth placed within the suggestions."
- Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative:
2013 Annual Results Report Inter-Site Conference Summary,
[PDF] The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
2014.
"In the aggregate, sites reduced the number of youth detained on an average day by nearly 3,600 compared with pre-JDAI levels, a reduction of 44 percent."
Thursday, August 13 2015:
- The APPD Randomized Controlled Trial in Low Risk Supervision:
The Effect of Low Risk Supervision on Rearrest,
[PDF] First Judicial Court of Pennsylvania.
October, 2008.
"There was no difference in either the rate of any arrest or an arrest for a serious offense between low risk offenders supervised in large caseloads and low risk offenders supervised in standard caseloads."
Wednesday, August 12 2015:
- Violent Victimization In New And Established Hispanic Areas, 2007-2010
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2014.
"From 2007 to 2010, new Hispanic areas had a lower overall rate of violent victimization compared to small Hispanic areas that had relatively little growth in Hispanic populations."
- PREA Data Collection Activities, 2014
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2014.
"Administrators of adult correctional facilities reported 8,763 allegations of sexual victimization in 2011, a statistically significant increase over the 8,404 allegations reported in 2010 and 7,855 in 2009."
- Sexual Victimization In Prisons And Jails Reported By Inmates, 2011-12-
Update,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2014.
"In 2011-12, an estimated 4.0% of state and federal prison inmates and 3.2% of jail inmates reported experiencing one or more incidents of sexual victimization by another inmate or facility staff in the past 12 months or since admission to the facility."
- PREA Data Collection Activities, 2015
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2015.
"Administrators of adult correctional facilities reported 8,763 allegations of sexual victimization in 2011, a statistically significant increase over the 8,404 allegations reported in 2010 and 7,855 in 2009."
- Nonfatal Domestic Violence, 2003-2012
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2014.
"In 2003-12, domestic violence accounted for 21% of all violent crime."
- Criminal Victimization, 2013 (Revised)
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2014.
"The rate of violent crime declined slightly from 26.1 victimizations per 1,000 persons in 2012 to 23.2 per 1,000 in 2013."
- Crime Against Persons With Disabilities, 2009-2013 -
Statistical Tables,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2015.
"Presents estimates of nonfatal violent victimization (rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated and simple assault) against persons age 12 or older with disabilities from 2009 to 2013."
- Capital Punishment, 2012 - Statistical Tables (Revised)
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2014.
"At yearend 2012, 35 states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons held 3,033 inmates under sentence of death, which was 32 fewer than at yearend 2011."
- Capital Punishment In The United States, 2013 - Statistical Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2014.
"At yearend 2013, 35 states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons held 2,979 inmates under sentence of death, which was 32 fewer than at yearend 2012."
- Justice Expenditure And Employment Extracts, 2011 - Preliminary
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2014.
"This series includes national, federal, and state-level estimates of government expenditures and employment for the following justice categories: police protection, all judicial and legal functions (including prosecution, courts, and public defense), and"
- State Government Indigent Defense Expenditures, FY 2008-2012 - Updated
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2014.
"In 2012, state governments spent $2.3 billion nationally on indigent defense."
- Indigent Defense Services In The United States, FY 2008-2012 - Updated
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2014.
"It provides both direct and intergovernmental indigent defense expenditures of state governments for fiscal years 2008 through 2012, and presents some local government expenditures aggregated at the state level."
- Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, 2014
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2014.
"In total, approximately $290.9 million was allocated for the FY 2014 JAG awards."
- Background Checks For Firearm Transfers, 2012 - Statistical Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2014.
"Since the inception of the Brady Act on March 1, 1994, through December 31, 2012, nearly 148 million applications for firearm transfers or permits were subject to background checks. More than 2.4 million applications (1.6%) were denied (table 1)."
- Federal Justice Statistics, 2012 - Statistical Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2015.
"Tables and text describe arrests and investigations by law enforcement agency and growth rates by type of offense and federal judicial district."
- Federal Justice Statistics, 2011-12
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2015.
"At yearend 2012, 414,065 persons were under some form of federal correctional control 62% were in confinement and 38% were under supervision in the community. "
- Federal Justice Statistics, 2011 - Statistical Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2015.
(Information is acquired on all aspects of processing in the federal justice system, including the number of persons investigated, prosecuted, convicted, incarcerated, sentenced to probation, released pretrial, and under parole or other supervision; etc.)
- Jail Inmates At Midyear 2013 - Statistical Tables (Revised)
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2014.
"After a peak in the number of inmates confined in county and city jails at midyear 2008 (785,533), the jail population was significantly lower by midyear 2013 (731,208)."
- Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2014
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2014.
"At midyear 2012, a total of 2,364 inmates were confined in 79 Indian country jails--a 5.6% increase from the 2,239 inmates confined at midyear 2011."
- Arrest-Related Deaths Program:
Data Quality Profile,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2015.
"Data from the ARD represent a national accounting of persons who have died during the process of arrest, including homicides by law enforcement personnel and deaths attributed to suicide, intoxication, accidental injury, and natural causes."
- Arrest-Related Deaths Program Assessment:
Technical Report,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2015.
"Provides a technical assessment of the coverage of the Arrest-Related Deaths (ARD) component of the Deaths in Custody Reporting Program (DCRP)."
- Local Police Departments, 2013:
Personnel, Policies, And Practices,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2015.
"About 27% of local police officers were members of a racial or ethnic minority, compared to 15% in 1987. "
- Local Police Departments, 2013:
Equipment and Technology,
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2015.
"The percentage of local police departments that authorized their officers to use conducted energy weapons such as Tasers increased from 60% in 2007 to 81% in 2013."
- From Fingerpaint to Fingerprints:
The School-to-Prison Pipeline in Utah,
The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.
2014.
"There were 1,230 disciplinary actions in 2011-12, the most recent school year for which data is available."
- Disparities in Discipline:
A Look at School Disciplinary Actions for Utah's American Indian Students,
The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.
2014.
(In Utah, American Indian students are almost four times (3.8) more likely to receive a school disciplinary action compared to their white counterparts.)
- Juvenile Prisons:
National consensus and alternatives,
[PDF] Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance.
August, 2015.
"Over a 12-month period, OCA found at least 532 physical restraints and 134 uses of mechanical restraints at these facilities."
Tuesday, August 11 2015:
Friday, August 7 2015:
- Independent Correctional Oversight Mechanisms Across the United States:
A 50-State Inventory,
[PDF] Pace Law Review.
September, 2010.
(Although this report is thick with examples of entities that perform (or have the authority to perform) some kind of oversight function, it should be clear upon closer examination that formal and comprehensive external oversight is truly rare.)
- Buying Access:
How Corporations Influence Decision Makers at Corrections Conferences, Trainings, and Meetings,
[PDF] In the Public Interest.
August, 2015.
"In 2014, sponsors, vendors, corporate partners, and other non-individual entities contributed at least $3 million to five of the largest professional corrections associations."
Thursday, August 6 2015:
Tuesday, August 4 2015:
- Mortality in Local Jails and State Prisons, 2000-2013 - Statistical Tables
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2015.
"Suicide has been the leading cause of death in jails every year since 2000."
- Justice Expenditure And Employment Extracts, 2012
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2015.
(This series includes estimates of government expenditures and employment at the national, federal, state, and local levels for the following justice categories: police protection, all judicial and legal functions, and corrections.)
- A Review of the Jail Function within State Unified Corrections Systems
[PDF] National Institute of Corrections.
September, 1997.
"This document describes the provision of jail services in the six states that have integrated state-level prison and jail systems. This type of correctional system is often described as a "state unified system.""
- Profile of Jail Inmates, 1989
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 1991.
"Results from the 1989 Survey of Inmates in Local Jails indicate that between 1983 and 1989, while the jail population increased by 76.9%, its composition changed significantly."
Monday, August 3 2015:
- How Racial Attitudes and Ideology Affect Political Rights for Felons
Du Bois Review.
May, 2015.
"Consistent with much of the literature on attitudes toward ameliorative racial policies, higher levels of racial resentment strongly predict lower support for felons’ political rights among both conservatives and liberals."
- Native Lives Matter
[PDF] Lakota People's Law Project.
February, 2015.
"Native American men are admitted to prison at four times the rate of white men and Native women at six-fold the rate of white women."
- Investigation of the St. Louis County Family Court
St. Louis, Missouri,
Department of Justice.
July, 2015.
"Black children are almost one-and-a-half times (1.46) more likely than White children to have their cases handled formally, even after introducing control variables such as gender, age, risk factors, and severity of the allegation."
Friday, July 31 2015:
Thursday, July 30 2015:
- Pretrial Detention and Jail Capacity in California
Public Policy Institute of California.
July, 2015.
"But California’s high rates of pretrial detention have not been associated with lower rates of failure to appear or lower levels of felony rearrests."
- Stuck in the '70s:
The Demographics of California Prosecutors,
[PDF] Stanford Criminal Justice Center.
July, 2015.
"Latinos are almost 39 percent of the population but only nine percent of California prosecutors."
Wednesday, July 29 2015:
Tuesday, July 28 2015:
- The Impact of an Aging Inmate Population on the Federal Bureau of Prisons
[PDF] DOJ Office of the Inspector General.
May, 2015.
"According to BOP data, inmates age 50 and older were the fastest growing segment of its inmate population, increasing 25 percent from 24,857 in fiscal year (FY) 2009 to 30,962 in FY 2013."
- Guilty Property:
How Law Enforcement Takes $1 Million in Cash from Innocent Philadelphians Every Year -- and Gets Away with It,
[PDF] ACLU of Pennsylvania.
June, 2015.
"Every year, Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies take roughly $14 million in cash, cars, and homes from property owners and never give it back."
- Created Equal:
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the US Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
March, 2009.
"African Americans make up 13% of the general US population, yet they constitute 28% of all arrests, 40% of all inmates held in prisons and jails, and 42% of the population on death row."
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2014
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2015.
"In 2013, among students ages 12-18, there were about 1,420,900 nonfatal victimizations at school."
Tuesday, July 21 2015:
- Characteristics of New Commitments 1995
[PDF] New York Department of Correctional Services.
1997.
"There were 34,721 total admissions to the New York State Department of Correctional Services in calendar year 1995."
- Profile of Inmates Undercustody on January 1, 2001
[PDF] New York Department of Correctional Services.
2001.
"There were 70,153 inmates undercustody on January 1, 2001, of whom 66,874 (95.3%) were men and 3,279 (4.7%) were women."
- Profile of Inmate Population Under Custody on January 1, 2004
[PDF] New York Department of Correctional Services.
2004.
"There were 65,197 inmates under custody on January 1, 2004, of whom 62,284 (95.5%) were men and 2,913 (4.5%) were women."
- Jails:
Intergovernmental Dimensions of a Local Problem,
[PDF] Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.
May, 1984.
"According to the latest survey of jails, there currently are 3,493 such facilities in the United States, holding more than 212,000 people at any given time, and approximately 7 million over the course of the year."
- Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2015
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2015.
"At midyear 2013, a total of 2,287 inmates were confined in 79 Indian country jails--a 3.3% decrease from the 2,364 inmates confined at midyear 2012."
- Evaluation of Offenders Released in Fiscal Year 2011
That Completed Rehabilitation Tier Programs,
Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
April, 2015.
"Five of the nine programs tracked showed a lower recidivism rate than the comparison group after the two year follow-up and seven showed a lower recidivism rate after three years."
Wednesday, July 15 2015:
- Prisons of Poverty:
Uncovering the pre-incarceration incomes of the imprisoned,
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2015.
"We found that, in 2014 dollars, incarcerated people had a median annual income of $19,185 prior to their incarceration, which is 41% less than non-incarcerated people of similar ages."
- The Racial Geography of Mass Incarceration
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2015.
"Entirely separate from the more commonly discussed problem of racial disparities in who goes to prison, this data addresses a distressing racial and ethnic disparity in where prisons have been built."
- Safer Return
Urban Institute.
2015.
"Despite implementation challenges, Safer Return was able to improve reentry outcomes for participants relative to comparisons who did not participate, though not as much as had been hoped for."
Friday, July 10 2015:
- Justice for All?
Women Donors Network.
2015.
"95% of elected prosecutors are white. 85% of prosecutors run for election unopposed."
- The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline:
The Girls' Story,
[PDF] Human Rights Project for Girls; Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality; Ms. Foundation for Women.
2015.
"And in a perverse twist of justice, many girls who experience sexual abuse are routed into the juvenile justice system because of their victimization."
Wednesday, July 8 2015:
- Injustice at Every Turn:
A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey,
[PDF] National Center for Transgender Equality; National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
2015.
"One-fifth (22%) of respondents who have interacted with police reported harassment by police due to bias, with substantially higher rates (29-38%) reported by respondents of color."
Tuesday, June 30 2015:
- Was There a 'Ferguson Effect' on Crime in St. Louis?
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
June, 2015.
"Only the timing of the change in property crimes is fully consistent with a Ferguson effect. But temporal consistency is not a sufficient condition to establish substantive proof."
Friday, June 26 2015:
- Firearms and the incidence of arrest
among respondents to domestic violence restraining orders,
[PDF] Injury Epidemiology.
2015.
"Respondents linked to firearms were older than others and were more likely to have a history of prior arrest. The incidence of arrest was 20.6 % for respondents linked to firearms and 21.1 % for others."
- Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Jails:
Recommendations for Local Practice,
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
June, 2015.
"Overuse of Pre-Trial Detention: Studies consistently find that African American and Hispanic defendants are more than twice as likely to be detained in jail pending trial."
Thursday, June 25 2015:
- The Impact of Mass Incarceration on Poverty
Crime and Delinquency.
February, 2009.
"From an empirical standpoint, the results from the current analysis are quite clear; mass incarceration has played a major role in increasing poverty rates."
Monday, June 22 2015:
- Seven Out of Ten?
Not Even Close.,
[PDF] Central Connecticut State University.
March, 2015.
(On average children with incarcerated parents were about three times as likely as non-children with incarcerated parents to become justice-involved, not nearly six times more likely.)
- Deadly Force:
Police Use of Lethal Force In The United States,
[PDF] Amnesty International.
June, 2015.
(No one knows how many people are killed by police in the US, but estimates range from 400 to 1000 people each year. Yet not one state in the US complies with international human rights standards on the use of lethal force by police.)
Monday, June 15 2015:
- Jail Inmates at Midyear 2014
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2015.
"The jail population remained steady at the 2012 level and was significantly lower than the peak of an estimated 785,500 at midyear 2008."
Friday, June 12 2015:
- 10,000 fewer Michigan prisoners:
Strategies to reach the goal,
Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending.
June, 2015.
"This report establishes credible estimates of how many prison beds could be saved by adopting each strategy."
- Do Private Prisons Distort Justice?
Evidence on Time Served and Recidivism,
University of Wisconsin - Madison.
March, 2015.
"My final result is that there is no reduction in recidivism for prisoners in private prison despite the additional time they serve, suggesting that either the marginal returns to incarceration are low, or private prisons increase recidivism risk."
- The Returning Prisoner and the Future of Work
[PDF] Northwestern Law Bluhm Legal Clinic's Program for Prisoner Reentry Strategies.
November, 2014.
(But perhaps correctional employment-related reentry programs fail to demonstrate effectiveness because they lack duration, intensity, or the focus on specific skills that businesses insist are necessary to prepare workers for skilled jobs.)
Friday, June 5 2015:
- Sex Offender Law and the Geography of Victimization
Journal of Empirical Legal Studies.
December, 2014.
"We find that, all else equal, reported sex offense victimization risk is generally (although not uniformly) lower in neighborhoods where more RSOs live."
Tuesday, June 2 2015:
- Prosecution and Racial Justice in New York County
Technical Report,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2014.
(For all offenses combined, compared to similarly-situated white defendants, black and Latino defendants were more likely to be detained, to receive a custodial plea offer, and to be incarcerated; but they were also more likely to benefit from dismissals.)
- The Plummeting Arrest Rates of California's Children
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
May, 2015.
"But in 2013, with a pre-teen population 40 percent larger, arrests for children under 12 fell to 1,394, and arrests of children under 10 fell to 219 -- leading to a 92 percent drop in arrest rates."
- The Incarceration of Children & Youth in New Jersey's Adult Prison System:
New Jersey Youth Justice Initiative,
New Jersey Parents' Caucus.
May, 2015.
"Youth of color are disproportionately represented among those waived to the adult prison system in New Jersey and make up approximately 90% of youth included in our data set who are incarcerated in the adult system."
Thursday, May 28 2015:
- Solitary Confinement:
Common Misconceptions and Emerging Safe Alternatives,
Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2015.
"While the precise number of people held in segregated housing on any given day is not known with any certainty, estimates run to more than 80,000 in state and federal prisons--which is surely an undercount."
Wednesday, May 27 2015:
Tuesday, May 26 2015:
- The Price of Jails:
Measuring the Taxpayer Cost of Local Incarceration,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2015.
"But as high as $22.2 billion sounds, it actually underestimates the price of jails, because other government agencies bear a large share of jail costs that are not reflected in jail budgets."
- Charging Inmates Perpetuates Mass Incarceration
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
May, 2015.
"Every aspect of the criminal justice process has become ripe for charging a fee. In fact, an estimated 10 million people owe more than $50 billion in debt resulting from their involvement in the criminal justice system."
Thursday, May 21 2015:
- Realignment, Incarceration, and Crime Trends in California
Public Policy Institute of California.
May, 2015.
(Violent crime rates remain unaffected by realignment, and although California’s property crime rate decreased in 2013, it did not drop more than in comparable states--so the auto theft gap that opened up in 2012 has not closed.)
- Unlocking Human Dignity:
A Plan to Transform the U.S. Immigrant Detention System,
[PDF] Migration and Refugee Services/United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and The Center for Migration Studies.
May, 2015.
"The US immigrant detention system grew more than fivefold between 1994 and 2013."
Tuesday, May 12 2015:
- Callous and Cruel:
Use of Force against Inmates with Mental Disabilities in US Jails and Prisons,
Human Rights Watch.
May, 2015.
"This 127-page report details incidents in which correctional staff have deluged prisoners with painful chemical sprays, shocked them with powerful electric stun weapons, and strapped them for days in restraining chairs or beds."
- Unfinished Business:
Deepening the Gains in Texas Juvenile Justice Reform,
[PDF] Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
May, 2015.
"Reforms are needed to move the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and its 166 local juvenile probation departments in the right direction to keep more young people closer to their home (or in their home), where the data show they will have better outcomes."
Tuesday, May 5 2015:
- Don't I Need A Lawyer?
Pretrial Justice and the Right to Counsel at First Judicial Bail Hearing,
[PDF] The Constitution Project.
March, 2015.
"It describes the far-reaching and well-documented adverse effects of denying counsel at the earliest stages of a criminal prosecution, a situation that presents numerous constitutional concerns."
Thursday, April 30 2015:
Tuesday, April 28 2015:
- The Summons Report:
Trends in the Issuance and Disposition of Summonses in New York City,
[PDF] John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
April, 2015.
"Overall, summonses are on the decline. This decline is driven by lower issuance rates among 16-17-year-olds and 18-20-year-olds, mainly for disorderly conduct."
Monday, April 27 2015:
Thursday, April 23 2015:
- Prison Crowding:
The Long View, with Suggestions,
[PDF] Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission.
March, 2011.
"That puts the prison system 31% over its rated capacity, with about 12,500 more inmates than the prisons were built to hold."
- Alternatives to Incarceration in California
Public Policy Institute of California.
April, 2015.
(The evidence suggests that the effectiveness of both incarceration and community-based supervision depends on the rate of incarceration in a community, the offender characteristics, and the response to violations during and after supervision.)
- Jail Crowding:
Understanding Jail Population Dynamics,
[PDF] National Institute of Corrections.
January, 2002.
"Three indicators are available for analysis nationally: serious crime, adult arrests, and county resident population."
- Re-Examining Juvenile Incarceration:
High cost, poor outcomes spark shift to alternatives,
Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project.
April, 2015.
"A growing body of research demonstrates that for many juvenile offenders, lengthy out-of-home placements in secure corrections or other residential facilities fail to produce better outcomes than alternative sanctions."
Wednesday, April 22 2015:
- Above the Law:
An Investigation of Civil Asset Forfeiture in California,
Drug Policy Alliance.
April, 2015.
(Asset forfeiture abuses in California reveal the troubling extent to which law enforcement agencies have violated state and federal law.)
Tuesday, April 21 2015:
- Emancipate the FLSA:
Transform the Harsh Economic Reality of Working Inmates,
Journal of Civil Rights & Economic Development.
2015.
"The Article calls for the application of the FLSA to all working inmates, leading to judicial uniformity, and the redistribution of wealth from the prisons to the working inmates thereby reducing recidivism."
- The Opportunity Survey:
Criminal Justice Findings,
[PDF] The Opportunity Agenda.
March, 2015.
"Sixty percent of the American public believes that the unequal treatment of people who have served a prison sentence is a serious problem."
Friday, April 17 2015:
- NC Traffic Stops
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
April, 2015.
(Since 2000, the North Carolina Highway Patrol has been collecting data whenever a police officer stops a motorist, and since 2002, all sizable police departments in the state have done so.)
- Evidence-Based Practice to Reduce Recidivism:
Implications for State Judiciaries,
[PDF] National Institute of Corrections.
August, 2007.
"There is today an enormous body of sophisticated research proving that unlike incarceration, which actually increases offender recidivism, properly designed and operated recidivism-reduction programs can significantly reduce offender recidivism."
- Status Offenses:
A National Survey,
[PDF] Coalition for Juvenile Justice SOS Project.
April, 2015.
"In 2011 alone, for example, an estimated 116,200 status offense cases were petitioned to juvenile courts nationwide, with 8,800 of these cases involving secure detention."
Wednesday, April 15 2015:
- National Gunfire Index
[PDF] SST.
March, 2015.
(All but two of the 28 cities saw reductions in their rates of gunfire.)
Friday, April 10 2015:
- Not Just a Ferguson Problem:
How Traffic Courts Drive Inequality in California,
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.
March, 2015.
"As a result, over four million Californians do not have valid driver’s licenses because they cannot afford to pay traffic fines and fees."
Thursday, April 9 2015:
- U.S. Prison Population Trends:
Broad Variation Among States in Recent Years,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
March, 2015.
"Two-thirds of states (34) have experienced at least a modest decline since 1999, while one-third (16) have had continued rises in their prison populations."
- Moving Beyond Incarceration for Women in Massachusetts:
The Necessity of Bail/Pretrial Reform,
[PDF] Wellesley Centers for Women.
March, 2015.
"Between 2012 and 2014, the number of pretrial women held in the Awaiting Trial Unit (ATU) at MCI-F increased, and overcrowding worsened."
Wednesday, April 8 2015:
Monday, April 6 2015:
- Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2012:
Selected Findings,
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
March, 2015.
"The juvenile offender population dropped 14% from 2010 to 2012, to the lowest number since 1975."
Wednesday, April 1 2015:
- Death Sentences and Executions 2014
Amnesty International.
March, 2015.
"The USA continued to be the only country to put people to death in the region, although executions dropped from 39 in 2013 to 35 in 2014 - reflecting a steady decline in the use of the death penalty in the country over the past years."
Thursday, March 26 2015:
- Reentry and the Ties that Bind:
An Examination of Social Ties, Employment, and Recidivism,
[PDF] Justice Quarterly.
April, 2011.
"In fact, the results suggest that good quality social ties may be particularly important for men with histories of frequent unemployment."
- Seeing Black:
Race, Crime, and Visual Processing,
[PDF] Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
2004.
"Black faces looked more criminal to police officers; the more Black, the more criminal."
Tuesday, March 24 2015:
Friday, March 20 2015:
Wednesday, March 18 2015:
- Staying Connected:
Keeping Justice-Involved Youth "Close to Home" in New York City,
[PDF] John Jay College of Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation Center.
March, 2015.
"After the beginning of Close to Home, the situation was reversed. Arrests in New York City fell more (-39%) than in other areas of the State (-24%)."
Friday, March 13 2015:
- Detrimental for Some?
Heterogeneous Effects of Maternal Incarceration on Child Wellbeing,
Criminology & Public Policy.
January, 2015.
"Maternal incarceration is deleterious for children of mothers least likely to experience incarceration but mostly inconsequential for children of mothers more likely to experience incarceration."
- Trial Defense Guidelines:
Representing a Child Client Facing a Possible Life Sentence,
[PDF] Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.
March, 2015.
"The objective of these guidelines is to set forth a national standard of practice to ensure zealous, constitutionally effective representation for all juveniles facing a possible life sentence."
Thursday, March 12 2015:
- Inmate Social Ties and the Transition to Society:
Does Visitation Reduce Recidivism?,
[PDF] Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency.
June, 2008.
"Visitation of many types, including both family and friends, was associated with reduced and delayed onset of recidivism, with spousal visitation producing a more pronounced reduction in recidivism."
Wednesday, March 11 2015:
- Drivers of Growth in the Federal Prison Population
Urban Institute.
March, 2015.
"The biggest driver of growth in the prison population is in federally sentenced drug offenders, almost all of whom were convicted of drug trafficking."
- No Escape:
Exposure to Toxic Coal Waste at State Correctional Institution Fayette,
[PDF] Abolitionist Law Center.
September, 2014.
"More than 81% of responding prisoners (61/75) reported respiratory, throat, and sinus conditions."
- 2014 Annual Report
[PDF] Denver Office of the Independent Monitor.
March, 2015.
"In particular, the police uses of force within District 6 during the pilot project were frequently not recorded by body worn cameras."
Tuesday, March 10 2015:
- A Changing Landscape:
Pennsylvania Counties Reevaluate Policies on Immigration Detainers,
[PDF] Sheller Center for Social Justice at the Temple University Beasley School of Law.
March, 2015.
(Pennsylvania counties are moving away from honoring ICE detainers; a number of counties cited that these changes were undertaken in order to comply with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals' decision in Galarza to avoid the possibility of legal liability.)
- New York City Department of Investigation
Report on the Recruiting and Hiring Process for New York City Correction Officers,
[PDF] City of New York Department of Investigation.
January, 2015.
"DOI has now reviewed over 150 applications of recently hired COs. Of these, 54 had significant red flags that should have either precluded their hiring altogether or at least required significant follow up or monitoring."
- Risk Tells Us Who, But Not What or How:
Empirical Assessment of the Complexity of Criminogenic Need to Inform Correctional Programming,
Criminology & Public Policy.
February, 2015.
"The emphasis that is placed on managing offenders based on static risk or a global risk-need score that is primarily driven by static risk detracts attention from the specific criminogenic needs that should be identified."
- Public Safety - Municipal Courts
Better Together.
October, 2014.
"This means that the municipal courts in the St. Louis region accounted for 46% of all fines and fees collected statewide, despite being home to only 22% of Missourians."
Thursday, March 5 2015:
- Investigation of the Ferguson Police Department
[PDF] Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
March, 2015.
"This investigation has revealed a pattern or practice of unlawful conduct within the Ferguson Police Department that violates the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, and federal statutory law."
Wednesday, March 4 2015:
Tuesday, March 3 2015:
- Federal Bureau of Prisons:
Special Housing Unit Review and Assessment,
[PDF] CNA.
December, 2014.
"As of November 2013, approximately 5 percent of the entire Bureau’s prisoner population was being housed in one of these restrictive housing populations with the vast majority in the SHU status."
- Sex Offender Registries:
Fear without Function?,
University of Chicago.
February, 2011.
"The results from all three data sets do not support the hypothesis that sex offender registries are effective tools for increasing public safety."
- Interim Report of The President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing
[PDF] President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
March, 2015.
"The President should support and provide funding for the creation of a National Crime and Justice Task Force to review and evaluate all components of the criminal justice system."
Monday, March 2 2015:
- A Billion Dollars and Growing:
Why Prison Bonding is Tougher on Florida's Taxpayers Than on Crime,
[PDF] Collins Center for Public Policy; Florida TaxWatch.
April, 2011.
"Little known and not well understood by taxpayers, this funding approach has saddled future generations of Floridians with over a billion dollars in debt without appreciably increasing public safety."
- Boxed Out:
Criminal History Screening and College Application Attrition,
Center for Community Alternatives.
March, 2015.
"This means almost two out of every three applicants who check "yes" to the felony conviction question do not complete the application process and are never considered for admission."
- The Use of Criminal History Records in College Admissions Reconsidered
[PDF] Center for Community Alternatives.
November, 2010.
"A majority (66%) of the responding colleges collect criminal justice information, although not all of them consider it in their admissions process. Private schools and four-year schools are more likely to collect and use such information."
Friday, February 27 2015:
- A Solitary Failure:
The Waste, Cost and Harm of Solitary Confinement,
ACLU of Texas.
February, 2015.
"The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) confines 4.4 percent of its prison population in solitary confinement."
- State Criminal Justice Advocacy in a Conservative Environment
Sentencing Project.
February, 2015.
"This overview highlights successful advocacy strategies employed in conservative political environments in the states of Indiana, Missouri, and Texas."
- The State of Sentencing 2014:
Developments in Policy and Practice,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
February, 2015.
"Sentencing: At least 16 states and the District of Columbia authorized legislation to address sentencing policy, including statutory penalties that limit lengths of confinement."
Thursday, February 26 2015:
- Defunding State Prisons
[PDF] Santa Clara University School of Law.
December, 2014.
"States would, instead, reallocate money spent on prisons to localities to use as they see fit--on enforcement, treatment, or even per-capita prison usage."
- Juvenile Offenders and Victims:
2014 National Report,
[PDF] National Center for Juvenile Justice.
December, 2014.
"In 2011, school crime was common--1 in 8 students were in fights, 1 in 4 had property stolen or damaged."
Wednesday, February 25 2015:
Monday, February 23 2015:
- An Expanding Strike Zone:
Coleman-Bey and the Future of Civil Protections for Prison Inmates,
[PDF] Alliance for Justice.
February, 2015.
"The clear trend of courts is toward restricting inmates' rights to seek civil justice far beyond what was envisioned by the Prison Litigation Reform Act."
Friday, February 20 2015:
- Adult and Juvenile Correctional Population Projections
[PDF] The State of Texas Legislative Budget Board.
February, 2015.
"Adult state incarcerated populations are projected to remain stable throughout fiscal years 2015 to 2020 and to remain, on average, 0.7 percent below the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s internal operating capacity."
Thursday, February 19 2015:
- Medical Problems of State and Federal Prisoners and Jail Inmates, 2011-12
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2015.
"In 2011-12, an estimated 40% of state and federal prisoners and jail inmates reported having a current chronic medical condition while about half reported ever having a chronic medical condition."
- Gang Membership Between Ages 5 and 17 Years in the United States
[PDF] Journal of Adolescent Health.
November, 2014.
"Youth gang members were disproportionately male, black, Hispanic, from single-parent households, and families living below the poverty level."
- The School-to-Prison Pipeline in Black and White
[PDF] ACLU of Rhode Island.
February, 2015.
"During the 2011-2012 school year, for example, black students comprised over 16% of suspensions statewide - more than twice their student population."
Wednesday, February 18 2015:
- Reproductive Injustice:
The State of Reproductive Health Care for Women in New York State Prisons,
[PDF] Correctional Association of New York.
February, 2015.
"Overall, however, we found that reproductive health care for women in New York State prisons is woefully substandard, with women routinely facing poor-quality care and assaults on their basic human dignity and reproductive rights."
- Black Girls Matter:
Pushed Out, Overpoliced, and Underprotected,
African American Policy Forum.
December, 2014.
"Increased levels of law enforcement and security personnel within schools sometimes make girls feel less safe and less likely to attend school."
Thursday, February 12 2015:
- What Caused the Crime Decline?
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
February, 2015.
"In the 2000s, increased incarceration had no effect on violent crime and accounted for less than one-hundredth of the decade’s property crime drop."
- Incarceration's Front Door: The Misuse of Jails in America
Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2015.
"With nearly 12 million annual admissions- almost 19 times those to state and federal prisons- jails have an impact that is both far-reaching and profound."
Friday, February 6 2015:
- Black Lives Matter:
Eliminating Racial Inequity in the Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
February, 2015.
(The report identifies four key features of the criminal justice system that produce racially unequal outcomes, beyond the conditions of socioeconomic inequality that contribute to higher rates of some crimes in marginalized communities.)
- High-Risk Early Adolescents' Perceptions of Jail and Offender Experiences
[PDF] Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice.
2014.
"The majority of UII interviews contained statements of violence (64.8%) and drugs (32.4%)."
Friday, January 30 2015:
- Review of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Use of Cold Consent
Encounters at Mass Transportation Facilities,
[PDF] Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.
January, 2015.
"The DEA does not collect sufficient data on cold consent encounters to enable it or the OIG to assess whether the encounters are conducted in an unbiased or effective manner."
- End of an Era?
The Impact of Drug Law Reform in New York City,
Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2015.
"The National Institute of Justice-funded study found that drug law reform, as it functioned in the city soon after the laws were passed, led to a 35 percent rise in the rate of diversion of eligible defendants to treatment."
- When All Else Fails, Fining the Family:
First Person Accounts of Criminal Justice Debt,
[PDF] Center for Community Alternatives.
January, 2015.
"Debt is paid not only by those convicted of crimes, but also by their families (or friends) who are the last stop before re-incarceration."
- Growth in Federal Prison System Exceeds States'
Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project.
January, 2015.
"However, between 2007 and 2013, many states made research-driven policy changes to control prison growth, reduce recidivism, and contain costs. While the federal imprisonment rate continued to rise during that period, the state rate declined."
Thursday, January 29 2015:
- Department of Corrections Colorado Correctional Industries
Performance Audit,
[PDF] Colorado Office of the State Auditor.
January, 2015.
"Although statute requires CCI to operate in a profit-oriented manner, CCI's industries operations earned profit margins on average of less than 1 percent from Fiscal Years 2009 through 2014."
- Private Prisons, Private Records
[PDF] Boston University School of Law.
January, 2015.
"Without access to operational and personnel information, practitioners and advocates are unable to determine with any reasonable degree of confidence whether many private facilities are operated in humane, productive, and cost effective ways."
- Exonerations in 2014:
The National Registry of Exonerations,
[PDF] The National Registry of Exonerations.
January, 2015.
"The National Registry of Exonerations has recorded 125 exonerations in 2014. The previous highest total was 91 in 2012."
- Closer to Home:
An Analysis of the State and Local Impact of the Texas Juvenile Justice Reforms,
The Council of State Governments Justice Center.
January, 2015.
"Youth incarcerated in state-run facilities are 21 percent more likely to be rearrested than those who remain under supervision closer to home."
Wednesday, January 28 2015:
- Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January-June 2014
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
January, 2015.
(Preliminary figures indicate that law enforcement agencies throughout the nation showed an overall decrease of 4.6 percent in the number of violent crimes brought to their attention for the first 6 months of 2014 when compared with 2013 figures.)
- Advancing a Federal Fair Chance Hiring Agenda:
Background Check Reforms in Over 100 Cities, Counties, & States Pave the Way for Presidential Action,
National Employment Law Project.
January, 2015.
"More than 100 jurisdictions, including 13 states, the District of Columbia, and 96 cities and counties, have adopted"
Thursday, January 22 2015:
- Screening Out Family Time:
The for-profit video visitation industry in prisons and jails,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2015.
(In order to stimulate demand for their low-quality product, jails and video visitation companies work together to shut down the traditional in-person visitation rooms and instead require families to pay up to $1.50 per minute for visits via video.)
- Video Visiting in Corrections:
Benefits, Limitations, and Implementation Considerations,
[PDF] National Institute of Corrections.
December, 2014.
"Video visiting can be a positive enhancement to in-person visiting when implemented in a way that balances the goals of the facility and the needs of incarcerated individuals and their families."
Wednesday, January 21 2015:
- A Natural Experiment in Reform:
Analyzing Drug Policy Change In New York City, Final Report,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2015.
"Individuals in the Diversion Group were rearrested at a lower rate than those in the Sentenced Group. Therefore, there is a law enforcement benefit of $146 and a court system benefit of $886 per person in treatment."
Tuesday, January 20 2015:
- Justice Reinvestment in Nebraska
Analysis and Policy Framework,
[PDF] The Council of State Governments Justice Center.
January, 2015.
"If this growth continues unchecked, prisons will become even more crowded, swelling from 159 percent of capacity (5,221 people) as of December 31, 2014 to a projected 170 percent of capacity (5,581 people) by FY2020."
- Success-Oriented Funding: Reforming Federal Criminal Justice Grants
Brennan Center for Justice.
August, 2014.
"Specifically, the president should use his executive authority to recast all federal grants for criminal justice in a "Success-Oriented Funding" model, in which the flow of dollars is linked to the achievement of clear goals."
- Federal Prosecution for the 21st Century
Brennan Center for Justice.
September, 2014.
"The report proposes reorienting the way prosecutors' "success" is measured around three core goals: Reducing violent and serious crime, reducing prison populations, and reducing recidivism."
- Campus Law Enforcement, 2011-12
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2015.
"About 75% of the campuses were using armed officers, compared to 68% during the 2004-05 school year."
Monday, January 19 2015:
- How Often and How Consistently do Symptoms Directly Precede Criminal
Behavior Among Offenders With Mental Illness?,
[PDF] Law and Human Behavior.
2014.
"Specifically, of the 429 crimes coded, 4% related directly to psychosis, 3% related directly to depression, and 10% related directly to bipolar disorder (including impulsivity)."
- The Death Penalty in 2014: Year End Report
[PDF] Death Penalty Information Center.
2014.
"There were 35 executions in 7 states, the fewest number put to death since 1994."
- CPD Traffic Stops and Resulting Searches in 2013
ACLU of Illinois.
December, 2014.
"City-wide. The rate of black drivers in the stops (46%) is far higher than the rate of black residents in the city population (32%)."
- Where Do We Go from Here?
Mass Incarceration and the Struggle for Civil Rights,
Economic Policy Institute.
January, 2015.
"In other words, society chose to use incarceration as a welfare program to deal with the poor, especially since the underprivileged are disproportionately people of color."
- Relief in Sight? States Rethink the Collateral Consequences
of Criminal Conviction, 2009 - 2014,
Vera Institute of Justice.
December, 2014.
"In recognition of the damaging effects these collateral consequences can have, 41 states have enacted legislation since 2009 that allows certain individuals to move beyond their convictions."
- Highlights of the 2010 National Youth Gang Survey
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
April, 2012.
"Gang-related homicides increased more than 10 percent from 2009 in cities with populations of more than 100,000."
- Highlights of the 2012 National Youth Gang Survey
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
December, 2014.
"Nearly 30 percent of all responding law enforcement agencies reported gang activity."
- Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2011
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
December, 2014.
"From 1985 through 1997, the number of delinquency cases climbed steadily (62%) and then fell 34% from 1997 through 2011. Juvenile courts handled 7% more cases in 2011 than in 1985."
Saturday, December 20 2014:
Wednesday, December 17 2014:
- Over A Million Dollars A Day:
The Daily Waste of the NYPD's Misdemeanor Arrest Practices,
[PDF] Police Reform Organizing Project.
December, 2014.
"Figures for the first nine months of 2014 show that the NYPD makes: an average of 648 misdemeanor arrests per day at the daily cost to the city of $1,134,000."
- Conviction Integrity Units:
Vanguard of Criminal Justice Reform,
[PDF] Center for Prosecutor Integrity.
December, 2014.
"In regard to exonerations, the nine CIUS are credited with 61 exonerations."
Monday, December 15 2014:
- Public Opinion on Juvenile Justice in America
[PDF] The Pew Charitable Trusts.
November, 2014.
"Voters support sending serious juvenile offenders to corrections facilities, but they favor a range of less-costly alternatives for lower-level offenders."
Friday, December 12 2014:
Thursday, December 11 2014:
Wednesday, December 10 2014:
- Hate Crime Statistics, 2013
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
2014.
(Some 5,928 hate crime incidents involving 6,933 offenses were reported by law-enforcement agencies last year.)
Tuesday, December 9 2014:
- Gun Possession among American Youth:
A Discovery-Based Approach to Understand Gun Violence,
PLOS ONE.
November, 2014.
"We identified more than 40 behavioral factors, including heroin use, using snuff on school property, having been injured in a fight, and having been a victim of sexual violence, that have and continue to be strongly associated with gun possession."
- Sticker Shock:
Calculating the Full Price Tag for Youth Incarceration,
Justice Policy Institute.
December, 2014.
"Each year, the U.S. incurs an estimated $8-$21 billion in long-term costs for the confinement of young people."
Monday, December 8 2014:
Saturday, December 6 2014:
- Bridging the Divide:
A new paradigm for addressing safety, crime, and victimization,
[PDF] Equal Justice USA.
November, 2014.
"There is a growing movement to confront the false choice between meeting the needs of crime victims and reforming failed criminal justice and corrections policies."
Friday, December 5 2014:
- Ten Economic Facts about Crime and Incarceration in the United States
[PDF] The Hamilton Project.
May, 2014.
(The high incarceration rate can have profound effects on society; research has shown that incarceration may impede employment and marriage prospects, increase poverty and behavioral problems among children, and amplify the spread of communicable diseases.)
- Still Buried Alive:
Arizona Prisoner Testimonies on Isolation in Maximum-Security,
[PDF] American Friends Service Committee.
December, 2014.
"The impacts on the men and women held in isolation are deeply damaging and long lasting. Yet Arizona has once again chosen to double down on solitary confinement with these 500 new maximum-security prison beds in the Lewis complex."
- One Strike and You're Out:
How We Can Eliminate Barriers to Economic Security and Mobility for People with Criminal Records,
[PDF] Center for American Progress.
December, 2014.
"Estimates put the cost of employment losses among people with criminal records at as much as $65 billion per year in terms of gross domestic product."
Thursday, December 4 2014:
- The Rise in State Prison Populations
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
December, 2014.
"Most states' prison populations are at historic highs after decades of extraordinary growth. This growth has been costly, limiting economic opportunity for communities with especially high incarceration rates."
- Public Ideology, Minority Threat, and Felony Collateral Sanctions:
A State-Level Analysis,
University of Delaware, Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice.
July, 2014.
"States with large minority and conservative populations are more likely to have more stigmatizing collateral sanction that can affect recidivism."
Friday, November 28 2014:
- On Life Support:
Public Health in the Age of Mass Incarceration,
Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2014.
(Research in epidemiology indicates that had the U.S. incarceration rate remained at its 1973 level, then the infant mortality rate would have been 7.8% lower than it was in 2003, and disparity between black and white infant deaths nearly 15% lower.)
- Crime in the United States 2012
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
2012.
"In 2012, an estimated 1,214,462 violent crimes occurred nationwide, an increase of 0.7 percent from the 2011 estimate."
Tuesday, November 25 2014:
- Household Poverty and Nonfatal Violent Victimization, 2008-2012
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2014.
"For the period 2008-12, persons living in poor households at or below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) (39.8 per 1,000) had more than double the rate of violent victimization as persons in high-income households (16.9 per 1,000)."
- Contra Costa County:
A Model for Managing Local Corrections,
[PDF] JFA Institute.
January, 2014.
"Over a three-year period, people on felony probation in the County had a recidivism rate of 20% - far lower than the 60% or higher rates statewide found in other studies."
- Incorporating Racial Equity into Criminal Justice Reform
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
October, 2014.
"Reform strategies that do not directly tackle racial disparity ignore the multifaceted ways in which public safety is produced. Key among these is the perception of the criminal justice system by the community."
Monday, November 24 2014:
- Justice Reinvestment in North Carolina:
Three Years Later,
[PDF] The Council of State Governments Justice Center.
November, 2014.
"A total of 10 prisons closed as a result and the state is using some of the savings generated to focus on improving supervision practices by adding 175 probation and parole officers and investing in cognitive interventions and substance use treatment."
Friday, November 21 2014:
- Treatment Industrial Complex:
How For-Profit Prison Corporations are Undermining Efforts to Treat and Rehabilitate Prisoners for Corporate Gain,
[PDF] American Friends Service Committee; Grassroots Leadership; Southern Center for Human Rights.
November, 2014.
"Most for-profit prison corporations have dismal records in terms of safety, cost, and quality of the prisons that they manage."
Wednesday, November 19 2014:
- Standing with LGBT Prisoners:
An Advocate's Guide to Ending Abuse and Combating Imprisonment,
[PDF] National Center for Transgender Equality.
2014.
"According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 16% of transgender adults have been in a prison or jail for any reason."
Tuesday, November 18 2014:
- Report of Inquiry into Documentation of Sex Crime Investigations
by Five Detectives in the Special Victims Section of the New Orleans Police Department,
[PDF] Office of Inspector General City of New Orleans.
November, 2014.
"Due to this total void of information, the investigators could not analyze 65% of the sex crime related calls for service assigned to the five detectives."
- The Impact of Right to Carry Laws and the NRC Report:
The Latest Lessons for the Empirical Evaluation of Law and Policy,
Stanford Law School.
September, 2014.
"The strongest evidence of a statistically significant effect would be for aggravated assault, with 11 of 28 estimates suggesting that RTC laws increase this crime at the .10 confidence level."
- States Project 3 Percent Increase in Prisoners by 2018
Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project.
November, 2014.
"The number of state prison inmates is expected to rise 3 percent by 2018, according to projections collected from 34 states by the Pew Charitable Trusts."
Saturday, November 15 2014:
- Most States Cut Imprisonment and Crime
Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project.
November, 2014.
"Over the past five years, the majority of states have reduced their imprisonment rates while experiencing less crime."
Friday, November 14 2014:
- Solitary Confinement as Torture
[PDF] University of North Carolina School of Law Immigration/Human Rights Clinic.
2014.
(The conclusion reached is stark and straightforward: solitary confinement is ineffective at decreasing violence within prisons; it is ineffective at preserving public safety; it is ineffective at managing scarce monetary resources.)
- Crimes Against the Elderly, 2003-2013
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2014.
(For the period 2003-13, elderly persons age 65 or older experienced nonfatal violent crime victimizations at lower rates than younger persons ages 12 to 24, 25 to 49, and 50 to 64.)
- Profiting from Probation:
America's "Offender-Funded" Probation Industry,
[PDF] Human Rights Watch.
February, 2014.
"The central problem with offender-funded, pay only probation is this: the longer it takes offenders to pay off their debts, the longer they remain on probation and the more they pay in supervision fees."
- Failed Policies, Forfeited Futures:
A Nationwide Scorecard on Juvenile Records,
Juvenile Law Center.
November, 2014.
"A study of each state’s policies on keeping juvenile records confidential and allowing for those records to be expunged shows that the nation limits opportunities for youth by failing to protect them from the harmful effects of their juvenile records."
Wednesday, November 12 2014:
- The Use of Prolonged Solitary Confinement
in United States Prisons, Jails, and Detention Centers,
[PDF] Center for Constitutional Rights; Legal Services for Prisoners with Children; California Prison Focus.
November, 2014.
"The US currently detains approximately 80,000 prisoners in solitary confinement in its jails, prisons, and detention centers."
- United States' Compliance with the Convention Against Torture
and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union.
October, 2014.
"The ACLU report also highlights key aspects of the criminal justice system that do not comply with article 16 of the Convention, which requires the prevention of acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."
Saturday, November 8 2014:
- The Justice Reinvestment Initiative Experiences from the Local Sites
[PDF] Urban Institute.
November, 2014.
"Seven sites adopted strategies that expanded jail diversion (e.g., deferred prosecution programs) and jail programming (e.g., inmate transition programs) as well as increased access to employment and education services."
- Evaluation of the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative Reentry Programs
Findings and Recommendations,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
October, 2014.
(Impact analyses suggest that both Reentry1 and Reentry2 reduce rearrest among participants and prolong time to rearrest, particularly after the first 90 days, indicating that initial and continued program efforts to stabilize clients are effective.)
Thursday, November 6 2014:
- Study of Victim Experiences of Wrongful Conviction
[PDF] ICF International.
November, 2013.
"A number of victims described the impact of the wrongful conviction as being comparable to, or worse than, their original victimization."
- Iowa Prison Population Forecast FY 2014-FY 2024
[PDF] Iowa Department of Human Rights Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning.
October, 2014.
(If current offender behaviors and justice system trends, policies, and practices continue, Iowa's prison population may be expected to increase by about 39 percent over the ten-year period.)
Tuesday, November 4 2014:
- Oregon Corrections Population Forecast
[PDF] State of Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.
October, 2014.
"The number of inmates housed in Oregon's prisons, currently 14,598, is expected to grow to 15,074 inmates by September 2024."
- Bias Behind Bars:
Decreasing Disproportionate Rates of Incarcerated Women in California and Nationwide for Low-Level Offenses,
[PDF] The Women's Foundation of California.
October, 2014.
"Nationally-but especially in California-women have been incarcerated for nonviolent, poverty-related offenses at disproportionate rates compared to men."
Friday, October 31 2014:
- Are Black Kids Worse?
Myths and Facts about Racial Differences in Behavior,
[PDF] Equity Project at Indiana University.
2013.
"Such studies have provided little to no evidence that African American students in the same school or district are engaging in more seriously disruptive behavior that could warrant higher rates of exclusion or punishment."
- Drugs:
International Comparators,
[PDF] Home Office.
October, 2014.
"We did not in our fact-finding observe any obvious relationship between the toughness of a country’s enforcement against drug possession, and levels of drug use in that country."
- Officer Involved Shooting Information
Philadelphia Police Department.
2014.
"An officer involved shooting is the discharge of a firearm, whether accidental or intentional, by a police officer, whether on or off duty."
- Implementing Juvenile Justice Reform
The Federal Role,
National Research Council of the National Academies.
2014.
(OJJDP has not been reauthorized since 2002. Appropriated funding has declined by half in current dollars since 2003-2010, but more importantly the discretion that OJJDP has to use its funding has been sharply compromised.)
Wednesday, October 29 2014:
- Changing Priorities:
State Criminal Justice Reforms and Investments in Education,
[PDF] Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
October, 2014.
"Corrections spending is now the third-largest category of spending in most states, behind education and health care."
- Probation and Parole in the United States, 2013
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2014.
(At yearend 2013, an estimated 4,751,400 adults were under community supervision---a decline of about 29,900 offenders from yearend 2012.)
- A Constitutional Default:
Services to Criminal Defendants in Pennsylvania,
[PDF] Joint State Government Commission, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
December, 2011.
(A study of the Commonwealth's indigent defense system concluded that the Supreme Court's mandate of free counsel has been ignored by the General Assembly and is not being fulfilled in Pennsylvania.)
Tuesday, October 28 2014:
- ClaimStat Alert
[PDF] Office of the New York City Comptroller.
August, 2014.
(The 37 percent increase in personal injury correctional facility claims activity from FY 2013 to FY 2014 corresponds to a rise in the number of serious allegations of violence at Rikers.)
- On the Streets of America:
Human Rights Abuses in Ferguson,
[PDF] Amnesty International.
October, 2014.
(This briefing outlines some of the human rights concerns witnessed by Amnesty International and recommendations that need to be implemented with regards to the use of lethal force by law enforcement and the policing of protests.)
Wednesday, October 22 2014:
- The Crime Beat: Does Quantity Matter?
[PDF] John Jay College of Criminal Justice Center on Media, Crime and Justice.
October, 2014.
"We found that the six papers under review averaged about 78 crime-related stories for the period studied, with the most stories appearing in The Camden Courier-Post (165) and the fewest in the Naperville Sun (26)."
- Skewed Justice:
Citizens United, Television Advertising and State Supreme Court Justices' Decisions in Criminal Cases,
Emory Law School; American Constitution Society.
October, 2014.
"In a state with 10,000 ads, a doubling of airings is associated on average with an 8 percent increase in justices' voting against a criminal defendant's appeal."
- South Bronx Community Connections
Technical Report,
[PDF] John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
November, 2013.
"By fall 2013, two years into project implementation, a statistical analysis of SBCC’s available data (see Appendix A) found juvenile project participants to be suggestively, but significantly (p value= 0.09), less likely to be re-arrested within a year."
- The Unpredictability of Murder:
Juvenile Homicide in the Pathways to Desistance Study,
[PDF] Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice.
October, 2014.
(Results from a rare-events logistic regression that examined the relationship between these five risk factors and their ability to distinguish between the two groups indicate that only lower IQ and a greater exposure to violence were significant.)
Tuesday, October 21 2014:
- Explaining Dimensions of State-Level Punitiveness in the United States:
The Roles of Social, Economic, and Cultural Factors,
[PDF] Baker Institute of Public Policy.
August, 2014.
(For incarceration, citizen engagement and property crime have a statistically significant and negative impact on state punitiveness, while the percent of population that is black has a significant and positive effect.)
Friday, October 17 2014:
- Prison Visitation Policies:
A Fifty State Survey,
Chesa Boudin, Trevor Stutz, & Aaron Littman.
February, 2014.
"This paper presents a summary of the findings from the first fifty-state survey of prison visitation policies."
- Video Visitation:
How Private Companies Push for Visits by Video and Families Pay the Price,
[PDF] Grassroots Leadership; Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
October, 2014.
"Video-only visitation policies strip away that choice; they are simply another outgrowth of the idea that offering services to prisoners and their families can be commercialized."
Tuesday, October 14 2014:
- Florida's Aging Prisoner Problem
[PDF] Florida Tax Watch.
September, 2014.
"Between 2000 and 2014, the elderly prison population grew from 5,605 to 21,002, at an average increase of 9.9 percent per year, a rate more than three times higher than the general prison population."
- Black, Brown and Targeted:
A report on Boston Police Department Street Encounters from 2007-2010,
[PDF] ACLU of Massachusetts.
October, 2014.
(Most alarmingly, the analysis found that Blacks were subjected to 63% of these encounters, even though they made up just 24% of Boston's population. The analysis also showed that crime does not explain this racial disparity.)
- An Overview of Public Opinion and Discourse on Criminal Justice Issues
[PDF] The Opportunity Agenda.
August, 2014.
(Since the 1990s, people are backing away from harsh enforcement and sentencing policies, such as mandatory sentencing, and appear more interested in allocating tax dollars toward rehabilitation, treatment, and support efforts.)
Friday, October 10 2014:
- Mortality in Local Jails and State Prisons, 2000-2012 - Statistical Tables
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2014.
"In 2012, 4,309 inmates died while in the custody of local jails or state prisons-an increase of 2% (67 deaths) from 2011. The number of deaths in local jails increased, from 889 in 2011 to 958 in 2012, which marked the first increase since 2009."
Wednesday, October 8 2014:
- Entombed:
Isolation in the US Federal Prison System,
[PDF] Amnesty International.
July, 2014.
"This report will detail how conditions in ADX breach international standards for the humane treatment of prisoners."
- A meta-analysis of the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder in incarcerated populations,
[PDF] Cambridge University.
March, 2014.
"Compared with published general population prevalence, there is a fivefold increase in prevalence of ADHD in youth prison populations (30.1%) and a 10-fold increase in adult prison populations (26.2%)."
- Flint DDACTS Pilot Evaluation:
Summary of Findings,
[PDF] Michigan Justice Statistics Center.
July, 2014.
"Indeed, the target areas experienced a 19 percent reduction in violent crime and a 30 percent reduction in robberies. This compared to 7 and 2 percent reductions, respectively, in the rest of the city."
- Reforming Marijuana Laws:
Which Approach Best Reduces the Harms of Criminalization? A Five-State Analysis,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
September, 2014.
"All five states experienced substantial declines in marijuana possession arrests. The four states with available data also showed unexpected drops in marijuana felony arrests."
- For-Profit Family Detention:
Meet the Private Prison Corporations Making Millions by Locking Up Refugee Families,
[PDF] Grassroots Leadership; Justice Strategies.
October, 2014.
"This report will scrutinize GEO’s dismal track record with operation of facilities holding immigrants, as well as its dreadful past history of failing to provide vulnerable children and youths with a safe and humane custodial environment."
- Improving Recidivism as a Performance Measure
[PDF] Urban Institute.
October, 2014.
"Recidivism is not a single measure of success or failure, and states should move away from using one uniform definition. Making recidivism a meaningful performance measure demands that states employ a wide range of reoffending metrics."
- Proposition 47:
Estimating Local Savings and Jail Population Reductions,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
September, 2014.
"Every year, Los Angeles County could save between $99.9 million and $174.8 million, San Diego County between $28.4 million and $49.7 million, and San Joaquin County between $6.8 million and $12.0 million due to the implementation of Proposition 47."
Wednesday, October 1 2014:
- Solitary Confinement -
Understanding Restrictive Housing Unit Practices Within the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Prisons,
Out4Good.
July, 2014.
"First and second line supervisors, mainly GS9 and GS11 lieutenants, have far too much discretion when it comes to placing offenders in the SHU. The general criterion for SHU placement is that an inmate is disrupting the orderly running of the institution."
- Congressional Action Mandated to Reduce Rising Costs of Incarceration
Out4Good.
January, 2014.
"It becomes evident that more than $100 billion is being spent annually to accommodate the confinement and correctional supervision of these individuals."
Monday, September 29 2014:
- Presumption of Guilt:
The Global Overuse of Pretrial Detention,
[PDF] Open Society Justice Initiative.
September, 2014.
"The present global cohort of 3.3 million pretrial detainees will collectively spend an estimated 660 million days in detention-a terrible waste of human potential that comes at a considerable cost to states, taxpayers, families, and communities."
Thursday, September 25 2014:
Tuesday, September 23 2014:
- Socio-emotional Impact of Violent Crime
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2014.
"Overall, 68% of victims of serious violence experienced socio-emotional problems as a result of their victimization."
- The Effect of Collateral Consequence Laws
on State Rates of Returns to Prison,
[PDF] University of Maryland, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
July, 2014.
"Surprisingly, these analyses give some indication that collateral consequences may be related to lower rates of returns to prison for technical violations, however future research is needed to confirm this relationship."
Thursday, September 18 2014:
Tuesday, September 16 2014:
- Prisoners in 2013
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2014.
"On December 31, 2013, the United States held an estimated 1,574,700 persons in state and federal prisons, an increase of approximately 4,300 prisoners (0.3%) from 2012."
- Impact of Disproportionate Incarceration of and
Violence Against Black People with Mental Health Conditions In the World's Largest Jail System,
[PDF] Dignity and Power Now.
August, 2014.
"Nationwide, people with mental health conditions constitute 64% of the jail population, according to the Federal Bureau of Prison Statistics."
Monday, September 15 2014:
- Parsons v. Ryan, CV 12-00601:
Arizona Class Action Prison Conditions Lawsuit Expert Reports,
[PDF] ACLU of Arizona.
September, 2014.
"Every week, on average, a patient who has been neglected or mistreated dies in the Arizona prison system, according to these expert reports."
- Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras
[PDF] Office of Justice Programs.
September, 2014.
"The evaluations in Mesa and Rialto documented substantial drops in citizen complaints following deployment of the technology. The UK studies documented a similar effect."
- The Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) in the Lives of Juvenile Offenders
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
2014.
"The top three most prevalent ACE indicators were the same for both males and females: family violence, parental separation or divorce, and household member incarceration."
Thursday, September 11 2014:
- Aging Behind Bars:
Trends and Implications of Graying Prisoners in the Federal Prison System,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
August, 2014.
"The number of prisoners age 50 or older experienced a 330 percent increase from 1994 to 2011."
- Adventures in Risk:
Predicting Violent and Sexual Recidivism in Sentencing Law,
Arizona State Law Journal.
March, 2014.
"Whatever merit actuarial assessments may have for a variety of criminal justice decisions (such as bail, probation, and parole), they are far too problematic for use in sentencing matters."
Wednesday, September 10 2014:
- Liberal but Not Stupid:
Meeting the Promise of Downsizing Prisons,
[PDF] Joan Petersilia and Francis T. Cullen, Stanford Journal of Criminal Law and Policy.
June, 2014.
"The issue of downsizing will also remain at the forefront of correctional discourse because of the court-ordered reduction in imprisonment in California...a 'criminology of downsizing' must be developed to foster effective policy interventions."
- Prison Population Trends 2013
[PDF] Massachusetts Department of Correction.
May, 2014.
"A steady decline from January 2012 to January 2014 reflects a seven percent decrease in the custody population."
- California Prison Downsizing
and Its Impact on Local Criminal Justice Systems,
[PDF] Joan Petersilia, Harvard Law & Policy Review.
2014.
"Everyone agreed county officials are working more collaboratively toward reducing recidivism, and that new funding has fostered innovative programming. But our interviews also found counties struggling...to carry out an initiative...imposed overnight."
Friday, September 5 2014:
- State Variation in Hospital Use and Cost of Firearm Assault Injury, 2010
[PDF] Urban Institute.
August, 2014.
(Hospital use for firearm-assault injury is disproportionately concentrated among young males, particularly young black males, in all six study states.)
- Race and Prosecution in Manhattan
Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2014.
(Blacks and Latinos were particularly likely to be held in pretrial detention for misdemeanor person offenses, followed by misdemeanor drug offenses. Blacks and Latinos were also most likely to have their cases dismissed for misdemeanor drug offenses.)
Thursday, September 4 2014:
- Close-Range Gunfire around DC Schools
[PDF] Urban Institute.
September, 2014.
"Fifty-four percent of DC schools covered by gunfire-detection technology had at least one burst of gunfire occur within 1,000 feet of the school."
- Does Immigration Enforcement Reduce Crime?
Evidence from "Secure Communities",
[PDF] University of Chicago Law; New York University Law School.
August, 2014.
"Our results show that Secure Communities has led to no meaningful reductions in the FBI index crime rate."
- Policing Immigration
[PDF] New York University School of Law; University of Chicago Law School.
2013.
"The data undermine the government's claim that Secure Communities is principally about making communities more secure from crime."
- Race and Punishment:
Racial Perceptions of Crime and Support for Punitive Policies,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
September, 2014.
"Studies have shown that whites who associate crime with blacks and Latinos are more likely to support punitive policies - including capital punishment and mandatory minimum sentencing - than whites with weaker racial associations of crime."
Friday, August 29 2014:
- Managing Drug-Involved Offenders
[PDF] Department of Justice.
July, 2014.
"Drug courts, which also mandate drug treatment but under judicial supervision, have demonstrated better outcomes than standard treatment diversion programs."
Friday, August 22 2014:
- The Debt Penalty:
Exposing the financial barriers to offender reintegration,
[PDF] John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
August, 2014.
"Paradoxically, criminal justice systems sometimes spend more on debt collection and punishing offenders who are behind on their payments than they are likely to recoup from enforcing the financial obligations of ex-offenders."
- Youth in Residential Placement, 2011
[PDF] Department of Justice.
August, 2014.
"The number of delinquents held in placement increased 4% between 1997 and 1999 and then decreased 43% to its lowest level in 2011."
Monday, August 18 2014:
- Operation Ghetto Storm
[PDF] Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.
April, 2013.
"There is no centralized database that keeps track of extrajudicial killings by police... With no numbers, there can be no studies, no analysis of trends and no accountability."
Thursday, August 14 2014:
- State Prison Health Care Spending:
An Examination of Female Offenders Released from State Prison in the First Year of Public Safety Realignment,
[PDF] Pew Charitable Trusts.
July, 2014.
"In fiscal 2011, states spent a total of $7.7 billion on correctional health care—likely about a fifth of overall prison expenditures."
Monday, August 11 2014:
- The High Costs of Low Risk:
The Crisis of America’s Aging Prison Population,
[PDF] The Osborne Association.
July, 2014.
"...at present, twenty-eight states hold more than 1,000 older prisoners, up from just two states in 1990."
- Barriers to Recreation at Rikers Island’s Central Punitive Segregation Unit
[PDF] New York City Board of Corrections.
July, 2014.
"...while the CPSU population hovers around 400 people, fewer than 40 prisoners are experiencing the mandated hour outside their solitary confinement cells on an average day."
Thursday, August 7 2014:
- Incarceration of a Household Member and Hispanic Health Disparities:
Childhood Exposure and Adult Chronic Disease Risk Behaviors,
[PDF] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
May, 2013.
"If the escalation of incarceration continues through the early years of this century, its public health effect will continue to grow as the children of those prisoners or former prisoners reach adulthood."
- Jails in Indian Country, 2013
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2014.
"Since 2010, about 31% of inmates held in Indian country jails have been confined for a violent offense, a decline from about 39% in each year between midyear 2004 and 2009."
- Medicaid Prior Authorization Policies and Imprisonment
Among Patients With Schizophrenia,
[PDF] American Journal of Managed Care.
July, 2014.
"As the total costs in the United States that are associated with severe psychiatric disorders in jails are very high, new policies on how to treat incarcerated individuals with schizophrenia, particularly nonviolent offenders, are warranted."
- Female Realignment Report:
An Examination of Female Offenders Released from State Prison in the First Year of Public Safety Realignment,
[PDF] California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
May, 2014.
"...data shows that there is very little difference between female offenders and their outcomes following release after completing their State prison term pre- and post-Realignment"
- CRIPA Investigation
of the NYC Department of Correction Jails on Rikers Island,
[PDF] Department of Justice.
August, 2014.
"We conclude that there is a pattern and practice of conduct at Rikers that violates the constitutional rights of adolescent inmates."
Thursday, July 31 2014:
- Safely Home
[PDF] Youth Advocate Programs.
June, 2014.
"Community-based programs yield better results for kids than incarceration and can be implemented without spending any new money."
Thursday, July 24 2014:
- Fewer Prisoners, Less Crime:
A Tale of Three States,
The Sentencing Project.
July, 2014.
"Studies consistently find that expediting prisoners' release from prison has no or minimal impact on recidivism rates."
Thursday, July 17 2014:
- The Early Release of Prisoners
And its Impact on Police Agencies and Communities in California,
[PDF] Police Executive Research Forum.
May, 2011.
"...there is research indicating that enforcement alone is ineffective in lowering recidivism rates, and in any case, prisons are far too expensive to be used as a default sanction for many criminal offenders."
- Voices from the Field
How California Stakeholders View Public Safety Realignment,
[PDF] Stanford Criminal Justice Center.
January, 2014.
"...counties now must handle virtually all drug and property crime sentences, which represented 54% of all felony arrestees convicted in California in 2010."
- Recalibrating Justice
A Review of 2013 State Sentencing and Corrections Trends,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2014.
"In 2013, at least six states authorized the creation or expansion of diversion programs or strengthened the infrastructure support- ing existing programs."
Wednesday, July 9 2014:
Monday, July 7 2014:
- The Crisis of Violence in Georgia's Prisons
[PDF] Southern Center for Human Rights.
July, 2014.
"Prison officials violate the Constitution if they know that people in prison face a substantial risk of serious harm, but disregard that risk by failing to take reasonable measures to protect prisoners."
- The Double Edged Sword of Prison Video Visitation
Claiming to Keep Families Together While Furthering the Aims of the Prison Industrial Complex,
[PDF] Patrice A. Fulcher, Associate Professor at John Marshall Law School.
July, 2014.
"The use of inmate video visitation services must not be oppressive, so fees must be affordable and transparent so that there are no hidden costs."
(published in 9 Fla. A&M. U. L. Rev. 83 (2014))
- Justice Expenditure And Employment Extracts, 2009
Final,
[Website] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2014.
"This series includes national, federal, and state-level estimates of government expenditures and employment for the following justice categories: police protection, all judicial and legal functions... and corrections."
- Justice Expenditure And Employment Extracts, 2010
Final,
[Website] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2014.
"This series includes national, federal, and state-level estimates of government expenditures and employment for the following justice categories: police protection, all judicial and legal functions... and corrections."
- Indicators Of School Crime And Safety, 2013
[Website] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2014.
"During the 2009–10 school year, 85% of public schools recorded that one or more crime incidents had taken place at school, amounting to an estimated 1.9 million crimes."
Monday, June 30 2014:
- Latino Voices:
The Impacts of Crime and Criminal Justice Policies on Latinos,
[PDF] Californians for Safety and Justice.
June, 2014.
"...the data that does exist — specifically research on Latino victimization rates and their treatment in the justice system — paints a troubling picture of"
- War Comes Home
The Excessive Militarization of American Policing,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union.
June, 2014.
"Using... federal funds, state and local law enforcement agencies have amassed military arsenals purportedly to wage the failed War on Drugs, the battlegrounds of which have disproportionately been in communities of color."
Friday, June 27 2014:
- Is Public Safety Realignment Reducing Recidivism in California?
Public Policy Institute of California.
June, 2014.
"Realignment's success depends largely on efforts addressing recidivism among former prison inmates and other convicted offenders diverted from prison as a result of the reform."
- The contagious nature of imprisonment
an agent-based model to explain racial disparities in incarceration rates,
[PDF] The Royal Society.
June, 2014.
"Our model suggests that increased sentencing for an individual has negative effects that spread through social networks to affect families and whole communities."
Thursday, June 26 2014:
- Voting Rights Barriers and Discrimination in 21st Century California
2000-2013,
[PDF] Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.
March, 2014.
"Structural vote dilution and discrimination continue to plague California. These voting rights violations are just as real today as they were when the VRA was first enacted in 1965..."
- Report on the Psychiatric Management of John Salvi
in Massachusetts Department of Correction Facilities 1995-1996,
[PDF] University of Massachusetts Medical Center Department of Psychiatry.
January, 1997.
"...in our opinion, the number of full-time equivalent psychiatrists within the DOC is far too low to meet the psychiatric needs of the inmate population."
- Prisons and Sentencing in Massachusetts
Waging a More Effective Fight Against Crime,
[PDF] MassInc.
June, 1999.
"Critics of mandatory minimum drug laws, both state and federal, claim that these draconian penalties are jamming prisons with nonviolent offenders, many of them serving long sentences for a first conviction."
Monday, June 23 2014:
Wednesday, June 18 2014:
- Seasonal Patterns in Criminal Victimization Trends
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2014.
"This report examines seasonal patterns in violent and household property victimization in the United States from 1993 to 2010."
- Irreversible Error
Recommended Reforms for Preventing and Correcting Errors in the Administration of Capital Punishment,
[PDF] The Constitution Project.
May, 2014.
"...the system must be willing to acknowledge errors that could result in the execution of an innocent person . Each jurisdiction should adopt legislation that sets standards to facilitate the review of credible post-conviction claims of innocence."
- Report on the Continuing Impact of United States v. Booker
on Federal Sentences,
[Website] United States Sentencing Commission.
December, 2012.
"This report assesses the continuing impact on the federal sentencing system of the Supreme Court's 2005 opinion in United States v. Booker, which rendered the sentencing guidelines advisory."
Tuesday, June 17 2014:
- Justice in Washing State Survey, 2012
Revised and Updated 2014,
[PDF] The Washington State Minority Health Commission, The Washington State Center for Court Research.
2014.
"When we asked about their personal encounters with police officers and the courts, we found substantial differences between Whites and African Americans in terms of the frequency of negative encounters."
Monday, June 16 2014:
- Warehoused and Forgotten
Immigrants Trapped in Our Shadow Private Prison System,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union.
June, 2014.
"Nationwide, more than half of all federal criminal prosecutions initiated in fiscal year 2013 were for unlawfully crossing the border into the United States"
- Mississippi's 2014 Corrections and Criminal Justice Reform
[PDF] Pew's Public Safety Performance Project.
May, 2014.
"...nonviolent offenders and those revoked for probation or parole violations accounted for a large and growing share of Mississippi's prison population."
- Too Good to be True
Private Prisons in America,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
January, 2012.
"The available data belies the oft-claimed economic benefits of private contracting, and points to the practice being an unreliable approach toward financial stability."
- Mandatory Reentry Supervision
Evaluating the Kentucky Experience,
[PDF] Pew's Public Safety Performance Project.
June, 2014.
"Inmates released to supervision under the policy had 30 percent fewer returns to prison for a new crime and 11 percent fewer violations of their supervision rules than the pre-policy group."
- Recidivism Among Offenders Receiving Retroactive Sentence Reductions
The 2007 Crack Cocaine Amendment,
[PDF] United States Sentencing Commission.
May, 2014.
"This publication reports on recidivism of crack cocaine offenders who were released immediately before and after implementation of the 2007 Crack Cocaine Amendment, and followed in the community for five years."
- Tinkering with Life
A Look at the Inappropriateness of of Life Without Parole as an Alternative to the Death Penalty,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
January, 2013.
"LWOP is often touted as the humane alternative to the death penalty, yet many of the problematic aspects of the death penalty are also applicable to this sentence."
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2013
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics.
June, 2014.
"Presents data on crime and safety at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, and principals."
- Capital City Correction:
Reforming DC's Use of Adult Incarceration Against Youth,
[PDF] DC Lawyers for Youth, Campaign for Youth Justice.
May, 2014.
"DC continues this practice of prosecuting, detaining, and incarcerating youth in the adult system despite the fact that research consistently finds that adult prosecution of youth does not effectively deter crime."
- Measuring Juvenile Recidivism
Data collection and reporting practices in juvenile corrections,
[Website] Pew's Public Safety Performance Project.
May, 2014.
"...a recent survey of these agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia found that 1 in 4 does not regularly collect and report recidivism data, and fewer than half use measures that provide a comprehensive picture of youth reoffending."
Friday, June 13 2014:
- ADAM II
2013 Annual Report,
[PDF] Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program II.
January, 2013.
"The Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring II (ADAM II) survey gathers information on drug use and related issues from booked adult male arrestees within 48 hours of their arrest."
- Collateral Costs
Racial Disparities and Injustice in Minnesota's Marijuana Laws,
[PDF] Minnesota 2020.
April, 2014.
"...blacks in Minnesota were 6.4 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession – over two times the national average."
- A New Approach to Reducing Incarceration
While Maintaining Low Rates of Crime,
[PDF] The Hamilton Project.
May, 2014.
"What alternative policy options could we pursue in conjunction with scaling back incarceration rates that would reduce the social costs of incarceration while controlling crime?"
- The Growth of Incarceration in the United States
Exploring causes and consequences,
[PDF] National Research Council..
2014.
"The study assesses the evidence and its implications for public policy to inform an extensive and thoughtful public debate about and reconsideration of policies."
- Key Factors in California's Jail Construction Needs
[PDF] Public Policy Institute of California.
May, 2014.
"This report highlights two important factors in addressing jail capacity constraints: aging jail facilities and long - term needs."
- World Pre-trial/Remand Imprisonment List
Pre-trail detainees and other remand prisoners in all five continents,
[PDF] International Centre for Prison Studies.
January, 2008.
"..this List refers to those persons who, in connection with an alleged offence or offences, are deprived of their liberty following a judicial or other legal process but have not been definitively sentenced by a court for the offence(s)."
- Collatoral Damage
A Roadmap to Restore Rights and Status After Arrest or Conviction,
[PDF] National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
May, 2014.
"NACDL recommends a broad national initiative to construct a legal infrastructure that will provide individuals with a criminal record with a clear path to equal opportunity."
- Reducing Recidivism
States Deliver Results,
[PDF] The Council of State Governments Justice Center and the National Reentry Resource Center.
June, 2014.
"This report focuses on statewide recidivism data for adults released in 2007 and 2010 with a three-year follow-up period, offering a current snapshot of criminal justice outcomes in these states."
- Nation Behind Bars
a human rights solution,
[PDF] Human Rights Watch.
May, 2014.
"The momentum for sentencing reform is welcome for all who care about the fair use of government's power to determine what conduct to criminalize and what sanctions to impose on those who break the law."
- World Female Imprisonment List 2nd Edition
Women and girls in penal institutions, including pre-trial detainees/remand prisoners,
[PDF] International Centre for Prison Studies.
August, 2012.
"More than 625,000 women and girls are held in penal institutions throughout the world,"
- Closing Massachusetts' Training Schools
Reflections Forty Years Later,
[PDF] The Annie E. Clark Foundation.
June, 2014.
"...a quiet revolution has begun sweeping through our nation's juvenile justice systems... states across the country have begun shuttering juvenile corrections facilities and dramatically reducing the population of young people incarcerated."
- Youth Behind Bars
Examining the impact of prosecuting and incarcerating kids in Michigan's criminal justice system,
[PDF] Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency.
May, 2014.
"...Michigan broadened juvenile prosecutors' discretion to automatically file in criminal court, expanded the number of juvenile offenses requiring an adult sentence, and allowed children of any age to be criminally convicted and sent to prison."
Wednesday, June 11 2014:
- Breaking Down Mass Incarceration in the 2010 Census
State-by-State Incarceration Rates by Race/Ethnicity,
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2014.
"It is imperative that we are able to measure the extent to which the criminal justice system disparately impacts our communities."
- Cruel Confinement
Abuse, Discrimination and Death Within Alabama's Prisons,
[PDF] Southern Poverty Law Center.
June, 2014.
"This extraordinary understaffing has led to a multitude of problems. The vast majority are easily predictable: delays, failures to diagnose and treat problems, failure to follow up with patients, errors and decisions to not treat seriously ill prisoners."
- Ending the Drug Wars
Report of the LSE Expert Group on the Economics of Drug Policy,
[PDF] London School of Economics.
May, 2014.
"A global system which predominantly encourages policies that transfer the costs of prohibition onto poorer producer and transit countries, as the current system does, is an ineffective and unsustainable way to control drugs in the long term."
- Tracking State Prison Growth in 50 States
Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2014.
"This briefing fills the gap with a series of more than 100 graphs showing prison growth (and sometimes decline) for every state in the nation to encourage states to confront how their criminal policy choices undermine our national welfare."
- States of Incarceration
The Global Context,
Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2014.
"While there are certainly important differences between how U.S. states handle incarceration, placing each state in a global context reveals that incarceration policy in every region of this country is out of step with the rest of the world."
- Inside Out
Questionable and Abusive Practices in New Jersey's Bail-Bond Industry,
[PDF] State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation.
May, 2014.
"The result is a disorderly process driven by private profit rather than public interest and one that is dangerously out of balance when it comes to both the rights of the defendents and the requirements of the criminal justice system."
- Max Out
The Rise in Prison Inmates Released Without Supervision,
[PDF] Pew Charitable Trusts.
June, 2014.
"a large and increasing number of offenders are maxing out—serving their entire sentences behind bars—and returning to their communities without supervision or support."
- Disproportionate Minority Contact in the Juvenile Justice System
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
May, 2014.
"juvenile justice systems are marked by disparate racial outcomes at every stage of the process, starting with more frequent arrests for youth of color and ending with more frequent secure placement."
- The School Discipline Consensus Report
Strategies from the Field to Keep Students Engaged In School and Out of the Juvenile Justice System,
The Council of State Governments Justice Center.
June, 2014.
""The juvenile justice system does not have the tools or resources to respond to the needs of many youth coming thorugh its doors for minor school-based offenses."
Tuesday, April 29 2014:
- Deadly Heat in Texas Prisons
[PDF] Human Rights Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law.
April, 2014.
"Since 2007, at least fourteen inmates have died from extreme heat in nine different TDCJ prisons. All fourteen inmates had preexisting health circumstances that rendered them more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses..."
- Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 30 States in 2005:
Patterns from 2005 to 2010,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2014.
"Overall, 67.8% of the 404,638 state prisoners released in 2005 in 30 states were arrested within 3 years of release, and 76.6% were arrested within 5 years of release."
- Rate of False Conviction of Criminal Defendants Who are Sentenced to Death
[PDF] University of Michigan Law School.
March, 2014.
"The rate of exonerations among death sentences in the United States is far higher than for any other category of criminal convictions."
- Best Practices in the Use of Restraints with Pregnant Women and Girls
Under Correctional Custody,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Assistance.
2012.
"The use of restraints on pregnant women and girls under correctional custody should be limited to absolute necessity. The use of restraints is considered absolutely necessary only when there is an imminent risk of escape or harm..."
- Worse Than Second-Class:
Solitary Confinement of Women in the United States,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union.
April, 2014.
"...solitary is often used on the most vulnerable: pregnant women, individuals with mental illness, transgender women, and - in a particularly disturbing trend - victims of sexual assault by prison guards."
- Automatic Adult Prosecution of Children in Cook County, Illinois.2010-2012
[PDF] Juvenile Justice Initiative.
April, 2014.
"Illinois should restore authority over whether a child under 18 should be tried in adult criminal court to juvenile court judges. This will bring Illinois in line with the majority of states, and will ensure better outcomes..."
- Juvenile Defense Attorneys: A Critical Protection Against Injustice
The Importance of Skilled Juvenile Defenders to Upholding the Due Process Rights of Youth,
[PDF] National Juvenile Defense Center.
March, 2014.
"A youth's record can negatively impact his or her access to housing, employment, immigration status, voting rights, education, financial independence, and many other areas that impact the likelihood of future success."
- Unbalanced Juvenile Justice
[Website] Burns Institute.
2014.
"To help you better understand racial and ethnic disparities and how juvenile justice is being administered in your county, state, and nationwide, BI's interactive tools provide customizable searches."
- Just Learning
The Imperative to Transform Juvenile Justice Systems Into Effective Educational Systems,
[PDF] Southern Education Foundation.
2014.
"...most students come in and out of the juvenile justice systems with little or no real regard for their education."
Tuesday, April 15 2014:
- World Prison Population List
(tenth edition),
[PDF] International Centre for Prison Studies.
November, 2013.
"This tenth edition of the World Prison Population List gives details of the number of prisoners held in 222 independent countries and dependent territories."
- Putting
How to Reform Texas' Expensive, Ineffective State Jail System,
[PDF] Texas Public Policy Foundation.
November, 2012.
"State jails were designed to be a low-cost alternative to prison, with dual goals of reducing prison populations and reducing recidivism rates in low-risk defendants. Unfortunately, state jails are universally failing in their objective."
- The Treatment of Persons with Mental Illness in Prisons and Jails:
A State Survey,
[PDF] Treatment Advocacy Program.
April, 2014.
"The number of individuals with serious mental illness in prisons and jails now exceeds the number in state psychiatric hospitals tenfold."
- Branded for Life:
Florida's Prosecution of Children as Adults under its "Direct File" Statute,
[PDF] Human Rights Watch.
April, 2014.
"Florida transfers more children out of the juvenile system and into adult court than any other state. In the last five years alone, more than 12,000 juvenile crime suspects in Florida were transferred to the adult court system."
Thursday, April 3 2014:
- Virginia's Justice System:
Expensive, Ineffective, and Unfair,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
November, 2013.
"Despite some recent small progress in the areas of post-incarceration reentry, particularly felony disenfranchisement, the state continues to suffer under misguided policies and practices of the past."
Tuesday, April 1 2014:
- The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on Crime:
Evidence from State Panel Data, 1990-2006,
[PDF] Plos One.
March, 2014.
"...states passing Medical Marijuana Legalization laws experienced reductions in crime and the rate of reduction appears to be steeper for states passing MML laws as compared to others for several crimes such as homicide, robbery, and aggravated assault."
- Recidivism Report 2013
[PDF] Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
February, 2013.
"...the 1-year reincarceration rates of releases from 2005 to 2011 for those who were paroled to the street were consistently lower than for those paroled to a Community Corrections Center."
- Victim Gender and the Death Penalty
[PDF] Cornell Law School.
March, 2014.
"...our analyses suggest that victim gender continues to influence capital sentencing decisions."
- Improving Illinois' Response to Sexual Offense Committed by Youth:
Recommendations for Law, Policy, and Practice,
[PDF] Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission.
March, 2014.
"Recommendation 3: Remove young people from the state's counter-productive sex offender registry and the application of categorical restrictions and"
Friday, March 28 2014:
- Reaching too far:
How Connecticut's large sentencing enhancement zones miss the mark,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2014.
"This report shows that the law doesn't work, it cannot possibly work, and that it creates an unfair two-tiered system of justice based on a haphazard distinction between urban and rural areas of the state."
Thursday, March 27 2014:
- The State Expenditure Report
[PDF] National Association of State Budget Officers.
July, 1987.
"This report provides figures for actual Fiscal Year 1985 expenditures, estimated Fiscal Year 1986 expenditures..., and appropriated Fiscal Year 1987 expenditures."
- State Expenditure Report
Examining Fiscal 2010-2012 State Spending,
[PDF] National Association of State Budget Officers.
2012.
"Corrections accounted for 3.1 percent of total state expenditures in fiscal 2011 and 7.5 percent of general funds."
- State Expenditure Report
Examining Fiscal 2011-2013 State Spending,
[PDF] National Association of State Budget Officers.
2013.
"Total corrections spending increased by 3.3 percent in fiscal 2012 and is estimated to have declined slightly by 0.3 percent in fiscal 2013."
Tuesday, March 25 2014:
- Capital Punishment, 2010- Statistical Tables
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2011.
"Of those under sentence of death at yearend, 55% were white and 42% were black. The 388 Hispanic inmates under sentence of death accounted for 14% of inmates with a known ethnicity. 98% of inmates under sentence of death were male, and 2% were female."
- Prisoners at Yearend 2009-Advance Counts
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2010.
"At yearend 2009, state and federal correctional authorities had jurisdiction over 1,613,656 prisoners, an increase of 0.2% (3,897 prisoners) from yearend 2008."
- Prisoners 1925-81
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 1982.
"The average annual growth rate for the prison population during 1925-81 was 2.4 percent; for the residential population of the United States it was 1.2 percent."
- State and Federal Prisoners, 1925-85
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 1986.
"At the end of 1985 the incarceration rate was 201 per 100,000, the highest ever recorded."
- Race of Prisoners Admitted to State and Federal Institutions, 1926-86
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 1991.
"The recorded number of black prisoners In 1986 was nearly 9 times larger than the number recorded In 1926 (80,814 In 1986 versus 9,292 in 1926). The recorded number of white prisoners was 3 times larger (100,874 in 1986 versus 33,626 In 1926)..."
- This is a Prison: Glitter is Not Allowed
Experiences of Trans and Gender Variant People in Pennsylvania's Prison System,
[PDF] Hearts on a Wire Collective.
2011.
"Accounts of prison conditions... show the intensity of discrimination, abuse, medical neglect, and punitive isolation... on the inside. Incarcerated T/GV individuals report dismissal, intimidation, or retaliation when attempting to file grievances."
- Kids Doing Time for What's Not a Crime:
The Over-Incarceration of Status Offenders,
[PDF] Texas Public Policy Foundation.
March, 2014.
"...there are very compelling reasons to avoid confinement of status offenders. The punishment fails to fit the"
- Facilitating Access to Health Care Coverage
for Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth,
[PDF] Models for Change.
December, 2013.
"Youth involved in the juvenile justice system have extensive physical and behavior health needs. The majority have at least one mental health condition and substance abuse is also very common."
Wednesday, March 19 2014:
- Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) Health Care Evaluation
[PDF] Court Medical Experts.
December, 2013.
"We find that the Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) is not providing adequate medical care, and that there are systemic issues resulting in preventable morbidity and mortality and that present an on-going serious risk of harm to patients."
- Strategies for Reducing Gun Violence in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
A Report to Speaker of the House of Representatives Robert DeLeo,
[PDF] Committee to Reduce Firearm Violence.
February, 2014.
"Massachusetts already has some of the strongest gun laws in the nation. For example, over the last few years the Brady Center ranked Massachusetts 3rd among US states in terms of strength of our gun laws."
- Redefining Indigence:
Financial Eligibility Guidelines for Assigned Counsel,
[PDF] National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
March, 2014.
"A defendant making just above 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines receives federal assistance to pay for food, heat and medical care for their children but is somehow not regarded by some states as too poor to hire a lawyer."
Tuesday, March 18 2014:
- Voices from the Field:
How California Stakeholders View Public Safety Realignment,
[PDF] Stanford Criminal Justice Center.
January, 2014.
"What is the result of California's great prison experiment? Even after conducting 125 interviews with agencies across California, it remains a challenge to adequately summarize the changes that Realignment (AB 109) has wrought across the state."
- Follow the Money:
How California Counties Are Spending Their Public Safety Realignment Funds,
[PDF] Stanford Criminal Justice Center.
January, 2014.
"Sheriff and Law Enforcement spending is generally a product of local needs (crime conditions and dedication to law enforcement) and preference for punishment. Programs and Services spending fundamentally revolves around electoral confidence in the Sheriff"
- The Degree of Disadvantage:
Incarceration and Inequality in Education,
[PDF] Stephanie Ewert, Bryan L. Sykes, and Becky Pettit.
November, 2013.
"Nearly three in ten white male dropouts in the United States can expect to serve time in a state or federal correctional facility in their lifetime, and nearly 60 percent of black male dropouts are imprisoned at some point in their lives..."
- Reallocation of Responsibility:
Changes to the Correctional System in California Post-Realignment,
[PDF] Stanford Criminal Justice Center.
January, 2014.
"California has decarcerated under Realignment. The state prison population has decreased by 29,886 people since 2010, while the jail population has modestly increased by 8,229 people."
- Addressing Racial Disparities In Bail Determinations
[PDF] New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy.
2013.
"...Seventy-five percent of pretrial detainees are charged with relatively minor property crimes, drug offenses or other non-violent acts, and remain in jail simply because the money bond was set in an amount they cannot afford to pay."
- Criminal Records, Race, and Redemption
[PDF] New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy.
2013.
"...poor individuals of color disproportionately shoulder the weight of a criminal record."
- The Color of Corporate Corrections, Part II:
Contractual Exemptions and the Overrepresentation of People of Color in Private Prisons,
[PDF] Radical Criminology.
February, 2014.
"...this study finds that people of color are overrepresented in private minimum and/or medium security private facilities relative to their public counterparts in each of the nine (9) states examined."
- Assessing Judicial Sentencing Preferences After Public Safety Realignment:
A Survey of California Judges,
[PDF] Stanford Criminal Justice Center.
January, 2014.
"Our study finds that 57% of judges preferred to give an 1170(h) sentence over a felony probation sentence, except when the hypothetical contains information about the offender's substance abuse or mental illness."
- The New Normal?
Prosecutorial Charging in California After Public Safety Realignment,
[PDF] Stanford Criminal Justice Center.
January, 2014.
"As for specific substantive conclusions, the undramatic one is that most charging or recommendation preferences remain consistent with traditional severity factors and do not manifest major alterations in light of AB 109."
- In Search of Racial Justice:
The Role of the Prosecutor,
[PDF] New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy.
2013.
"...one of every three African American males born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime, as can one of every six Latino males. One of every eighteen African American females and one of every forty-five Hispanic females face a similar fate."
Thursday, March 13 2014:
- SOCCPN Annuals Survey of Sex Offender Civil Commitment Programs 2013
[PDF] Sex Offender Civil Commitment Programs Network.
2013.
"Nationwide census of civilly committed individuals is 4779 among the 18 programs who responded to the 2013 survey."
- Estimating the Size and Structure of the Underground Commercial Sex Economy
[PDF] Urban Institute.
March, 2014.
"The goals of this study were to: (1) derive a more rigorous estimate of the underground commercial sex economy (UCSE) in eight major US cities and (2) provide an understanding of the structure of this underground economy. To date, no reliable data exist.."
- Crime and Justice Atlas 1999 Update
[PDF] United States Department of Justice.
1999.
"Between 1992 and 1997, 35 states, along with the District of Columbia, experienced decreased rates of serious violent crime."
- Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2014.
"Jail churn is particularly high because at any given moment most of the 722,000 people in local jails have not been convicted..."
Thursday, March 6 2014:
- Investigation of the Drug Laboratory
at the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute 2002-2012,
[PDF] Office of the Inspector General Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
March, 2014.
"Dookhan admitted to"
Tuesday, March 4 2014:
- Mandatory Minimum Sentences
Briefing,
[PDF] Connecticut General Assembly.
December, 2005.
"The annual cost of incarceration associated with mandatory minimum sentences is $201.1 million."
- Minimum Mandatory Sentence
Final Report,
[PDF] Connecticut General Assembly.
December, 2005.
"Mandatory minimum sentencing laws were specifically intended to deter offenders and thereby reduce crime (and curb drug use). There is no direct evidence to suggest that the state's mandatory minimum sentencing laws reduced the crime rate (or drug use)."
- No More Shackles
A report on... California's counties under the new law that limits the use of restraints on pregnant prisoners,
[PDF] Legal Services for Prisoners with Children.
February, 2014.
"...specification that a prisoner known to be pregnant or in recovery after delivery shall never be restrained by the use of leg irons, waist chains, or handcuffs from behind the body."
- Second Chances
Juveniles serving life without parole in Michigan prisons,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.
January, 2006.
"The majority (221) of juvenile lifers are minority youth, 211 of whom are African-American. The percentage of African-American juvenile lifers (69%) is greatly disproportionate to the general population in Michigan, which is 15% African-American."
Thursday, February 27 2014:
- Prisoners executed under civil authority in the United States,
by year, region, and jurisdiction, 1977-2013.,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2013.
- How Effective is Correctional Education, and Where Do We Go from Here?
The Results of a Comprehensive Evaluation,
[PDF] Rand Corporation.
February, 2014.
"...correctional education for incarcerated adults reduces the risk of post-release reincarceration (by 13 percentage points) and does so cost-effectively (a savings of five dollars on reincarceration costs for every dollar spent on correctional education)"
- Investigation of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections'
Use of Solitary Confinement on Prisoners with Serious Mental Illness and/or Intellectual Disabilities,
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice.
February, 2014.
"The manner in which PDOC subjects prisoners with SMI to prolonged periods of solitary confinement involves conditions that are often unjustifiably harsh and in which these prisoners routinely have difficulty obtaining adequate mental health care..."
- Criminal Stigma, Race, Gender, and Employment:
An Expanded Assessment of the Consequences of Imprisonment for Employment,
[PDF] Arizona State University School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
February, 2014.
"A key feature of a successful (crime free) return to society is employment... But prior research shows that the majority of prisoners - particularly blacks and Hispanics - face significant employment hurdles."
- The Crucible of Adversarial Testing
Access to counsel in Delaware's criminal courts,
[PDF] Sixth Amendment Center.
February, 2014.
"As such, it is our opinion that Delaware triages justice to the detriment of a large number of defendants that come before its criminal and family courts."
Tuesday, February 25 2014:
- Crimes Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009-2012
-Statistical Tables,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2014.
"Among persons ages 12 to 15, the unadjusted rate of violent victimization was nearly three times higher for persons with disabilities (123 per 1,000) than for persons without disabilities (43 per 1,000) in 2012."
- Stop-and-Frisk: A First Look
Six Months of Data on Stop-and-Frisk Practices in Newark,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.
February, 2014.
"Although black Newarkers represent 52 percent of the city's population, they make up 75 percent of all stops."
- Driving While Black:
Racial Profiling On Our Nation's Highways,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union.
June, 1999.
"All the evidence to date suggests that using traffic laws for non-traffic purposes has been a disaster for people of color and has deeply eroded public confidence in law enforcement."
- Fout's Spring:
A Model Approach to Serving High-Risk Youth,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
November, 2013.
"This report analyzes a five-year time period regarding youth committed to the program and its ability to serve th[em]... [It] conclude[s] that Fouts Springs produced substantially better public safety results than DJF, in less time and at reduced cost."
Thursday, February 20 2014:
- Hate Crime Victimization, 2004-2012
- Statistics,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2014.
"In 2012, victims perceived that the offender was motivated by bias against the victim's ethnicity in 51% of hate crimes... This was a statistically significant increase from 30% of hate crimes motivated by ethnicity bias in 2011 and 22% in 2004."
- Reducing Gun Violence in America
Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis,
[PDF] Center for Gun Policy and Research.
February, 2014.
"Unless we take action, during... four years some 48,000 Americans will be killed with guns - nearly twice as many people as were killed in combat during the entire Vietnam War."
- Risks of Drug-Related Death, Suicide, and Homicide
During the Immediate Post-Release Period Among People Released From New York City Jails, 2001-2005,
[PDF] New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
August, 2011.
"...formerly incarcerated people in NYC were 8 times more likely to die of drug-related causes and 5 times more likely to die from homicide during the first 2 weeks after release than were nonincarcerated NYC residents in the same 2-week period."
Tuesday, February 18 2014:
- Solitary Confinement and Risk of Self-Harm Among Jail Inmates
[PDF] American Journal of Public Health.
March, 2014.
"Inmates ...assigned to solitary confinement were 3.2 times as likely to commit an act of self-harm per 1000 days at some time during their incarceration as those never assigned to solitary."
- Playbook for Change?
States Reconsider Mandatory Sentences,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2014.
"...there is little evidence that longer sentences have more than a marginal effect in reducing recidivism-a key performance indicator of a state's correctional system. More than four out of 10 adult offenders still return to prison within three years..."
- Parolable Lifers in Michigan:
Paying the price of unchecked discretion,
[PDF] Citizens Alliance on Prisons & Public Spending.
February, 2014.
"With the average annual cost of incarcerating an aging prisoner at roughly $40,000, each decision to continue a lifer for five years costs taxpayers about $200,000. Research demonstrates that lifers have by far the lowest re-offense rates of all parolees"
- Michigan's Parolable Lifers:
The Cost of a Broken Process,
[PDF] Citizens Alliance on Prisons & Public Spending.
February, 2014.
"When most of today's parole-eligible lifers were sentenced, it was by judges who believed both a life sentence and a 40-year minimum term meant release within 16 years."
Thursday, February 6 2014:
- A Program Evaluation of In-Prison Components
The Colorado Department of Corrections Sex Offender Treatment and Monitoring Program,
[PDF] Central Coast Clinical and Forensic Psychology Services, Inc..
January, 2014.
"Many sexual offenders who could successfully be managed in the community, had they effectively participated in treatment, may instead spend additional years in prison. This will represent a great cost to the Colorado taxpayer..."
- Indicators of Labor Trafficking Among North Carolina Migrant Farmworkers
[PDF] National Institute of Justice.
August, 2013.
"...Law enforcement representatives do not view labor trafficking either as a problem or as a law enforcement issue."
- California's 58 Crime Rates:
Realignment and Crime in 2012,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
January, 2014.
"he present analysis finds California's 58 counties vary dramatically in their implementation of Realignment and in their respective crime rates."
- Incarceration is associated with used syringe lending
among active injection drug users with detectable plasma HIV-1 RNA: a longitudinal analysis,
[PDF] BMC Infectious Diseases.
December, 2013.
"Among people who inject drugs (PWID), exposure to correctional facilities is common and has been consistently associated with heightened risk of sharing used syringes..."
- Healthcare Not Handcuffs:
Putting the Affordable Care Act to Work for Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Reform,
[PDF] ACLU.
December, 2013.
"...the legislation represents an opportunity to recast substance use disorders and drug use as a matter for public health rather than criminal justice..."
- Third Time the Charm?
State Laws on Medical Cannabis Distribution and Department of Justice Guidance on Enforcement,
[PDF] Americans for Safe Access.
November, 2013.
"In fact, the Obama Administration has outspent all predecessors, with enforcement targeting medical cannabis programs and participants that has cost taxpayers over $300 million and destroyed thousands of lives."
- Justice Reinvestment Initiative State Assessment Report
[PDF] Urban Institute.
January, 2014.
"Since enacting JRI, all eight states - Arkansas, Hawaii, Louisiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, and South Carolina - have experienced reductions in their prison populations since the start of JRI."
- Redefining Relationships:
Explaining the Countervailing Consequences of Paternal Incarceration for Parenting,
[PDF] Turney, Kristen.
January, 2014.
"In this paper, we consider the countervailing consequences of paternal incarceration for a host of family relationships, including fathers' parenting, mothers' parenting, and the relationship between parents."
- Imprisonment and Disenfranchisement of Disconnected Low-Income Men
[PDF] Urban Institute.
August, 2013.
"When broken out by race and ethnicity, striking differences appear: incarceration rates for African American men are over six times higher than rates for white men and nearly two and a half times higher than rates for Hispanic men..."
- Demographic Patterns of Cumulative Arrest Prevalence by Ages 18 and 23
[PDF] Brame, Robert.
January, 2014.
"...about 30% of Black males have experienced at least one arrest by age 18 (vs. about 22% for White males); by age 23 about 49% of Black males have been arrested (vs. about 38% for White males)."
- A Review of Mental Health Services in Local and Regional Jails
[PDF] Virginia Office of the State Inspector General.
January, 2014.
"Jails lack the capacity to satisfy the current demand for mental health services."
- Realignment Report
An Examination of Offenders Released from State Prison in the First Year of Public Safety Realignment,
[PDF] California Department of Corrections And Rehabilitation.
December, 2013.
"...the one-year return to prison rate was substantially less post-Realignment, since most offenders in this cohort were ineligible to return to prison on a parole violation."
Friday, January 24 2014:
Friday, January 3 2014:
- Federal Justice Statistics, 2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2013.
"Among those offenders who were released from federal prison in 2008 and returned within 3 years, 59% returned for a supervision violation and 39% returned for a new offense."
Tuesday, December 31 2013:
- Homicide in the U.S. Known to Law Enforcement, 2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2013.
"The U.S. homicide rate declined by nearly half (49%), from 9.3 homicides per 100,000 U.S. residents in 1992 to 4.7 in 2011, falling to the lowest level since 1963."
Tuesday, December 24 2013:
- Probation and Parole in the United States, 2012
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2013.
"Both parole entries (down 9.1%) and exits (down 6.8%) declined between 2011 and 2012."
- The Death Penalty in 2013:
Year End Report,
[PDF] Death Penalty Information Center.
December, 2013.
"Public support for the death penalty reached its lowest level in 40 years."
- Prisoners in 2012:
Trends in Admissions and Releases, 1991-2012,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2013.
"The number of releases from U.S. prisons in 2012 (637,400) exceeded that of admissions for the fourth consecutive year, contributing to the decline in the total U.S. prison population."
Friday, December 20 2013:
- Correctional Populations in the United States, 2012
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2013.
"Although the correctional population declined by 0.7% during 2012, this was the slowest rate of decline observed since 2009 when the population first decreased."
Thursday, December 12 2013:
- Victims of Identity Theft, 2012
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice.
December, 2013.
"About 7% of persons age 16 or older were victims of identity theft in 2012."
- Local Government Corrections Expenditures, FY 2005-2011
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice.
December, 2013.
"Local governments spent 1.6% of total expenditures on corrections."
- Assessing Pretrial Risk without a Defendant Interview
[PDF] Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
November, 2013.
"Less than 10% of judicial officers across the country use pretrial risk assessment tools to make these decisions, in part because they require costly and time-consuming defendant interviews."
- Investigating the Impact of Pretrial Detention on Sentencing Outcomes
[PDF] Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
November, 2013.
"Low-risk defendants who are detained for the entire pretrial period are 5.41 times more likely to be sentenced to jail and 3.76 times more likely to be sentenced to prison when compared to low-risk defendants who are released ... before trial..."
- The Hidden Costs of Pretrial Detention
[PDF] Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
November, 2013.
"When held 8-14 days, low-risk defendants are 51 percent more likely to commit another crime within two years after completion of their cases than equivalent defendants held no more than 24 hours."
- Exploring the Impact of Supervision on Pretrial Outcomes
[PDF] Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
November, 2013.
"Defendants supervised pretrial for more than 180 days were 12% to 36% less likely to commit new crimes before case disposition."
- The Impact of Parole in New Jersey
[PDF] Pew Charitable Trusts.
November, 2013.
"About 25 percent of parolees released in 2008 committed new crimes and returned to prison within three years, compared with 41 percent of offenders who maxed out their sentences, were released without supervision, and subsequently committed new crimes."
- From Courts to Communities:
The Right Response to Truancy, Running Away, and Other Status Offenses,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
December, 2013.
"Youth who run away from home, routinely skip school, and engage in other risky behaviors that are prohibited ...are acting out in ways that should concern the adults in their lives. They need appropriate attention-but not from the juvenile justice system."
- A Generation Later:
What We've Learned about Zero Tolerance in Schools,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
December, 2013.
"Among middle school students, black youth are suspended nearly 4 times more often than white youth, and Latino youth are roughly twice as likely to be suspended or expelled than white youth."
Thursday, December 5 2013:
- Reforming Funding to Reduce Mass Incarceration
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
November, 2013.
"More than 68 million Americans - a quarter of the nation's population - have criminal records."
- The Impact of Federal Budget Cuts from FY10-FY13
on State and Local Public Safety,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2013.
"Overall funding for Department of Justice grant programs has dropped by 43 percent since FY10."
- An Offer You Can't Refuse
How US Federal Prosecutors Force Drug Defendants to Plead Guilty,
[PDF] Human Rights Watch.
December, 2013.
"In 2012, the average sentence of federal drug offenders convicted after trial was three times higher (16 years) than that received after a guilty plea (5 years and 4 months)."
- State Court Organization, 2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2013.
"From 1980 to 2011, the number of state trial court judges increased 11%, from 24,784 to 27,570 (figure 1). During the same period, the U.S. population increased 37%, and arrests in the U.S. increased 19%."
- Alone & Afraid
Children Held in Solitary Confinement and Isolation in Juvenile Detention and Correctional Facilities,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union.
November, 2013.
"Solitary confinement and isolation of children in juvenile facilities is psychologically, developmentally, and physically damaging and can result in long-term problems and even suicide."
Thursday, November 21 2013:
- Intimate Partner Violence:
Attributes of Victimizations, 1993-2011,
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice.
November, 2013.
"From 1994 to 2011, the rate of serious intimate partner violence declined 72% for females and 64% for males."
- A Lifetime of Punishment:
The Impact of the Felony Drug Ban on Welfare Benefits,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
November, 2013.
"... there is little reason to believe that barring individuals with felony drug convictions from receiving welfare benefits deters drug use or crime."
- Funding Public Safety Realignment
[PDF] Public Policy Institute of California.
November, 2013.
"Achieving lower rates of recidivism is a key goal for the state because the share of individuals returning to crime has a direct bearing on the state's ability to reduce prison crowding."
- Impact of Realignment on County Jail Populations
[PDF] Public Policy Institute of California.
June, 2013.
"Between June 2011 and June 2012, the state prison population declined by 26,600 inmates. Concurrently, California's county average daily jail population grew by about 8,600 inmates..."
- Rethinking the State-Local Relationship
[PDF] Public Policy Institute of California.
August, 2011.
"The legislature has passed and Governor Jerry Brown has signed legislation (AB 109) to send roughly 30,000 prisoners to county jail rather than state prison."
- Locked Up & Shipped Away:
Interstate Prison Transfers and the Private Prison Industry,
[PDF] Grassroots Leadership.
November, 2013.
"Currently, prisoners in out-of-state private facilities are held approximately 450 miles to nearly 3,000 miles from their home states."
Thursday, November 14 2013:
- Sentencing and Prison Practices in Germany and the Netherlands:
Implications for the United States,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
October, 2013.
"Many countries in Northern Europe - such as Germany and the Netherlands - have significantly lower incarceration rates and make much greater use of non-custodial penalties, particularly for nonviolent crimes."
- Report on Suicide Prevention Practices within the District of Colombia,
Department of Corrections' Central Detention Facility,
[PDF] DC Department of Corrections.
September, 2013.
"...correctional officers that are assigned to the mental health unit ...in the Central Detention Facility do not receive any specialized mental health and/or suicide prevention training."
- Criminal Justice in the 21st Century:
Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
October, 2013.
"We have to question why we are using the long arm of the criminal justice system to arrest... black and Latino men who write their name on a wall, or why we arrest kids for pot in a pocket when we don't arrest other kids for pot."
- A Second Chance
Charting a New Course for Re-Entry and Criminal Justice Reform,
[PDF] Leadership Conference Education Fund.
October, 2013.
"...the United States currently incarcerates ...more than 2.2 million individuals. And that's just people who are physically in jail or prison. If we count people on parole and people on probation, that number jumps to almost 7 million."
- A Living Death
Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses,
[PDF] ACLU.
November, 2013.
"About 79 percent of the 3,278 prisoners serving life without parole were sentenced to die in prison for nonviolent drug crimes."
Friday, November 1 2013:
Thursday, October 31 2013:
- Criminals and Campaign Cash
The Impact of Judicial Campaign Spending on Criminal Defendants,
[PDF] Center for American Progress.
October, 2013.
"As Illinois voters were bombarded with attack ads featuring violent criminals, the high court ruled in favor of the prosecution in 69 percent of its criminal cases—an 18 percent increase over the previous year."
- Managing Prison Health Care Spending
[PDF] The Pew Charitable Trust, The MacArthur Foundation.
October, 2013.
"Pew found that prison health care spending in these 44 states totaled $6.5 billion in 2008, out of $36.8 billion in overall institutional correctional expenditures."
- Smart on Sentencing, Smart on Crime:
An Argument for Reforming Louisiana's Determinate Sentencing Laws,
[PDF] Reason Foundation, Pelican Institute for Public Policy, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Right on Crime.
October, 2013.
"Today, Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the country, with 868 of every 100,000 of its citizens in prison."
Friday, October 25 2013:
- Criminal Victimization, 2012
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2013.
"The apparent increase in the number and rate of serious violent crime from 2011 to 2012 was not statistically significant."
Thursday, October 24 2013:
- Safer, Smarter, and More Cost-Efficient Approaches to Reducing Crime
in Texas,
[PDF] Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
October, 2013.
"39% of people in prison (53,810 men and women) were incarcerated for a nonviolent, non-sexually based offense."
- The Hospital Cost of Firearms
[PDF] Urban Institute.
September, 2013.
"Young males (age 15–24) are the most common firearm assault victims, visiting the ED almost seven times more than the national average."
- The Cost of Firearm Violence
[PDF] Children's Safety Network.
2013.
"PIRE researcher Ted Miller estimates annual firearm injury costs average $645 per gun in America."
- Justice for Immigration's Hidden Population
Protecting the Rights of Persons with Mental Disabilities in the Immigration Court and Detention System,
[PDF] Texas Appleseed.
March, 2010.
"Detention often exacerbates mental illness,3 separates immigrants with mental disabilities from therapeutic services and family, frequently leads to misdiagnosis, and interrupts continuity of care."
- State of Recidivism
The Revolving Door of America's Prisons,
[PDF] Pew Center on the States.
April, 2011.
"The most recent of those reports, which tracked offenders released from state prison in 1994, concluded that a little more than half of released offenders (51.8 percent) were back in prison within three years..."
- Improving Discovery in Criminal Cases in Texas:
How Best Practices Contribute to Criminal Justice,
[PDF] Texas Appleseed.
February, 2013.
"Witness statements are often crucial to the evaluation and defense of a criminal case. While most states require pre-trial disclosure of witness statements or lists, Texas does not."
- Thinking Outside the Cell
Alternatives to Incarceration for Youth with Mental Illness,
[PDF] Texas Appleseed.
April, 2011.
"...youth should be supported close to their families and home environments and that detention should always be a last resort."
- Restructuring Texas' Juvenile Justice System
Saving Money, Saving Communities & Saving Youth,
[PDF] Texas Appleseed.
March, 2011.
"Building a continuum of care – reserving secure facilities for only those youth who cannot be safely treated in the community – provides for quality treatment."
Wednesday, October 23 2013:
- Reclaiming Michigan's Throwaway Kids:
Students Trapped in the School-to-Prison Pipeline,
[PDF] Michigan ACLU.
2009.
"When school administrators refer some student discipline matters to law enforcement agencies, there is a consequent criminalization of many students whose offenses would otherwise have been dealt with entirely by school officials."
Monday, October 21 2013:
- The Choice is Yours:
Early Implementation of a Diversion Program for Felony Offenders,
[PDF] Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center.
October, 2013.
"As of June 30, 2013, of consented participants in the The Choice is Yours (TCY) who progressed beyond orientation and into the full enrollment phase, 4.6 percent (N=3 of 65) have been rearrested"
- Three Quarter Houses:
The View from Inside,
[PDF] John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Prisoner Reentry Institute.
October, 2013.
"Illegal evictions derail recovery and reintegration and can lead to relapse, street homelessness, unemployment, and violations of parole mandates that can result in re-incarceration."
Friday, October 18 2013:
Thursday, October 17 2013:
- Violent Crime in U.S. Falls to New 32-Year Low
[PDF] John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
October, 2013.
"Compared with trends since 1980, the arrest rate for violent youth crime reached a new low every year from 2009 through 2012."
- The Impact of the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program
How Byrne JAG is Changing the Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] National Criminal Justice Association.
October, 2013.
"The Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program... is the nation's cornerstone crime-fighting program, supporting the federal government's crucial role in spurring innovation, as well as testing and replicating evidence-based practices in crime control..."
- Ending Mass Incarceration:
Social Interventions that Work,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
October, 2013.
"Evidence based research provides the strongest support for school and community-based interventions in lieu of residential placement."
- Jail Mental Health Design and Programming
"Options and Opportunities",
[PDF] National Institute of Corrections, United States Department of Justice.
July, 2013.
"More people are being booked into the McLean County Detention Facility with more serious criminal charges and they are staying longer."
- The Health Effects of Conducted Energy Weapons
The Expert Panel on the Medical and Physiological Impacts of Conducted Energy Weapons,
[PDF] Council of Canadian Academies.
2013.
"Since 1998, at least 33 deaths have followed the deployment of a CEW in Canada."
Thursday, October 10 2013:
- Drug Testing and Crime-Related Restrictions
in TANF, SNAP, and Housing Assistance,
[PDF] Congressional Research Service.
September, 2013.
"The 1996 welfare reform law gave states the option of requiring drug tests for TANF recipients and penalizing those who fail such tests."
- Report of Findings:
(investigation of allegations of national origin discrimination),
[PDF] Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice.
March, 2012.
"...AOC policy does not provide interpreters in child custody hearings; child support hearings, civil no-contact order 50C proceedings, foreclosures, and divorce proceedings"
- The Missouri Model
Reinventing the Practice of Rehabilitating Youthful Offenders,
[PDF] Annie E. Casey Foundation.
2010.
"For instance, the average length of stay in North Carolina juvenile facilities was 386 days in 2007,18 while California youth average three years in confinement."
- State Trends Legislative Victories 2011-2013
Removing Youth from the Adult Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] Campaign for Youth Justice.
2013.
""[e]ighty-five percent of youth sentenced to life without parole are people of color, with 75 percent of all cases in California being African American or Hispanic youth."
Thursday, October 3 2013:
- More Prisoners Versus More Crime is the Wrong Question
[PDF] Brookings Institution.
2013.
"...America's current approach to crime control is woefully inefficient. Much greater crime control could be achieved at lower human and financial cost."
- Turning the Corner on Mass Incarceration?
[PDF] Georgetown University Law Center.
2011.
"Criminal justice policies and practices are largely determined at the state and local levels, and practices vary widely among the states and even among cities, towns, and counties within a single state."
- Democracy Imprisoned
A Review of the Prevalence and Impact of Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project et al..
September, 2013.
"In three states, at least one out of every five African-American adults is disenfranchised: Florida (23%), Kentucky (22%), and Virginia (20%)."
- The Relationship Between Gun Ownership and Firearm Homicide Rates in the US
1981-2010,
[PDF] American Journal of Public Health.
September, 2013.
"..we found that states with higher levels of gun ownership had disproportionately large numbers of deaths from firearm-related homicides."
- Report of the Sentencing Project to the UN Human Rights Committee
Regarding Racial Disparities in the United States Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
August, 2013.
"If current trends continue, one of every three black American males born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime, as can one of every six Latino males--compared to one of every seventeen white males."
- Prisoner Reentry Experiences of Adult Males
Characteristics, Service Receipt, and Outcome of Participants in the SVORI Multi-Site Evaluation,
[PDF] Pamela K. Lattimore, Danielle M. Steffey, Christy A. Visher.
September, 2009.
"SVORI program participation greatly increased the likelihood of receiving a wide range of services, but levels of participation were less than reported needs."
- An Epidemic of Prosecutor Misconduct
[PDF] Center for Prosecutor Integrity.
2013.
"An analysis by the Northern California Innocence Project found out of 707 cases of court-identified misconduct, only six prosecutors (fewer than 1%) were disciplined by the State Bar."
- Changing Course
Preventing Gang Membership,
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
2013.
"The complex interplay between poverty, competition over scarce resources and crime creates environments that are conducive to the formation of gangs and their attractiveness to youth."
Wednesday, October 2 2013:
- The 2% Death Penalty:
How a Minority of Counties Produce Most Death Cases At Enormous Costs to All,
[PDF] Death Penalty Information Center.
October, 2013.
"All of the state executions since the death penalty was reinstated stem from cases in just 15% of the counties in the U.S. All of the 3,125 inmates on death row as of January 1, 2013 came from just 20% of the counties."
Tuesday, October 1 2013:
- When Men Murder Women:
An Analysis of 2011 Homicide Data,
[PDF] Violence Policy Center.
September, 2013.
"For homicides in which the victim to offender relationship could be identified, 94 percent of female victims (1,509 out of 1,601) were murdered by a male they knew."
- Are Immigration Detainer Practices Rational?
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
September, 2013.
"According to these data, an undocumented foreign national with a traffic offense is more likely to be booked into ICE detention than one with a homicide, forcible rape, robbery, or aggravated assault offense."
Wednesday, September 25 2013:
- Colorado Department of Corrections
Administrative Segregation and Classification Review,
[PDF] National Institute of Corrections.
October, 2011.
"Currently about 7% (1,427) of the prison population is in administrative segregation, which is significantly above the national average of 1-2 %."
- Police Behavior during Traffic and Street Stops, 2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2013.
"Of those involved in traffic and street stops, a smaller percentage of blacks than whites believed the police behaved properly during the stop."
- Requests for Police Assistance, 2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2013.
"An estimated 1 in 8 U.S. residents age 16 or older, or 31.4 million persons, requested assistance from police at least once, most commonly to report a crime, suspicious activity, or neighborhood disturbance."
Friday, September 20 2013:
- State Spending for Corrections:
Long-Term Trends and Recent Criminal Justice Policy Reforms,
[PDF] National Association of State Budget Officers.
September, 2013.
"State spending for corrections reached $52.4 billion in fiscal 2012 and has been higher than 7.0 percent of overall general fund expenditures every year since fiscal 2008."
- Realigning the Revolving Door:
An Analysis of California Counties' AB 109 2011-2012 Implementation Plans,
[PDF] Stanford Law School Criminal Justice Center.
September, 2013.
"Sheriff's departments were allocated the largest amount of funding at $125,655,502, or 34.9 percent of all expenditure."
- Coming of Age with Stop and Frisk:
Experiences, Perceptions, and Public Safety Implications,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
September, 2013.
"Young people who have been stopped more often are less willing to report crimes, even when they are the victims. Each additional stop in the span of a year is associated with an 8% drop in the person's likelihood of reporting a violent crime."
Thursday, September 19 2013:
- 2001 Court Commitments to the Massachusetts Department of Correction
[PDF] Massachusetts Department of Correction.
March, 2003.
"Inmates were committed in 2001 for the following offense groups: Person (31%), Drug (31%), Property (16%),"
- The Missouri Death Penalty Assessment Report
An Analysis of Missouri's Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
April, 2012.
"Of those sixty-eight inmates who were executed...Fifty-two ...were sentenced to death for murdering a white victim, while sixteen were sentenced to death for murdering an African-American victim."
- The Ohio Death Penalty Assessment Report
An Analysis of Ohio's Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
September, 2007.
"...the chances of a death sentence in Hamilton County are 2.7 times higher than in the rest of the state, 3.7 times higher than in Cuyahoga County, and 6.2 times higher than in Franklin County."
- The Pennsylvania Death Penalty Assessment Report
An Analysis of Pennsylvania's Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
October, 2007.
"The study found that defendants were more than twice as likely to receive the death penalty when the jury was composed of six or more white male jurors..."
- The Tennessee Death Penalty Assessment Report
An Analysis of Tennessee's Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
March, 2007.
"Often, however, jury instructions are poorly written and poorly conveyed, which confuses jurors about the applicable law and the extent of their responsibilities."
- The Texas Death Penalty Assessment Report
An Analysis of Texas's Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
September, 2013.
"...since 1992, Texas has paid over $60 million to those it has wrongfully imprisoned..."
- Administrative Investigation
The facts and circumstances surrounding the events, which Inmate John Geoghan's death on August 23, 2003,
[PDF] Massachusetts Administrative Investigation Panel.
2003.
"...the known ability of inmates to prevent staff from opening the cell doors in SBCC... also played a role."
- Criminal:
How Lockup Quotas and,
[PDF] In the Public Interest.
September, 2013.
"Essentially, the state would have to guarantee that its prison would be 90 percent filled for the next 20 years (a quota), or pay the company for unused prison beds if the number of inmates dipped below 90 percent capacity at any point..."
Wednesday, September 18 2013:
- Life Goes On:
The Historic Rise in Life Sentences in America,
Sentencing Project.
September, 2013.
"As of 2012, there were 159,520 people serving life sentences, an 11.8% rise since 2008."
Thursday, September 12 2013:
- The Alabama Death Penalty Assessment Report
An Analysis of Alabama's Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
June, 2006.
"...the State of Alabama does not require that an indigent individual charged with or convicted of a capital felony be appointed counsel and provided with resources for experts and investigators at every stage of the proceedings."
- The Arizona Death Penalty Assessment Report
An Analysis of Arizona's Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
June, 2006.
"The State of Arizona provides only one to two percent of the funding for the cost of capital representation, significantly underfunding these indigent defense services."
- The Florida Death Penalty Assessment Report
An Analysis of Florida's Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
September, 2006.
"Since 1973, the State of Florida has exonerated twenty-two death-row inmates, which is more than any other state in the nation."
- The Georgia Death Penalty Report
An Analysis of Georgia's Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
January, 2006.
"...as of August 1998, fifty-five of the 119 inmates on Georgia's death row were black and of the 88 persons awaiting death penalty trial, 53 were black males, 26 were white males, 2 were black females, 4 were white females, and 3 were Hispanic males."
- The Indiana Death Penalty Assessment Report
An Analysis of Indiana's Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
February, 2007.
"...white offenders received harsher sentences for murder than offenders belonging to racial or ethnic minority groups"
- The Kentucky Death Penalty Assessment Report
An Analysis of Kentucky's Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
December, 2011.
"Kentucky does not require the accreditation of its forensic laboratories, MEO, or any of the 120 county coroner offices."
Tuesday, September 10 2013:
- Progress Report:
Three Strikes Reform (Proposition 36),
[PDF] Stanford Law School Three Strikes Project and NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.
September, 2013.
"Fewer than 2% of the prisoners released under Prop 36 have been charged with new crimes, according to state and county records. The average recidivism rate over a similar period of time for non-Prop 36 inmates leaving California prisons is 16%."
- Technology, Teen Dating, Violence and Abuse, and Bullying
[PDF] Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center.
August, 2013.
"26% of youth in a relationship said they experienced some form of cyber dating abuse victimization in the prior year. Females were twice as likely as males to report being a victim of sexual cyber dating abuse in the prior year."
Friday, September 6 2013:
- The Virginia Death Penalty Assessment Report
An Analysis of Virginia's Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
August, 2013.
"Between 1989 and 2013, at least 18 people in Virginia whose convictions were based largely on eyewitness misidentifications have been exonerated of serious violent felonies following DNA testing or the discovery of new evidence."
Thursday, September 5 2013:
- Measuring the Prevalence of Crime
with the National Crime Victimization Survey,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2013.
"The percentage of violent crime victims who experienced two or more victimizations during a year declined from 23% in 1993 to 17% in 2010. In 2010, this 17% accounted for more than half (54%) of all violent victimizations."
- Results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:
Summary of National Findings,
[PDF] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
September, 2013.
"Among adults aged 50 to 64, the rate of current illicit drug use increased during the past decade. For adults aged 50-54, the rate increased from 3.4% in 2002 to 7.2% in 2012, and among those aged 55-59 it increased from 1.9% in 2002 to 6.6% in 2012."
Wednesday, September 4 2013:
- Highlights of the 2011 National Youth Gang Survey
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
September, 2013.
"Change estimates from 2010 to 2011 indicate a measurable increase in gangs and gang members and a nearly 8-percent drop in the number of recorded gang-related homicides."
Wednesday, August 28 2013:
- Improvements Needed
in Bureau of Prisons' Monitoring and Evaluation of Impact of Segregated Housing,
[PDF] Government Accountability Office.
May, 2013.
"Without an assessment of the impact of segregation on institutional safety or study of the long-term impact of segregated housing on inmates, BOP cannot determine the extent to which segregated housing achieves its stated purpose."
Monday, August 26 2013:
Thursday, August 22 2013:
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education
A Meta-Analysis of Programs That Provide Education to Incarcerated Adults,
[PDF] RAND Corporation.
August, 2013.
"On average, inmates who participated in correctional education programs had 43% lower odds of recidivating than inmates who did not, and the odds of obtaining employment postrelease was 13% higher than those who had not participated."
Tuesday, August 20 2013:
- International Growth Trends in Prison Privatization
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
August, 2013.
"Prison privatization is most concentrated and most fully privatized in a handful of predominantly English-speaking countries. These include Australia, Scotland, England and Wales, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States."
- Motivation for Treatment Among Women Offenders in Prison-Based Treatment
and Longitudinal Outcomes Among Those Who Participate in Community Aftercare,
[PDF] National Institutes of Health.
September, 2011.
"Participants who completed the aftercare program, or who had longer treatment duration, and those who had participated in an in-prison program prior to parole had reduced risk of recidivism."
Friday, August 16 2013:
- Crime in California 2012
[PDF] California Attorney General and California Department of Justice.
August, 2013.
"The homicide rate remained at a rate 18 percent lower than the average homicide rate for the prior ten years."
Thursday, August 15 2013:
- Treatment of the Highest-risk Offenders Can Avoid Costs
[PDF] Oregon Secretary of State.
August, 2013.
"Oregon taxpayers and victims could have avoided about $21.6 million in costs if substance abuse treatment had been provided to all of the highest-risk offenders."
- Re-Entry Policy Study Commission report
Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council,
[PDF] Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council Re-Entry Policy Study Commission.
August, 2013.
"Employment was the number one predictor of recidivism. The recidivism rate among the unemployed offenders was 42.4%; recidivism among the employed offenders was 26.2%."
Tuesday, August 6 2013:
- The Effect of Immigration Detainers in a Post-Realignment California
[PDF] CJCJ.
August, 2013.
"89 percent of said non-criminal ICE detentions in California are in local jails and facilities. These detentions cost taxpayers approximately $16.3 million for local jail holds during the 30-month period studied"
- Recidivism in Delaware:
An Analysis of Prisoners Released in 2008 and 2009,
[PDF] Delaware Criminal Justice Council.
July, 2013.
"Recidivism rates are generally higher for Blacks than for Whites, and higher for males than for females. Additionally, recidivism rates were lower for those who had longer prison sentences (i.e., lengths of stay)."
Thursday, August 1 2013:
- Wanted: Accurate FBI Background Checks for Employment
[PDF] National Employment Law Project.
July, 2013.
"About 1.8 million workers a year are subject to FBI background checks that include faulty or incomplete information. 600,000 of those workers may be prejudiced in their job search when reports do not include up-to-date/accurate information."
Wednesday, July 31 2013:
- Preliminary Crack Retroactivity Data Report
Fair Sentencing Act,
[PDF] U.S. Sentencing Commission.
July, 2013.
"After federal sentencing guideline changes on crack cocaine were made retroactive, more than 7,300 defendants got on average a 29-month reduction in their sentences."
Monday, July 29 2013:
- Race, Justifiable Homicide, and Stand Your Ground Laws:
Analysis of FBI Supplementary Homicide Report Data,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
July, 2013.
"Regardless of how the data are analyzed, substantial racial disparities exist in the outcomes of cross-race homicides. In addition, the recent expansion of Stand Your Ground laws in two dozen states appears to worsen the disparity."
Thursday, July 25 2013:
- Prisoners in 2012 - Advance Counts
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2013.
"The U.S. prison population declined for the third consecutive year in 2012, from a high of 1,615,487 inmates in 2009 to 1,571,013 at yearend 2012."
- Racial Disparities in Arrests in the District of Columbia, 2009-2011
[PDF] Washington Lawyers' Committee.
July, 2013.
"While there are about as many African Americans aged 18 or older (47.6%) as there are adult whites (42%) living in this city, eight out of 10 adults arrested for a crime in Washington are African American."
Wednesday, July 24 2013:
- A Death Before Dying:
Solitary Confinement on Death Row,
[PDF] ACLU.
July, 2013.
"93 percent of states lock up their death row prisoners for 22 or more hours per day. Most of these prisoners live under conditions of extreme social isolation and enforced idleness."
- Out of Sight, Out of Mind:
Colorado's continued warehousing of mentally ill prisoners in solitary confinement,
[PDF] ACLU of Colorado.
July, 2013.
"As of March 2013, CDOC housed at least 87 seriously mentally ill prisoners in solitary confinement, 54 of whom have been living in isolation for over a year and 14 of whom have been in solitary confinement for more than 4 years."
Friday, July 19 2013:
- The Potential of Community Corrections
to Improve Safety and Reduce Incarceration,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2013.
"Community-based supervision has always had the potential to support individual change, help make communities safer, and reduce public costs. Now it's getting more attention due to budget constraints, prison proliferation, and high recidivism rates."
Thursday, July 18 2013:
- Juvenile Incarceration, Human Capital and Future Crime:
Evidence from Randomly-Assigned Judges,
[PDF] Brown University, MIT.
June, 2013.
""Estimates suggest that juvenile incarceration results in large decreases in the likelihood of high school completion and large increases in the likelihood of adult incarceration.""
Thursday, June 27 2013:
- Jails in Indian Country, 2012
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2013.
"At midyear 2012, a total of 2,364 inmates were confined in Indian country jails—a 5.6% increase from the 2,239 inmates confined at midyear 2011."
Wednesday, June 26 2013:
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety:
2012,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2013.
"In 2011, about 28 percent of 12- to 18-year-old students reported being bullied at school during the school year."
Monday, June 24 2013:
- Keeping Kids In School and Out of Court:
Report and Recommendations,
[PDF] New York City School-Justice Partnership Task Force.
May, 2013.
"During the School Year 2012 there were 882 arrests and 1,666 summonses issued, with over-representation of students of color. Suspension and school arrest patterns are less a function of student misbehavior than a function of the adult response."
- The Comeback States:
Reducing youth incarceration in the United States,
[PDF] National Juvenile Justice Network and the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
June, 2013.
"Six policies encourage reductions in reliance on detention and incarceration, including disallowing incarceration for minor offenses, and increasing the availability of evidence-based alternatives to incarceration."
Friday, June 21 2013:
- Household Burglary, 1994-2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2013.
"The rate of household burglary decreased 56% from 1994 to 2011. During this time period, households with an income of $14,999 or less were victimized at a higher rate than households with higher incomes."
Thursday, June 20 2013:
- Felony Disenfranchisement:
A Primer,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
June, 2019.
"Only two states, Maine and Vermont, do not restrict the voting rights of anyone with a felony conviction, including those in prison."
Wednesday, June 19 2013:
- Collecting DNA at Arrest:
Policies, Practices, and Implications,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
May, 2013.
"Arrestee DNA laws led to more profiles in CODIS, contributed to additional hits, imposed significant administrative and analytic burdens on many state crime laboratories and collecting agencies, and raised important legal and policy issues."
Monday, June 17 2013:
- The War on Marijuana in Black and White:
Billions of Dollars Waster on Racially Biased Arrests,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union.
June, 2013.
"On average, a Black person is 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though Blacks and whites use marijuana at similar rates"
- Understanding and Addressing Youth Violence
in the Texas Juvenile Justice Department,
[PDF] Michelle Deitch, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin.
May, 2013.
"Although they represented 57% of TJJD's youth population, youth ages 17-18 committed only 44% of violations involving violence/escapes or riots/group disturbances in 2012. 14- 15-year olds were 12% of the population but 25% of serious violations."
Thursday, June 13 2013:
- Priorities for Research to Reduce the Threat of Firearm-Related Violence
[PDF] Institute of Medicine.
June, 2013.
"The complexity and frequency of firearm violence, combined with its impact on the health and safety of Americans, suggest that a public health approach should be incorporated into the strategies used to prevent future harm and injuries."
- The Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice Recidivism Report:
Youth with a 2007 Case Closure ,
[PDF] Pennsylvanie Juvenile Court Judges' Commission.
April, 2013.
"Youth with only one written allegation in their juvenile offending history (i.e., first time offenders) reoffended at a rate of 13%. Conversely, juveniles with four or more previous written allegations re-offended at a rate of 37%."
Monday, June 10 2013:
- PTSD, Trauma, and Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders in Detained Youth
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
June, 2013.
"Of the study sample, 92.5 percent of youth had experienced at least one trauma, 84 percent had experienced more than one trauma, and 56.8 percent were exposed to trauma six or more times."
- Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2012
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2013.
"An estimated 9.5% of adjudicated youth in state juvenile facilities and state contract facilities (1,720 youth) reported experiencing one or more incidents of sexual victimization in the past 12 months or since admission, if less than 12 months."
Friday, May 24 2013:
- Turning Migrants Into Criminals:
The Harmful Impact of US Border Prosecutions,
[PDF] Human Rights Watch.
May, 2013.
"But the prosecutions of illegal entry offenses happening today are overbroad... and are thus draining resources that could go to efforts to increase public safety and create a more secure, efficient, and humane immigration system."
Wednesday, May 22 2013:
- Jail Inmates at Midyear 2012 - Statistical Tables
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2013.
"The average daily population (ADP) in jails remained stable from 735,565 during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2011, and 735,983 during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2012."
Friday, May 17 2013:
- Realignment Report
A One-year Examination of Offenders Released from State Prison in the First Six Months of Public Safety Realignment,
[PDF] California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
May, 2013.
"The 1-year arrest/conviction rates of offenders released pre and post-Realignment is similar, but the 1-year return to prison rate was substantially less post-Realignment since most offenders in this cohort were ineligible to return on a parole violation."
Thursday, May 16 2013:
- Report of the Attorney General's National Task Force
on Children Exposed to Violence,
[PDF] Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence.
December, 2012.
"It is crucial that incarceration of juveniles not involve sanctions that subject them to additional violence, both to protect them from harm and to avoid teaching them by example that violence is an appropriate means to control other people's behavior."
Wednesday, May 15 2013:
- Report to the Governor - 2012
[PDF] Oregon Commission on Public Safety.
December, 2012.
"Oregon's imprisonment rate has grown at over three times the rate of the national average in the last decade. During that same period, prison admissions have grown to include increasing percentages of nonviolent offenders."
Wednesday, May 8 2013:
- Please Deposit All of Your Money:
Kickbacks, Rates, and Hidden Fees in the Jail Phone Industry,
[PDF] Prison Policy Initiative.
May, 2013.
"This report is the first to address in depth the many fees prison phone customers must pay. Fees have an enormous impact on prison phone bills, making up 38% of the $1 billion annual price of calling home."
- Firearm Violence, 1993-2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2013.
"Nonfatal firearm crimes declined 69%, from 1.5 million victimizations in 1993 to 467,300 victimizations in 2011."
- Gun Homicide Rate Down 49% Since 1993 Peak; Public Unaware:
Pace of Decline Slows in Past Decade,
[PDF] Pew Research Center.
May, 2013.
"Compared with '93, the peak of U.S. gun homicides, the gun homicide rate was 49% lower in 2010, and there were fewer deaths, even though the nation's population grew. 56% of Americans believe gun crime is higher than in '93, only 12% think it is lower."
Friday, May 3 2013:
- Blueprint for a Public Health and Safety Approach to Drug Policy
[PDF] New York Academy of Medicine and the Drug Policy Alliance.
March, 2013.
"This report finds two clear themes: 1) structural issues (like income disparities, education, & opportunity) profoundly shape experiences of drug policies; 2) when problematic drug use does occur, our response should involve help instead of sanctions."
Thursday, May 2 2013:
- The Federal Bureau of Prisons' Compassionate Release Program
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector, General Evaluation and Inspections Division.
April, 2013.
"Procedures and timeliness standards do not reference the compassionate release program or acknowledge the special circumstances of an inmate requesting compassionate release (particularly those with terminal medical conditions/limited life expectancies)."
- Lifer Parole Recidivism Report
[PDF] California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
January, 2013.
"Lifer parolees receive fewer new convictions within three years of being released to parole (4.8 vs. 51.5%, respectively). They also have a markedly lower return to prison recidivism rate than non-lifer parolees (13.3 vs. 65.1%, respectively)."
Wednesday, May 1 2013:
- Raised on the Registry:
The Irreparable Harm of Placing Children on Sex Offender Registries in the US,
Human Rights Watch.
April, 2013.
"Good public policy should deliver measurable protection to the community and measurable benefit to victims. There is little reason to believe that registering people who commit sexual offenses as children delivers either."
Tuesday, April 30 2013:
- National Prison Rape Elimination Report
[PDF] National Prison Rape Elimination Commission.
June, 2009.
"Many victims cannot safely and easily report sexual abuse, and those who speak out often do so to no avail. Reporting procedures must be improved to instill confidence and protect individuals from retaliation without relying on isolation."
- Effective Approaches for Reducing Prostitution in Texas:
Proactive and Cost-Efficient Strategies to Help People Leave the Streets,
[PDF] Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
April, 2013.
"There have been no studies that have shown prostitution to be a significant danger to public safety, whereas a tradition of punitive responses to prostitution has clearly demonstrated the high social and economic costs."
Thursday, April 25 2013:
- Wisconsin's Mass Incarceration of African American Males:
Workforce Challenges for 2013,
[PDF] Employment and Training Institute, University of Wisconsin.
April, 2013.
"From 1990 to 2011 Wisconsin incarcerated 26,222 African American men from Milwaukee County in state correctional facilities. As of January 2012, 20,591 men had been released back into the community and 5,631 were still imprisoned."
Tuesday, April 23 2013:
- Missouri: Justice Rationed
An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Juvenile Defense Representation in Delinquency Proceedings,
[PDF] National Juvenile Defender Center.
April, 2013.
"Missouri's indigent defense system is in crisis and has suffers crushing caseloads and inadequate resources. The system remains broken and forced to ration services, and youth are discouraged from and systematically denied counsel throughout the state."
Friday, April 19 2013:
- Communities, Evictions & Criminal Convictions
Public Housing and Disparate Impact: A Model Policy,
[PDF] Formerly Incarcerated & Convicted People's Movement.
April, 2013.
"The focus of this report is to isolate and clarify one element of housing discrimination: excluding people with criminal records, and their whole families, from public housing."
Wednesday, April 17 2013:
- Ending Mass Incarceration:
Charting a New Justice Reinvestment,
[PDF] Experts from a coalition of organizations including The Sentencing Project, JFA Institute, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Justice Strategies..
April, 2013.
"While JRI has played a significant role in softening the ground and moving the dial on mass incarceration reform, it runs the danger of institutionalizing mass incarceration at current levels."
- Imported Constituents:
Incarcerated People and Political Clout in Connecticut,
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2013.
"Seven of the house districts drawn by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2011 use, to meet their required populations, a substantial number of incarcerated people whose home addresses are in other districts."
Thursday, April 11 2013:
- Buried Alive:
Solitary Confinement in the US Detention System,
[PDF] Physicians for Human Rights.
April, 2013.
"...solitary confinement can cause severe and lasting physiological/psychological harm. Moreover, in many cases, the resulting harm rises to the level of torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, in violation of domestic and international law."
- Workplace Violence Against Government Employees, 1994-2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2013.
"In 2011, excluding law enforcement and security employees, the rate of workplace violence against government employees (8.7 per 1,000) was greater than the rate for private-sector employees (4.7 per 1,000)."
- Gideon at 50:
Three Reforms to Revive the Right to Counsel,
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
April, 2013.
"Recommendations include: legalizing some petty offenses or reclassifying them into non-jailable civil infractions; increase funding for public defense; Increase effectiveness by funding regular trainings for attorneys and adding social workers."
Wednesday, April 10 2013:
- Death Sentences and Executions 2012
[PDF] Amnesty International.
April, 2013.
"While at least 682 people were executed in 2012 - in 2011, 680 executions were recorded - the number of people recorded as sentenced to death fell from 1,923 (in 63 countries) in 2011 to 1,722 (in 58 countries) in 2012."
Tuesday, April 9 2013:
- New Jersey Jail Population Analysis:
Identifying Opportunities to Safely and Responsibly Reduce the Jail Populations,
[PDF] Luminosity and Drug Policy Alliance.
March, 2013.
"Inmates who had been indicted but had not yet had a trial had been in custody on average 314 days. 12% of the entire jail population was held in custody solely due to an inability to pay $2500 or less to secure their release pending disposition."
- Fostering Change:
How investing in D.C.'s child welfare system can keep kids out of the prison pipeline,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
April, 2013.
"In 2010, parental incarceration surpassed parental substance abuse as the third highest reason for District children entering care, and in 2010, one in every six kids entering foster care had an incarcerated parent."
Monday, April 8 2013:
Friday, April 5 2013:
- Investigating the Relationship Between Housing Voucher Use and Crime
[PDF] Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy and the Moelis Institution for Affordable Housing Policy.
April, 2013.
(Our research shows that crime is not following households with vouchers into neighborhoods. However, we do find a relationship between current crime and future voucher use, suggesting that households with vouchers are locating where crime is already high.)
- The Outskirts of Hope:
How Ohio's Debtors' Prisons Are Ruining Lives and Costing Communities,
[PDF] ACLU of Ohio.
April, 2013.
"In the second half of 2012, over 20% of all bookings in the Huron County Jail were related to failure to pay fines. Between July 15 and August 31, 2012 at least 45 people in Cuyahoga County and 57 in Erie County were jailed for failure to pay,"
Thursday, April 4 2013:
- Effective Approaches for Reducing Graffiti in Texas:
Strategies to Save Money and Beautify Communities,
[PDF] Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
March, 2013.
"Efforts aimed at eradicating graffiti should revolve around diversion of graffitists into positive, artistic endeavors that include communities, while reserving the prosecution of graffitists only for those who are involved in other, more serious crimes."
- The National Registry of Exonerations:
Update 2012,
[PDF] National Registry of Exonerations.
April, 2013.
"For all exonerations, the most common causal factors that we have identified are: perjury or false accusation (52%); official misconduct (43%); and mistaken eyewitness identification (41%)."
Tuesday, March 26 2013:
- Crime, Cost, and Consequences:
Is it Time to Get Smart on Crime?,
[PDF] MassInc, Community Resources for Justice.
March, 2013.
"If Massachusetts continues on the current course, the analysis contained in this report suggests the state will spend more than $2 billion over the next decade on corrections policies that produce limited public safety benefit."
Monday, March 25 2013:
Friday, March 22 2013:
- Massachusetts Department of Correction - 2012
[PDF] Gordon Haas, Norfolk Lifers Group.
March, 2013.
"Report compares the MA Department of Corrections's stated goals with current practices and outcomes, making suggestions for improvements to promote rehabilitation and reduce recidivism."
- Hate Crime Victimization, 2003-2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2013.
"The percentage of hate crimes motivated by religious bias more than doubled between 2003-06 and 2007-11 (from 10% to 21%), while the percentage motivated by racial bias dropped slightly (from 63% to 54%)."
- Rationing Justice:
The Underfunding of Assigned Counsel Systems -- A 50-State Survey of Trial Court Assigned Counsel Rates,
[PDF] National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
March, 2013.
"A combination of low hourly rates, fee limitations and the use of flat fees discourages attorneys from providing zealous representation and can give rise to serious conflicts of interest."
Thursday, March 21 2013:
- Beyond Realignment:
Counties' Large Disparities in Imprisonment Underlie Ongoing Prison Crisis,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
March, 2013.
"High-imprisonment, state-dependent jurisdictions consume excessive prison space, contribute to overcrowding and lawsuits, and create higher state taxpayer liabilities than do low-imprisonment, self-reliant counties that manage more offenders locally."
Wednesday, March 20 2013:
- One Million Police Hours
Making 440,000 Marijuana Possession Arrests In New York City, 2002‐2012,
[PDF] Drug Policy Alliance.
March, 2013.
"From 2002 to 2012 police have spend one million hours making 440,000 marijuana possession arrests. That is the equivalent of having 31 police officers working eight hours a day, 365 days a year, for 11 years, making only marijuana possession arrests."
Friday, March 15 2013:
- Mapping Muslims:
NYPD Spying and its Impact on American Muslims,
[PDF] The Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition (MACLC), The Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR), The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)..
March, 2013.
"Interviewees noted deep apprehension of the NYPD's intentions and practices towards them, including day-to-day interactions with beat-police officers such as filing stolen phone complaints, asking an officer for directions, or reporting hate crimes."
Tuesday, March 12 2013:
- Predicting Erroneous Convictions:
A Social Science Approach to Miscarriages of Justice,
[PDF] Jon B. Gould, Julia Carrano, Richard Leo, Joseph Young.
2011.
"Results indicate that 10 factors help explain why an innocent defendant, once indicted, ends up erroneously convicted rather than released."
Friday, March 8 2013:
- Do Foreclosures Cause Crime?
[PDF] Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.
February, 2013.
"Foreclosure starts have a positive and significant impact on crime. An additional foreclosure start in the prior quarter is associated with a in increase of 0.7% in total crime, 1.5% in violent crime, and 0.8% in public order crimes."
Thursday, March 7 2013:
- Female Victims of Sexual Violence, 1994-2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2013.
"From 1995 to 2010, the estimated annual rate of female rape or sexual assault victimizations declined 58%, from 5.0 victimizations per 1,000 females age 12 or older to 2.1 per 1,000."
Wednesday, March 6 2013:
- The National Institute of Justice's Evaluation
of Second Chance Act Adult Reentry Courts: Program Characteristics and Preliminary Themes from Year 1,
[PDF] National Institute of Justice.
March, 2013.
"Characteristics common across most NESCAARC sites include the emphasis on post-release service delivery, relevant services, case management, court hearings for the purpose of monitoring progress, drug testing, and a team approach to decision-making."
Tuesday, March 5 2013:
- The Case for Independent Oversight of Texas' Prison System:
Pursuing Accountability, Efficiency, and Transparency,
[PDF] Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
March, 2013.
"For Texas communities and the State, there are clear public safety and cost-savings benefits to developing a system of independent, external oversight for Texas prisons, but those living and working in the prisons on a daily basis will benefit most."
Monday, March 4 2013:
- Dawson State Jail:
The Case for Closure,
[PDF] Sentencing Project, Grassroots Leadership.
March, 2013.
"In recent years there have been reports of horrible conditions in the Dawson State Jail involving medical care and inadequate staffing levels. According to reports by CBS News DFW, DSJ has experienced seven deaths since 2004."
- Racial Disproportionality in the American Prison Population:
Using the Blumstein Method to Address the Critical Race and Justice Issue of the 21st Century,
[PDF] Justice Policy Journal.
September, 2008.
"Two key themes are that a national figure of explained racial disparity in imprisonment is not generalizable to the states and that drug offenses consistently have one of the lowest amounts of disproportionality explained by arrest."
Thursday, February 28 2013:
- National Study of Jail Suicide:
20 Years Later,
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice.
April, 2010.
"In 2006, the suicide rate in detention facilities was 36 deaths per 100,000 inmates, which is approximately 3 times greater than that in the general population. This rate represents a dramatic decrease in the rate of suicide in detention facilities."
- Prison Suicide:
An Overview and Guide to Prevention,
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice.
June, 1995.
"During the past 10 years, the rate of suicide in prisons throughout the country was 20.6 deaths per 100,000 inmates. States with small prison populations appear to have exceedingly high rates of suicide -- often more than 2.5 times the national average."
Wednesday, February 27 2013:
- The Changing Racial Dynamics of Women's Incarceration
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
February, 2013.
"In 2000 black women were incarcerated at six times the rate of white women. By 2009 that ratio had declined by 53%, to 2.8:1. This shift was a result of both declining incarceration of African American women and rising incarceration of white women."
- Reducing Youth Incarceration in the United States
a KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot,
[PDF] Annie E. Casey Foundation.
February, 2013.
"Since 1995 the rate of youth in confinement dropped by 41 percent, from 381 per 100,000 youth to 225 per 100,000."
- Common Ground:
Lessons Learned from Five States that Reduced Juvenile Confinement by More than Half,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
February, 2013.
"For all states and the District of Columbia, the number of youth in residential placement dropped steadily from its high of 107,493 in 1999 to 70,792 in 2010."
- Raising the Age of Juvenile Court Jurisdiction
The future of 17-year-olds in Illinois' justice system,
[PDF] Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission.
February, 2013.
"Adding 17-year-old misdemeanants to the juvenile justice system in 2010 did not crash it. In fact, due to a sharp decline in juvenile crime, there are currently fewer juvenile arrests than when the General Assembly began debating the change in 2008."
Monday, February 25 2013:
- Who Are the Targets of ICE Detainers?
[Website] Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
February, 2013.
"In more than two out of three (77.4%) of the detainers issued by ICE, the record shows that the individual who had been identified had no criminal record — either at the time the detainer was issued or subsequently."
Thursday, February 21 2013:
- The Chicago Lawyers' Committee's Review of Alternatives
for Non- Violent Offenders,
[PDF] Chicago Lawyers' Committee.
2011.
"This article first addresses specific reforms that have been implemented nationwide relating to non-violent offenders, highlights examples of states that have implemented more aggressive aspects of such reforms, and discusses Illinois' policies."
Wednesday, February 20 2013:
- Improved Evaluations and Increased Coordination Could Improve
Cell Phone Detection,
[PDF] Government Accountability Office.
September, 2011.
"77% of all cell phones confiscated at BOP institutions are found at prison camps, despite the fact that prison camps have accounted for only about 13 percent of BOP's inmate population from fiscal years 2008-2010."
- Eligibility and Capacity Impact Use of Flexibilities
to Reduce Inmates' Time,
[PDF] Government Accountability Office.
February, 2012.
"Increased funding would have reduced the Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program wait lists and enabled eligible inmates to enter the program early enough to earn their maximum allowable sentence reductions."
Friday, February 15 2013:
- The Federal Prison Population Buildup:
Overview, Policy Changes, Issues, and Options,
[PDF] Congressional Research Service.
January, 2013.
"The per capita cost of incarceration for all inmates increased from $19,571 in FY2000 to $26,094 in FY2011. During this same period of time, appropriations for the BOP increased from $3.668 billion to $6.381 billion."
Thursday, February 14 2013:
- Policing and the Economic Downturn
Striving for Efficiency Is the New Norm,
[PDF] Police Executive Research Forum.
February, 2013.
"In 2010, 58% of responding agencies said that police services in their community had already declined or would decline with the implementation of recent or planned budget cuts. In 2012 that figure dropped to 44%."
Wednesday, February 13 2013:
- Justice Re-investment in New Orleans
[PDF] Spatial Information Design Lab.
February, 2009.
"By 2007, the citywide incarceration rate was at 57 percent of its 2003 level, while the overall population was estimated at 71 percent of its pre-Katrina figure."
- Institution Length of Stay:
January 2011,
[PDF] Massachusetts Department of Correction.
January, 2011.
"This research brief provides an overview of the number of days that inmates spend at each facility—the average institution length of stay."
Tuesday, February 12 2013:
- Wrong Way for Texas
The Driver Responsibility Program: A Texas-Sized Failure,
[PDF] Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
February, 2013.
"Surcharges levied under the DRP are significantly higher for DWI offenses than those assessed for other traffic offenses. Over the past decade, Texas' rate for alcohol-impaired fatalities has increased compared to other states."
- The Crisis Continues Inside Police Internal Affairs
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.
February, 2013.
"164 of the local police departments we spoke to unlawfully denied complaints by telephone. Only 207 of the 371 New Jersey police departments that our volunteers spoke to indicated that they would allow complaints to be filed by telephone."
Friday, February 8 2013:
- Does Federal Financial Aid Affect College Enrollment?
Evidence from Drug Offenders and the Higher Education Act of 1998,
[PDF] Cornell University.
January, 2013.
"The ban on Federal financial aid increased the amount of time between high school graduation and college enrollment, affected students were less likely to ever enroll in college, and the law did not deter young people from committing drug felonies."
- Out and Down:
The Effects of Incarceration on Psychiatric Disorders and Disability,
[PDF] Jason Schnittker, Michael Massoglia, and Christopher Uggen.
February, 2011.
"Incarceration has a robust relationship with subsequent mood disorders, related to feeling"
Thursday, February 7 2013:
- Return to Sender:
Postcard-only Mail Policies in Jail,
[PDF] Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2013.
"Postcard-only policies run contrary to prevailing correctional standards and best practices, and the vast majority of jail facilities around the country, as well as all prisons, successfully manage mail systems without postcard-only policies."
- How New York City Reduced Mass Incarceration:
A Model for Change?,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice, the Brennan Center for Justice, and the JFA Institute.
January, 2013.
"From 1988 to 2008, the number of felonies reported by New York City to the FBI dropped from 719,887 to 198,419 – a remarkable 72 percent reduction. Outside of New York City, the number of crimes declined by half as much, only 38 percent."
Wednesday, February 6 2013:
- If Not Now, When?
A Survey of Juvenile Justice Training in America's Police Academies,
[PDF] Strategies for Youth.
February, 2013.
"Only 2 states' written curricula included training on youth development issues, such as communication techniques with juveniles, understanding the problems adolescents face and recognizing the sources and triggers of their behavior."
Tuesday, February 5 2013:
- Making the Transition:
Rethinking Jail Reentry in Los Angeles County,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
February, 2013.
"The most common hurdles that people held in the jail expected to encounter upon release were related to employment, housing, and substance use. Only six people (out of the 80 people interviewed) reported receiving reentry services while in the jail."
Monday, February 4 2013:
- The War on Drugs:
Undermining peace and security,
[PDF] International Drug Policy Consortium.
February, 2013.
"Total expenditure on drug law enforcement by the US has been estimated at over $1 trillion during the last 40 years."
Friday, February 1 2013:
- California's Urban Crime Increase in 2012:
Is "Realignment" to Blame?,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
January, 2013.
"The 11 counties that realigned offenders at lower rates showed greater increases in violent and property crime than the 10 counties that realigned offenders at higher rates."
Thursday, January 31 2013:
- Adult and Juvenile Correctional Population Projections
Fiscal Years 2013 to 2018,
[PDF] State of Texas Legislative Budget Board.
January, 2013.
"The Texas adult incarceration population is projected to remain relatively flat in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 and begin a gradual increase to reach 156,877 by the end of fiscal year 2018."
- Onsite Assessment RE Cross-Gender Supervision in Correctional Facilities
[Tutwiler Prison for Women],
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice.
November, 2012.
"The facility culture is not psychologically safe for women offenders. The women and staff report that Tutwiler is a repressive and intimidating environment. Inmates reported being in fear of retaliation from staff if they reject staff's sexual advances."
Tuesday, January 29 2013:
- The State of Sentencing 2012:
Developments in Policy and Practice,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
January, 2013.
"State lawmakers in at least 24 states adopted 41 criminal justice policies that in 2012 may contribute to downscaling prison populations and eliminating barriers to reentry while promoting effective approaches to public safety."
Thursday, January 24 2013:
- Handcuffs on Success
The Extreme School Discipline Crisis in Mississippi Public Schools,
Advancement Project, American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP, Mississippi Coalition for the Prevention of Schoolhouse to Jailhouse.
January, 2013.
"Extreme and destructive approaches to school discipline not only have directly harmed students and families, but also have caused teachers, law enforcement officials, and community members to have their lives and careers made more difficult."
Tuesday, January 22 2013:
- Report to the Governor and Legislative Budget Board
on the Monitoring of Community Supervision Diversion Funds,
[PDF] Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
December, 2012.
"The felony direct community supervision population increased 5.2% from August 31, 2005 (157,914 offenders) to August 31, 2012 (166,054 offenders), while the number of felony technical revocations decreased 10.9% between FY2005 (13,504) & FY2012 (12,034)."
- Arrests of and Forced Interventions on Pregnant Women in the United States,
1973-2005: Implications for Women's Legal Status and Public Health,
[PDF] National Advocates for Pregnant Women.
January, 2013.
"Findings confirm that if passed, personhood measures not only would provide a basis for recriminalizing abortion, they would also provide grounds for depriving all pregnant women of their liberty."
Wednesday, January 16 2013:
- Report of the Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform for Georgians
[PDF] Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform for Georgians.
November, 2012.
"The data shows that most individuals sentenced to prison are drug and property offenders, and these offenders are also staying behind bars for longer periods of time. Drug and property offenders represent almost 60 percent of all admissions."
- Implementing Proven Programs For juvenile Offenders:
Assessing State Progress,
[PDF] Association for the Advancement of Evidence-Based Practice.
December, 2012.
"All of the leading states identified at least one person to become fully informed about the available evidence-based practice options and made the time available for them to do this, including travel to operational sites and training in specific models."
Friday, January 11 2013:
- Tough on Crime (on the State's Dime):
How Violent Crime Does Not Drive California Counties' Incarceration Rates - And Why it Should,
[PDF] W. David Ball.
January, 2012.
"California's prison overcrowding is due in large part to county decisions about how to deal with crime. Counties use state prison resources at dramatically different rates, and the counties which use state prisons the most have below-average crime rates."
Thursday, January 10 2013:
- Effective Approaches to Drug Crimes In Texas:
Strategies to Reduce Crime, Save Money, and Treat Addiction,
[PDF] Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
January, 2013.
"Specifically, policy-makers must support the efforts of practitioners who are seeking to effectively treat those with substance abuse by improving and making more widely available community-based rehabilitation and treatment diversion alternatives."
- National Indigent Defense Reform:
The Solution is Multifaceted,
[PDF] National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
January, 2013.
"The report discusses 1) front-end reform, 2) the delivery of services, including the importance of standards and commissions, and 3) the need for collaboration and cooperation with others within and outside the criminal justice system."
Tuesday, January 8 2013:
- Immigration Enforcement in the United States:
The Rise of a Formidable Machinery,
[PDF] Migration Policy Institute.
January, 2013.
"the US government spends more on its immigration enforcement agencies than on all its other principal criminal federal law enforcement agencies combined. In fY 2012, spending for the primary immigration enforcement agencies reached nearly $18 billion."
Thursday, January 3 2013:
- Women's pathways to jail:
The roles & intersections of serious mental illness & trauma,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Assistance.
September, 2012.
"[C]hildhood victimization and adult trauma increased the risk of poor mental health, and poor mental health predicted a greater offending history."
Friday, December 28 2012:
- The Native Hawaiian Justice Task Force Report
2012,
[PDF] The Native Hawaiian Justice Task Force.
December, 2012.
"Implicit, unconscious bias and disparate treatment on the part of workers at all stages of the criminal justice system may explain a portion of the disproportionate representation of Native Hawaiians in the criminal justice system."
- The Anatomy of Discretion:
An Analysis of Prosecutorial Decision Making,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
December, 2012.
"While prosecutorial discretion is generally seen as very broad and unconstrained, prosecutors often rely on a fairly limited array of legal and quasi-legal factors to make decisions, and are further constrained by several contextual factors."
Thursday, December 20 2012:
- Violent Crime Against Youth, 1994-2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2012.
"The rate of serious violent crime against youth ages 12 to 17 involving weapons declined by 80% from 1994 to 2010, and the rate of serious violent crime involving serious injury decreased by 63%."
Wednesday, December 19 2012:
- Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009-2011 Statistical Tables
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2012.
"The average annual age-adjusted rate of violent victimization for persons with disabilities (48 per 1,000 persons with disabilities) was more than twice the rate among persons without disabilities (19 per 1,000 persons without disabilities) in 2011."
Tuesday, December 18 2012:
- The Death Penalty in 2012:
Year End Report,
[PDF] Death Penalty Information Center.
December, 2012.
"The number of new death sentences in 2012 was the second lowest since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976."
Monday, December 17 2012:
- Prisoners in 2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2012.
"Declining for the second consecutive year, state and federal prison populations totaled 1,598,780 at yearend 2011, a decrease of 0.9% (15,023 prisoners) from yearend 2010."
Thursday, December 13 2012:
- Mortality in Local Jails and State Prisons, 2000-2010 Statistical Tables
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2012.
"The suicide rate in local jails declined over time from 49 per 100,000 inmates in 2001 to 36 per 100,000 in 2007. Since 2007, the rate has increased slightly to reach 42 per 100,000 inmates in 2010."
- Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2012:
The Year in Review,
[PDF] Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
December, 2012.
"Seven of the new death row inmates in 2012 are African-American, one is Hispanic, and one is a white female. Over the last five years, nearly 75% of all death sentences in Texas have been imposed on people of color - 46% African-American and 28% Hispanic."
- "Picking up the Pieces":
The Rights and Needs of Children and Families Affected by Imprisonment,
[PDF] Irish Penal Reform Trust.
November, 2012.
"Child impact statements would be one practical approach which would permit the voice of the child to be heard, as outlined under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), when considering putting a parent/parents into custody."
Wednesday, December 12 2012:
Tuesday, December 11 2012:
Monday, December 10 2012:
- State Corrections Expenditures, FY 1982-2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2012.
"Between 1982 and 2001, total state corrections expenditures increased each year, rising from $15.0 billion to $53.5 billion in real dollars."
- On the Chopping Block 2012:
State Prison Closings,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
December, 2012.
"In 2012, at least six states have closed 20 prison institutions or are contemplating doing so, potentially reducing prison capacity by over 14,100 beds and resulting in an estimated $337 million in savings."
- Tracked and Trapped:
Youth of Color, Gang Databases and Gang Injunctions,
[PDF] Youth Justice Coalition RealSearch Actions Research Center.
December, 2012.
"Currently 291,094 people across California are in the CalGang database. Of these, 94% are male, nearly 20% are African-American, and 66% are Latino."
Thursday, December 6 2012:
- Sheriffs' Offices, 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2012.
"From 1987 to 2007, the number of full-time employees in sheriffs' offices increased from about 189,000 to more than 346,000"
- Who does the Massachusetts juvenile justice system serve?
[PDF] Citizens for Juvenile Justice.
December, 2012.
"The delinquency charging rates in Barnstable and Hampden counties are 2-3 times higher than some other counties, and roughly twice the statewide average. The charging rates in Bristol and Suffolk Counties are 8 and 6 times the state average."
Wednesday, December 5 2012:
- The Texas Commission on Jail Standards:
The State's Solution for Implementing A Strong County Jail System While Protecting Counties From Liability,
[PDF] Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
November, 2012.
"Texas Commission on Jail Standards guards Texas counties from damaging lawsuits, specifically by setting constitutional jail standards for counties to follow, conducting facility inspections, and enforcing compliance with rules and procedures."
Monday, December 3 2012:
- Jails and Jumpsuits:
Transforming the U.S. Immigration Detention System-A Two-Year Review,
[PDF] Human Rights First.
September, 2011.
"In July 2009, approximately 50 percent of ICE's population was held in actual correctional facilities that also housed criminal detainees."
Friday, November 30 2012:
- The Answer is No:
Too Little Compassionate Release in US Federal Prisons,
[PDF] Human Rights Watch and Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
November, 2012.
"To satisfy human rights requirements, prisoners should have access to judicial review or review by a similarly independent, objective tribunal that applies basic due process requirements to decisions regarding the lawfulness of their ongoing detention."
Thursday, November 29 2012:
Wednesday, November 28 2012:
- On The Level:
Disproportionate Minority Contact in Minnesota's Juvenile Justice System,
[PDF] Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
October, 2002.
"African American youth, who comprise just 8% of the youth population White but are 34% of juvenile delinquency arrests. On a smaller scale, American Indian youth are 2% of the youth population but account for 4% of juvenile delinquency arrests."
Tuesday, November 27 2012:
- Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2012.
"From 1994 to 2010, the overall rate of intimate partner violence in the United States declined by 64%, from 9.8 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older to 3.6 per 1,000."
Thursday, November 15 2012:
- The Disparate Treatment of Native Hawaiians
In the Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
November, 2012.
"An analysis of data, controlling for age, gender, and type of charge, found that for any given determination of guilt, Native Hawaiians are much more likely to get a prison sentence than almost all other groups, except for Native Americans."
- Pretrial Release and Misconduct in Federal District Courts, 2008-2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2012.
"About half (51%) of defendants with no prior arrest history were released pretrial, compared to 34% of defendants with 2 to 4 prior arrests and 21% of defendants with more than 10 prior arrests."
Wednesday, November 14 2012:
- Reforming Juvenile Justice
A Developmental Approach,
National Research Council.
November, 2012.
"A harsh system of punishing troubled youth can make things worse, while a scientifically based juvenile justice system can make an enduring difference in the lives of many youth who most need the structure and services it can provide."
Tuesday, November 13 2012:
- Prison Visitation Policies
A Fifty State Survey,
[PDF] Chesa Boudin, Trevor Stutz & Aaron Littman.
November, 2012.
(This memorandum presents a summary of the findings from a survey of prison visitation policies in the fifty states and in the system run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Note: There is a 2014 version of this paper that is slightly different.)
- The Post-Release Employment and Recidivism
Among Different Types of Offenders With A Different Level of Education: A 5-Year Follow-Up Study in Indiana,
[PDF] Indiana Department of Corrections and Ball State University.
April, 2012.
"Offenders who had a lower level of education not only had a higher recidivism rate, but also such uneducated/under-educated offenders were likely to be re-incarcerated earlier than those offenders who had a higher level of education."
- Performance Incentive Funding
Aligning Fiscal and Operational Responsibility to Produce More Safety at Less Cost,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
November, 2012.
"Community corrections agencies should adopt evidence-based practices that are proven to reduce recidivism and achieve successful offender outcomes. States should return some of the state savings to local agencies when those practices reduce recidivism."
- Engaging Police in Immigrant Communities
Promising Practices from the Field,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
October, 2012.
"This report describes a variety of approaches to building and maintaining effective police-immigrant relations developed by a diverse group of law enforcement agencies."
- Roadblocks to Reform
Perils for Georgia's Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] Southern Center for Human Rights.
November, 2012.
"The traits endemic in private prisons – poorly trained staff, inadequate services, higher rates of violence and other infractions – dovetail with one another and are mutually reinforcing."
Thursday, November 8 2012:
- Firearms Stolen during Household Burglaries and Other Property Crimes,
2005-2010,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2012.
"On average, firearms were stolen in an annual average of about 4% of the 2.4 million burglaries occurring each year, in 2% of the 529,200 robberies, and in less than 1% of the 13.6 million other crimes involving theft from 2005 through 2010."
Thursday, November 1 2012:
- Arrest in the United States, 1990-2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2012.
"The number of murder arrests in the U.S. fell by half between 1990 and 2010. The adult and juvenile arrest rates dropped substantially in the 1990s, while both continued to fall about 20% between 2000 and 2010, reaching their lowest levels since at least"
- California Youth Crime Plunges to All-Time Low
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
October, 2012.
"All categories of crime fell substantially among youths in 2011. Felony arrests were down 17%, both violent and property felonies were down 16%, misdemeanor and status offenses were down 21%, and homicide was down 26%."
Tuesday, October 30 2012:
- Restoration of Rights Project
[Website] National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
October, 2012.
"54 jurisdictional profiles include provisions on loss and restoration of civil rights and firearms privileges, legal mechanisms for overcoming or mitigating collateral consequences, and provisions addressing non-discrimination in employment and licensing."
- Families Unlocking Futures
Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice,
[PDF] Justice for Families.
October, 2012.
"The primary problems are: (1) Incarceration doesn't work, as evidenced by recidivism rates and a long record of chronic and shameful abuses; and (2) by and large, probation and other forms of risk management do not help youth succeed in the long-term."
Thursday, October 25 2012:
- Measuring Change in New Jersey's Treatment of Young Offenders
[PDF] Advocates for Children of New Jersey.
October, 2012.
"n 2011, the state locked up nearly 7,000 fewer juveniles in one year than it did prior to JDAI implementation. On any given day, 446 fewer juveniles are spending time in a New Jersey detention center."
Wednesday, October 24 2012:
- Pennsylvania's Motivational Boot Camp
2002 Report to the Legislature,
[PDF] Pennsylvania Sentencing Commission.
January, 2002.
- Pennsylvania's Motivational Boot Camp
2003 Report to the Legislature,
[PDF] Pennsylvania Sentencing Commission.
January, 2004.
- Turning Jails Into Prisons:
Collateral Damage from Kentucky's War on Crime,
[PDF] Robert G. Lawson (Published in Kentucky Law Journal, Volume 95).
2006.
- Improving the Juvenile Justice System for Girls
Lessons from the States,
[PDF] Georgetown Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Public Policy.
October, 2012.
"The set of challenges that girls often face as they enter the juvenile justice system include trauma, violence, neglect, mental and physical problems, family conflict, pregnancy, residential and academic instability, and school failure."
- Girls' Experiences in the Texas Juvenile Justice System
2012 Survey Findings,
[PDF] Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
October, 2012.
"46% of the surveyed girls report that the staff, programs, and treatment in county juvenile facilities did not help them deal with past trauma; an additional 4% said that county facilities actually did more harm than good in dealing with past trauma."
- Cost-Effective Youth Corrections
Rationalizing the Fiscal Architecture of Juvenile Justice Systems,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
March, 2006.
"The experience of secure confinement can change the kind of routine law-breaking that is often part of adolescence into a stable pattern that, unfortunately, endures over time. States are actually paying additional money to generate worse outcomes."
- Law Enforcement Officers in Wake County Schools:
The Human, Educational, and Financial Costs,
[PDF] Advocates for Children's Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina.
February, 2011.
(This report examines the effects of the proliferation of police officers in Wake County, NC (Raleigh area) public schools.)
Tuesday, October 23 2012:
- ¿Dónde Está la Justicia?
Un llamado a la acción a favor de los jóvenes latinos en el sistema de justicia de los EE.UU. (Spanish),
[PDF] Building Blocks for Youth.
July, 2002.
Thursday, October 18 2012:
- You're an Adult Now
Youth in Adult Criminal Justice Systems,
[PDF] National Institute of Corrections.
December, 2011.
"Youth transferred to the adult corrections system recidivate at a higher rate than those kept in the juvenile justice system."
Wednesday, October 17 2012:
- Criminal Victimization, 2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2012.
"The rate of violent victimization increased 17%, from 19.3 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 2010 to 22.5 in 2011."
- What Have We Done?
Mass Incarceration and the Targeting of Albany's Black Males by Federal, State, and Local Authorities,
[PDF] Center for Law and Justice.
October, 2012.
"Law enforcement officials are now using a new tool to arrest and prosecute drug-related crimes: racketeering laws. Young African-American men from Albany are now being subjected to additional years in prison, in some cases for committing no new crimes."
- Community Solutions for Youth in Trouble
[PDF] Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
October, 2012.
"A 2012 survey of county juvenile probation chiefs in Texas found community-based programming to be the second-highest need for increased funding. Texas legislators should expand their investment in community programs."
Tuesday, October 16 2012:
- Video Visits for Children Whose Parents Are Incarcerated
In Whose Best Interest?,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
October, 2012.
"Children may benefit from video visitation if it increases opportunities for them to communicate with their parents. But video visitation is not a substitute for in-person contact visits, particularly for infants and young children."
Friday, October 12 2012:
- Lake Erie Correctional Institution Full Internal Management Audit
[PDF] Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
September, 2012.
"Employees interviewed could not demonstrate the following: a knowledge of the local fire plan; a knowledge of the rapid release of inmates from cells in locked areas [...] and many simply stated they had no idea what they should do."
- Juvenile Suicide in Confinement
A National Survey,
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
February, 2009.
"Almost half (48.1 percent) the suicides occurred in facilities administered by state agencies, 39.2 percent took place in county facilities, and 12.7 percent occurred in private programs."
Wednesday, October 10 2012:
- Growing Up Locked Down
Youth in Solitary Confinement in Jails and Prisoner Across the United State,
[PDF] Human Rights Watch and American Civil Liberties Union.
October, 2012.
"HRW and ACLU estimate that in 2011, more than 95,000 youth were held in prisons and jails. A significant number of these facilities use solitary confinement to punish, protect, house, or treat some of the young people who are held there."
Tuesday, October 9 2012:
Friday, October 5 2012:
- Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2012.
"Suspects investigated for violent offenses in Indian country totaled 23% of all federal investigations for violent offenses in FY 2010."
Wednesday, October 3 2012:
- Boxed In
The True Cost of Extreme Isolation in New York's Prisons,
[PDF] New York Civil Liberties Union.
September, 2012.
"New York has nearly 5,000 SHU beds located in 39 prisons, including two dedicated extreme isolation prisons which cost about $76 million a year. From 2007-11, New York issued more than 68,100 sentences to extreme isolation for violations of prison rules."
Tuesday, October 2 2012:
- Adults with Behavioral Health Needs Under Correctional Supervision
A Shared Framework for Reducing Recidivism and Promoting Recovery,
[PDF] Council of State Governments Justice Center, the National Institute of Corrections, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
2012.
"This paper is written in recognition of the current need for a strategic approach to address the overrepresentation of people with mental health and substance use disorders in the justice system, & the impact their treatment has on public safety & health."
Friday, September 28 2012:
- Stalking Victims in the United States - Revised
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2012.
"Nearly 7 in 10 stalking victims knew their offender in some capacity."
- Adult Drug Courts
Studies Show Courts Reduce Recidivism, but DOJ Could Enhance Future Performance Measure Revision Efforts,
[PDF] Government Accountability Office.
December, 2011.
"GAO's analysis of evaluations reporting relapse data for eight programs showed that drug-court program participants were less likely than comparison group members to use drugs [...] although the difference was not always significant."
- Addicted to Courts
How a Growing Dependence on Drug Courts Impacts People and Communities,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
March, 2011.
"Treatment in the community is about 10 times more cost-effective than drug courts; it costs considerably less and is almost equally as effective as drug courts in reducing recidivism."
- Invisible in Isolation
The Use of Segregation and Solitary Confinement in Immigrant Detention,
[PDF] Heartland Alliance and Physicians for Human Rights.
September, 2012.
"This report, the first of its kind, aims to examine the use of segregation and solitary confinement in the immigration detention system, share individual experiences, and provide concrete recommendations to eradicate the use of solitary confinement [...]."
Thursday, September 27 2012:
- USA: The Edge of Endurance
Prison Conditions in California's Security Housing Units,
[PDF] Amnesty International.
September, 2012.
"Studies have found that negative effects from prolonged isolation can continue long after release, including sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, phobias, anger, impaired memory and problems with normal social interaction."
- Overview of Federal Criminal Cases
Fiscal Year 2011,
[PDF] United States Sentencing Commission.
2011.
"Immigration cases continued to be the fastest growing segment of cases in the federal system. In fiscal year 2011, there were 29,717 immigration cases reported to the Commission, an increase of 1,213 cases from the prior fiscal year."
Wednesday, September 26 2012:
- States Report Reductions in Recidivism
[PDF] Council of State Governments Justice Center.
September, 2012.
"This brief highlights significant statewide recidivism reductions achieved in Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Vermont."
Tuesday, September 25 2012:
- Jails in Indian Country, 2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2012.
"At midyear 2011, a total of 2,239 inmates were confined in Indian country jails, a 5.7% increase from the 2,119 inmates confined at midyear 2010."
Monday, September 24 2012:
- Unasked Questions, Unintended Consequences
Fifteen Findings and Recommendations on Illinois' Prison Healthcare System,
[PDF] John Howard Association of Illinois.
September, 2012.
"[I]ncarceration is overused as a primary means to manage drug and non- violent offenders [...]. This comes at great cost to taxpayers and has little positive impact on recidivism or public safety."
- Justice Assistance Grant Program, 2012
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
2011.
"The five largest total state allocations included California ($32.9 million), Texas ($22.7 million), Florida ($19.5 million), New York ($16.0 million), and Illinois ($12.0 million)."
- Prison Bed Profiteers
How Corporations Are Reshaping Criminal Justice in the U.S.,
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
May, 2012.
"Prison industry lobbyists seek to impact sentencing policies as well as the rules and regulations included in government contracts. In 2010, CCA, GEO, and Cornell Companies together spent more than $1.5 million on federal lobbying."
Friday, September 21 2012:
- Children on the Outside
Voicing the Pain and Human Costs of Parental Incarceration,
[PDF] Justice Strategies.
January, 2011.
"Too often, society dismisses the children of incarcerated parents as future liabilities to public safety while overlooking opportunities to address the pain and trauma with which these children struggle."
Wednesday, September 19 2012:
- Prevalence of Violent Crime among Households with Children, 1993-2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2012.
"A smaller percentage of children ages 0 to 11 (3.4%) than children ages 12 to 17 (4.9%) lived in a household that experienced violent crime during 2010."
- Realigning Justice Resources
A Review of Population and Spending Shifts in Prison and Community Corrections,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
September, 2012.
"Between 2009 and 2010, Vera observed a stark downward shift in expenditures across many states and systems of prison and community corrections despite variations in population change—a consequence, perhaps, of shrinking state budgets."
Tuesday, September 18 2012:
- For Better or for Profit:
How the Bail Bonding Industry Stands in the Way of Fair and Effective Pretrial Justice,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
September, 2012.
"With the personal liberty of accused people held by a profit-driven private industry, for-profit bail bonding is systemically prone to corruption, criminal collusion, and the use of coercion against bonded people."
Monday, September 17 2012:
- Growing Inmate Crowding Negatively Affects Inmates, Staff, & Infrastructure
[PDF] United States Government Accountability Office.
September, 2012.
"[T]he growth of the federal inmate population and related crowding have negatively affected inmates housed in BOP institutions [and] institutional staff [...] and have contributed to inmate misconduct, which affects staff and inmate security and safety."
Friday, September 14 2012:
- Survey of Sentencing Practices FY 2011
[PDF] Massachusetts Sentencing Commission.
May, 2012.
"For state prison sentences, the median minimum state prison sentence was 36.0 months and the median maximum state prison sentence was 48.0 months."
Thursday, September 13 2012:
- HIV In Prisons, 2001-2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2012.
"The rate of HIV/AIDS among state and federal prison inmates declined from 194 cases per 10,000 inmates in 2001 to 146 per 10,000 at yearend 2010."
Wednesday, September 12 2012:
- Community Reentry After Prison Drug Treatment
Learning from Sheridan Therapeutic Community Program participants,
[PDF] Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
January, 2012.
"Younger participants engaged in criminal activity and relapsed sooner than older participants. Younger participants also reported being less engaged in the Sheridan program than older participants."
- 2012 Party Platforms on Criminal Justice Policy
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
September, 2012.
"Though the United States remains the world's leader in incarceration [...], the recently approved Democratic and Republican party platforms indicate ways to make progress on criminal justice reform while increasing public safety."
Tuesday, September 11 2012:
- The Affordable Care Act
Implications for Public Safety and Corrections Populations,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
September, 2012.
"The expansion of Medicaid means that states can essentially use federal Medicaid funds to increase treatment services that could reduce incarceration and recidivism and, in doing so, potentially lower associated local and state corrections expenditures."
- Bail Fail
Why the U.S. Should End the Practice of Using Money for Bail,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
September, 2012.
"Although judges and judicial officers may deny or simply not be aware of any racial bias [...], there is strong evidence that these bail decision makers consider the lost freedom caused by pretrial detention to be a greater loss for whites than for blacks"
- The Price to Call Home
State-Sanctioned Monopolization in the Prison Phone Industry,
[PDF] Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2012.
"The prison telephone market is structured to be exploitative because it grants monopolies to producers, and because the consumers- the incarcerated persons and their families- have no comparable alternative ways of communicating."
Thursday, September 6 2012:
- Literacy Behind Bars
Results From the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy Prison Survey,
[PDF] U.S. Department of Education.
May, 2007.
"In every age group examined (16-24, 25-39, and 40 or older), incarcerated adults had lower average prose, document, and quantitative literacy than adults in the same age group living in households."
Tuesday, August 28 2012:
- Representing Girls in the Juvenile Justice System
[PDF] North Carolina Office of the Juvenile Defender.
August, 2012.
"In an effort to provide information to defense counsel, this document provides a compilation of research regarding girls in the juvenile justice system and suggests best practices and strategies for defense counsel representing girls."
Monday, August 27 2012:
- Religion in Prisons
A 50-State Survey of Prison Chaplains,
[PDF] Pew Research Center, Forum on Religion & Public Life.
March, 2012.
"Nearly all chaplains either favor (46%) or strongly favor (46%) dealing with non-violent, 1st-time offenders through other kinds of sentences (such as community service or mandatory substance-abuse counseling) rather than prison terms."
Thursday, August 16 2012:
- Supportive Housing for Returning Prisoners
Outcomes and Impacts of the Returning Home-Ohio Pilot Project,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
August, 2012.
"The Returning Home-Ohio program resulted in clear reductions along several key recidivism measures while also increasing state‐billable service use; the latter outcome is arguably a benefit of program participation."
- Juvenile Court Statistics 2009
[PDF] National Center for Juvenile Justice.
May, 2012.
"Between 1997 and 2009, the number of public order offense cases increased 1%, person offense cases and drug law violation cases decreased 13% and 12%, respectively, and property offense cases decreased 35%.."
Friday, August 10 2012:
- Lifetime Lockdown
How Isolation Conditions Impact Prisoner Reentry,
[PDF] American Friends Service Committee.
August, 2012.
"ADC policies limiting visitation and prohibiting maximum-security prisoners from participation in education, treatment, and employment have a negative impact on these prisoners' reentry prospects."
Thursday, August 9 2012:
- Victimizations Not Reported to the Police, 2006-2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2012.
"From 2006 to 2010, a greater percentage of victimizations perpetrated by someone the victim knew well (62%) went unreported to police, compared to victimizations committed by a stranger (51%)."
Wednesday, August 8 2012:
- Trends in Juvenile Justice State Legislation 2001-2011
[PDF] National Conference of State Legislatures.
June, 2012.
"States are reevaluating their juvenile justice systems [to] produce better results for kids at lower cost. This has contributed to a state legislative trend to realign fiscal resources from state institutions toward more effective community-based services"
Tuesday, August 7 2012:
- Annual Report to the United States Sentencing Commission
United States Department of Justice.
July, 2011.
"In the last 50 years,the United States experienced an extraordinary increase, followed by an equally extraordinary decrease, in the number of Americans victimized by violent crime."
Monday, August 6 2012:
- Families and Reentry
Unpacking How Social Support Matters,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
June, 2012.
"Our analysis [...] shows that while family members' reported that number of activities performed together increases significantly over time, as formerly incarcerated persons are in the community for longer the number of hardships [...] also increases."
Friday, August 3 2012:
- Does Strengthening Self-Defense Law Deter Crime or Escalate Violence?
Evidence from Castle Doctrine,
[PDF] Texas A&M University.
June, 2012.
"[R]esults indicate that castle doctrine laws increase total homicides by around 8 percent. Put differently, the laws induce an additional 600 homicides per year across the 21 states in our sample that enacted castle doctrine laws."
- Study of Incarcerated Women and Their Children
[PDF] Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth.
January, 2010.
"Over three‐fourths of the women had only a high school education or less. Two‐thirds had been physically and/or sexually abused as a child."
Thursday, August 2 2012:
Monday, July 30 2012:
- Collateral Consequences of Interstate Transfer of Prisoners
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
July, 2012.
"In addition to breaches in facility security, out-of-state private prisons create significant barriers to rehabilitation and humane conditions of care."
- Hot Spots of Juvenile Crime
Findings From Seattle,
[PDF] US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
October, 2010.
"Juvenile crime was concentrated in public and commercial areas where youth gather—schools, youth centers, shops, malls, and restaurants—rather than residential areas."
- Juvenile Court Statistics 2008
[PDF] US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
July, 2011.
"Drug offense case rates increased dramatically for all age groups between 1991 and 1998: 229% for juveniles ages 10–12, 165% for youth ages 13–15, 146% for 16-year-olds, and 148% for 17-year-olds."
- Juvenile Justice Alternative Edu. Programs Performance Assessment Report
School Year 2010-2011,
[PDF] Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
May, 2012.
"The average passing rate for reading/ELA was 68.8% compared to 38.2% for math. The overall passing rates are up from 67.6% in reading/ELA and 34.5% for math in school year 2008-2009."
Thursday, July 26 2012:
- Closing the Gap
Using Criminal Justice and Public Health Data to Improve the Identification of Mental Illness,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2012.
"Most of the cohort members who had mental health needs (83%) were known to at least 1 criminal justice agency as having such a need between 2006-11. Yet the Department of Mental Health knew about only 59% who had mental health needs during that period."
Thursday, July 19 2012:
- Dollars and Detainees
The Growth of For-Profit Detention,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
July, 2012.
"Between 2002-2010 [...] privately-held ICE and U.S. Marshals Service detainees increased by 206% and 322%, respectively. In contrast there was respective growth of 28% and 67% in the number of state and federal prisoners held in private facilities."
Wednesday, July 18 2012:
- Immigration Offenders in the Federal Justice System, 2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2012.
"Apprehensions for immigration violations peaked at 1.8 million in 2000 but dropped to 516,992 in 2010 — the lowest level since 1972. Between 2004 and 2010, the number of Border Patrol officers nearly doubled, increasing from 10,819 to 20,558."
Monday, July 16 2012:
- Pioneers of Youth Justice Reform
Achieving System Change Using Resolution, Reinvestment, and Realignment Strategies,
[PDF] John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
July, 2012.
"Incarcerated juveniles, especially those low in risk, tend to recidivate at higher rates than youth treated in their homes or communities... many youth courts place juveniles in state facilities for committing non-violent offenses/violating probation."
Friday, July 13 2012:
- Examination of Cook County Bond Court
Report of the Justice Advisory Council,
[PDF] Justice Advisory Council of the County of Cook.
2011.
"A cash bond for the release of over 66% of pretrial detainees, a full two-thirds, has been set by the Court at a bond hearing. However, the large majority of pretrial detainees, who procedurally have not been adjudicated guilty, are unable to post [bail]."
Thursday, July 12 2012:
Wednesday, July 11 2012:
- Performance Audit Report
Evaluating the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex, Part I,
[PDF] State of Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit.
July, 2012.
"Overall, the environment at KJCC has not been conducive to ensuring the safety and security of juvenile offenders and staff."
Thursday, July 5 2012:
- Profiting from the Poor
A Report on Predatory Probation Companies in Georgia,
[PDF] Southern Center for Human Rights.
July, 2008.
"The privatization of misdemeanor probation has placed unprecedented law enforcement authority in the hands of for-profit companies that act essentially as collection agencies."
Monday, July 2 2012:
- Three Strikes:
The Wrong Way to Justice,
[PDF] Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice, Harvard Law School.
June, 2012.
"By properly limiting the applicability of the habitual offender provisions, Massachusetts will be able to reinvest in its people through education, treatment, training, and community development programs."
Thursday, June 28 2012:
- PREA Data Collection Activities, 2012
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2012.
"An estimated 9.6% of former state prisoners reported one or more incidents of sexual victimization during the most recent period of incarceration in a jail, prison, and post-release community-treatment facility."
Wednesday, June 27 2012:
- Criminal Justice Interventions for Offenders With Mental Illness
Evaluation of Mental Health Courts in Bronx and Brooklyn, New York,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
2011.
"Findings from the impact analysis indicate that mental health court participants are significantly less likely to recidivate, as compared to similar offenders with mental illness who experience business-as-usual court processing..."
Tuesday, June 26 2012:
- Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2012.
"From 2004 to 2008, the number of officers employed by Customs and Border Protection increased by more than 9,000 (or 33%), the largest increase at any federal agency."
- Do Race and Ethnicity Matter in Prosecution?
A Review of Empirical Studies,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
June, 2012.
"Most of the 34 studies reviewed here suggest that defendants' or victims' race directly or indirectly influence case outcomes, even when a host of other legal and extra-legal factors are taken into account."
Tuesday, June 19 2012:
Wednesday, June 13 2012:
- Violent Crime against the Elderly Reported by Law Enforcement in Michigan
2005-2009,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2012.
"Three out of 10 elderly victims of reported violence were victimized by their own child or grandchild."
- Reducing the U.S. Demand for Illegal Drugs
A Report by the United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control,
[PDF] United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.
June, 2012.
"Drug courts have proven to be effective. According to a 2006 study, approximately three-quarters of drug courts – or 78 % – were found to have significantly reduced crime. The personal attention provided in drug courts can have life-changing effects."
- At America's Expense
The Mass Incarceration of the Elderly,
[PDF] ACLU.
June, 2012.
"Based on statistical analyses of available data, this report estimates that releasing an aging prisoner will save states, on average, $66,294 per year per prisoner, including healthcare, other public benefits, parole, and any housing costs or tax revenue."
Monday, June 11 2012:
- The Costs and Benefits
of Community-Based Substance Abuse Treatment in the District of Columbia,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
April, 2012.
"On average, we find there is a 55 percent chance that a community-based substance abuse treatment (CBSAT) program serving 150 people would yield benefits that exceed its costs. The median benefit of CBSAT is $615 per person higher than its costs."
- Time Served
The High Cost, Low Returns of Long Prison Terms,
[PDF] Pew Center on the States.
June, 2011.
"Nationally, the fastest period of growth in time served came between 1995 and 2000. In that period, length of stay rose 28 percent, compared with less than 5 percent in the five-year periods before and after."
Thursday, June 7 2012:
- Crime and Justice Atlas
1999 Update,
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice.
1999.
"Since 1980, the numbers of prisoners, new court commitments, and releases from state prisons have risen by a yearly average of 8.1 %, 5.5%, and 7.9%, respectively."
- Crime and Justice Atlas
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice.
June, 1998.
"The latest rapid increases for both violent crime and violent crime arrest rates occurred during the period 1987-1991. The latest data show violent crime has begun to decline steadily, falling 16% since 1991."
Wednesday, June 6 2012:
- A Juvenile Justice Reprieve:
California's 2012 Mid-Year Budget,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
May, 2012.
"Counties cannot continue to oppose both budget triggers which attempt to more realistically balance DJF fees, and juvenile justice realignment, which transitions away from an archaic and dysfunctional state system to build on county successes."
Monday, June 4 2012:
- Justice Reinvestment in Pennsylvania
A Comprehensive Public Safety Plan for the Commonwealth,
[PDF] Council of State Governments Justice Center.
May, 2012.
(Comprehensive public safety plan that reduces costly inefficiencies in PA's criminal justice system and reinvests savings in law enforcement strategies that deter crime, local diversion efforts that reduce recidivism & services for crime victims.)
- Reducing the use of imprisonment
What can we learn from Europe?,
[PDF] Criminal Justice Alliance.
May, 2012.
"One of the most dramatic changes in prison numbers over the last few years has been experienced by the Netherlands. Germany, too, has seen a significant reduction in use of custody."
- One last chance to avoid prison-based gerrymandering in Kansas
[PDF] Prison Policy Initiative and Demos.
May, 2012.
"By taking the simple step of dividing the Leavenworth prisons among different districts rather than concentrating them in one, the federal panel can prevent Kansas from winning the"
Friday, June 1 2012:
- Squeeze Play
The history of canteen prices and inmate pay,
[PDF] The Prison Mirror.
May, 2012.
"Not since 1960s have Minnesota Inmates been paid so little compared to outside wages. This makes it hard to afford canteen, which ultimately limits the money that could be flowing into programs that ultimately make Minnesota safer."
- World Prison Population List
(ninth edition),
[PDF] International Centre for Prison Studies.
April, 2012.
"Prison populations have risen in 78% of countries: in 71% of countries in Africa, 82% in the Americas, 80% in Asia, 74% in Europe and 80% in Oceania."
Thursday, May 24 2012:
- The Continuing Challenge of CORI Reform
Implementing the Groundbreaking 2010 Massachusetts Law,
[PDF] The Boston Foundation and The Crime and Justice Institute at CRJ.
May, 2012.
"This report provides information about reactions to whether the implemented elements of the CORI reform law have had the intended impact, and what the public should expect going forward."
- A Report on the Massachusetts Department of Corrections - 2011
[PDF] Gordon Haas, Chairman, Norfolk Lifers Group.
January, 2012.
"The DOC's organizational culture [...] continues to be driven by a penchant for retribution. As a result, what the DOC accomplishes is merely to warehouse prisoners until they are released to become someone else's concern."
- Life Without Parole
A Reconsideration,
[PDF] Criminal Justice Policy Coalition and the Norfolk Lifers Group.
2010.
"Everyone serving a Life Without Parole sentence in MA, after 25 years should be afforded an opportunity to demonstrate both a rehabilitated character and a low public safety risk through access to a parole hearing and, where appropriate, parole."
Wednesday, May 23 2012:
- Breaking the Census
Redistricting in an Era of Mass Incarceration,
[PDF] Article by Peter Wagner in the William Mitchell Law Review.
May, 2012.
"A new and highly-readable introduction to the problem of prison-based gerrymandering and its remedies."
Tuesday, May 22 2012:
- Rethinking the Blues
How We Police in the U.S. and at What Cost,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
May, 2012.
"Crime is at the lowest levels it has been in over 30 years, but funding for police increased 445 percent between 1982 and 2007, with federal funding increasing the most at 729 percent."
Thursday, May 17 2012:
- Sexual Victimization Reported by Former State Prisoners, 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2010.
"An estimated 9.6% of former state prisoners reported one or more incidents of sexual victimization during the most recent period of incarceration in jail, prison, and post-release community-treatment facility."
Tuesday, May 15 2012:
- It's about time
Aging Prisoners, Increasing Costs, and Geriatric Release,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
April, 2010.
"Given that many state policymakers have expressed an intention to permit the release of elderly inmates who are not a threat to public safety, it is remarkable that geriatric release policies have had little impact."
- Pennsylvania
Parole and Life Imprisonment,
[PDF] Jon E. Yount.
February, 2004.
([This report] provides an overview of the evolution of parole in Pennsylvania and how this "penological measure" has or has not been applied to terms of life imprisonment.)
Friday, May 11 2012:
- "When I Die, They'll Send Me Home"
Youth Sentenced to Life without Parole in California,
[PDF] Human Rights Watch.
January, 2008.
"African American youth arrested for murder are sentenced to life without parole in California at a rate that is 5.83 times that of white youth arrested for murder."
Thursday, May 10 2012:
- Pre-Trial Detention of Dangerous and Violent Defendants
Following Passage of the Omnibus Public Safety Justice Amendment Act of 2009,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
2011.
"We find a steady increase from 2007 through 2010 in the probability of detention for dangerous and violent defendants without associated weapons charges, on public safety grounds."
- Which Components of Transitional Jobs Programs Work Best?
Analysis of Programs for Former Prisoners in the Transitional Jobs Reentry Demonstration,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
May, 2012.
"TJ program participants who spent 30 workdays or more in a transitional job during the first six months of the follow-up period were 14 percent more likely than other TJ program participants to obtain an unsubsidized job in the subsequent six months."
Wednesday, May 9 2012:
Tuesday, May 8 2012:
- Housing as a Platform for Formerly Incarcerated Persons
[PDF] Urban Institute.
April, 2012.
"While housing for formerly incarcerated persons is a source of necessary shelter and residential stability, it can also serve as the literal and figurative foundation for successful reentry and reintegration for released adults."
Monday, May 7 2012:
- Falling Through the Cracks
A New Look at Ohio Youth in the Adult Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] Children's Law Center, Inc..
2011.
"Ohio must begin to shift direction with regard to youth in the adult criminal justice system and move toward a more humane, research-driven approach to these youth."
Thursday, May 3 2012:
- Arrested Future
The Criminalization of School Discipline in Massachusetts' Three Largest School Districts,
[PDF] ACLU of Massachusetts.
May, 2012.
"While there are undoubtedly many reasons why there are more public order arrests in Springfield than in Boston or Worcester, it appears that the manner in which Springfield deploys police officers in its public schools is a contributing factor."
Thursday, April 26 2012:
Monday, April 9 2012:
- Reallocating Justice Resources
A Review of 2011 State Sentencing Trends,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
March, 2012.
"Early in the current recession, many states focused only on achieving quick cost savings. Now state lawmakers are considering multiple, related policy changes that will have long-term fiscal impacts."
- Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, 2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2012.
"The total 2011 allocation for the JAG funding was approximately $368.3 million, of which $359.4 million went to states and $8.9 million to territories and the District of Columbia."
Friday, April 6 2012:
- Public Housing transformation and Crime
Making the Case for Responsible Relocation,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
April, 2012.
"Overall, our findings show that a substantial majority of neighborhoods [...] were able to absorb public housing relocation voucher households without any adverse effect on neighborhood conditions."
- Half of Women on Probation or Parole Experience Mental Illness
[PDF] SAMHSA.
March, 2012.
"[A]mong women aged 18 to 49, about half of those who had been on probation (49.4%) or on parole (54.2%) in the past year experienced any mental illness in the past year, compared with 27.5 percent of women who had not been on probation or parole."
Thursday, April 5 2012:
- Pay Now or Pay Much More Later
Law Enforcement Leaders support high-quality early education to cut crime and save money in California,
[PDF] Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California.
April, 2012.
"Research shows that high-quality preschool programs can significantly reduce felony arrests and incarceration rates and return $10 or more in savings for every dollar invested, with nearly 1/2 of the savings coming from lower prison & crime-related costs."
- Youth in Minnesota Correctional Facilities and the Effects of Trauma
Responses to the 2010 Minnesota Students Survey,
[PDF] Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
March, 2012.
"[O]ver half of youth in correctional facilities report at least one form of trauma on the MSS (53%) compared to just over one-quarter of a matched sample of mainstream students (28%)."
Monday, April 2 2012:
Wednesday, March 28 2012:
- Prevenir la manipulación de los límites de los distritos electorales
sobre la base de la población reclusa: qué es lo que hay que evitar,
[PDF] Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2011.
"Está guía en español le explicará qué es lo que hay que buscar para minimizar el daño de la manipulación de los límites de los distritos electorales sobre la base de la población reclusa."
Thursday, March 22 2012:
- Public Safety Realignment:
California at a Crossroads,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union of California.
March, 2012.
"Based upon our review, at least 32 of California's 58 counties have plans to expand jail capacity using AB 109 funds or other tax dollars, even though realignment provides more effective and affordable options for addressing jail overcrowding."
Thursday, March 1 2012:
- The Lives of Juvenile Lifers:
Findings from a National Survey,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
March, 2011.
"The proportion of African Americans serving JLWOP sentences for the killing of a white person (43.4%) is nearly twice the rate at which African American juveniles are arrested for taking a white person's life (23.2%)."
Monday, February 27 2012:
- The Disproportionate Impact of the Criminal Justice System
on People of Color in the Capital Region,
[PDF] Center for Law and Justice.
February, 2012.
"Statewide, from 2000 to 2011 the number of minorities incarcerated dropped by 29%; in Albany County, the number of minorities incarcerated increased by 60% over the same time period."
Thursday, February 23 2012:
- Indicators Of School Crime And Safety, 2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2012.
"In 2009–10, about 74 percent of public schools recorded one or more violent incidents of crime, 16 percent recorded one or more serious violent incidents, and 44 percent recorded one or more thefts."
Wednesday, February 22 2012:
- Identity Theft Reported by Households, 2005-2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2011.
"The increase in identity theft victimization from 2005 to 2010 was largely attributable to an increase in the misuse or attempted misuse of existing credit card accounts."
- Homicide Trends In The United States, 1980-2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2011.
"Males represented 77% of homicide victims and nearly 90% of offenders. The victimization rate for males was 3 times higher than the rate for females. The offending rate for males was almost 9 times higher than the rate for females."
- Probation And Parole In The United States, 2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2011.
"The state parole population declined by 0.3% during 2010. The number of adults on supervised release in the federal system increased by 4.9%, which contributed to the increase in the U.S. parole population."
- Jails in Indian Country, 2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2011.
"Between 2004 and 2010, the number of inmates held in Indian country jails increased by 21%, from 1,745 to 2,119."
- Pitfalls and Promises
The Real Risks to Residents and Taxpayers of Privatizing Prisons and Prison Services in Michigan,
[PDF] Michigan Corrections Organization.
February, 2012.
"Taxpayers want to save money. Private prisons want to make money. These are inherently opposite interests, since the only way for private prisons to make money is for the government to give it to them. The drive for growth can be counterproductive..."
- The Impact of CA's Probation Performance Incentive Funding Program
[PDF] Pew Center on the States.
February, 2012.
"In the first year of implementation, the state probation failure rate declined from 7.9 percent during the baseline years of 2006-2008 to 6.1 percent in 2010, a 23 percent reduction in revocations."
Friday, February 17 2012:
- Juvenile Justice Reform In Arkansas
Building a Better Future for Youth, their Families, and the Community,
[PDF] Arkansas Division of Youth Services.
February, 2012.
"Almost all youth committed to DYS are non-violent offenders. During the first 3 quarters of FY 2008, more than 90% of all commitments were for non-violent offenses."
Thursday, February 16 2012:
- Private Prisons:
The Public's Problem,
[PDF] American Friends Service Committee.
February, 2012.
"Between 2008 and 2010, Arizona overpaid for its private prisons by about $10 million. If the requested 2,000 medium security private prison beds are built, Arizona taxpayers can expect to waste at least $6 million on privatization every year."
Wednesday, February 15 2012:
- The Education of DC
How Washington D.C.'s investments in education can help increase public safety,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
February, 2012.
"This national trend is seen in D.C. as the funding for the justice system continues to increase at the expense of public education."
Tuesday, February 14 2012:
- Compounded Disadvantage
Race, Incarceration, and Wage Growth,
[PDF] National Poverty Center.
October, 2008.
"Multilevel growth curve models show that black inmates earn considerably less than white inmates, even after considering human capital variables and prior work histories. Furthermore, racial divergence in wages among inmates increases following release..."
- Parole, Desistance from Crime, and Community Integration
[PDF] National Research Council.
January, 2007.
"Cognitive-behavioral treatment programs reduce recidivism; Peak rates of committing a new crime/violating the terms of parole occur soon after release; Deaths among releasees are very high in the first weeks after release."
Friday, February 10 2012:
- Collecting DNA from Juveniles
[PDF] Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center.
April, 2011.
"The lack of data about the number and characteristics of juveniles with profiles in CODIS limits the ability of policymakers and researchers to understand the ramifications of collecting DNA from juveniles."
Thursday, February 9 2012:
- Jail Needs Assessment for San Mateo County:
A preliminary analysis,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
December, 2011.
"Based on current trends, CJCJ recommends deferring construction of new jail space until alternative pretrial release [...] expanded probation supervision, reduced probation revocation, and expanded community treatment alternatives have been fully explored"
- The Effects of Parental Incarceration on Children:
Needs and Responsive Services,
[PDF] Joint State Government Commission, General Assembly of Pennsylvania.
December, 2011.
"In accordance with the HR 203 and SR 52, the present report focuses on ameliorative intervention, at mitigating the negative impacts of parental incarceration on children, and assisting these children in becoming healthy, productive and responsible adults"
Monday, February 6 2012:
- Prisons and Prisoners
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 1982.
"State prison populations have risen 18% since the 1979 study was conducted without a commensurate increase in prison space. Consequently, space shortages in State prisons are considerably more acute than the 1979 data indicate."
Wednesday, February 1 2012:
- Positive Trends in State-Level Sentencing and Corrections Policy
[PDF] Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
November, 2003.
"Texas policymakers introduced parole reforms in 2000. The parole board's approval rate for non-violent offenders rose, parole revocations fell sharply, and prison populations dropped by 7,698 from September 2000 to December 2001."
Monday, January 30 2012:
- Turning the Corner
Opportunities for Effective Sentencing and Correctional Practices in Arizona,
[PDF] Justice Strategies.
January, 2011.
"Arizona policymakers can restore judicial discretion to sentence people to more effective, less costly correctional supervision and treatment options in lieu of prison in cases where such measures would clearly better serve both justice and public safety."
Friday, January 27 2012:
- Communities Inmates Released to in 2009
[PDF] Massachusetts Department of Correction.
October, 2010.
"Massachusetts Department of Correction Releases to the Street 2009: Top Ten Release Address (Cities/Towns)"
- Old Behind Bars
the Aging Prison Population in the United States,
[PDF] Human Rights Watch.
January, 2012.
"Between 1995 and 2010, the number of state and federal prisoners age 55 or older nearly quadrupled (increasing 282 percent), while the number of all prisoners grew by less than half (increasing 42 percent). There are now 124,400 prisoners age 55+."
- The State of Sentencing 2011
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
February, 2012.
"During 2011, state legislatures in at least 29 states adopted 55 criminal justice policies that may contribute to continued population reductions and address the collateral consequences associated with felony convictions."
- Survey of Sentencing Practices FY 2010
[PDF] Massachusetts Sentencing Commission.
April, 2011.
"Includes a statistical summary of the last known address of defendants for cities and towns in Massachusetts."
- 2009 Annual Report
Massachusetts Department of Correction,
[PDF] Massachusetts Department of Correction.
December, 2009.
"2009 Releases to the Street from Massachusetts Department of Correction: Top 10 Cities"
Thursday, January 26 2012:
- The Price of Prisons
What Incarceration Costs Taxpayers,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2012.
"[T]he total taxpayer cost of prisons in the 40 states that participated in this study was 13.9 percent higher than the cost reflected in those states' combined corrections budgets. The total price to taxpayers was $38.8 billion..."
Wednesday, January 25 2012:
- 2011 Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
[PDF] State of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
November, 2011.
(Participation in in-prison substance abuse programs, combined with post-release community-based aftercare results in recidivism rates (29.3 %) that are much lower than those that did not participate in any substance abuse treatment program (65.3 %).)
- Receipt of A(H1N1)pdm09 Vaccine by Prisons and Jails
United States, 2009-10 Influenza Season,
[PDF] Center for Desease Control.
January, 2012.
"This report summarizes the results of that survey, which found that 55% of jails did not receive A(H1N1) pdm09 vaccine during the pandemic period, whereas only 14% of federal prisons and 11% of state prisons did not receive the vaccine."
- PREA Data Collection Activities, 2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2011.
"State prison administrators reported 589 substantiated incidents of sexual victimization in 2008, up 28% from 459 in 2005."
- Improving Budget Analysis of State Criminal Justice Reforms
A Strategy for Better Outcomes and Saving Money,
[PDF] Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the American Civil Liberties UNion.
January, 2012.
"States did not write fiscal notes for about 40 percent of the bills. Two states, Delaware and Hawaii, never write fiscal notes for criminal justice bills. Others, including South Dakota and Vermont, rarely write them."
- Correctional Spending Trends
Budget Information Report,
[PDF] Oregon Legislative Fiscal Office.
September, 2011.
"The Department of Correction's budget is one of the largest commitments of resources in the state budget representing roughly 9.1% of the combined General Fund and Lottery Funds in the 2011-13 legislatively adopted budget."
- Missouri Working Group on Sentencing and Corrections Consensus Report
[PDF] Missouri Working Group on Sentencing and Corrections.
December, 2011.
"The Working Group conducted extensive analysis of state data and trends and has reached consensus on a package of reforms that will improve public safety, hold offenders accountable, and contain corrections costs by strengthening community supervision."
- Jail Inmates at Midyear 2009 - Statistical Tables
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2010.
"During the 12 months ending June 30, 2009, the number of male (-1.7%), female (-6.0%), and adult (-2.2%) inmates declined."
- Prison Inmates at Midyear 2009 Statistical Tables
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2010.
"Of the 16 states reporting decreases, California (down 3,644), Texas (down 2,347), and Michigan (down 1,554) reported the largest decreases."
- Continued Majority Support for Death Penalty
More Concern among Opponents about Wrongful Convictions,
[PDF] Pew Research Center.
January, 2012.
"Public opinion about the death penalty has changed only modestly in recent years, but there continues to be far less support for the death penalty than there was in the mid-1990s."
- The Effects of Prison Visitation on Offender Recidivism
[PDF] Minnesota Department of Corrections.
November, 2011.
"Using multiple measures of visitation and recidivism, the study found that visitation significantly decreased the risk of recidivism. The results also showed that visits from siblings, in-laws, fathers, and clergy were the most beneficial..."
Friday, January 13 2012:
- Primer for reporters
on county or municipal redistricting & prison-based gerrymandering,
[PDF] Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2011.
"With one exception, whenever the public has learned that local districts are being based on prison populations, there was public outcry and the county decided to avoid prison-based gerrymandering by adjusting the census."
- Preventing Prison-Based Gerrymandering in Redistricting
What to Watch For,
[PDF] Prison Policy Initiative and Demos.
February, 2011.
(This guide will tell you what to look for in [redistricting] data and the state's proposed plan in order to minimize the harm of prison-based gerrymandering.)
- Importing Constituents
Prisoners and Political Clout in Pennsylvania,
[PDF] Prison Policy Initiative.
June, 2009.
"The legislative commission that drew Pennsylvania's districts in 2001 met the federal standard of population equality, but only because prisoners were counted in the wrong place."
Thursday, December 22 2011:
- Federal Justice Statistics, 2009
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2011.
"from 2000 to 2006, the rate of arrests made by federal law enforcement increased at 8 times the rate of arrests by state and local law enforcement."
- Census of Jail Facilities, 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2011.
"A total of 3,283 jail facilities, including jails in the federal system, were operating in 2006, down 93 from 3,376 in 1999."
- Who's in Prison?
The Changing Demographics of Incarceration,
[PDF] Public Policy Institute of California.
August, 2006.
"Forty-four percent of California prisoners do not have a high school diploma or GED; the comparable number for the general California adult population is 21 percent."
- Juvenile Arrests 2009
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
December, 2011.
"The number of juvenile violent crime arrests in 2009 was less than any year in the 1990s, and 14% less than the number of such arrests in 2006."
Friday, December 16 2011:
- Prisoners in 2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2011.
(During 2010, prison releases (708,677) exceeded prison admissions (703,798) for the first time since BJS began collecting jurisdictional data in 1977.)
- Correctional Population in the United States, 2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2011.
"The decline in the number of jail inmates (down 18,700) accounted for 20% of the decrease in the total correctional population."
Thursday, December 15 2011:
- The State of Corrections in Massachusetts:
A Warning,
[PDF] Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services.
January, 1997.
"[T]he Department of Correction and many county jail administrations have increased the use of segregation and punishment as the primary method of control. Ironically, these policies which purportedly increase security do the opposite."
- The Private Sector and Prison Industries
[PDF] National Institute of Justice.
August, 1985.
"As of January 1985, there were 26 projects in which the private sector was involved with State-level prison industries. There has been a gradual growth [...] until 1980, when a marked increase occurred at a rate that continues to grow today."
Wednesday, December 14 2011:
- Moving Beyond Sides
The Power and Potential of a New Public Safety Policy Paradigm,
[PDF] Partnership for Safety and Justice.
December, 2011.
"The goal of the paper is to explore the untapped potential of a more holistic analysis and strategy that connects traditional criminal justice reform organizations with victim-oriented advocacy groups to work for progressive public safety policy."
- Understanding the Experiences and Needs of Children of Incarcerated Parents
Views from Mentors,
[PDF] Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center.
February, 2008.
"Stigma and shame represented an experience shared by most children of incarcerated parents that distinguished them from other at-risk peers."
- Baltimore Behind Bars
How to Reduce the Jail Population, Save Money, and Improve Public Safety,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
June, 2010.
"9 out of 10 people in the [Baltimore] jail are awaiting trial, compared to about 2 out of 3 in the rest of the country. [Reducing] the number of people held pretrial in a safe and effective way can greatly reduce the jail population & associated costs."
- Gender-Responsive Programs
Addressing the Needs of Female Offenders,
[PDF] American Correctional Association (Mary L. Livers and Tomi Hiers).
August, 2007.
"Surveys taken of staff [...] indicated that [gender-responsive] training taught them awareness of the pathways of women into prison, how to effectively communicate with female offenders, sensitivity training, and the importance of family contacts and ties"
Tuesday, December 13 2011:
- Drug Courts Are Not the Answer
Toward a Health-Centered Approach to Drug Use,
[PDF] Drug Policy Alliance.
March, 2011.
"Incarceration, when used to punish continued drug use or relapse, is [...] at odds with a health approach [...]. In a treatment setting, relapse is met with more intensive services. In drug court, relapse is often met with [...] removal of treatment..."
- Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties, 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2010.
"About a fourth of felony defendants were charged with a violent offense in 2006."
Monday, December 12 2011:
- HIV in Prisons and Jails, 1995
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 1997.
"Between 1991 and 1995 about 1 in 3 inmate deaths were attributable to AIDS-related causes."
- Cybercrime against Businesses
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2004.
"Nearly 75% of companies with computers detected at least one incident."
- Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties, 1994
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 1998.
(About 2 in 3 defendants were charged with either a drug (35%) or property (31%) offense.)
- Justice Expenditure and Employment, 1990
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 1992.
"Federal Government spending on justice increased 128% in constant dollars per capita from 1971 to 1990, more than twice as fast as the 54.5% increase among State and local governments."
- The Effect of Earning a GED on Recidivism Rates
[PDF] State of New York Department of Correctional Services.
September, 2003.
"[T]hose inmates who earned a GED while incarcerated returned to custody within three years at a significantly lower rate than offender who did not earn a GED while incarcerated."
- Guide to the BJS website
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2002.
- Presale Handgun Checks, 1996
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 1997.
"Overall, 2.7% of all handgun purchases had their application for purchase rejected during 1996. About 68% of the rejections were for a prior felony conviction or a current felony indictment."
- Prisoners in 1996
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 1997.
"On December 31, 1996, State prisons were operating at between 16% and 24% above capacity, while Federal prisoners were operating at 25% over capacity."
- Felony Sentences in the United States, 1994
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2007.
"Between 1992 and 1994 the number of felony convictions decreased 2% in State courts and 5% in Federal courts."
Wednesday, November 30 2011:
Tuesday, November 29 2011:
Monday, November 28 2011:
Wednesday, November 23 2011:
- Iowa Prison Population Forecast FY2011-2021
[PDF] Iowa Department of Human Rights Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning.
November, 2011.
"If current offender behaviors and justice system trends, policies, and practices continue, Iowa's prison population may be expected to increase from 8,787 inmates on June 30, 2011 to about 11,300 inmates on June 30, 2021 [29%]."
Friday, November 18 2011:
- Breakthrough in U.S. Drug Sentencing Reform
The Fair Sentencing Act and the Unfinished Reform Agenda,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
November, 2011.
"Efforts are underway among the advocacy community to build upon the sentence reduction embraced by the Fair Sentencing Act and to capitalize on the reform movement that has been gaining momentum at the state level."
Thursday, November 17 2011:
- Forensic DNA Database Expansion
Growing Racial Inequities, Eroding Civil Liberties and Diminishing Returns,
[PDF] Generations Ahead.
November, 2011.
"Given the existing racial bias in other aspects of the criminal justice system, we need to ensure that DNA databases do not unfairly and disproportionately affect communities of color."
Wednesday, November 16 2011:
- Life in Limbo
An Examination of Parole Release for Prisoners Serving Life Sentences with the Possibility of Parole in California,
[PDF] Stanford Criminal Justice Center.
September, 2011.
"When victims attend hearings, the grant rate is less than half the rate when victims do not attend."
- Profile of Inmate Population Under Custody on January 1, 2008 (New York)
[PDF] State of New York Department of Correctional Services.
March, 2008.
"The majority of inmates (52.1%) were committed from New York City. An additional 11.4% were committed from suburban New York."
- Profile of Inmate Population Under Custody on January 1, 2009 (New York)
State of New York Department of Correctional Services.
June, 2009.
"The majority of inmates under custody (59.2%) report at least one living child. Approximately 11% of under custody inmates reported four or more living children."
- Profile of Inmate Population Under Custody on January 1, 2007 (New York)
[PDF] State of New York Department of Correctional Services.
June, 2007.
"Of the 63,473 inmates under custody on February 17, 2007, 33,496 (52.8%) had a verified GED, high school diploma or higher degree, and 29,977 (47.2%) were without verified academic degrees."
- Profile of Inmate Population Under Custody on January 1, 2010 (New York)
[PDF] State of New York Department of Correctional Services.
May, 2010.
"Forty percent (40%) of female inmates were serving a sentence for a Violent Felony crime compared to 61% for male inmates. In contrast, 24% of female inmates were sentenced for a drug crime compared to 17% percent of male inmates."
- Profile of Inmate Population Under Custody on January 1, 2011
[PDF] State of New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
April, 2011.
"The majority of inmates under custody (60%) self-reported at the time of admission to the Department that they had at least one living child."
- Profile of Inmates Under Custody on January 1, 2000
[PDF] New York Department of Correctional Services.
January, 2000.
"Only 32,689 (45.8%) of under custody inmates had at least a high school diploma or equivalent out of 71,356 inmates."
Tuesday, November 15 2011:
- Report to Congress
Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] United States Sentencing Commission.
October, 2011.
"[C]ertain mandatory minimum provisions apply too broadly, are set too high, or both, to warrant the prescribed minimum penalty for the full range of offenders who could be prosecuted under the particular criminal statute."
- Education Under Arrest:
The Case Against Police in Schools,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
November, 2011.
"[School resource officers] and law enforcement in schools are not needed to keep kids safe, especially when youth pay the price of becoming involved in the juvenile justice system and suffer a lifetime of negative effects as a result."
Thursday, November 10 2011:
- Disproportionate Imprisonment of Blacks in the United States:
Policy, Practice, Impact, and Change,
[PDF] Prepared by Scott Christianson for the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice.
March, 1982.
"This report seeks to promote a better understanding of the problem of racially differential imprisonment and attempts to offer some specific goals and strategies for reducing racial disparities in American criminal justice."
Thursday, November 3 2011:
- Banking on Bondage
Private Prisons and Mass Incarceration,
[PDF] ACLU.
2011.
(The evidence that private prisons provide savings compared to publicly operated facilities is highly questionable, and certain studies point to worse conditions in for-profit facilities.)
Monday, October 24 2011:
Wednesday, October 12 2011:
- When Treatment is Punishment
The Effects of Maryland's Incompetency to Stand Trial Policies and Practices,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
October, 2011.
"Too many people found not competent to stand trial are unnecessarily locked in a secure setting for treatment and, on average, confined for longer periods than research demonstrates is clinically reasonable."
Monday, October 10 2011:
- Criminal Victimization, 2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2011.
"the rate of total violent crime victimizations declined by 13% in 2010, which was about three times the average annual decrease observed from 2001 through 2009 (4%)."
- Use Of Victim Service Agencies By Victims Of Serious Violent Crime '93-'09
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2011.
"From 2000 to 2009, a greater percentage of female (15%) than male (6%) victims of serious violent crime received assistance from a victim service agency."
- Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2011.
"For the first time, the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) submissions to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR) were disaggregated by tribe and reported in Crime in the U.S., 2009."
- Arrest In The United States, 1980-2009
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2011.
"The U.S. murder arrest rate in 2009 was about half of what it was in the early 1980s. Over the 30-year period ending in 2009, the adult arrest rate for murder fell 57%, while the juvenile arrest rate fell 44%."
- Contacts between Police and the Public, 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2011.
"Black drivers were about three times as likely as white drivers and about two times as likely as Hispanic drivers to be searched during a traffic stop."
- Census Of State And Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2011.
"From 2004 to 2008, state and local law enforcement agencies added about 9,500 more full-time sworn personnel than during the previous 4-year period."
- Tribal Law Enforcement, 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2011.
"Eleven of the 25 largest tribal law enforcement agencies served jurisdictions covering more than 1,000 square miles."
- Appeals Of Civil Trials Concluded In 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2011.
"The trial court verdict or judgment was fully or partly reversed in 35% of civil appeals decided on the merits."
- State Prosecutors' Offices with Jurisdiction in Indian Country, 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2011.
"Seventy-three percent of offices with jurisdiction in Indian country reported prosecuting at least one felony case committed in Indian country."
Thursday, October 6 2011:
- No Place for Kids
The Case for Reducing Juvenile Incarceration,
[PDF] Annie E. Casey Foundation.
October, 2011.
"The time has come for states to embrace a [...] different orientation to treating adolescent offenders—an approach grounded in evidence that promises to be far more humane, cost-effective, & protective of public safety than [juvenile incarceration]."
Wednesday, October 5 2011:
Monday, October 3 2011:
- Oregon Corrections Population Forecast (updated regularly)
[PDF] State of Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.
October, 2011.
"The number of inmates housed in Oregon's prisons, currently about 14,000, is expected grow to 16,000 inmates by the end of the decade, with much of that growth occurring over the next four years."
Monday, September 12 2011:
- Tribal Youth in the Federal Justice System
[PDF] Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center.
May, 2011.
"Tribal youth represented about 40-55% of all juveniles in the federal system, depending on the stage in the system."
Wednesday, September 7 2011:
- Inmate Fees as a Source of Revenue
Source of Challenges,
[PDF] Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
July, 2011.
"[A]dditional fees would increase the number of inmates qualifying as indigent, increase the financial burdens on the inmate and their family, and jeopardize inmates' opportunities for successful reentry."
Friday, August 26 2011:
- Texas' School-to-Prison Pipeline
Ticketing, Arrest & Use of Force in Schools,
[PDF] Texas Appleseed.
December, 2010.
"Where a child attends school, and not the nature of the offense, is the great determining factor in whether a student will be arrested at school."
Wednesday, August 24 2011:
- Preventable Error
A Report on Prosecutorial Misconduct in California 1997 - 2009,
[PDF] Northern California Innocence Project, Santa Clara University School of Law.
October, 2010.
"[This report] is the most comprehensive, up-to-date, quantitative and actionable study on the extent of prosecutorial misconduct in CA, how the justice system identifies and addresses it, and its cost and consequences, including [wrongful convictions]."
- Misguided Measures
The Outcomes and Impacts of Measure 11 on Oregon's Youth,
[PDF] Partnership for Safety and Justice.
July, 2011.
"Over the three-year period from 2006 to 2008, data from the 36 Oregon counties show no discernible pattern between the number of young people charged with a Measure 11 offense and the juvenile crime rate."
Thursday, August 18 2011:
- Crisis in the Courts
Defining the Problem,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
August, 2011.
"[T]he Legal Services Corportation Budget for FY2011 was reduced an additional 3.8% half way through that budget cycle, even as the number of Americans eligible for civil legal aid was pushed by the Recession to an all-time high of 57 Million."
Wednesday, August 17 2011:
- The State of Sentencing 2009
Developments in Policy and Practice,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
January, 2010.
"During 2009 state legislatures in at least 19 states enacted policies that hold the potential to reduce prison populations and/or promote more effective approaches to public safety."
Tuesday, August 16 2011:
- Smart Reform is Possible
States Reducing Incarceration Rates and Costs While Protecting Communities,
[PDF] ACLU.
August, 2011.
"As states across the country are realizing that reducing prison populations and corrections budgets is a necessity, they can look to the examples in this report as ways to reform their criminal justice systems with promising results."
Thursday, August 4 2011:
- Prison Count 2010
State Population Declines for the First Time in 38 Years,
[PDF] Pew Center on the States.
April, 2010.
"[A]s of January 1, 2010, there were 1,404,053 persons under the jurisdiction of state prison authorities, 4,777 (0.3 percent) fewer than there were on December 31, 2008. This marks the first year-to-year drop in the state prison population since 1972."
Wednesday, July 27 2011:
- Voting Behind Bars
An Argument for Voting by Prisoners,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
July, 2011.
"Twenty-three states have enacted some type of reform to their felony disenfranchisement practices since 1997—a remarkable pace of activity in a relatively short time frame."
- System Overload
The Costs of Under-Resourcing Public Defense,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
July, 2011.
"In state-based public defender offices, 15 of the 19 reporting state programs exceeded the maximum recommended limit of felony or misdemeanor cases per attorney."
Monday, July 25 2011:
- Accuracy Counts
Incarcerated People & the Census,
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
January, 2004.
"Counting incarcerated people according to their home of record is the fairest and most accurate way to assess the true size and needs of urban communities, and to ensure equitable distribution of population-based funding and political power."
Friday, July 15 2011:
- Workplace Violence, 1993-2009
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2011.
"From 2002 to 2009, the rate of nonfatal workplace violence has declined by 35%, following a 62% decline in the rate from 1993 to 2002."
- Crime Against People with Disabilities, 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2010.
"Persons with disabilities age 12 or older experienced violent crime at age-adjusted rates that were 2 to 3 times that of persons without disabilities for each violent crime measured (rape/sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault."
- Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program 2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2011.
"The five states eligible to receive the largest total state allocation included California ($51.1 million), Texas ($34.0 million), Florida ($30.9 million), New York ($24.8 million), and Illinois ($18.9 million)."
- Survey of State Criminal History Information Systems, 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2009.
"Forty-eight States, the District of Columbia, and Guam reported the total number of persons in their criminal history files as 92,329,600, of which 85,836,300 were automated."
- Jails in Indian Country, 2009
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2011.
"Over the 12 months ending June 2009, the average daily jail population in Indian country increased by 12%, and the percentage of occupied bed space increased from 64.2% to 73.5%."
- Punitive Damage Awards In State Courts, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2011.
"Punitive damages were awarded in 700 (5%) of the 14,359 trials where plaintiffs prevailed."
Thursday, July 14 2011:
- Mortality in Local Jails 2000-2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2010.
"Suicide was the single leading cause of unnatural deaths in local jails, accounting for 29% of all jail deaths between 2000 and 2007, but the suicide rate declined from 48 to 36 deaths per 100,000 inmates."
- Women in Law Enforcement 1987-2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2010.
"Overall, the precent of sworn federal law enforcement officers who were women increased slightly from 1998 to 2008."
- Sexual Victimization in Prisons and Jails Reported by Inmates, 2008-09
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2010.
"An estimated 4.4% of prison inmates and 3.1% of jail inmates reported experiencing one or more incidents of sexual victimization by another inmate or facility staff in the past 12 months or since admission to the facility if less than 12 months."
- Sexual Victimization Reported by Adult Correctional Authorities, 2007-2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2011.
(Female inmates were disproportionately victimized by both other inmates and staff in federal and state prisons, as well as local jails.)
- Federal Firearms Cases, FY 2008
[PDF] Ronald J. Frandsen, Michael N. Bowling, Ph.D..
January, 2010.
"The mean prison sentence for defendants convicted in FY2008 and FY2007 pursuant to the Gun Control Act of 1968 was 90 months."
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2010.
"In 2008, among students 12-18, there were about 1.2 million victims of nonfatal crimes at school, including 619,000 thefts and 629,800 violent crimes."
- Criminal Victimization, 2009
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2010.
"The overall victimization rate for violent crimes declined from 19.3 to 17.1 victimizations per 1,000 persons between 2008 and 2009."
- Gang Units In Large Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2010.
"Of the 337 gang units that reported their year of establishment, 35% were formed between 2004 and 2007. The year 2006 marked the peak of gang unit formation with 43 new units created."
- Victimization During Household Burglary
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2010.
"Offenders were known to their victims in 65% of violent burglaries; offenders were strangers in 28%."
- Victims Of Identity Theft, 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2010.
"The unauthorized misuse or attempted misuse of an existing credit card was the most prevalent type of identity theft (53% of all victims)."
- Prisoners in 2009
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2010.
"The imprisonment rate—the number of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents—declined for the second straight year, falling to 502 per 100,000 from 506 per 100,000 in 2007."
- Correctional Populations In The United States, 2009
Bureau of Justice Statistics,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2010.
"The rate of decline in the jail population during 2009 was the highest rate of change observed among all four correctional populations, including the probation, parole, jail, and prison populations."
- Local Police Departments, 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2010.
"In 2007, 75% of local police officers were employed by departments that authorized the use of conducted energy devices such as Tasers, compared to 47% in 2003"
- Probation And Parole In The United States, 2009
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2010.
"During 2009, the number of offenders on probation or parole-community supervision population declined (down 0.9%) for the first time since the BJS began its Annual Probation Survey and Annual Parole Survey in 1980."
- PREA Data Collection Activities, 2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2010.
"Among youth victimized by staff, 5% reported physical injury; fewer than 1% had sought medical attention."
- County-Based And Local Public Defender Offices, 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2010.
(About three-quarters (73%) of county-based public defender offices exceeded the maximum recommended limit of cases received per attorney in 2007.)
- State Public Defender Programs, 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2010.
(Fifteen state programs exceeded the recommended number of felony and misdemeanor cases per attorney.)
Friday, July 8 2011:
- Healing Invisible Wounds
Why Investing in Trauma-Informed Care for Children Makes Sense,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
July, 2010.
"Joseph Tulman between 75 and 93 percent of youth entering the juvenile justice system annually in this country have experienced some degree of trauma."
Tuesday, July 5 2011:
- Think Before You Plea
Juvenile Collateral Consequences in the United States (A guide to 50 states),
[Website] American Bar Association.
2011.
(State-by-state analysis of the procedures and consequences of the juvenile justice system.)
Friday, July 1 2011:
- The Costs of Crime to Victims
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 1994.
"Economic loss of some kind occurred in 71% of all personal crimes in 1992."
Thursday, June 30 2011:
- Hate Crime, 2003-2009
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2011.
"In nearly 90% of hate crime victimizations occurring between 2003 and 2009, the victim suspected the off ender was motivated by racial or ethnic prejudice or both."
- Cracked Justice
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
March, 2011.
"In Missouri, a defendant convicted of selling six grams of crack cocaine faces the same prison term –a ten-year mandatory minimum – as someone who sells 450 grams of powder cocaine, or 75 times that amount."
- Voting Behind Bars:
An Argument for Voting by Prisoners,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
June, 2011.
"The extreme nature of U.S. disenfranchisement policies can be seen in the fact that to the extent there is debate about this issue elsewhere, the only significant distinction is whether any restrictions at all should be placed on people [w/ convictions]."
- Gaming the System:
How the Political Strategies of Private Prison Companies Promote Ineffective Incarceration Policies,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
June, 2011.
"While private prison companies may try to present themselves as just meeting existing"
- Justice for All?
Challenging Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
June, 2011.
"[The] data generated by the U.S. Department of Justice project that if current trends continue, one of every three black males born today will go to prison in his lifetime, as will one of every six Latino males."
- Piloting a Tool for Reentry
A Promising Approach to Engaging Family Members,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
March, 2011.
(To facilitate productive conversations about incarcerated individuals' positive social supports, the Vera Institute of Justice's Family Justice Program helps agencies implement the Relational Inquiry Tool (RIT) for use by corrections reentry staff.)
- Sentencing Reform
Amid Mass Incarceration - Guarded Optimism,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
May, 2011.
"A number of state have scaled back mandatory sentencing policies..."
- Balancing Punishment and Treatment
Alternatives to Incarceration in New York City,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
May, 2011.
"For those concerned about public safety, these results are good news; they show that many felony offenders can be sent to rigorous community programs rather than jail without increasing the risk to the public."
- Prison Rape Elimination Act Data Collection Activities, 2011
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2011.
Monday, June 27 2011:
- Incarceration and Social Inequality
[PDF] Bruce Western & Becky Pettit.
August, 2010.
"The social inequality produced by mass incarceration is sizable and enduring for three reasons: it is invisible, it is cumulative, and it is intergenerational."
Monday, June 20 2011:
- Medicine and the Epidemic of Incarceration in the United States
[PDF] New England Journal of Medicine.
June, 2011.
"[The Affordable Care Act] could redirect many people with serious illness away from the revolving door of the criminal justice system, thereby improving overall public health in the communities to which prisoners return and decreasing [recidivism] costs."
- FY 2010 Operating Per Capita Cost Report
Cost Identification and Comparison of State and Private Contract Beds,
[PDF] ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS.
April, 2011.
"An inmate health care cost factor is identified and deducted due to the limitations imposed by the private contractors [...][because] unlike the private contractors, the ADC is required to provide medical and mental health services to inmates [...]."
- Due South
Looking to the South for Criminal Justice Innovations,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
May, 2011.
"Recognizing the significant costs associated with [...] high incarceration rates, a number of [Southern] states have recently implemented innovative strategies for reducing their prison populations and ensuring better outcomes [...]."
- Creating the Roadmap for Reduction
Reducing the Number of Women in Prison in Alabama,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
April, 2011.
"In the summer of 2009, Corrections and JPI staff recognized the opportunity to expedite the reclassification of currently-incarcerated women using the new classification module and the need to add capacity to identify women who can be safely released."
Friday, April 29 2011:
- Characteristics Of Suspected Human Trafficking Incidents, 2008-2010
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2011.
"About 8 in 10 of the suspected incidents of human trafficking were classified as sex trafficking, and about 1 in 10 incidents were classified as labor trafficking."
- Misplaced Priorities
Over Incarcerate, Under Educate,
[PDF] NAACP.
April, 2011.
"During the last two decades, as the criminal justice system came to assume a larger proportion of state discretionary dollars, state spending on prisons grew at six times the rate of state spending on higher education."
Tuesday, April 12 2011:
- Michigan Breaks the Political Logjam
A New Model for Reducing Prison Populations,
[PDF] ACLU.
November, 2009.
"[Michigan's] new policies are designed to provide offenders with individualized programing in prison, and re-entry services upon release, that are most likely to assure success on parole, based on evidence of what works to reduce crime and save money."
- Prisoner Petitions in the Federal Courts, 1980-96
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 1997.
"Between 1980 and 1996, the number of prisoner petitions appealed increased from 3,675 to 17,002."
- Release from Prison
A High Risk of Death for Former Inmates,
[PDF] New England Journal of Medicine.
January, 2007.
"The mortality rate among former inmates was 3.5 times (95% CI, 3.2 to 3.8) that among state residents of the same age, sex, and race. The attributable-risk percentage was 71%, amounting to 316 excess deaths."
- HIV/AIDS among Inmates of & Releasees from US Correctional Facilities 2006
Declining Share of Epidemic but Persistent Public Health Opportunity,
[PDF] PLoS One.
November, 2009.
". Although the proportional share of HIV/AIDS borne by those passing through CFs has declined since 1997, the total number of HIV infected persons who are in this flow has remained steady at roughly 150,000 individuals."
- America's Problem-Solving Courts
The Criminal Costs of Treatment and the Case for Reform,
[PDF] National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
September, 2009.
"Conditioning treatment on an arrest and entry in the criminal justice system sends a perverse message to the person and is an enormous waste of scarce public and court resources."
- The Consequences of Dropping Out of High School
Joblessness and Jailing for High School Dropouts and the High Cost for Taxpayers,
[PDF] Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University.
October, 2009.
"Nearly 1 of every 10 young male high school dropouts was institutionalized on a given day in 2006-2007 versus fewer than 1 of 33 high school graduates."
- Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment
A National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternatives,
[PDF] Women's Prison Association.
May, 2009.
"Though every state has seen a dramatic rise in its women's prison population over the past three decades, only nine states have prison nursery programs in operation or under development."
Tuesday, March 22 2011:
- Stop, Question & Frisk Policing Practices In New York City
A Primer,
[PDF] Center on Race, Crime and Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
March, 2010.
"In 2009 alone, Blacks and Hispanics combined were stopped 9 times more than Whites."
- Analysis of the NYCPD's
in the Context of Claims of Racial Bias,
[PDF] Andrew Gelman, Jeffrey Fagan, and Alex Kiss.
September, 2007.
"[F]or violent crimes and weapons offenses blacks and Hispanics are stopped about twice as often as whites."
Friday, March 4 2011:
- Captive Constituents
Prison-Based Gerrymandering and the Distortion of Our Democracy,
[PDF] NAACP.
July, 2010.
"Prison-based gerrymandering uses people's bodies to count against their interests."
Tuesday, March 1 2011:
- The State of Sentencing 2010
Developments in Policy and Practice,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
February, 2011.
"During 2010, state legislatures in at least 23 states and the District of Columbia adopted 35 [...] policies that may contribute to reductions in the prison population and eliminate barriers to reentry while promoting effective approaches to public safety"
Friday, February 18 2011:
- Fact Sheet on President Obama's FY2012 Budget
Doing the Same Thing and Expecting Different Results,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
February, 2011.
"[The] continued funding pattern will likely result in increased costs to states for incarceration that will outweigh the increased federal revenue for local law enforcement, with marginal public safety benefits."
Friday, February 11 2011:
- Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission
Final Report,
[PDF] Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission.
December, 2010.
"Statewide, among defendants with a Class 4 possession charge, African-Americans were sentenced to prison at a rate almost five times greater than whites: 19 percent of African-American defendants compared with 4 percent of white defendants."
- Smart on Crime
Recommendations for the Administration and Congress,
[PDF] The Smart on Crime Coalition.
February, 2011.
"Smart on Crime seeks to provide federal policymakers in both Congress and the Administration a comprehensive, systematic analysis of the current challenges facing state and federal criminal justice systems and recommendations to address those challenges."
- Immigration Detention and the Law
U.S. Policy and Legal Framework,
Global Detention Project.
August, 2010.
"The major factor driving the overall increase has been the sharp rise in individuals prosecuted for immigration offenses. Last year immigration prosecutions jumped 15.7 percent--from 79,431 during FY 2008 to 91,899 in FY 2009."
- Comparing Homicides to Capital Cases
East Baton Rouge Parish, 1990-2008,
[PDF] Timothy Lyman.
November, 2010.
([T]here is a less than one-in-ten-thousand chance that the prosecuted cases were a racially random sample drawn from the homicide group.)
- Separate but Unequal
The Federal Criminal Justice System in Indian County,
[PDF] University of Colorado Law Review.
December, 2010.
"The"
- The Racial Geography of the Federal Death Penalty
[PDF] Washington Law Review Association.
December, 2010.
"Federal death sentences are sought disproportionately where the expansion of the venire from the county to the district level has a dramatic demographic impact on the racial make-up of the jury."
- The Intersectionality of Race, Gender, and Reentry
Challenges for African-American Women,
[PDF] American Constitution Society for Law and Policy.
November, 2010.
"African-American women offenders face collateral attacks on their motherhood, on their ability to secure housing and employment, and on their ability to reintegrate. Reentry programs must have a race and gender focus that confronts intersectionality."
Tuesday, February 8 2011:
- Foreign Nationals in Michigan Prisons
an examination of the costs,
[PDF] Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending.
April, 2006.
"The Governor should appoint an independent panel to review all alien prisoners, making recommendations for commutation and culling those who are eligible for removal before serving their entire sentence. The Governor should then request their removal."
- Denying parole at first eligibility
How much public safety does it actually buy?,
[PDF] Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending.
August, 2009.
"Substantially increasing the rate of parole on the earliest release date would reduce the prisoner population without threatening public safety."
Friday, January 28 2011:
- When More is Less
How a Larger Women's Jail in Baltimore will Reduce Public Safety and Diminish Resources for Positive Social Investments,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
January, 2011.
"Given that research indicates that increased incarceration does not equal less crime--it actually is the opposite -- the negative public safety, economic and community impacts of the planned expansion are not justifiable."
Friday, December 10 2010:
- Political Consequences of the Carceral State
[PDF] Political Consequences of the Carceral State.
September, 2010.
"Encounters with criminal justice institutions can negatively affect perceptions of government, rates of political participation and engagement in civic life."
- Collateral Costs
Incarceration's Effect on Economic Mobility,
[PDF] Pew Charitable Trust, Economic Mobility Project.
September, 2010.
"Serving time reduces hourly wages for men by approximately 11 percent, annual employment by 9 weeks and annual earnings by 40 percent."
- Ex-offenders and the Labor Market
[PDF] Center for Economic and Policy Research.
November, 2010.
"Given our estimates of the number of ex-offenders and the best outside estimates of the associated reduction in employment suffered by ex-offenders, our calculations suggest that in 2008 the U.S. economy lost the equivalent of 1.5 to 1.7 million workers."
- In For a Penny
The Rise of America's New Debtors' Prisons,
[PDF] American Civil Liberties Union.
October, 2010.
"Incarcerating indigent defendants unable to pay their legal financial obligations often ends up costing much more than states and counties can ever hope to recover."
- The Hidden Costs of Criminal Justice Debt
[PDF] Brennan Center for Justice.
October, 2010.
"Although 'debtors' prison' is illegal in all states, reincarcerating individuals for failure to pay debt is, in fact, common in some -- and in all states new paths back to prison are emerging for those who owe criminal justice debt."
- The Continuing Fiscal Crisis in Corrections
Setting a New Course,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
October, 2010.
"Officials are recognizing—in large part due to 30 years of trial and error, backed up by data—that it is possible to reduce corrections spending while also enhancing public safety."
- The Price of Freedom:
Bail and Pretrial Detention of Low Income Nonfelony Defendants in New York City,
[PDF] Human Rights Watch.
December, 2010.
"People should not have to endure jail simply because they are too poor to buy their way out, particularly when there are other ways of ensuring that such defendants make their scheduled court appearances."
- Department of Corrections-Prison Population Growth
A Report to the Arizona Legislature,
[PDF] State of Arizona Office of the Auditor General.
September, 2010.
"The State paid more per inmate in private prisons that for equivalent services in state facilities."
- Mothers Behind Bars
State-by-state report card and analysis of federal policies on conditions of confinement for pregnant & parenting women,
[PDF] The Rebecca Project for Human Rights, The National Women's Law Center.
October, 2010.
"38 states received failing grades for their failure to institute adequate policies, or any policies at all, requiring that incarcerated pregnant women receive adequate prenatal care, despite the fact that many women in prison have higher-risk pregnancies."
- No Better Off
An Update on Swanson Center for Youth,
[PDF] Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana.
November, 2010.
"Lack or programming in the facility and on overreliance on lockdown result in youth's being"
Thursday, December 2 2010:
- California Sentencing Institute
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
November, 2010.
"comprehensive analysis of sentencing policies and practices in all of California's 58 counties."
(Contains detailed county-level statistics)
Friday, November 12 2010:
- Importing Constituents
Incarcerated People and Political Clout in Maryland,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2010.
"In Somerset County, a large prison is 64% of the 1st Commission District, giving each resident in that district 2.7 times as much influence as residents in other districts."
- Fixing prison-based gerrymandering after the 2010 Census
A 50 state guide,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2010.
"[A State-by-state] summary of how the prison miscount harms state and local democracy, how each state defines residence for incarcerated people, and the status of reform efforts."
- Importing Constituents
Prisoners and Political Clout in Connecticut,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2010.
"In seven Connecticut's house districts more than 5% of the population is actually disenfranchised people who are legal residents of other parts of the state."
- Importing Constituents
Prisoners and Political Clout in California,
Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2010.
"There are 12 California counties where a large percentage of their"
Friday, October 22 2010:
- Expanding the Vote:
State Felony Disenfranchisement Reform, 1997-2010,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
October, 2010.
"Since 1997, 23 states have amended felony disenfranchisement policies in an effort to reduce their restrictiveness and expand voter eligibility."
- State Recidivism Studies
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
June, 2010.
"This database provides references for 99 recidivism studies conducted between 1995-2009 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia."
Tuesday, May 18 2010:
Tuesday, April 6 2010:
Sunday, April 4 2010:
Wednesday, February 10 2010:
- Importing Constituents:
Prisoners and Political Clout in Illinois,
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2010.
"Illinois' reliance on flawed Census data is responsible for a large shift in political clout from the Chicago area to downstate regions and a significant distortion of power within counties that contain prisons."
Thursday, February 4 2010:
- Bearing Witness
Baltimore City's Residents Give Voice to What's Needed to Fix the Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
April, 2009.
(Bearing Witness captures the perspectives of the people of Baltimore City impacted by the criminal justice system and their suggestions for alternatives to addressing social problems.)
- HIV in Prisons, 2007-08
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2009.
"Findings include the number of AIDS-related deaths in state and federal prisons, a profile of those inmates who died in state prison, and a comparison of AIDS rates between prison inmates and the general population."
- Fact Sheet
Response to 2008 FBI Uniform Crime Report,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
September, 2009.
(The 2008 FBI Uniform Crime Report shows that during 2008, at a time in which prison and jail growth rates dropped, the United States experienced a 1.9 percent decline in violent crimes and a 0.8 percent decline in property crimes reported.)
- Recommendations to the UN Forum on Minority Issues Human Rights Council
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
November, 2009.
"The felony disenfranchisement laws, policies and practices of the United States deny the right to vote to a large segment of its minority population in a manner inconsistent with the general principles of international human rights law."
- Jails in Indian Country, 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2009.
"The report includes data on the number of adults and juveniles held, type of offense, number of persons confined on the last weekday of each month, average daily population, peak population, and admissions in June 2008."
- Probation and Parole in the United States, 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2009.
"The report examines… changes in the probation and parole populations, such as the number of entries and exits, the rate at which probationers and parolees exit supervision, changes in the populations within jurisdictions, and compositional changes."
- Prisoners in 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2009.
"These are the only comprehensive national-level data on prison admissions and releases."
- Integration Debate
Two Tiered Justice,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
January, 2010.
"[I]n the most profound betrayal of the promise of integration and opportunity, the United States has created a world-record prison population, fueled by policies that have exposed substantial portions of African Americans to the.. criminal justice system."
- Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
October, 2009.
([An] overview of the factors that contribute to racial disparity in the justice system, and recommend[ed] changes in policy and practice that could reduce these disparities without compromising public safety.)
- Fact Sheet
DOJ Report on Prisoners 2008,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
December, 2009.
(The report shows that although the growth in imprisonment is down, the number of people in prison is still increasing, up more than 12,000 people from last year. This number continues to grow even as crime goes down.)
- Pruning Prisons
How Cutting Corrections Can Save Money and Protect Public Safety,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
May, 2009.
(The United States spends spend billions to incarcerate people in prisons and jails with little impact on public safety, but redirecting funds to community-based alternatives will decrease prison populations, save money, and preserve public safety.)
- Fact Sheet on FY2010 Department of Justice Budget
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
May, 2009.
(The Factsheet on 2010 Department of Justice Budget finds that the 2010 DOJ budget directs more money to law enforcement than prevention with the likely long-term outcome being increased arrests, incarceration, and money spent on corrections.)
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2009
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2009.
"This annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It... provides the most current detailed statistical information on the nature of crime in schools and school environments and responses to violence and crime."
- Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2010.
"The report provides national-level and facility-level estimates of sexual victimization by type of activity, including youth-on-youth sexual contact, staff sexual misconduct, and level of coercion."
- Back on Track
Supporting Youth Reentry from Out-of-Home Placement to the Community,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
November, 2009.
"Presents promising practices and recommendations for federal leadership on youth reentry."
- The Costs of Confinement
Why Good Juvenile Justice Policies Make Good Fiscal Sense,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
May, 2009.
(Cost of Confinement shows that states spend billions to imprison youth in secure facilities, but could save money, preserve public safety, and improve life outcomes for individual youth by redirecting the money to community-based alternatives.)
Thursday, December 3 2009:
- Locked Up Far Away:
The Transfer of Immigrants to Remote Detention Centers in the United States,
[PDF] Human Rights Watch.
December, 2009.
Friday, November 20 2009:
Thursday, November 19 2009:
- World Prison Population List
(Eighth Edition),
[PDF] Roy Walmsley, International Centre for Prison Studies, King's College London.
February, 2007.
"Over 9.8 million people are incarcerated, with over 30% held in the Unites States."
Thursday, November 5 2009:
- African Americas, Health Disparities, and HIV/AIDS
Recommendations for Confronting the Epidemic in Black America,
[PDF] National Minority AIDS Council.
December, 2006.
"The U.S. Department of Justice found that in 2003 the AIDS rate among U.S. prisoners was three times that of the general population."
- Do More Prisoners Equal Less Crime? A Response to George Will
Sentencing Project.
June, 2008.
"Will's selective use of data and limited vision provide an inaccurate portrayal of current criminal justice policy and its effects. [This piece] is an assessment of some of the key arguments raised in the column."
- One in 31:
The Long Reach of American Corrections,
[PDF] The Pew Center on the States.
March, 2009.
"For eight geographically diverse states [...] 88% of the increase in corrections spending was directed towards prisons, which now consume nearly nine out of every ten state corrections dollars."
- Minor Crimes, Major Waste:
The Terrible Toll of America's Broken Misdemeanor Courts,
[PDF] National Association of Criminal defense Lawyers.
April, 2009.
"...literally millions of accused misdemeanants, particularly those unable to hire private counsel, and disproportionately people of color, routinely are denied the due process to which the Constitution entitles them."
Thursday, October 29 2009:
- Reaching too far, coming up short:
How large sentencing enhancement zones miss the mark,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2009.
"Massachusetts cannot afford to preserve a law that fails to protect children while draining the state coffers and incarcerating Latinos and Blacks at a rate 26 to 30 times as frequently as Whites."
- Importing Constituents:
Prisoners and Political Clout in Massachusetts,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2009.
"Five of Massachusetts' House districts meet federal minimal population requirements only because the state treats prisoners as residents of the district with the prison."
- Importing Constituents:
Prisoners and Political Clout in Oklahoma,
Prison Policy Initiative.
September, 2009.
([B]y relying on Census Bureau counts of prison populations to pad out legislative districts with prisons, Oklahoma is inflating the votes of residents who live near prisons at the expense of every other resident in the state.)
- Phantom Constituents in Maine's Regional School Unit 13:
How the Census Bureau's outdated method of counting prisoners harms democracy,
Prison Policy Initiative.
January, 2009.
"The designers of the school board's weighted voting system have given every group of 10 residents of Thomaston the same power over school district decisions as each group of 11 residents in the other towns."
- Growth in Michigan's Corrections System:
Historical and Comparative Perspectives,
[PDF] Citizen's Research Counsel of Michigan.
June, 2008.
"Michigan's prison population growth is the product of a combination of several different factors including: increases in felony dispositions, swelling prison commitments, higher recidivism rates, and an increased average prisoner length of stay."
Thursday, October 22 2009:
- A Report on the Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions in Maryland
[PDF] University of Maryland School of Law.
2009.
"Despite the lasting and sometimes permanent effects that collateral consequences impose upon ex-offenders and their families, no formal mechanism exists for defendants in Maryland, or any other state, to be informed of these consequences."
- Female Victims of Violence
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2009.
"The rate of intimate partner violence against females declined 53% between 1993 and 2008, from 9.4 victimizations per 1,000 females age 12 or older to 4.3 per 1,000. Against males, the rate declined 54%."
- Crime Against People with Disabilities, 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2009.
"Age-adjusted rate of nonfatal violent crime against persons with disabilities was 1.5 times higher than the rate for persons without disabilities."
- Profile of Intimate Partner Violence Cases in Large Urban Counties
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2009.
(Most cases of intimate partner violence involved a charge of assault, either aggravated (12%) or simple (78%); an additional 5% were charged with intimidation, including stalking.)
- Incarcerated Parents and their Children
Trends 1991-2007,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
February, 2009.
"In 2007, 1.7 million minor children had a parent in prison, an 82% increase since 1991."
- Report Submitted to Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
September, 2009.
"In the United States, nearly two million African Americans – or 8.25 percent of the African American population – are disenfranchised, a rate three times the national average."
- The Modern-Day Poll Tax
How Economic Sanctions Block Access to the Polls,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
May, 2007.
"Low-income individuals face felon voting bans when they are required to pay all the legal financial obligations associated with a conviction before regaining the right to vote, resulting in the de facto disenfranchisement of countless individuals."
- Challenges to Felony Disenfranchisement Laws
Past, Present, and Future,
[PDF] Alabama Law Review.
May, 2007.
"[T]he best way to achieve the goal of abolition is to generate press and harness public outrage to bring about legislative change."
- Barriers to Democracy
A Petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for a Thematic Hearing on Felony Disenfranchisement Practice,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
May, 2007.
"The time is long overdue for the United States to follow the lead of its hemispheric neighbors and the broader international community, uphold treaties to which the United States is obligated, and take steps toward universal suffrage by reforming its crim"
- Felon Disenfranchisement in Alaska and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
[PDF] Alaska Law Review.
December, 2006.
"[A] case brought in Alaska [...] may well invalidate the state's practice of disenfranchising felons on the basis of its racially disproportionate impact."
- The Release Valve:
Parole in Maryland,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
March, 2009.
"[I]n 2007 [Maryland] spent approximately $1,422 per person on parole or probation, and $33,310 per person incarcerated."
- Jailing Communities
The Impact of Jail Expansion and Effective Public Safety Strategies,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
April, 2009.
"In 2006, prison population growth was half what it was in 1996, but in recent years, jail population growth has exceeded that of prisons."
- Judging Maryland
Baltimore Judges on Effective Solutions to Working with Substance Abusers in the Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
March, 2009.
"Judges recommend an increase in or expansion of residential care facilities and a more holistic approach to helping substance abusers caught up in the criminal justice system."
- Moving Target
A Decade of Resistance to the Prison Industrial Complex,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
September, 2009.
"All modern day struggles for justice are implicated in criminal justice reform efforts because the current system magnifies all the ways in which the United States of America fails many of the people who live within its borders."
- Contract Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2009.
"Contract trials in 2005 most commonly involved an individual suing a business (33%), followed by a business suing another business (25%)."
- Registering Harm
How Sex Offense Registries Fail Youth Communities,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
November, 2008.
"Continued investments in registries put our families in danger with short-sighted policies that alienate people who are trying to safely re-enter the community."
(See also the Wash Act Briefing Book here: http://www.justicepolicy.org/content-hmID=1811&smID=1581&ssmID=80.htm)
Thursday, October 8 2009:
- Until They Die A Natural Death
Youth Sentenced to Life Without Parole in Massachusetts,
[PDF] Children's Law Center of Massachusetts.
September, 2009.
"Massachusetts [...] stands apart in giving the adult court exclusive jurisdiction over murder cases against children as young as 14 and then imposing a mandatory life without parole sentence for all first degree murder convictions."
Friday, October 2 2009:
Thursday, October 1 2009:
- Interstate Transfer of Prison Inmates in the United States
[PDF] National Institute of Corrections.
February, 2006.
"2,089 state-sentenced inmates were transferred between state prison systems, 345 transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and 2,466 transferred to privately operated prisons located outside the sending state as of July 1 2005."
Thursday, September 24 2009:
- PREA Data Collection Activities, 2009
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2009.
"The National Inmate Survey (NIS) gathers data directly from inmates on the incidence of sexual assault in correctional facilities."
- Criminal Victimization, 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2009.
"The violent crime rate declined by 41% and the property crime rate fell by 32% over the 10-year period."
- Expanding the Vote
State Felony Disenfranchisement Reform, 1997-2008,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
September, 2009.
"A reform movement across the United States over the past eleven years has resulted in more than 760,000 citizens having regained their right to vote."
- Smart on Crime
Recommendations for the Next Administration and Congress,
[PDF] 2009 Criminal Justice Transition Coalition.
November, 2008.
"The 2009 Criminal Justice Transition Coalition's collaborative report identifying critical needs for federal policy reform for President-elect Barack Obama's agenda."
- Criminal Justice Primer 2009
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
February, 2009.
"An overview of nine policy priorities in criminal and juvenile justice reform that address issues of reentry, sentencing, racial disparity and crime prevention."
- No Exit:
The Expanding Use of Life Sentences in America,
Sentencing Project.
July, 2009.
"A record 140,610 individuals are now serving life sentences in state and federal prisons, 6,807 of whom were juveniles at the time of the crime."
- The Changing Racial Dynamics of the War on Drugs
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
April, 2009.
"Reports a sharp decline in black incarceration for drug offenses for the first time in 25 years."
- Aviation Units in Large Law Enforcement Agencies, 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2009.
"In 2007, 92% of aviation units engaged in vehicle pursuits. Almost 90% of units performed counternarcotics missions, and about 80% conducted counterterrorism missions. Nearly 70% of units engaged in firefighting activities"
- The State of Sentencing 2008
Developments in Policy and Practice,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
February, 2009.
"A nationwide budget crisis coupled with widespread prison overcrowding has led many states to address critical challenges in the areas such as sentencing, drug policy, parole revocation, racial justice, disenfranchisement, juvenile justice, and education."
- A Call to Action for Juvenile Justice
[PDF] American Bar Association.
October, 2008.
"Juvenile justice advocates' transition document offers suggestions to the new admininstration."
Sunday, May 10 2009:
- Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Victims of Crime
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2009.
"From 2002 through 2006, the average annual rate of nonfatal violent victimization against Asians was about 11 violent victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older, compared to 24 per 1,000 persons for non-Asians."
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2008
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2009.
"During the 2005–06 school year, 86 percent of public schools reported that at least one violent crime, theft, or other crime occurred at their school."
- Cybercrime against Businesses, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2008.
"The 3,247 businesses that incurred monetary loss from cybercrime lost a total of $867 million"
- The Rockefeller Drug Laws:
Unjust, Irrational, Ineffective,
[PDF] New York Civil Liberties Union.
March, 2009.
"New York's mandatory-minimum drug sentencing scheme has [...] not reduced the availability of drugs or deterred their use; it has not made us safer."
(This report documents the harms of mandatory-sentencing drug laws, focusing on their ineffectiveness and racial and fiscal impact. This report suggests a that rehabilitative approach to drug policy would be more sucessful.)
- Survey of State Criminal History Information Systems, 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2008.
- Parents in Prison and Their Minor Children
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2008.
"Parents held in the nation's prisons—52% of state inmates and 63% of federal inmates—reported having an estimated 1,706,600 minor children, accounting for 2.3% of the U.S. resident population under age 18."
- Federal Justice Statistics, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2008.
"In 2005, immigration (27%) was the most prevalent arrest offense followed by drug (24%) and supervision violations (17%)."
- State and Local Law Enforcement Training Academies, 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2009.
"Of an estimated 57,000 recruits who entered basic training programs during 2005, 86% or 49,000, successfully completed their program and graduated from the academy."
- Characteristics of State Parole Supervising Agencies, 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2009.
"Up to 16% of at-risk parolees in some agencies were re-incarcerated for a failed drug test."
Friday, April 24 2009:
- Criminal Victimization, 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2008.
"Violent crime rates in 2007 (20.7 per 1,000 persons age 12 or older) were not significantly different from those in 2005 (21.1 per 1,000 persons)."
- Stalking Victimization in the United States
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2009.
"About half (46%) of stalking victims experienced at least one unwanted contact per week, and 11% of victims said they had been stalked for 5 years or more."
- Characteristics of Suspected Human Trafficking Incidents, 2007-08
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2009.
"Most (83%) of the reported incidents involved allegations of sex trafficking. Labor trafficking accounted for 12% of incidents, and other or unknown forms of human trafficking made up 5%."
- Jails in Indian Country, 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2008.
"Eighty-three jails in Indian country held an estimated 2,163 inmates at midyear 2007, up from 1,745 inmates held in 68 facilities at midyear 2004."
- Prisoners in 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2008.
"At yearend 2007, federal and state prisons and local jails held just under 2.3 million inmates (2,293,157). The number of inmates incarcerated in prison or jail increased by 1.5% during the year."
Friday, April 17 2009:
- Drug Courts:
A Review of the Evidence,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
April, 2009.
"An analysis of research findings from 76 drug courts found a 10% reduction in rearrest."
- Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2008.
"The number of prisoners held in custody in state and federal correctional facilities increased 10% from 1,305,253 in 2000 to 1,430,208 in 2005."
- Civil Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2008.
"The total number of civil trials declined by over 50% from 1992 to 2005 in the nation's 75 most populous counties."
Friday, January 2 2009:
- The Massachusetts Furlough Program:
Position Paper,
[PDF] Massachusetts Department of Corrections.
May, 1987.
- The Effect of Community Reintegration on Rates of Recidivism:
A Statistical Overview of Data for the Years 1971 Through 1985,
[PDF] Massachusetts Department of Corrections.
July, 1988.
"individuals who had experienced a furlough prior to release from prison had significantly lower rates of recidivism than did individuals who had not experienced a furlough prior to release."
Wednesday, November 5 2008:
Friday, August 8 2008:
- Sexual Victimization in Local Jails Reported by Inmates, 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2008.
"An estimated 5.1% of female inmates, compared to 2.9% of male inmates, said they had experienced one or more incidents of sexual victimization."
- The Geography of Punishment:
How Huge Sentencing Enhancement Zones Harm Communities, Fail to Protect Children,
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2008.
"Our analysis found that less than a third (29%) of White Hampden County residents live in enhancement zones, but that more than half (52%) of Black and Latino residents live in school zones."
(Finds zone law fails to move drug crimes away from schools while increasing racial disparities in sentencing.)
- Sexual Violence Reported by Juvenile Correctional Authorities, 2005-06
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2008.
"Sexual misconduct involving staff-on-youth accounted for 28 percent of all substantiated incidents, while staff sexual harassment of youth accounted for 8 percent."
(Males were more likely to be victims of youth-on-youth sexual violence (73%) than victims of staff sexual violence (49%). Females were more likely to be victims of staff sexual violence (51%) than victims of youth-on-youth sexual violence (27%).)
Thursday, June 12 2008:
- Medical Problems of Prisoners
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2008.
"An estimated 44% of state inmates and 39% of federal inmates reported a current medical problem other than a cold or virus."
- Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties, 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2008.
"More than three-fourths of felony defendants had a prior arrest history, with 53% having at least five prior arrest charges."
- Disparity By Geography:
The War on Drugs in America's Cities,
The Sentencing Project.
May, 2008.
"Documents the growth in drug arrests at the city-level between 1980 and 2003 and the role of the"
- HIV in Prisons, 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2008.
"The overall rate of estimated confirmed AIDS among the prison population (0.46%) was more than 2½ times the rate in the U.S. general population (0.17%)."
- Jail Inmates at Midyear 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2008.
"The total rated capacity of local jails at midyear 2007 reached 813,502 beds, up from an estimated 677,787 beds at midyear 2000."
- Prison Inmates at Midyear 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2008.
"Between January and June 2007, the prison population increased by 1.6% (or 24,919 prisoners), compared to a 2% increase during the first six months of 2006."
- Kids Count 2008
Data Book,
[PDF] The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
June, 2008.
"[In 2006] the ratio of rates of youth of color to white youth in custody was 3:1; and two out of three (66 percent) of all youth in custody were there due to a non-violent offense."
Sunday, March 23 2008:
- Report to U.S. Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
that U.S. Census practices dilute votes of minority populations,
Demos and Prison Policy Initiative.
December, 2007.
(A report to the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva on racially discriminatory redistricting practices violating Article 5 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.)
- Phantom Constituents in Tennessee's Boards of County Commissioners
Prison Policy Initiative; Peter Wagner and JooHye DellaRocco.
February, 2008.
"[This report] identifies 10 Tennessee counties in which the use of flawed Census data to draw county commissioner districts has created substantial inequities in political power within the counties."
Thursday, February 28 2008:
- One in 100:
Behind Bars in America 2008,
[PDF] The Pew Center on the States.
February, 2008.
"[F]or the first time in history, more than one in every 100 adults in America are in jail or prison-a fact that significantly impacts state budgets without delivering a clear return on public safety."
- Campus Law Enforcement, 2004-05
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2008.
"Three-quarters of campus law enforcement agencies used sworn officers with full arrest powers."
Wednesday, February 27 2008:
- Crime, Corrections, and California:
What Does Immigration Have to Do with It?,
Public Policy Institute of California.
February, 2008.
"Immigrants are far less likely than the average U.S. native to commit crime in California.... Such findings suggest that longstanding fears of immigration as a threat to public safety are unjustified."
Tuesday, February 26 2008:
Sunday, February 17 2008:
- The Death Penalty in 2007:
Year End Report,
[PDF] Death Penalty Information Center.
December, 2007.
"Almost all (86%) of the executions in 2007 were in the South, and 62% of the executions took place in one state, Texas. Executions have declined 57% since 1999."
- How Crime in the United States Is Measured
[PDF] Congressional Research Service.
January, 2008.
(An overview of crime data collection programs)
- The State of Sentencing 2007:
Developments in Policy and Practice,
The Sentencing Project.
January, 2008.
"Confronted with the high cost of continued prison growth, policymakers in 18 states took steps during 2007 to review the effectiveness of their criminal justice systems or institute reforms to limit recidivism and sentence lengths..."
- State Court Processing of Domestic Violence Cases
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2008.
"Prosecuted domestic sexual assault defendants had a higher overall conviction rate (98%) than prosecuted non-domestic sexual assault defendants (87%)."
Monday, December 31 2007:
- Race and Incarceration in Delaware:
A Preliminary Consideration,
[PDF] Thomas P. Eichler, Published by Delaware Center for Justice and Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League.
2005.
"Delaware's criminal justice system treats Blacks differently and far less favorably than similarly situated Whites. The data shows that the racial disparities in the criminal justice system are increasing."
Sunday, December 30 2007:
- Sexual Victimization in State and Federal Prisons Reported by Inmates, 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2007.
"Nationwide, about 2.1% of inmates reported an incident involving another inmate and 2.9% reported an incident involving staff."
- Criminal Victimization, 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2007.
"Males experienced higher levels of victimization than females. The rate of violent victimization for males was 26 violent victimizations per 1,000 males age 12 or older. Females experienced 23 violent victimizations per 1,000 females age 12 or older."
- Federal Prosecution of Child Sex Exploitation Offenders, 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2007.
"The main sex exploitation offense referred to U.S. attorneys shifted from sex abuse (73%) in 1994 to child pornography (69%) in 2006."
- The Vortex:
The Concentrated Racial Impact of Drug Imprisonment and the Characteristics of Punitive Counties,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
December, 2007.
"The report documents racial disparities in the use of prison for drug offenses in 193 of the 198 counties that reported to government entities."
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2007.
"In 2005, 10 percent of male students in grades 9–12 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the past year, compared to 6 percent of female students."
- Expert Report by Dr. Noel on Medical Care at Ely State Prison
American Civil Liberties Union.
December, 2007.
"[T]he medical care provided at Ely State Prison amounts to the grossest possible medical malpractice, and the most shocking and callous disregard for human life and human suffering, that I have ever encountered in the medical profession..."
- Prisoners in 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2007.
"During 2006 the number of women in prison increased by 4.5%, reaching 112,498 prisoners."
- Probation and Parole in the United States, 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2007.
"The number of adult men and women in the United States who were being supervised on probation or parole at the end of 2006 reached 5,035,225. In 2006 the combined probation and parole populations grew by 1.8% or 87,852 persons."
Saturday, December 1 2007:
- I'd rather be Hanged for a Sheep than a Lamb
The Unintended Consequences of 'Three-Strikes' Laws,
[PDF] Radha Iyengar, Harvard University.
October, 2007.
"Among third-strike eligible offenders, the probability of committing violent crimes increased by 9 percentage points."
- Justice, Where Art Thou?
A Framework for the Future,
Council on Crime and Justice.
October, 2007.
(This report analysies past and current incarceration trends in Minnesotra and makes projection through the year 2030.)
- Housing and Public Safety
Justice Policy Institute.
November, 2007.
"For populations who are the most at-risk for criminal justice system involvement, supportive or affordable housing has been shown to be a cost effective public investment."
- Unlocking America:
Why and How to Reduce America's Prison Population,
[PDF] JFA Institute.
November, 2007.
"Not only are our lengths of imprisonment significantly longer than they were in earlier periods in our penal history, but they are considerably longer than in most Western nations."
- Jailing Juveniles:
The Dangers of Incarcerating Youth in Adult Jails in America,
[PDF] Campaign for Youth Justice.
November, 2007.
"The report"
- Corrections Department:
Review of Facility Planning Efforts and Oversight of Private Prisons and Health Programs,
[PDF] Legislative Finance Committee (New Mexico).
May, 2007.
"Nationally, New Mexico places the highest percentage, about 42-44 percent, of inmates in private prisons. The national average is 6.5 percent."
- Real Impacts:
The actual results of Rhode Island's new policy that charges 17-year-olds as adults,
[PDF] Rhode Island Family Life Center.
October, 2007.
"[A]lthough it was not an explicit intention of the bill, one of the most important outcomes is that these juveniles will now have adult records, seriously limiting them as they become adults."
- An Analysis of the Performance of Federal Indigent Defense Counsel
[PDF] National Bureau of Economic Research.
June, 2007.
"The federal indigent defense system relies on both salaried government workers... and hourly-wage earning court-appointed private [CJA] attorneys.... Defendants with CJA ... attorneys are... more likely to be found guilty and... receive longer sentences."
- America's Cradle to Prison Pipeline
[PDF] Children's Defense Fund.
October, 2007.
"A Black boy born in 2001 has a 1 in 3 chance of going to prison in his lifetime; a Latino boy a 1 in 6 chance; and a White boy a 1 in 17 chance."
- Cruel and Unusual:
Sentencing 13- and 14-Year-Old Children to Die in Prison,
[PDF] Equal Justice Initiative.
November, 2007.
"In many states, 13- and 14-year-olds are subjected to the harshest possible prison sentence... In most of these cases, the judges who imposed death in prison sentences on young children had no other legal option."
- Juvenile Court Statistics 2003-2004
National Center for Juvenile Justice.
March, 2007.
"This Report describes delinquency cases handled between 1985 and 2004 by U.S. courts with juvenile jurisdiction and status offense cases handled between 1995 and 2004."
Friday, November 30 2007:
- State Funding for Corrections in FY 2006 and FY 2007
[PDF] National Conference of State Legislatures.
May, 2007.
"Nationally, FY 2006 general fund corrections spending grew 10 percent above FY 2005 levels."
- Repaying Debts
[PDF] Justice Center.
October, 2007.
"Financial pressures and paycheck garnishment resulting from unpaid debt can increase participation in the underground economy and discourage legitimate employment."
Monday, November 26 2007:
- Identity Theft, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2007.
"Ten percent of the households with incomes of $75,000 or higher experienced identity theft; that was about twice the percentage of households earning less than $50,000."
- Arrest-Related Deaths in the United States, 2003-2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2007.
"Three-quarters of the law enforcement homicides reported to DCRP involved arrests for a violent crime. Public-order offenders accounted for 8% of homicides, followed by property (4%) and drug offenders (2%)."
- Pretrial Release of Felony Defendants in State Courts
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2007.
"Presents findings on the pretrial release phase of the criminal justice process using data collected from a representative sample of felony cases filed in the 75 largest U.S. counties in May during even-numbered years from 1990 to 2004."
("About 3 in 5 felony defendants in the 75 largest counties were released prior to the disposition of their case.")
- No Easy Answers: Sex Offender Laws in the US
[PDF] Human Rights Watch.
September, 2007.
"The evidence is overwhelming, as detailed in this report, that these laws cause great harm to the people subject to them. On the other hand, proponents of these laws are not able to point to convincing evidence of public safety gains from them."
- State Court Organization, 1987-2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2007.
"The report examines changes in the organization and operations of the Nation's state trial and appellate courts [from 1987-2004]."
Monday, October 1 2007:
- HIV in Prisons, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2007.
"There were 22,480 state and federal inmates who were HIV infected or had confirmed AIDS on Dec. 31, 2005, which was a decrease from 22,936 at the end of 2004... [t]he 2005 decline was the sixth consecutive year the number has fallen."
Thursday, September 27 2007:
- Preventing Crime:
What Works, What Doesn't, What's Promising,
[PDF] National Institute of Justice.
July, 1998.
- Correctional Industries Programs for Adult Offenders in Prison:
Estimates of Benefits and Costs,
Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
January, 2005.
"We find that correctional industries programs for adult offenders in prison can achieve a statistically significant reduction in recidivism rates, and that a reasonably priced program generates about $6.70 in benefits per dollar of cost."
- Washington's Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative:
An Evaluation of Benefits and Costs,
[PDF] Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
January, 2005.
"[O]ur overall finding is that [Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative] is an effective criminal justice policy for drug offenders but neutral for drug-involved property offenders."
- Death Penalty Sentencing:
Research Indicates Pattern of Racial Disparities,
[PDF] Government Accountability Office.
February, 1990.
"Our synthesis of the 28 studies shows a pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing, and imposition of the death penalty...."
- Evidence-based Treatment of Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Disorders:
Potential Benefits, Costs, and Fiscal Impacts for Washington State,
Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
June, 2006.
"Per dollar of treatment cost, we estimate that evidence-based treatment generates about $3.77 in benefits for people in Washington. Expressed as a return on investment, this is equivalent to roughly a 56 percent rate of return."
- Washington State's Drug Courts for Adult Defendants:
Outcome Evaluation and Cost-Benefit Analysis,
Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
March, 2003.
"We found that the five adult drug courts generate $1.74 in benefits for each dollar of costs. Thus, adult drug courts appear to be cost-effective additions to Washingtons criminal justice system."
- Criminal Justice in Massachusetts:
Putting Crime Control First,
[PDF] BOTEC Analysis Corporation of Cambridge.
October, 1996.
"Opportunities to reduce crime are systematically neglected, as policy making is dominated by the need to appease the public's justifiable fear and anger and by a wide variety of organizational and professional interests and ideological postures."
- The Criminal Justice System in Washington State:
Incarceration Rates, Taxpayer Costs, Crime Rates, and Prison Economics,
Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
2007.
(In Washington state increasing the rate of incarceration reduces crime rates, however because of diminishing returns, the proportional decrease in crime is much lower now than it was in the 1980's.)
- Driving Forces Behind Prison Growth:
The Mass Media,
Thomas Mathiesen, Professor of Sociology of Law at the University of Oslo.
February, 1996.
"Today, rationality is limited to 'the secluded corners of the professional journals and meetings' while the media flood the public debate 'with dire warnings by the police and sensational crime stories.'"
- Evidence-Based Juvenile Offender Programs:
Program Description, Quality Assurance, and Cost,
Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
June, 2007.
"Six juvenile offender programs identified by Institute as evidence-based are profiled through program descriptions, quality assurance information, and cost-benefit figures."
- Benefits and Costs of Prevention and Early Intervention Programs for Youth
Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
July, 2004.
"[S]ome prevention and early intervention programs for youth can give taxpayers a good return on their dollar."
Thursday, September 20 2007:
- A 25-Year Quagmire:
The War on Drugs and Its Impact on American Society,
Sentencing Project.
September, 2007.
"Four of five (81.7%) drug arrests were for possession offenses, and 42.6% were for marijuana charges in 2005."
Wednesday, September 19 2007:
- Education and Public Safety Policy Brief
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
August, 2007.
"Graduation rates were associated with positive public safety outcomes. Researchers have found that a 5 percent increase in male high school graduation rates would produce an annual savings of almost $5 billion in crime-related expenses."
- Strengthening Criminal Justice System Practices in Chemung County, NY
[PDF] Center for Governmental Research, Inc..
May, 2006.
"[A]bout 125 defendants a year are released from jail after 45 days due to lack of timely prosecution. If the jail time for these individuals could be cut in half, almost 8 fewer persons would need to be housed in jail every night."
Tuesday, September 18 2007:
- Sexual Violence Reported by Correctional Authorities, 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2007.
"There were 2.91 allegations of sexual violence per 1,000 inmates held in prison, jail, and other adult correctional facilities in 2006, up from 2.46 per 1,000 inmates in 2004."
- Black Victims of Violent Crime
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2007.
"Blacks accounted for 13% of the U.S. population in 2005, but were victims in 15% of all nonfatal violent crimes and nearly half of all homicides."
- Who Survives on Death Row?
An Individual and Contextual Analysis,
American Civil Liberties Union.
August, 2007.
"The findings show that despite efforts to transcend an unfortunate racial past, residues of this fierce discrimination evidently still linger, at least when the most morally critical decision about punishment is decided."
- Improving Criminal History Records in Indian Country, 2004-2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2007.
"Describes the achievements of the Tribal Criminal History Records Improvement Program (T-CHRIP) which provides grants to federally recognized tribes to improve data sharing across tribal, state and national criminal records systems."
- Felony Sentences in State Courts, 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2007.
"Between 1994 and 2004, the number of felony convictions in State courts increased 24%."
- The Whitaker Committee Report 20 Years On -
Lessons Learned or Lessons Forgotten?,
[PDF] Irish Penal Reform Trust.
July, 2007.
"It seems that it is not just the penal system, but the whole social system, that needs attention..."
- Parole, Desistance from Crime, and Community Integration (2007)
National Research Council of the National Academies.
July, 2007.
"[T]he first days and weeks out of prison are the riskiest for both releasees and the general public."
Sunday, September 16 2007:
Sunday, July 22 2007:
- Implementation of "Kendra's Law" Is Severely Biased
[PDF] New York Lawyers For The Public Interest, Inc..
April, 2005.
"There are major racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities throughout New York State in the implementation of "Kendra's Law" [,which allows courts to mandate outpatient treatment for some people with mental illness]."
Saturday, July 21 2007:
- Gang Wars:
The Failure of Enforcement Tactics and the Need for Effective Public Safety Strategies,
Justice Policy Institute.
July, 2007.
(There are fewer gang members in the United States today than there were a decade ago, and there is no evidence that gang activity is growing.)
Wednesday, July 18 2007:
Tuesday, July 10 2007:
Monday, July 2 2007:
- Veterans in State and Federal Prison, 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2007.
"The percentage of veterans among State and Federal prisoners has steadily declined over the past three decades, according to national surveys of prison inmates conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics."
- Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2007.
"For the 12 months ending June 30, 2006, State systems reported a larger increase than the Federal system in the number of inmates housed in private prisons."
- Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2006.
"Although local police employment was up slightly nationwide from 2000 to 2004, 20 of the nation's 50 largest local police departments saw a decline in sworn personnel during this period, including 6 of the 7 largest."
Sunday, July 1 2007:
- Prisoner-assisted homicide:
more 'volunteer' executions loom,
[PDF] Amnesty International.
May, 2007.
"Race and mental health appear to be the strongest predictors of who will waive their appeals - most"
- Death Penalty on the Decline
Amnesty International.
2007.
"The Annual Death Penalty Statistics... show a worldwide trend towards abolition with an encouraging 25 per cent decrease in executions and death sentences in 2006."
(Overview of wold trends, includes links to facts and statistics.)
- Cocaine and Federal Sentencing Policy
[PDF] United States Sentencing Commission.
May, 2007.
"Federal cocaine sentencing policy... continues to come under almost universal criticism... and inaction in this area is of increasing concern to many, including the Commission."
- Impacts of Jail Expansion in New York State:
A Hidden Burden,
[PDF] Center for Constitutional Rights.
May, 2007.
"The growth in the number of people held in jail has not been caused by an increase in crime, as index crime reports decreased by 30 percent in the last decade in upstate and suburban New York overall."
(Construction of new prisons in New York poses a financial, employment and environmental burden on communities.)
- Task Force on California Prison Crowding
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
August, 2006.
"Essential services, procedures, and structures designed to reduce recidivism, break the intergenerational cycle of violence, and save taxpayer dollars for more positive expenditures will reduc[e] crime in our communities and enhanc[e] public safety."
- California Corrections at the Crossroads
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
March, 2005.
"California was once a leader in innovative corrections legislation and programming. However... the last twenty years... have left California with a huge and dysfunctional criminal justice system in woeful need of reform."
- US Rates of Incarceration:
A Global Perspective,
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
November, 2006.
"Some individual US states imprison up to six times as many people as do."
- Community Survey on Public Safety
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
June, 2006.
"Forty-three percent (43.8%) of survey respondents report feeling somewhat unsafe or unsafe in their neighborhood."
- Attitudes of Californians Toward Effective Correctional Policies
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
June, 2004.
"By almost an 8 to 1 margin (63% to 8%), Californians favor using state funds to rehabilitate prisoners both during incarceration and after their release from prison as opposed to punishment only."
- Attitudes of US Voters toward Prisoner Rehabilitation
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
April, 2006.
"By strong majorities, US voters feel that a lack of life skills, the experience of being in prison, and obstacles to reentry are major factors in the rearrest of prisoners after release. Few thought that criminality is inherent."
- Access Denied in Oregon
[PDF] Partnership for Safety and Justice.
November, 2006.
"The astronomical growth of incarceration in the U.S. over the past 25 years has created a wide range of social challenges, not least of which is how to respond to formerly incarcerated people upon their re-entry into the community."
- Reducing the Incarceration of Women:
Community-Based Alternatives,
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
December, 2006.
"Typically nonviolent low-level offenders, women have been hit particularly hard by California's sentencing and correctional policies and practices."
- A Rallying Cry for Change:
Charting a New Direction in the State of Florida's Response to Girls in the Juvenile Justice System,
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
July, 2006.
"Depression, trauma, anger, self-destructive behavior, or other mental health/clinical diagnoses were a factor for 79% of girls in residential and 84% of girls in non-residential programs."
- The Spiral of Risk:
Health Care Provision to Incarcerated Women,
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
March, 2006.
"Female offenders commonly face a wide range of serious health problems.... Their health problems typically predate their involvement in the justice system, are often exacerbated while they are imprisoned, and continue to deteriorate after release."
- Women in the Criminal Justice System
Briefing Sheets,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
May, 2007.
"In state prisons in 1998, 23.6% of women were identified as mentally ill, compared to 15.8% of men, while in federal prisons the proportions were 12.5% of women and 7% of men."
- The Nation's Most Punitive States for Women
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
July, 2007.
"This Fact Sheet reports the latest state and national data available for women and girls involved in local and state corrections systems across the nation."
- Attitudes of US Voters toward Youth Crime and the Justice System
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
February, 2007.
"Approximately 7 in 10 feel that putting youth under age 18 in adult correctional facilities makes them more likely to commit future crime."
- Youth Under Age 18 in the Adult Criminal Justice System
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
May, 2006.
"Youth held in adult facilities are more likely to recidivate than similar offenders."
- Hidden Challenges:
Juvenile Justice and Education Issues Affecting Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Youth in Richmond, California,
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
March, 2006.
"The intent of [this] report is to provide a detailed assessment of the status of Southeast Asian youth in Richmond. To this end, the report contains data from the areas of juvenile justice and education, with relevant demographic data provided for context"
- Reforming Juvenile Justice Through Comprehensive Community Planning
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
March, 2004.
"The experience [with Comprehensive Community Planning] suggests that there are productive ways in which the federal government can interact with and assist local initiatives."
- Juvenile Justice in Florida:
What Kind of Future?,
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
March, 2004.
"The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) conducted a study to determine the potential benefits to Florida of adopting a data-driven approach to juvenile corrections that is based on the best national research."
- Stopping Sexual Assaults in Juvenile Corrections Facilities:
A Case Study of the California Division of Juvenile Justice,
[PDF] National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
June, 2006.
"Unchecked violence and sexual assault in juvenile facilities will lead to more tragedies and victims in the community."
(Barry Krisberg, Ph.D.'s Testimony Before the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission)
Wednesday, May 23 2007:
- Through a Different Lens:
Shifting the Focus on Illinois Drug Policy, An examination of states' solutions and applicability to Illinois,
[PDF] Roosevelt University - Institute for Metropolitan Affairs.
May, 2007.
"[I]f $20 million of Illinois state dollars were invested in the model alternative to incarceration program, Illinois taxpayers have the potential to save between $50 and $150 million per year."
(An overview of 20 years of changes in Illinois drug laws and how they led to ever-increasing levels of incarceration.)
Friday, May 11 2007:
- New Jersey's Drug Courts, Special Probation and Proposal for Reform
[PDF] The New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing.
April, 2007.
"[P]rograms that combine comprehensive treatment, intensive supervision and judicial oversight cost substantially less than prolonged periods of imprisonment... the public benefits not only from the reduction in crime, but also from significant savings..."
- Supplemental Report on New Jersey's Drug Free Zone Crimes
& Proposal For Reform,
[PDF] The New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing.
April, 2007.
(The commission restates its findings from last year's report, emphasizing their reliability and significance. Adding new arguments, it urges the legislature to act on its recommendations to reduce the size of the drug free zones in New Jersey.)
- Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in The United States
Sentencing Project.
August, 2012.
"Overview of felony disenfranchisement policy and implications, includes state-by-state table illustrating the categories of persons disenfranchised due to a felony conviction."
Sunday, May 6 2007:
Sunday, April 29 2007:
- Contacts between Police and the Public, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2007.
"In 2005 police searched 9.5 percent of stopped blacks and 8.8 percent of stopped Hispanics, compared to 3.6 percent of white motorists."
Wednesday, April 25 2007:
- One Year Out:
Experiences of Prisoners Returning to Cleveland,
Urban Institute.
April, 2007.
"[D]escribes the lives of nearly 300 former prisoners at least [1 year] after release, including their ability to find stable housing and reunite with family, and identifies factors associated with getting a job, and avoiding substance use and [recidivism]"
Sunday, April 22 2007:
- Penny-Wise & Pound-Foolish:
Assaultive offender programming and Michigan's prison costs,
[PDF] Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending and American Friends Service Committee, Criminal Justice Program.
April, 2005.
(Michigan Department of Corrections offers assaultive offender programming for people in prison for assault, the report examines the administrative shortfalls of this program and proposes solutions.)
- The high cost of denying parole:
an analysis of prisoners eligible for release,
[PDF] Citizens Alliance on Prisons & Public Spending.
November, 2003.
"Although other important factors exist, the single biggest reason for prison growth has been changed parole practices. Far more people who have served their minimum sentences and are, by law, eligible for release, are being denied parole."
- No way out
Michigan's parole board redefines the meaning of,
[PDF] Citizens Alliance on Prisons & Public Spending.
September, 2004.
(When judges imposed a life sentence, they assumed that the prisoner would be parolled in 10-15 years, but in the 1990's the parol board started denying parol, in effect changing the sentence, contributing to overcrowding and increasing costs of prisons.)
- When
A Historical Analysis of Life Sentences Imposed in Michigan Since 1900,
[PDF] Citizens Alliance on Prisons & Public Spending.
September, 2006.
"The historical record makes it indisputably clear that a life sentence in Michigan did not always mean"
Thursday, April 19 2007:
- Crime and the Nation's Households, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2007.
"Households in the West were more likely to experience one or more crimes compared to households in other regions."
- Barriers to Employment:
Prison Time,
[PDF] Employment and Training Institute, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
2007.
"The stigma of being an ex-inmate alone and the limitations it places on those released and expected to become gainfully employed are compounded by further legal sanctions placed on those who have spent time in correctional facilities."
Wednesday, April 11 2007:
- Breaking the Barriers for Women on Parole
[PDF] Little Hoover Commission.
December, 2004.
"At the time of their arrest, half of these women were taking care of their children; two-thirds of those women were single parents."
(This report looks at incarceration patterns for women in California and proposes solutions for the problems identified.)
Tuesday, April 10 2007:
- Changing Direction?
State Sentencing Reforms 2004-2006,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
March, 2007.
"The report... identifies that the most popular approach for reducing prison crowding -- implemented by 13 states -- was the diversion of low-level drug offenders from prison to drug treatment programs."
- The Housing Landscape for Returning Prisoners in the District
Urban Institute.
March, 2007.
"This report examines the housing landscape of prisoner reentry in the District of Columbia through an analysis of neighborhoods that had high rates of returning prisoners and a survey of housing-related providers."
- Impact and Cost-Benefit Analysis
of the Maryland Reentry Partnership Initiative,
Urban Institute.
February, 2007.
"This study evaluates the impact of the Maryland Reentry Partnership Initiative (REP) on crime in Baltimore between 2001 and 2005."
- Informing and Engaging Communities Through Reentry Mapping
Urban Institute.
January, 2007.
"This brief is designed to equip organizations with strategies for effectively disseminating local reentry-related mapping and analysis findings and engaging community members on the topic of reentry."
Friday, March 23 2007:
- The Consequences Aren't Minor:
The Impact of Trying Youth as Adults and Strategies for Reform,
[PDF] Campaign for Youth Justice.
March, 2007.
"Despite the data, surveys report that the public believes the juvenile crime rate is increasing and that youth account for a large proportion of overall crime. In reality, national statistics show that more than 80% of all crimes are committed by adults."
Sunday, March 11 2007:
- Georgia's Aging Inmate Population
[PDF] Georgia Department of Corrections.
June, 2004.
"Georgia, with a prison population in excess of 47,000 inmates has the sixth largest prison system in the nation. At the end of FY 2002 4,025 inmates, or nearly one in ten were 50 or older."
- Solving California's Corrections Crisis:
Time is Running Out,
[PDF] Little Hoover Commission.
January, 2007.
"California's correctional system is in a tailspin that threatens public safety and raises the risk of fiscal disaster."
(An overview of the current state of the California corrections system, with recommendations.)
- Public Safety, Public Spending:
Forecasting America's Prison Population 2007-2011,
[PDF] Public Safety Performance Project of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
February, 2007.
"This report provides forecasts for prison populations and incarceration rates for all 50 states."
- Reconsidering Incarceration:
New Directions for Reducing Crime,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
January, 2007.
"An increase in the number of police per capita, a reduction in unemployment, and increases in real wage rates and education have all been shown to be associated with lower rates of crime."
- The Myth of Immigrant Criminality and the Paradox of Assimilation:
Incarceration Rates among Native and Foreign-Born Men,
[PDF] American Immigration Law Foundation.
February, 2007.
"[F]or every ethnic group without exception, incarceration rates among young men are lowest for immigrants, even those who are the least educated."
- Addressing Key Criminal Justice Issues in the 21st Century
[PDF] Correctional Association of New York.
February, 2007.
"This special report presents some of our top reform proposals for the state's new administration to consider and the benefits they will provide for people caught up in the criminal justice system and for society as a whole."
- Understanding California Corrections
[PDF] California Policy Research Center.
May, 2006.
(An overview of the current trends in the California corrections system, with recommendations.)
- And Justice for Some:
Differential Treatment of Youth of Color in the Justice System,
[PDF] The National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
January, 2007.
"This report details the accumulated disadvantage for youth of color as they move through the juvenile justice system and, too often, into the adult system."
Sunday, January 21 2007:
Saturday, January 13 2007:
- New Jersey Death Penalty Study Commision Report
[PDF] New Jersey Death Penalty Study Commision.
January, 2007.
"There is no compelling evidence that the New Jersey death penalty rationally serves a legitimate penological intent."
- Governor's Ex-Offender Final Report
[PDF] Governor's Ex-Offender Task Force (Florida).
November, 2006.
"Within three years of release, over a quarter of those people will go back to prison for a new crime. This rate of recidivism is unacceptably high and unacceptably expensive."
- The Culture of Prison Sexual Violence
[PDF] National Institute of Justice; Mark S. Fleisher, Jessie L. Krienert.
November, 2006.
"A majority of inmates reported that inmates' safety -- protection from physical and sexual assault, was the personal responsibility of inmates, independent of institution efforts to protect them."
Friday, December 29 2006:
- 2006 Crime and Justice Index
[PDF] Chicago Metropolis 2020.
October, 2006.
"This Index presents data on crime trends and justice patterns in the region over time. It also explores specific policy issues and some promising practices intended to address seemingly intractable problems in the criminal justice systems."
Thursday, December 28 2006:
Friday, December 22 2006:
- Models for Change:
Building Momentum for Juvenile Justice Reform,
Justice Policy Institute.
December, 2006.
"This brief tells the story of how the four Models for Change states -- Pennsylvania, Illinois, Louisiana, and Washington -- are already moving to reform and reshape their own state juvenile justice systems."
- Testing Incapacitation Theory:
Youth Crime and Incarceration in California,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
July, 2006.
"Between 1980 and 2004, the rate of juvenile incarceration in California fell by nearly 50 percent."
- Restructuring Juvenile Corrections in California:
A Report to the State Legislature,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile & Criminal Justice.
September, 2005.
"This report... present[s] research findings showing how structural changes require closing structurally outdated large correctional institutions in favor of smaller county or regionally based facilities."
Thursday, December 21 2006:
- The Death Penalty in 2006:
Year End Report,
[PDF] Death Penalty Information Center.
December, 2006.
"Executions dropped to their lowest level in 10 years as many states grappled with problems related to wrongful convictions and the lethal injection process."
- Defining the Disparity -Taking A Closer Look:
Do Drug Use Patterns Explain Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Drug Arrests in Minnesota,
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
April, 2002.
"For African American males the reported drug use rate was 51% greater than White males, while the arrest rate was 400% higher nationally and 1000% higher in Minnesota."
- Children of Incarcerated Parents
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
January, 2006.
"Results indicate that children and caregivers often had limited support systems, faced social isolation and encountered barriers with the criminal justice system and correctional institutions."
- The Collateral Effects of Incarceration on
Fathers, Families, and Communities,
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
April, 2006.
"Incarcerating large numbers of men from one community is seen as a threat to both individual and community economic stability."
- Identifying the HIV/AIDS/STD-related Needs of African American Ex-Offenders
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
April, 2003.
"Health effects associated with incarceration exacerbate existing health disparities in the larger African American community."
- African American Males in the Criminal Justice System
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
2002.
"In 2000, 37.2% of the state's prisoners were African American. By comparison only 3.5% of the population of Minnesota was African American."
- Searching for Justice:
American Indian Perspectives on Disparities in Minnesota's Criminal Justice System,
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
August, 2005.
"This report indicates that in one county, while American Indians make up only 11.5% of the population, they account for over 50% of the arrest rates."
- Hennepin County Disproportionate Minority Contact Study
Examining Extended Jurisdiction Juvenile and Adult Certification Cases,
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
October, 2005.
"[R]ace was not significant when considering the disposition of Extended Jurisdiction Juvenile or Adult Certification motioning. Instead, weapons and firearms appear to be the most influential factor in both motioning and dispositions."
- Reducing Racial Disparity While Enhancing Public Safety:
Key Findings and Recommendations,
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
2006.
"The racial disparity in Minnesota's justice system is exceptionally high compared to other states. From arrest to imprisonment, the disparity is over twice the national average."
- Traffic Stop Audit Project
An Institutional Ethnography of Traffic Stop Policy and Practice in the Minneapolis Police Department,
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
April, 2006.
"The distinction between traffic law enforcement stops (e.g. speeding) and investigative stops is often blurred. Law enforcement stops are often made for investigative purposes rather than expressed criminal intent."
- East Side of St. Paul:
Crime Related Needs Assessment,
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
February, 2003.
"In order to assess the needs of racial/ethnic communities experiencing heightened criminal activity within their neighborhoods, five focus groups were undertaken: African American, Hmong, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, and Caucasian."
- Minnesota Statewide Racial Profiling Study
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
September, 2003.
"Results show that law enforcement officers stopped and searched Black, Latino, and American Indian drivers at greater rates than White drivers, yet found contraband on Blacks, Latinos, and American Indians at lower rates than in searches of White drivers."
- Low Level Offenses in Minneapolis:
An Analysis of Arrests and their Outcomes,
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
October, 2004.
(The diperate treatment of Black and White people is greater at the hand of the police than in the courts.)
- An Analysis of Racial Disproportionality in Juvenile Confinement
An Analysis of Disproportionate Minority Confinement in the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center,
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
August, 2006.
"The major findings show that all nine police departments studied refer a disproportionate number of minority juveniles to the JDC."
- Root Causes and Solutions to Disparities for Hispanics/Latinos
in the Juvenile Justice System,
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
May, 2005.
"Statistical analysis indicated that Hispanic/Latino youth were over represented in the juvenile system by 227% in 1990 and by 92% in 2000."
- The Juvenile Offender Study:
A Retrospective Examination of Youth Offenders,
[PDF] Council on Crime and Justice.
April, 2006.
"This study was undertaken to identify and examine interventions with juvenile offenders whose criminal behavior continued into adulthood."
Monday, December 18 2006:
- Education as Crime Prevention:
The Case for Reinstating Pell Grant Eligibility for the Incarcerated,
[PDF] Bard Prison Initiative.
2003.
"This report illustrates the overwhelming consensus among public officials that postsecondary education is the most successful and cost-effective method of preventing crime."
Sunday, December 17 2006:
- Evaluation of Milwaukee's Judicial Oversight Demonstration
Urban Institute.
May, 2006.
"Judicial Oversight Demonstration (JOD) was associated with a reduced rate of arrest for domestic violence, an indication of gains in victim safety."
- Mapping Prisoner Reentry:
An Action Research Guidebook,
Urban Institute.
November, 2006.
"This guidebook provides information on how interested parties can understand and address prisoner reentry at the local level through mapping and data analysis."
- Prisoner Reentry:
Addressing the Challenges in Weed and Seed Communities,
Urban Institute.
September, 2006.
"This report [illustrates] the various ways that Weed and Seed sites are focusing on prisoner reentry and working with partner organizations to reduce recidivism and create safer, healthier communities."
- Instituting Lasting Reforms for Prisoner Reentry in Philadelphia
Urban Institute.
June, 2006.
"Those with multiple periods of incarceration were more likely to be black, single and have more dependents."
- Prisoner Reentry and Community Policing
Urban Institute.
April, 2006.
"[D]espite the fact that correctional spending has increased from approximately $9 billion to $60 billion during the past 20 years, prisoners are less prepared for reentry than in the past..."
- Cleveland Prisoners' Experiences Returning Home
Urban Institute.
September, 2006.
"This research brief is intended to serve as a foundation for policy discussions about how released prisoners can successfully reintegrate into their communities, whether in Cleveland or in similar cities around the country."
- Community Residents' Perceptions of Prisoner Reentry in Selected Cleveland
Urban Institute.
March, 2006.
"This report presents findings from community focus group discussions in three Cleveland neighborhoods that are home to a large number of returning prisoners."
- Ohio Prisoners' Reflections on Returning Home
Urban Institute.
January, 2006.
"The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction released 28,177 individuals from prisons across the state in 2004, nearly six times the number of prisoners released in 1980."
- Texas Prisoners' Reflections Returning Home
Urban Institute.
October, 2005.
"In 2002, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice released 58,949 people from prisons and state jails across the state, nearly six times the number of prisoners released in 1980."
- Addressing Sexual Violence in Prisons
Urban Institute.
October, 2006.
Sunday, December 10 2006:
- Capital Punishment, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2006.
"Of those under sentence of death, 56% were white, 42% were black, and 2% were of other races. Fifty-two women were under sentence of death in 2005, up from 47 in 1995."
Sunday, December 3 2006:
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2006
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics.
December, 2006.
"The percentage of public schools experiencing one or more violent incidents increased between the 1999-2000 and 2003-04 school years, from 71 to 81 percent."
Saturday, December 2 2006:
- Survey of State Procedures Related to Firearm Transfers, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2006.
"The report summarizes issues about State procedures, including persons prohibited from purchasing firearms, restoration of rights of purchase to prohibited persons, permits, prohibited firearms, waiting periods, fees, and appeals."
Friday, December 1 2006:
- Benefit-Cost in the California Treatment Outcome Project
Does Substance Abuse Treatment,
[PDF] Susan L. Ettner, David Huange, Elizabeth Evans, et. al. (Published in Health Services Research, Volume 41).
January, 2006.
"Our best estimate is that on average, substance abuse treatment costs $1,583 and is associated with a societal benefit of $11,487, representing a 7:1 ratio of benefits to costs."
- Probation and Parole in the United States, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2006.
"In 2005 the Nation's parole population grew 1.6%. This was an increase of 12,556 parolees during the year."
- Prisoners in 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2006.
"State prisons were operating between 1% below and 14% above capacity; Federal prisons were operating at 34% above capacity."
- Recent Trends in New Hampshire's Prison Population
[PDF] New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies.
June, 2006.
"Parole revocation is the main factor driving prison admissions, and most revocations are not due to new crimes. In 2002... 66 percent were for technical violations."
- Evidence-Based Public Policy Options to
Reduce Future Prison Construction, Criminal Justice Costs, and Crime Rates,
Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
October, 2006.
"We find that some evidence-based programs can reduce crime, but others cannot. Per dollar of spending, several of the successful programs produce favorable returns on investment."
- Estimated Prevalence of Felons Among the Oklahoma Adult Population
[PDF] Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center.
September, 2006.
"Nearly one in seven adult males and one in every 30 adult females in Oklahoma have either been to prison or supervised on probation."
- Alabama Sentencing Commission 2006 Report
[PDF] Alabama Sentencing Commission.
January, 2006.
"Of Alabama's inmate population, almost 1 out of 3 inmates are sentenced as an habitual offender."
- Jails in Indian Country, 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2006.
"At midyear 2004 jails in Indian country held 1,745 inmates; 39% of inmates were confined for a violent offense."
- Welfare and Punishment:
The relationship between welfare spending and imprisonment,
[PDF] Crime and Society Foundation.
2006.
"[W]e find that countries that spend a greater proportion of GDP on welfare have lower imprisonment rates and that this relationship has become stronger over the last 15 years."
- The Dangers of Detention:
The Impact of Incarcerating Youth in Detention and Other Secure Facilities,
Justice Policy Institute.
November, 2006.
"[I]ncarcerated youth have higher recidivism rates than youth supervised in other kinds of settings."
Monday, November 20 2006:
- HIV in Prisons, 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2006.
"The overall rate of confirmed AIDS among the prison population (0.50%) was more than 3 times the rate in the U.S. general population (0.15%)."
(Although the percentage of prisoners with HIV has decresed, problems remain.)
- Medical Problems of Jail Inmates
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2006.
"More than a third of jail inmates reported having a current medical problem."
Thursday, November 16 2006:
- Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2006.
"The Firearm Inquiry Statistics Program is an ongoing data collection effort focusing on the procedures and statistics related to background checks in selected States."
Wednesday, November 8 2006:
- Toxic Sweatshops:
How UNICOR Prison Recycling Harms Workers, Communities, the Environment, and the Recycling Industry,
[PDF] Prison Activist Resource Center.
October, 2006.
"UNICOR facilities repeatedly failed to provide proper recycling procedures to captive laborers and staff supervisors."
Tuesday, November 7 2006:
- Felony Disenfranchisement in the Commonwealth of Kentucky
[PDF] League of Women Voters of Kentucky.
October, 2006.
"Kentucky has the highest African American disenfranchisement rate in the country with nearly one of every 4 African Americans ineligible to vote. This rate is nearly triple the national African American disenfranchisement rate."
Monday, October 30 2006:
- Cracks in the System:
Twenty Years of the Unjust Federal Crack Cocaine Law,
[PDF] ACLU.
October, 2006.
"Although there are more white cocaine users, national drug enforcement and prosecutorial policies and practices have resulted in inner city communities of color being targeted almost exclusively."
Saturday, October 28 2006:
- Evaluating Fairness and Accuracy in State Death Penalty Systems:
The Florida Death Penalty Assessment Report,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
September, 2006.
"[R]esearch establishes that many Florida capital jurors do not understand their role and responsibilities when deciding whether to impose a death sentence."
- Correctional Officer Recruits and the Prison Environment:
A Research Framework,
[PDF] Correctional Service of Canada.
January, 2004.
"This study is based... on ground-breaking, large-scale research, which is a first in this corrections related field."
(Part 1 in a 3-Part report series following Canadian Correctional Officers through training and first year on the job.)
- Correctional Officer Recruits During the College Training Period:
An Examination,
[PDF] Correctional Service of Canada.
October, 2005.
"[A]n interest in interpersonal relations appears to be the best motivation for anyone wishing to engage in correctional work."
(Part 2 in a 3-Part report series following Canadian Correctional Officers through training and first year on the job.)
- Correctional Officers and Their First Year:
An Empirical Investigation,
[PDF] Correctional Service of Canada.
November, 2005.
(Part 3 in a 3-Part report series following Canadian Correctional Officers through training and first year on the job.)
Thursday, October 12 2006:
- Ethical Considerations for Research Involving Prisoners
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, Board on Health Sciences Policy.
2006.
(A review of current research practices regarding prison subjects with recommendations.)
- Cruel and Degrading:
The Use of Dogs for Cell Extractions in U.S. Prisons,
Human Rights Watch.
October, 2006.
"The use of dogs to threaten and attack prisoners to facilitate cell extractions has been a well-kept secret, even in the world of corrections."
- Drug Use and Dependence, State and Federal Prisoners, 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
2006.
"Among drug dependent or abusing prisoners, 40% of State and 49% of Federal inmates took part in drug abuse treatment or programs since admission to prison."
(Presents data from the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities on prisoners' prior use, dependence, and abuse of illegal drugs.)
Wednesday, October 11 2006:
Tuesday, October 3 2006:
- Federal Prosecution of Human Trafficking, 2001-2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2006.
"Between 2001 and 2005, U.S. attorneys investigated 555 suspects in matters involving violations of Federal human trafficking statutes."
- When Men Murder Women:
An Analysis of 2004 Homicide Data,
[PDF] The Violence Policy Center.
September, 2006.
"[O]ffers both national and state-by-state statistics from FBI Supplementary Homicide Report data including charts listing the number and rate of female homicides by state and a chart ranking each state by rate."
Saturday, September 30 2006:
- Progress and Challenges:
An analysis of drug treatment and imprisonment in Maryland from 2000 to 2005,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
September, 2006.
"Crime trends since 2000 appear to support the argument that treatment does more than imprisonment to reduce crime."
Friday, September 29 2006:
- Custody and Control
Conditions of Confinement in New York's Juvenile Prisons for Girls,
Human Rights Watch.
September, 2006.
"[G]irls experience abusive physical restraints and other forms of abuse and neglect, and are denied the mental health, educational, and other rehabilitative services they need."
- California Youth Crime Declines:
The Untold Story,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile & Criminal Justice.
September, 2006.
"Juvenile crime rates in California are at 30-year lows."
Tuesday, September 19 2006:
- Re-Entry and Reintegration: The Road to Public Safety
[PDF] New York State Bar Association, Special Committee on Collateral Consequences of Criminal Proceedings.
May, 2006.
"Countless families are affected: over ten million children have parents who were imprisoned at some point in the children's lives. In addition, disparate racial and economic impacts are well-documented."
Friday, September 15 2006:
Monday, September 11 2006:
- Criminal Victimization, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2006.
"For most crimes, aggregated rates for the period 2004-05 were unchanged from the previous two year period 2002-03, while minor declines were seen for some forms of robbery and simple assault without injury."
Friday, September 8 2006:
- Saving Futures, Saving Dollars
The Impact of Education on Crime Reduction and Earnings,
[PDF] Alliance for Excellent Education.
September, 2006.
"[A]bout 75 percent of America's state prison inmates,almost 59 percent of federal inmates, and 69 percent of jail inmates did not complete high school."
Thursday, September 7 2006:
- World Female Imprisonment List
(Women and girls in penal institutions, including pre-trial detainees/remand prisoners),
[PDF] International Centre for Prison Studies, King's College.
September, 2006.
"More than half a million women and girls are held in penal institutions throughout the world... [a]bout a third of these are in the United States of America."
- Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2006.
"Female inmates had higher rates of mental health problems than male inmates (State prisons: 73% of females and 55% of males; Federal prisons: 61% of females and 44% of males; local jails: 75% of females and 63% of males)."
Tuesday, September 5 2006:
Friday, August 11 2006:
- Abandoned & Abused:
Orleans Parish Prison in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina,
ACLU National Prison Project.
August, 2006.
Tuesday, August 8 2006:
- Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2006.
"Women accounted for 16% of Federal officers in 2004. A third of Federal officers were members of a racial or ethnic minority in 2004. This included 17.7% who were Hispanic and Latino, and 11.4% who were black or African American."
Monday, August 7 2006:
- Violent Felons in Large Urban Counties
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2006.
"Eight-one percent of violent felons were sentenced to incarceration with 50% going to prison and 31% to jail. Nineteen percent received a probation term without incarceration."
Wednesday, August 2 2006:
- Prosecutors in State Courts, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2006.
"Most prosecutors (95%) relied on State operated forensic laboratories to perform DNA analysis, with about a third (34%) also using privately operated DNA labs."
Tuesday, August 1 2006:
- Sexual Violence Reported by Correctional Authorities, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2006.
"[There were] 885 [substantiated] incidents of sexual violence in 2005... 38% of allegations involved staff sexual misconduct; 35% inmate-on-inmate nonconsensual sexual acts; 17%, staff sexual harassment; and 10% inmate-on-inmate abusive sexual contact."
- Consideration of Reports
Submitted by States Parties Under Article 40 of the Covenant,
[PDF] United Nations - Human Rights Committee.
July, 2006.
(The UN expresses numerous concerns about the state of civil and political rights in the United States)
Sunday, July 30 2006:
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of Supermax Prisons
Urban Institute.
March, 2006.
"[This report] suggests grounds for skepticism as well as concerns about the fiscal and human costs of [supermax prisons]. At the same time, it is clear that states and wardens believe supermax prisons can be effective correctional management tools..."
- Supermax Prisons:
Overview and General Considerations,
[PDF] National Institute of Corrections.
January, 1999.
Monday, July 24 2006:
Sunday, July 23 2006:
Thursday, July 13 2006:
Sunday, June 25 2006:
- Citizen Complaints about Police Use of Force
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2006.
"Large State and local law enforcement agencies... received more than 26,000 citizen complaints about officer use of force during 2002. This total figure resulted in [an] overall rate[] 6.6 complaints per 100 full-time sworn officers."
Friday, June 23 2006:
- Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2002:
Selected Findings,
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
June, 2006.
"13% of facilities did not have an in-house mental health professional evaluate youth."
Monday, June 19 2006:
Wednesday, June 14 2006:
- Drugs and crime in Ireland
Overview 3,
[PDF] Health Research Board.
May, 2006.
(The report examines the perceived and actual links between drugs and crime in Ireland.)
- The Next Big Thing?
Methamphetamine In the United States,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
June, 2006.
"This report examines the development of methamphetamine as the"
Monday, June 12 2006:
- So Long as They Die:
Lethal Injections in the United States,
Human Rights Watch.
April, 2006.
"[P]prisoners in the United States are executed by means that the American Veterinary Medical Association regards as too cruel to use on dogs and cats."
- Harmful Drug Law Hits Home:
How Many College Students Have Lost Their Financial Aid Due to Drug Convictions?,
[PDF] Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
May, 2006.
- Losing the Right to Vote:
Perceptions of Permanent Disenfranchisement and the Civil Rights Restoration Application Process in Kentucky,
[PDF] Sentencing Project, Elizabeth A. Wahler.
April, 2006.
- Characteristics of Drivers Stopped by Police, 2002
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2006.
"Among traffic stops of young male drivers in 2002, 11% were physically searched or had their vehicle searched by police. Among these young male drivers who were stopped, blacks (22%) and Hispanics (17%) were searched at higher rates than whites (8%)."
- Law Enforcement and Arab American Community Relations
After September 11, 2001: Engagement in a Time of Uncertainty,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
June, 2006.
"Although community members also reported increases in hate victimization, they expressed greater concern about being victimized by federal policies and practices than by individual acts of harassment or violence."
- The Punitiveness Report-Hard Hit:
The Growth in the Imprisonment of Women, 1977-2004,
Women's Prison Association - Institute on Women & Criminal Justice.
May, 2006.
- Treated Like Trash:
Juvenile Detention in New Orleans Before, During, and After Hurricane Katrina,
[PDF] Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana.
May, 2006.
"In their own words, a harrowing tale of escape, mismanagement and neglect unfolds, illustrating deep problems in New Orleans' system of juvenile justice and how we treat children in New Orleans."
Thursday, June 8 2006:
Monday, May 22 2006:
Wednesday, May 3 2006:
Monday, May 1 2006:
Saturday, April 22 2006:
Thursday, April 20 2006:
Wednesday, April 19 2006:
- Crime and the Nation's Households, 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2006.
"Both violent and property crimes declined between 1994 and 2004."
- Proposition 36: Five Years Later
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
April, 2006.
"California Sees Greatest Drop in Drug Prisoners among Large State Prison Systems since Prop. 36 [was] enacted."
- Report to the Legislature of the State of Illinois:
The Illinois Pilot Program on Sequential Double-Blind Identification Procedures,
[PDF] Illinois State Police.
March, 2006.
"The data collected shows that the sequential double-blind method led to a lower rate of suspect identifications as well as a higher rate of known false errors."
Sunday, April 16 2006:
Sunday, April 2 2006:
- Identity Theft, 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2006.
"The report, based on interviews with 40,000 household residents drawn to be nationally representative, describes age, race, and ethnicity of the household head; household income; and location of the household (urbanicity)."
Friday, March 31 2006:
- Juvenile Offenders and Victims:
2006 National Report,
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
June, 2006.
"[D]raws on reliable data and relevant research to provide a comprehensive and insightful view of juvenile crime across the nation."
Tuesday, March 28 2006:
- Disparity by Design:
How drug-free zone laws impact racial disparity - and fail to protect youth,
Justice Policy Institute.
March, 2006.
"[D]rugfree zone laws... are not effective in reducing the sale or use of drugs, or in protecting school children - and the role these laws play to increase unwarranted racial disparity is well documented."
Thursday, March 9 2006:
- Black Male Incarceration Rates and the Relatively High Rate of AIDS
Infection Among African-American Women and Men,
[PDF] Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley.
July, 2005.
"Our results reveal that the higher incarceration rates among black males over this period explain a substantial share of the racial disparity in AIDS infection between black women and women of other racial and ethnic groups."
Saturday, March 4 2006:
Friday, February 17 2006:
- Why the Census Bureau can and must start collecting the home addresses of
incarcerated people,
Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2006.
"Counting prisoners as residents of the prison location causes unexpected distortions in Census data for rural communities and creates significant burdens on state and local legislative data users who rely on the Census for redistricting purposes."
Thursday, February 9 2006:
- Mandatory Justice:
The Death Penalty Revisited,
[PDF] The Constitution Project.
February, 2006.
"[P]rovides a list of specific and innovative tactics for improving the fairness and reliability of capital punishment systems in the United States."
- Treatment Instead of Prisons:
A Roadmap for Sentencing and Correctional Policy in Wisconsin,
[PDF] Justice Strategies.
January, 2006.
"Absent a major investment of tax dollars in treatment services, however, we found that the state is likely to face mounting prison populations pressures in coming years due to growth in nonviolent admissions and revocations of post-release supervision."
Monday, February 6 2006:
- Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties, 2002
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2006.
"Eighty-two percent of defendants were male, including 90% or more of those charged with rape (99%), a weapons offense (96%), murder (93%), or robbery (90%). The percentage of female defendants increased from 14% in 1990 to 18% in 1998..."
(Presents data collected from a representative sample of felony cases filed in the Nation's 75 largest counties during May 2002.)
Friday, January 20 2006:
- Sex Offender Sentencing in Washington State:
Failure to Register As a Sex Offender,
[PDF] Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
January, 2006.
"[S]ex offenders with a conviction for failing to register have recidivism rates that are twice the rate of those without a conviction."
- Sex Offender Sentencing in Washington State:
Has Community Notification Reduced Recivism?,
[PDF] Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
December, 2005.
- Sex Offender Sentencing in Washington State:
Notification Levels and Recidivism,
[PDF] Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
December, 2005.
"The notification levels determined by the ESRC do not classify sex offenders into groups that accurately reflect their risk for reoffending."
- Does Parole Work?:
Analyzing the Impact of Postprison Supervision on Rearrest Outcomes,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
March, 2005.
- Findings and Opportunities:
Family Violence in Central New Mexico,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
May, 2004.
- Prisoner Reentry in Massachusetts
[PDF] Urban Institute.
March, 2005.
- Prisoner Reentry in Idaho
[PDF] Urban Institute.
December, 2004.
- Prisoner Reentry in Georgia
[PDF] Urban Institute.
November, 2004.
- Prisoner Reentry in Michigan
[PDF] Urban Institute.
October, 2004.
- Prisoner Reentry in Virginia
[PDF] Urban Institute.
October, 2004.
- From Prison to Work:
The Employment Dimensions of Prisoner Reentry,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
October, 2005.
- Prisoner Reentry and Community Policing:
Strategies for Enhancing Public Safety,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
May, 2004.
- Washington's Juvenile Basic Training Camp:
Outcome Evaluation,
[PDF] Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
August, 2004.
- Washington State's Family Integrated Transitions Program
for Juvenile Offenders: Outcome Evaluation and Benefit-Cost Analysis,
[PDF] Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
December, 2004.
- The Economics of Juvenile Jurisdiction
[PDF] Urban Institute.
September, 2005.
- The Dimensions, Pathways, and Consequences of Youth Reentry
[PDF] Urban Institute.
January, 2004.
"Because young people in their teens and early twenties undergo considerable physical, mental, and emotional changes, the process and experience of youth reentry may fundamentally differ from what adults face."
Wednesday, January 18 2006:
- The Prison Inside the Prison:
Control Units, Supermax Prisons, and Devices of Torture,
[PDF] American Friends Service Committee.
2003.
- Blind Justice:
Juries Deciding Life and Death With Only Half the Truth,
[PDF] Death Penalty Information Center.
October, 2005.
"How Death Penalty Jurors are Unfairly Selected, Manipulated, and Kept in the Dark"
- Rethinking the Consequences of Decriminalizing Marijuana
[PDF] The JFA Institute.
November, 2005.
- Human Rights in the Heartland:
An assessment of social, economic, civil, and political rights in the Midwest,
[PDF] Heartland Alliance.
December, 2005.
"Historically, the U.S. has been a beacon of hope for those seeking safety and opportunity, but our nation falls short of its potential in assuring a full complement of human rights - civil, political, social, economic, and cultural."
Thursday, December 22 2005:
Tuesday, November 29 2005:
Sunday, November 20 2005:
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2005
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2005.
"Annually, from 1999 through 2003, teachers were the victims of approximately 183,000 total nonfatal crimes at school, including 119,000 thefts and 65,000 violent crimes."
Friday, November 18 2005:
Thursday, November 17 2005:
- Annual Report - Fiscal Year 2005
[PDF] State of Missouri Public Defender Commission.
October, 2005.
"[B]y 2005 trial division attorneys average 298 cases, 27% more than the 1989 caseload standard.... At 17%, the Department's attorney turnover rate is simply too high."
- Broken Justice:
The Death Penalty in Alabama,
[PDF] ACLU.
October, 2005.
"At least 30 current death row prisoners have no lawyer. Alabama's death row occupants are overwhelmingly poor -- 95 percent are indigent -- and minority."
Sunday, November 13 2005:
Wednesday, November 9 2005:
- A 'Crazy-Quilt' of Tiny Pieces:
State and Local Administration of American Criminal Disenfranchisement Law,
[PDF] Alec Ewald, Sentencing Project.
November, 2005.
Thursday, November 3 2005:
Wednesday, November 2 2005:
- No Turning Back:
Promising Approaches to Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities Affecting Youth of Color in the Justice System,
[PDF] Building Blocks for Youth.
October, 2005.
Sunday, October 30 2005:
Monday, October 24 2005:
Saturday, October 22 2005:
- A Primer:
Three Strikes - The Impact After More Than a Decade,
[PDF] Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) - California's Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor.
October, 2005.
Tuesday, October 18 2005:
- Offender Work Report, 2001
[PDF] Washington State Jail Industries Board.
2002.
- Disease Profile of Texas Prison Inmates
[PDF] National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS).
April, 2002.
- Incarceration of the Terminally Ill:
Current Practices in the United States,
[PDF] GRACE Project.
March, 2001.
- Crime in the United States - 2002
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
October, 2003.
- Crime in the United States - 2003
[PDF] Federal Bureau of Investigation.
October, 2004.
- Crime in the United States - 2004
[PDF] Federal Bureau of Investigation.
October, 2005.
- Offender Work Report, 2004
[PDF] Washington State Jail Industries Board.
October, 2005.
"Work within correctional facilities totaled 2,674,877 labor hours in 2004. Jails reported 113,560 labor hours performed on behalf of not-for-profit community organizations..."
- Offender Work Report, 2003
[PDF] Washington State Jail Industries Board.
2004.
- Offender Work Report, 2002
[PDF] Washington State Jail Industries Board.
2005.
- Offender Work Report, 2000
[PDF] Washington State Jail Industries Board.
2001.
- Drug Treatment in the Criminal Justice System
The Current State of Knowledge,
Urban Institute.
January, 2003.
"Prisoners are not getting the drug treatment programs that would reduce their drug abuse and criminal behavior."
Sunday, October 16 2005:
Friday, October 14 2005:
- The Rest of Their Lives:
Life without Parole for Child Offenders in the United States,
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
October, 2005.
"there are currently at least 2,225 people incarcerated in the United States who have been sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison for crimes they committed as children"
Wednesday, October 5 2005:
Tuesday, October 4 2005:
- Studies of Voting Behavior and Felony Disenfranchisement
Among Individuals in the Criminal Justice System in New York, Connecticut, and Ohio,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
September, 2005.
(Prisoners with felony convictions)
- Still In Danger:
The Ongoing Threat of Sexual Violence against Transgender Prisoners,
[PDF] Stop Prisoner Rape and ACLU National Prison Project.
September, 2005.
Thursday, September 29 2005:
- Criminal Victimization, 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2005.
"The rate of violent crime dropped 9% from the period 2001-02 to the period 2003-04."
(Presents victimization rates for 2004.)
Tuesday, September 27 2005:
- Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...
A Report on Due Process Issues in the Handling of Immigration Detainees in Massachusetts,
[PDF] Detention Working Group - Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.
July, 2005.
Thursday, September 22 2005:
- Department of Corrections:
It Needs to Better Ensure Against Conflicts of Interest and to Improve Its Inmate Population Projections,
[PDF] California State Auditor - Bureau of State Audits.
September, 2005.
(The report found conflict-of-interest problems in no-bid contracts for re-opening prisons. The decision to re-open the facilities, were in turn based on population calculations that were not made through statistically valid forecasting methods.)
Sunday, September 18 2005:
- Chicago Communities and Prisoner Reentry
Urban Institute.
September, 2005.
- Unlocking the Future:
Detention Reform in the Juvenile Justice System,
[PDF] Coalition for Juvenile Justice; Annie E. Casey Foundation.
2003.
"Juvenile court jurisdictions... needlessly sweep into locked detention many young people with mental health, substance abuse and family problems - most of whom are 15 years or younger, nonviolent, and disproportionately youth of color."
- Childhood on Trial
The Failure of Trying and Sentencing Youth in Adult Criminal Court,
[PDF] Coalition for Juvenile Justice.
2005.
"Overview of report that identifies the public safety and rehabilitative failures of our nation's widespread"
Tuesday, September 13 2005:
- Batterer Intervention Programs:
Where Do We Go From Here?,
National Institute of Justice.
June, 2003.
- HIV in Prisons, 2003
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2005.
- Ganging Up on Communities
Putting Gang Crime in Context,
Justice Policy Institute.
July, 2005.
- When Violence Hits Home:
How Economics and Neighborhood Play a Role,
National Institute of Justice.
September, 2004.
- Crimes of Indiscretion:
Marijuana Arrests in the United States,
[PDF] NORML Foundation (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).
2005.
- Stress Among Probation and Parole Officers and What Can Be Done About It
[PDF] National Institute of Justice.
June, 2005.
- Prisoners of the Census:
Electoral and Financial Consequences of Counting Prisoners Where They Go, Not Where They Come From,
[PDF] Eric Lotke and Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2005.
- Adult Drug Courts:
Evidence Indicates Recidivism Reductions and Mixed Results for Other Outcomes,
[PDF] United States Government Accountability Office.
February, 2005.
- PREA Update
Stop Prisoner Rape's Report on the Prison Rape Elimination Act,
[PDF] Stop Prisoner Rape.
May, 2005.
- Implementation and Outcome Evaluation of the Intensive Aftercare Program
Final Report,
National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
May, 2005.
(The report assesses the implementation and effectiveness of IAP - deigned to reduce recidivism among high-risk juvenile parolees, it failed.)
- Juvenile Court Statistics 2000
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
December, 2004.
- Youth Court:
A Community Solution for Embracing At-Risk Youth--A National Update,
[PDF] The American Youth Policy Forum.
2005.
- Juvenile Victimization and Offending, 1993-2003
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2005.
Saturday, September 10 2005:
- Death Row U.S.A.
Summer 2005,
[PDF] NAACP LDF.
May, 2005.
- Missouri Vehicle Stops
2009 Annual Report,
[PDF] Missouri Attorney General's Office.
2011.
- Getting Away with Torture?
Command Responsibility for the U.S. Abuse of Detainees,
Human Rights Watch.
April, 2005.
- Deterring Staff Sexual Abuse of Federal Inmates
Office of the Inspector General.
April, 2005.
"This report examines sexual abuse of federal inmates by correctional staff and the current law's impact on deterrence of staff sexual abuse"
- Education on Lockdown:
The Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track,
[PDF] Advancement Project.
March, 2005.
"Examination of the emergence of zero tolerance school discipline policies and how these policies have pushed students away from an academic track to a future in the juvenile justice system."
Friday, September 9 2005:
Thursday, September 8 2005:
- A Look At The Impact Schools
[PDF] Drum Major Institute.
June, 2005.
"...the Impact Schools initiative has brought increased police and security presence into 22 New York City middle and high schools..."
(The report shows that low income, over-crowding and race are as characteristic of the schools as their crime-rates.)
- Accountability Audit:
Review of Audits of the California Youth Authority, 2000-2003,
[PDF] California Office of the Inspector.
January, 2005.
- Community Based Management Pilot Programs for Youth with Mental Illness...
Program Evaluation Report: Year Four,
[PDF] Colorado Department of Public Safety.
October, 2005.
(The number of new offenses after the program is strongly influenced by the program. Of program completers, 46% fewer individuals received a new court case in the 12 months after the program as the 12 months before.)
Wednesday, September 7 2005:
- Efficacy and Impact:
The Criminal Justice Response to Marijuana Policy in the United States,
Justice Policy Institute.
August, 2005.
- Adult and Juvenile Correctional Population Projections
Fiscal Years 2005-2010,
[PDF] Texas Legislative Budget Board.
January, 2005.
(Texas prison population projections: the adult prison population is projected to increase, while probation population decreases, in juvenile populations both groups projected to grow.)
- First Semi-Annual Report
[PDF] Arizona Department Of Juvenile Corrections - Consultant's Committee.
March, 2005.
(Results of a CRIPA investigation into conditions in Arizona's juvenile correctional facilities.)
Tuesday, September 6 2005:
Wednesday, August 31 2005:
- Substance Dependence, Abuse, and Treatment of Jail Inmates, 2002
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2005.
- Improving Access to and Integrity of Criminal History Records
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2005.
- Survey of State Procedures Related to Firearm Sales, Midyear 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2005.
- Suicide and Homicide in State Prisons and Local Jails
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2005.
- Federal Tort Trials and Verdicts, 2002-03
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2005.
Tuesday, August 30 2005:
Sunday, July 31 2005:
Tuesday, June 28 2005:
Sunday, June 19 2005:
Tuesday, April 26 2005:
Monday, April 25 2005:
Saturday, March 19 2005:
Thursday, March 17 2005:
- Cost-Saving or Cost-Shifting:
The Fiscal Impact of Prison Privatization in Arizona,
[PDF] Private Corrections Institute.
February, 2005.
- Protecting the Future:
Moderating West Virginia's Budget Crisis,
Grassroots Leadership.
February, 2005.
- Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission
Annual Report 2003,
[PDF] Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission.
March, 2004.
(An increasing number of people on probation or parole who have not committed new crimes are being sent to prison for breaking their release conditions)
- The Role of Specialty Mental Health Courts
in Meeting the Needs of Juvenile Offenders,
[PDF] Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.
September, 2004.
- Don't Mind If I Take a Look, Do Ya?
An Examination of Consent Searches and Contraband Hit Rates at Texas Traffic Stops,
[PDF] Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
February, 2005.
(2005 Racial Profiling Report)
- A Better Life- A Safer Community:
Helping Inmates Access Federal Benefits,
[PDF] Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.
January, 2003.
- Baltimore Prisoner's Experiences Returning Home
[PDF] Urban Institute.
March, 2004.
- Caught in the Net:
The Impact of Drug Policies on Women and Families,
[PDF] ACLU, Break the Chains and Brennan Center.
March, 2005.
- Women In Prison In Massachusetts:
Maintaining Family Connections,
[PDF] Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy.
March, 2005.
- Double Jeopardy:
A Report on Training and Educational Programs for New Hampshire's Female Offenders,
[PDF] New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women.
December, 2004.
Tuesday, March 15 2005:
- Crime and Victimization
in the Three Largest Metropolitan Areas, 1980-98,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2005.
- Oregon's Measure 11 Sentencing Reform:
Implementation and System Impact,
[PDF] RAND Corporation.
January, 2005.
- Crime Trends and Incarceration Rates in Oregon
[PDF] Justice Strategies.
June, 2004.
- Tipping Point:
Maryland's Overuse of incarceration and the impact on Public Safety,
Justice Policy Institute.
March, 2005.
- Race & Imprisonment in Texas:
The Disparate Incarceration of Latinos and African Americans in the Lone Star State,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
February, 2005.
Tuesday, February 15 2005:
- Barred for Life:
Voting Rights Restoration in Permanent Disenfranchisement States,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
January, 2005.
Monday, January 31 2005:
Tuesday, January 11 2005:
Friday, December 17 2004:
Wednesday, December 15 2004:
- Importing Constituents:
Prisoners and Political Clout in Nevada,
Prison Policy Initiative and Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada.
December, 2004.
Tuesday, December 14 2004:
Tuesday, December 7 2004:
Saturday, December 4 2004:
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2004
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2004.
- Triple-Decker Disenfranchisement:
First-Person Accounts of Losing the Right to Vote among Poor, Homeless Americans with a Felony Conviction,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
November, 2004.
- No Second Chance:
People with Criminal Records Denied Access to Public Housing,
Human Rights Watch.
November, 2004.
- Difficult times in Kentucky corrections:
Aftershocks of a "tough on crime" philosophy,
[PDF] Robert G. Lawson.
November, 2004.
- Civil Rights Enforcement by Bush Administration Lags
Trac Reports.
November, 2004.
- Fifteen Years of Guidelines Sentencing
U.S. Sentencing Commission.
November, 2004.
- Juvenile Arrests 2002
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
September, 2004.
Tuesday, November 16 2004:
Monday, November 8 2004:
Monday, November 1 2004:
- Prison Needle Exchange:
Lessons from a Comprehensive Review of International Evidence and Experience,
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network.
October, 2004.
Sunday, October 31 2004:
Sunday, October 17 2004:
Thursday, October 7 2004:
- Actual Constituents:
Students and Political Clout in New York,
Prison Policy Initiative.
October, 2004.
(how students are counted in the Census, why that makes sense (as opposed to how prisoners are counted) and why it makes no sense at all for some counties to discourage students from voting locally)
- No Refuge Here:
A First Look at Sexual Abuse in Immigration Detention,
[PDF] Stop Prisoner Rape.
October, 2004.
Friday, October 1 2004:
Saturday, September 25 2004:
- Incarceration and Enfranchisement:
International Practices, Impact and Recommendations for Reform,
[PDF] Brandon Rottinghaus, International Foundation for Election Systems.
June, 2003.
Thursday, September 23 2004:
Tuesday, September 21 2004:
- Criminal Victimization, 2003
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2004.
- Innocence and the Crisis in the American Death Penalty
Death Penalty Information Center.
September, 2004.
- The Vanishing Black Electorate:
Felony Disenfranchisement In Atlanta, Georgia,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
September, 2004.
- Political Punishment:
The Consequences of Felon Disenfranchisement for Rhode Island Communities,
[PDF] Rhode Island Family Life Center.
September, 2004.
- United States Sentencing Guidelines 2004:
An Experiment That Has Failed,
American College of Trial Lawyers.
September, 2004.
Thursday, August 26 2004:
- Swing States:
Crime, Prisons and the Future of the Nation,
Justice Policy Institute.
August, 2004.
Tuesday, August 24 2004:
Sunday, August 1 2004:
Wednesday, July 28 2004:
Monday, July 26 2004:
Monday, July 19 2004:
Wednesday, July 14 2004:
Wednesday, July 7 2004:
- Death Row U.S.A.
Spring 2004,
[PDF] NAACP LDF.
April, 2004.
- Death Row U.S.A.
Winter 2004,
[PDF] NAACP LDF.
January, 2004.
- Treatment or Incarceration:
National and State Findings on the Efficacy and Cost Savings of Drug Treatment Versus Imprisonment,
Justice Policy Institute.
March, 2004.
- Strengthening Public Safety,
Increasing Accountability, and Instituting Fiscal Responsibility in the Department of Correction,
[PDF] Governor's Commission on Corrections Reform.
June, 2004.
(Massachusetts, the Harshbarger Commission)
Tuesday, July 6 2004:
- Reforming California's Youth and Adult Correctional System
Corrections Independent Review Panel.
July, 2004.
- Corcoran State Prison 2002-2004:
Inside California's Brutal Maximum Security Prison,
[PDF] California Prison Focus.
June, 2004.
- Arizona Prison Crisis:
A Call for Smart on Crime Solutions,
[PDF] Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
May, 2004.
- State Prison Expenditures, 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2004.
- Schools and Prisons:
Fifty Years After Brown v. Board of Education,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
April, 2004.
- Importing Constituents:
Prisoners and Political Clout in Ohio,
Prison Policy Initiative.
July, 2004.
- ABA Justice Kennedy Commission Recommendations
[PDF] American Bar Association.
June, 2004.
Sunday, May 30 2004:
Saturday, May 29 2004:
- Justice Expenditure and Employment in the United States, 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2004.
- Hepatitis Testing and Treatment in State Prisons
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2004.
- Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2003
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2004.
- The Meaning of "Life"
Long Prison Sentences in Context,
Sentencing Project.
May, 2004.
- Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000:
Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2004.
- A Portrait of Prisoner Reentry in Texas
Urban Institute.
March, 2004.
- After Prison: Roadblocks to Reentry
A Report on State Legal Barriers Facing People with Criminal Records,
[PDF] Legal Action Center.
May, 2004.
- Civil Trial Cases and Verdicts in Large Counties, 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2004.
- Medical Malpractice Trials and Verdicts in Large Counties, 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2004.
Tuesday, April 13 2004:
- Too big to ignore:
How counting people in prisons distorted Census 2000,
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2004.
Monday, March 15 2004:
Saturday, March 13 2004:
- Crime and Justice Atlas 2000
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice.
June, 2000.
"As our criminal justice system undergoes many changes and interventions, it is important that we continually reexamine the practices, policies, and philosophies that guide us."
- Crime and Justice Atlas 2001 Update
[PDF] U.S. Department of Justice.
2001.
- The Prison Index:
Taking the Pulse of the Crime Control Industry,
Prison Policy Initiative and Western Prison Project.
March, 2003.
- Prison Policy Initiative Atlas
[Website] Prison Policy Initiative.
February, 2004.
(Maps of disenfranchisement, death penalty, incarceration, prison construction and more in the U.S. and internationally)
- Prisoners Gerrymandering Project
Miscounting prisoners undercounts democracy,
[Website] Prison Policy Initiative.
March, 2004.
Friday, March 12 2004:
- The Economic Impacts of the Prison Development Boom
On Persistently Poor Rural Places,
[PDF] Tracey Farrigan and Amy Glasmeier.
2003.
- Challenges facing women before prison may remain upon release
[PDF] Women's Prison Association.
October, 2003.
- The population of women in prison increases rapidly
[PDF] Women's Prison Association.
March, 2003.
- There are over 97,000 women in prisons today. They are....
[PDF] Women's Prison Association.
December, 2003.
(includes comparisons to men)
- Juvenile Arrests, 2001
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
December, 2003.
(juvenile crime drop continues, 7th year in a row)
- Juvenile Crime in Washington, D.C.
[PDF] Urban Institute.
December, 2003.
Wednesday, March 10 2004:
- Civil Disabilities of Convicted Felons:
A State-by-State Survey,
[PDF] Office of the Pardon Attorney.
October, 1996.
(This is an updated, state-only version. The original version, which includes federal information, is available through the Nat'l Criminal Justice Reference Service (https://www.ncjrs.gov/app/Search/Abstracts.aspx?id=195110))
- In Defense of Public Access to Justice:
An Assessment of Trial-Level Indigent Defense Services in Louisiana 40 Years After Gideon,
[PDF] National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
March, 2004.
Tuesday, March 9 2004:
- Lockdown New York:
Disciplinary Confinement in New York State Prisons,
[PDF] Correctional Association.
October, 2003.
- Still Striking Out:
Ten Years of California's Three Strikes,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
March, 2004.
Monday, March 8 2004:
Sunday, March 7 2004:
Saturday, February 28 2004:
Tuesday, February 10 2004:
Wednesday, January 28 2004:
Tuesday, January 27 2004:
Sunday, January 25 2004:
Tuesday, January 6 2004:
Thursday, January 1 2004:
- Justice in Jeopardy:
Report of the American Bar Association Commission on the 21st Century Judiciary,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
June, 2003.
Wednesday, December 31 2003:
- Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2003.
- Compendium of State Security and Privacy Legislation:
Overview 2002,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2003.
- Survey of State Criminal History Information Systems, 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2003.
- Jails in Indian Country, 2002
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2003.
- National Public Survey on White Collar Crime
[PDF] National White Collar Crime Center.
2000.
- Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties, 2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2003.
Friday, December 26 2003:
- Corrections Corporation of America:
A Critical Look at the First 20 Years, Grassroots Leadership,
[PDF] Grassroots Leadership.
December, 2003.
"explores continuing operational and financial problems; questions CCA's long-term viability as states reassess prison policies"
Saturday, December 20 2003:
Friday, December 19 2003:
Wednesday, December 17 2003:
- Punishing at the Polls:
The Case Against Disenfranchising Citizens with Felony Convictions,
[PDF] Alec Ewald, Demos.
December, 2003.
Monday, December 8 2003:
Sunday, December 7 2003:
Thursday, November 27 2003:
Wednesday, November 19 2003:
- Back to the Community:
Safe & Sound Parole Policies,
[PDF] Little Hoover Commission.
November, 2003.
(California)
Tuesday, November 18 2003:
Saturday, November 8 2003:
- Cost and Benefits?
The Impact of Drug Imprisonment in New Jersey,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
November, 2003.
- Smart On Crime:
Positive Trends in State-Level Sentencing and Corrections Policy,
[PDF] Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
November, 2003.
Monday, November 3 2003:
- Maine:
An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings,
[PDF] American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center.
October, 2003.
- Pennsylvania:
An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings,
[PDF] American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center.
October, 2003.
- Maryland:
An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings,
[PDF] American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center.
October, 2003.
- Washington:
An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings,
[PDF] American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center.
October, 2003.
- Montana
An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings,
[PDF] American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center.
October, 2003.
- North Carolina:
An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings,
[PDF] American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center.
October, 2003.
Tuesday, October 28 2003:
Friday, October 24 2003:
Wednesday, October 22 2003:
- Consensus Project Report
Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project.
June, 2002.
(project coordinated by the Council of State Governments (CSG))
- Ill-Equipped:
U.S. Prisons and Offenders with Mental Illness,
Human Rights Watch.
October, 2003.
Monday, October 20 2003:
- Correctional Health:
The Missing Key to Improving the Public's Health and Safety,
[PDF] Massachusetts Public Health Association.
October, 2003.
Tuesday, September 23 2003:
Sunday, September 21 2003:
Saturday, September 20 2003:
Wednesday, September 17 2003:
Tuesday, September 16 2003:
Wednesday, September 3 2003:
Friday, August 29 2003:
Thursday, August 28 2003:
Tuesday, August 26 2003:
Monday, August 25 2003:
- Criminal Victimization, 2002
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2003.
(Overall violent victimization and property crime rates are the lowest recorded since recording began in 1973)
- Upstate New York's Population Plateau:
The Third-Slowest Growing 'State',
[PDF] Brookings Institution.
August, 2003.
"Nearly 30 percent of new residents in Upstate New York in the 1990s were prisoners."
Saturday, August 23 2003:
- Incarcerated America:
Backgrounder,
Human Rights Watch.
April, 2003.
- Breaking the Rules:
Who suffers when a prosecutor is cited for misconduct?,
[Website] Center for Public Integrity.
June, 2003.
(includes online database of cases)
Wednesday, August 20 2003:
Tuesday, August 19 2003:
- Educational Achievement of Inmates in the Windham School District
[PDF] Criminal Justice Policy Council (Texas).
April, 2000.
(Windham District is the Texas prison system)
- Impact of Educational Achievement of Inmates
in the Windham School District on Post-Release Employment,
[PDF] Criminal Justice Policy Council (Texas).
June, 2000.
(Windham District is the Texas prison system)
- Impact of Recent Legal Changes in Felon Voting Rights in Five States
[PDF] Profs Uggen and Manza.
October, 2002.
(Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico and Texas)
- Summary of Changes to State Felon Disenfranchisement Laws,
1865-2003,
[PDF] Profs. Uggen and Manza.
September, 2002.
- Democratic Contraction:
Political Consequences of Felon Disenfranchisement in the United States,
[PDF] Profs. Uggen and Manza.
November, 2002.
- The Partisan Politics of Ex-Felon Disenfranchisement Laws
(excerpts),
[PDF] Jason Belmont Conn.
May, 2003.
- Public Attitudes Towards Felon Disenfranchisement in the United States
[PDF] Profs Uggen, Brooks and Manza.
September, 2002.
(Published in Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 68)
- Barred from the Vote:
Public Attitudes Toward the Disenfranchisement of Felons,
[PDF] Pinaire, Heumann, and Bilotta.
2001.
Monday, August 18 2003:
- Derailed:
The Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track,
[PDF] Advancement Project.
May, 2003.
"how zero-tolerance policies are derailing students from an academic track in schools to a future in the juvenile justice system"
(it's a huge (13MB) PDF file)
- Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.S. Population,
1974-2001,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2003.
- Building Bridges: From Conviction to Employment
A Proposal to Reinvest Corrections Savings in an Employment Initiative,
[PDF] Council of State Governments.
January, 2003.
- Criminal Justice and Health and Human Services:
An Exploration of Overlapping Needs, Resources, and Interests in Brooklyn Neighborhoods,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
January, 2002.
(by Eric Cadora)
- Reducing Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System:
A Manual for Practitioners and Policymakers,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
October, 2000.
- Exploring the Needs and Risks of the Returning Prisoner Population
[PDF] Urban Institute.
January, 2002.
(by James Austin, John Irwin, Patricia Hardyman)
- Juvenile Transfer to Criminal Court:
Final Report,
[PDF] Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
January, 2002.
(see summary with graphs at http://sentencingproject.org/pdfs/2083.pdf)
Friday, August 15 2003:
- Money Laundering Offenders
1994-2001,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2003.
- On the wrong side of history:
Children and the death penalty in the USA,
Amnesty International.
October, 1998.
- Crack Cocaine Sentencing Policy:
Unjustified and Unreasonable,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
2001.
- Does the punishment fit the crime?
Drug users and drunk drivers, questions of race and class,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
May, 1993.
(Executive summary to longer report not available online)
- The Economics of Drug Selling:
A Review of the Research,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
April, 2003.
- Disenfranchised Veterans in the United States
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
June, 2003.
- U.S. Prison Populations
Trends and Implications,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
May, 2003.
- Hispanic Prisoners in the United States
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
August, 2003.
- The Impact of Race and Ethnicity
on Charging and Sentencing Processes for Drug Offenders in Three Counties of Washington State,
[PDF] Washington State Minority and Justice Commission.
December, 1999.
- Gender and Justice:
Women, Drugs, and Sentencing Policy,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
October, 1999.
Friday, August 8 2003:
Saturday, August 2 2003:
- Dollars and Sentences:
Legislators' Views on Prisons, Punishment, and the Budget Crisis,
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
July, 2003.
Monday, July 28 2003:
Tuesday, July 22 2003:
- Death Row U.S.A.
Spring 2003,
[PDF] NAACP LDF.
April, 2003.
- Death Row U.S.A.
Winter 2003,
[PDF] NAACP LDF.
January, 2003.
- Death Row U.S.A.
Fall 2002,
[PDF] NAACP LDF.
October, 2002.
- Death Row U.S.A.
Summer 2002,
[PDF] NAACP LDF.
July, 2002.
- Death Row U.S.A.
Spring 2002,
[PDF] NAACP LDF.
April, 2002.
- Death Row U.S.A.
Fall 2001,
[PDF] NAACP LDF.
October, 2001.
Tuesday, July 15 2003:
Monday, July 14 2003:
Tuesday, July 8 2003:
Wednesday, July 2 2003:
- Research Findings on Adult Correction's Programs:
A Review,
[PDF] Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
September, 1999.
- Jail-based voter registration campaigns
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
May, 2003.
- USA:
Unaccompanied Children in Immigration Detention,
[PDF] Amnesty International.
June, 2003.
- Comparative International Rates of Incarceration:
An Examination of Causes and Trends,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
June, 2003.
(presented to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights)
- Recidivism:
The Effect of Incarceration and Length of Time Served,
[PDF] Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
September, 1993.
- Felony Sentences in State Courts, 2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2003.
- Youth in Court
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
June, 2003.
- Juvenile Court Statistics 1999
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
June, 2003.
- Youth Victimization:
Prevalence and Implications,
[PDF] National Institute of Justice.
April, 2003.
"youth victimization is clearly linked to mental health problems and delinquent behavior. Results are analyzed across gender and race/ethnicity and translated into national estimates"
Sunday, June 8 2003:
- A Preference for Vengeance:
The Death Penalty and the Treatment of Prisoners in Georgia,
[PDF] Southern Center for Human Rights.
June, 1996.
- Do Drug Courts Save Jail and Prison Beds?
[PDF] Vera Institute of Justice.
2000.
- Population Impact of Mass Incarceration
under New York's Rockefeller Drug Laws: an Analysis of Years of Life Lost,
[PDF] Ernest Drucker.
September, 2002.
- State and Federal Prisoners:
Profiles of Inmate Characteristics in 1991 and 1997,
[PDF] General Accounting Office.
May, 2000.
- Prisoner Releases:
Trends and Information on Reintegration Programs,
[PDF] General Accounting Office.
June, 2001.
- But They All Come Back:
Rethinking Prisoner Reentry,
[PDF] National Institute of Justice (Jeremy Travis).
May, 2000.
- The Effects of Prison Sentences and Intermediate Sanctions on Recidivism:
General Effects and Individual Differences,
[PDF] Paula Smith, Claire Goggin and Paul Gendreau.
January, 2002.
- The Effects of Prison Sentences on Recidivism
Paul Gendreau and Claire Goggin.
March, 1999.
Saturday, June 7 2003:
- Justice by Gender:
The Lack of Appropriate Prevention, Diversion and Treatment Alternatives for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
May, 2001.
- A Call for Justice:
An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
December, 1995.
- More Than Meets the Eye:
Rethinking Assessment, Competency and Sentencing for a Harsher Era of Juvenile Justice,
American Bar Association.
August, 1997.
- Beyond the Walls:
Improving Conditions of Confinement for Youth in Custody,
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
January, 1998.
- Selling Justice Short:
Juvenile Indigent Defense in Texas,
[PDF] Texas Appleseed.
October, 2000.
Friday, June 6 2003:
Thursday, June 5 2003:
Wednesday, June 4 2003:
- Childhood Victimization and Delinquency, Adult Criminality,
and Violent Criminal Behavior: A Replication and Extension, Final Report.,
[PDF] Diana J. English, Cathy Spatz Widom and Carol Brandford.
January, 2001.
- Drug Policies in the State of Michigan:
Economic Effects,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
May, 2003.
- Texas Tough:
3 Years Later,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
April, 2003.
"After a three-year-decline in the prison population, Texas? prison population may once again be on the rise"
Tuesday, June 3 2003:
Sunday, June 1 2003:
- Lethal Indifference:
The Fatal Combination of Incompetent Attorneys and Unaccountable Courts,
[PDF] Texas Defender Service.
2002.
Sunday, May 18 2003:
- Literacy Behind Prison Walls:
Profiles of the Prison Population from the National Adult Literacy Survey,
National Center for Education Statistics.
October, 1994.
(the literacy levels of prisoners, by population and offense groups, with comparisons to demographically similar adults not in prison)
- Prison Guard or Parent?
INS Treatment of Unaccompanied Refugee Children,
[PDF] Women's Commission for Refugee Women & Children.
May, 2002.
- Protecting the Rights of Children:
The Need for U.S. Children's Asylum Guidelines,
[PDF] Women's Commission for Refugee Women & Children.
December, 1998.
- Liberty Denied:
Women Seeking Asylum Imprisoned in the United States,
[PDF] Women's Commission for Refugee Women & Children.
April, 1997.
- Mass Incarceration as Reverse Reparations
[PDF] Chicago Urban League.
September, 2001.
- The Color and Geography of Prison Growth in Illinois
[PDF] Chicago Urban League.
2001.
Tuesday, May 6 2003:
Monday, May 5 2003:
- Beyond Locked Doors:
Abuse of Refugee Women at the Krome Detention Facility,
[PDF] Women's Commission for Refugee Women & Children.
October, 2002.
- Forgotten Prisoners:
A Follow-Up Report on Refugee Women Incarcerated in York County, Pennsylvania,
[PDF] Women's Commission for Refugee Women & Children.
July, 1998.
- Innocents in Jail:
INS Moves Refugee Women from Krome to Turner Guilford Knight CC, Miami,
[PDF] Women's Commission for Refugee Women & Children.
June, 2001.
(follow-up to Behind Locked Doors)
Sunday, May 4 2003:
Friday, May 2 2003:
Thursday, May 1 2003:
- Abuse of Women in Custody:
Sexual Misconduct and Shackling of Pregnant Women,
[Website] Amnesty International.
2000.
(includes a detailed state by state survey)
Monday, April 21 2003:
Friday, April 18 2003:
Tuesday, April 8 2003:
Sunday, March 23 2003:
- Drug Use and Justice 2002:
An Examination of California Drug Policy Enforcement,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
December, 2002.
- Seeking Balance:
Reducing Prison Costs in Times of Austerity,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
December, 2002.
- Assembly Line Justice:
Mississippi's Indigent Defense Crisis,
[PDF] NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.
February, 2003.
- Justice Cut Short:
An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings in Ohio,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
March, 2003.
- Aftercare as afterthought:
Re-entry and the California Youth Authority,
[PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
August, 2002.
Monday, March 10 2003:
- Dying Twice:
Conditions on New York's Death Row,
[PDF] Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
2001.
- How Mistaken and Perjured Eyewitness Identification Testimony
Put 46 Innocent Americans on Death Row,
Northwestern University School of Law.
May, 2001.
- Illusion of Control:
"Consensual" executions, the impending death of Timothy McVeigh, and the brutalizing futility of capital punishment,
[PDF] Amnesty International.
June, 2001.
- Worlds Apart
Violations of the Rights of Foreign Nationals on Death Row - Cases of Europeans,
Amnesty International.
July, 2000.
- Sentenced to Death:
A Report on Washington Supreme Court Rulings In Capital Cases,
[PDF] ACLU of Washington.
August, 2000.
- The Disposition of Nebraska Capital and Non-Capital Homicide Cases
Nebraska Crime Commission.
October, 2002.
(death sentences 5 times more likely if victim well to do)
- Capital Case Commission Report (Arizona)
[Website] Arizona Attorney General.
December, 2002.
Sunday, March 9 2003:
- Reporting Crime to the Police, 1992-2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2003.
- Drug Companies and Their Role in Aiding Executions
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
2002.
- Study of the Imposition of the Death Penalty in Connecticut
State of Connecticut Commission on the Death Penalty.
January, 2003.
- Arbitrary, discriminatory, and cruel:
an aide-mémoire to 25 years of judicial killing,
[PDF] Amnesty International.
January, 2002.
(summarizes the cases of the executed, sorted by theme)
- Facts and Figures on the Death Penalty
[PDF] Amnesty International.
February, 2002.
(lots of international comparisons, regularly updated)
- Death sentence reversals cast doubt on system
Courtroom mistakes put executions on hold,
Howard Mintz, San Jose Mercury News.
April, 2002.
(focuses on California and the high rate at which federal judges overturn California judges who vote for death)
- Toward Greater Awareness:
The American Bar Association Call for a Moratorium on Executions Gains Ground,
[PDF] American Bar Association.
August, 2001.
- Indecent and internationally illegal
The death penalty and child offenders,
[PDF] Amnesty International.
September, 2002.
- The Death Penalty and Human Rights
U.S. Death Penalty and International Law,
[PDF] Death Penalty Information Center.
2002.
- Protecting the Consular Rights of Foreign Nationals
Facing the Death Penalty,
[PDF] Amnesty International.
August, 2001.
- Death without Justice:
A Guide for Examining the Administration of the Death Penalty in the United States,
[PDF] ABA Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities.
June, 2001.
- Review of Virginia's System of Capital Punishment
[PDF] Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission.
December, 2001.
- Substance Abuse Treatment in Adult and Juvenile Correctional Facilities
Findings from the Uniform Facility Data Set 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities,
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
April, 2000.
- They're Coming Back:
an Action Plan for Successful Reintegration of Offenders That Works for Everyone,
[PDF] The Philadelphia Consensus Group on Reentry & Reintegration of Adjudicated Offenders.
February, 2003.
- Youth' Competence to Stand Trial:
A Comparison of Adolescents' and Adults' Capacities as Trial Defendants,
[PDF] MacArthur Foundation.
February, 2003.
- Lost Opportunities:
Our Children Are Not Rehabilitated When They Are Treated And Incarcerated As Adults,
[PDF] Roslyn M. Satchel, Southern Center for Human Rights.
2002.
Friday, March 7 2003:
Wednesday, February 26 2003:
Monday, February 24 2003:
Wednesday, February 19 2003:
Thursday, February 13 2003:
Wednesday, January 29 2003:
Sunday, January 26 2003:
- Homicide Trends in the United States:
2000 Update,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2003.
- Federal Criminal Case Processing, 2001
With trends 1982-2001, Reconciled Data,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2003.
- Tribal Law Enforcement, 2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2003.
- Juvenile Arrests: 2000
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
January, 2003.
"6 straight years of a decline in arrests of juveniles for violent crimes"
- Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2000:
Selected Findings,
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
January, 2003.
- Violent Victimization as a Risk Factor for Violent Offending
Among Juveniles,
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
January, 2003.
Thursday, January 16 2003:
Saturday, January 11 2003:
Friday, January 10 2003:
Thursday, January 9 2003:
Wednesday, January 1 2003:
- UNICOR 2001 Annual Report
[PDF] Bureau of Prisons.
2002.
(UNICOR is the trade name for the federal prison industries)
- Dignity Denied:
The Experience of Murder Victims' Family Members Who Oppose the Death Penalty,
[PDF] Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation.
August, 2002.
- Common Sense Says...
That people on Death Row often had the state's worst lawyers at trial.,
[PDF] Common Sense Foundation.
October, 2002.
"More than one in six current death row inmates was represented at trial by lawyers who have been disciplined by the North Carolina State Bar"
- Victimisation in Seventeen Industrialised Countries:
Key-findings from the 2000 international Crime Victims Survey,
[PDF] the Hague, Ministry of Justice.
2000.
(Full text not available for download. See entry in Nat'l Criminal Justice Ref. Service for bibliographical info. https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=187198)
- OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
April, 2002.
"frequently updated"
(provides basic information on juvenile crime and victimization and on youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Data in the six topics (left menu) provide ... statistical answers to the most frequently asked questions)
- Juvenile Offenders and Victims:
1999 National Report,
[Website] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
September, 1999.
Sunday, December 29 2002:
- Killing Justice:
Government Misconduct and the Death Penalty,
Death Penalty Information Center.
March, 1992.
- Justice on the Cheap:
The Philadelphia Story,
Death Penalty Information Center.
May, 1992.
(comparing expenditures for death penalty defense with other PA counties)
- The future of the death penalty in the U.S.:
A Texas-sized crisis,
Death Penalty Information Center.
May, 1994.
- Twenty Years of Capital Punishment:
A Re-evaluation,
Death Penalty Information Center.
June, 1996.
- Innocence and the Death Penalty:
The Increasing Danger of Executing the Innocent,
Death Penalty Information Center.
July, 1997.
- International Perspectives on the Death Penalty:
A Costly Isolation for the U.S.,
Death Penalty Information Center.
October, 1999.
- Killing for Votes:
The Dangers of Politicizing the Death Penalty Process,
Death Penalty Information Center.
October, 1996.
- With Justice for Few:
The Growing Crisis in Death Penalty Representation,
Death Penalty Information Center.
October, 1995.
- Innocence and the Death Penalty:
Assessing the Danger of Mistaken Executions,
Death Penalty Information Center.
October, 1993.
- Millions Misspent:
What Politicians Don't Say About the High Costs of the Death Penalty,
Death Penalty Information Center.
October, 1992.
- Buckle of the Death Belt:
The Death Penalty in Microcosm (Chattahoochee Judicial District),
Death Penalty Information Center.
1991.
(racial discrimination in one region of Georgia)
- Sentencing for Life:
Americans Embrace Alternatives to the Death Penalty,
Death Penalty Information Center.
1993.
- Racial Disparities:
in Federal Death Penalty Prosecutions 1988-1994,
Death Penalty Information Center.
1994.
- On the Front Line:
Law Enforcement Views on the Death Penalty,
Death Penalty Information Center.
1995.
- The Death Penalty in 2002:
Year End Report,
Death Penalty Information Center.
November, 2002.
- Innocence and the Death Penalty
Death Penalty Information Center.
January, 2002.
Thursday, December 19 2002:
Monday, December 16 2002:
- The Children Left Behind:
An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings in Louisiana,
[PDF] American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center and Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana.
June, 2001.
- Kentucky-Advancing Justice:
An Assessment of Access to Counsel in Juvenile Delinquency Proceedings,
[PDF] American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center and the Children's Law Center.
September, 2002.
Sunday, December 15 2002:
- Georgia:
An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings,
American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center and the Southern Center for Human Rights.
August, 2001.
- Virginia:
An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings,
American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center and the Mid-Atlantic Juvenile Defender Center.
October, 2002.
Sunday, December 8 2002:
Wednesday, December 4 2002:
Wednesday, November 27 2002:
- The Practice and Promise of Prison Programming
[PDF] Urban Institute.
May, 2002.
- Youth Violence:
Perception Versus Reality,
Urban Institute.
May, 1999.
- An Empirical Study of the School Zone Law
in Three Cities in Massachusetts,
[PDF] Join Together.
July, 2001.
"MA law requiring mandatory sentences for selling drugs near schools does not and can not increase safety near schools"
(Fall River, New Bedford and Springfield)
- Race and Class Penalties in Crack Cocaine Sentencing
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
2002.
- Why the Department of Justice is Wrong About Cocaine Sentencing
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
2002.
- Did Getting Tough on Crime Pay?
Urban Institute.
August, 1997.
- The Expanding Federal Prison Population
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
2001.
- Selective Celling:
Inmate Population in Ohio's Private Prisons,
[PDF] Policy Matters Ohio.
May, 2001.
(argues that prison cost savings are a myth by sending only low-cost prisoners to private prisons)
- Crime Control and Common Sense Assumptions
Underlying the Expansion of the Prison Population,
Urban Institute.
May, 1999.
- Prisoner Reentry in Perspective
[PDF] Urban Institute.
September, 2001.
- The Influences of Truth-in-Sentencing Reforms
on Changes in States' Sentencing Practices and Prison Population,
Urban Institute.
April, 2002.
- The Rise and Fall of American Youth Violence:
1980 to 2000,
Urban Institute.
March, 2002.
- Youth, Guns, and the Juvenile Justice System
[PDF] Urban Institute.
January, 2002.
Saturday, November 23 2002:
Friday, November 22 2002:
Wednesday, November 13 2002:
Saturday, November 9 2002:
- Report of the Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment
[Website] Illinois Governor George H. Ryan's Commission on Capital Punishment.
April, 2002.
- Cost Savings in State Corrections:
Medical treatment in the community for very ill offenders.,
Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission.
December, 1998.
(it's an MSWord file)
- Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2002.
- California Voters' Reaction to Proposed Cuts in the Budget
California HealthCare Foundation.
July, 2002.
"large proportions of voters favored cutbacks in state prisons and corrections (46 percent)"
(See press release or page 4 of graphical summary.)
- Some Days Are Harder Than Hard:
Welfare Reform and Women With Drug Convictions in Pennsylvania,
[PDF] Center for Law and Social Policy.
December, 1999.
- A National Study Comparing the Environments of Boot Camps
with Traditional Facilities for Juvenile Offenders,
[PDF] National Institute of Justice.
August, 2001.
- Juvenile Justice and Disproportionality:
Patterns of Minority Over-Representation in Washington's Juvenile Justice System,
[PDF] State of Washington Sentencing Guidelines Commission.
December, 1997.
Monday, November 4 2002:
Friday, November 1 2002:
Wednesday, October 30 2002:
Sunday, October 13 2002:
Wednesday, September 25 2002:
Monday, September 23 2002:
Friday, September 20 2002:
Thursday, September 19 2002:
Monday, September 9 2002:
- Criminal Victimization 2001:
Changes 2000-2001 with Trends 1993-2001,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
2002.
(dropped 10% in 2001; to half the rate it was in 1973 when the survey began)
Saturday, September 7 2002:
- School Crime, 1991
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 1991.
"Analyzes the experiences of U.S. students in grades 6-12"
- Sex Differences in Violent Victimization, 1994
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 1997.
- Sex Offenses and Offenders
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 1997.
- Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement:
Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2000.
- Students' Report of School Crime:
1989 and 1995,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 1998.
- Trends in Juvenile Violence and the 1997 Update
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 1997.
- Urban, Suburban, and Rural Victimization, 1993-98
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2000.
- Violence-Related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 1997.
- Violence Against Women:
Estimates from the Redesigned National Crime Victimization Survey,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 1995.
- Violence and Theft in the Workplace
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 1994.
- Violence between Intimates
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 1994.
- Violent Offenders in State Prison:
Sentences and Time Served--State Inmates, 1992-94,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 1995.
- Workplace Violence, 1992-96
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 1998.
- Substance Abuse and Treatment of Adults on Probation, 1995
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 1998.
- State Prison Expenditures, 1996
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 1999.
"presents comparative data on the cost of operating the Nation's State prisons"
- Weapons Offenses and Offenders--Firearms, Crime, and Criminal Justice:
Selected Findings,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 1995.
- Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 1993.
- Time Served in Prison by Federal Offenders, 1986-97
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 1999.
"Describes changes in sentences imposed and time served brought about by the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984"
- Prior Abuse Reported by Inmates and Probationers
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 1999.
- Sheriffs' Offices 1999
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2001.
- Use of Force By Police:
Overview of National and Local Data,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 1999.
- Young Black Male Victims
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 1994.
- Spouse Murder Defendants in Large Urban Counties
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 1995.
- State Court Organization 1998
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2000.
- Women in Prison
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 1994.
Friday, September 6 2002:
Wednesday, September 4 2002:
- Murder in Large Urban Counties, 1988
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 1993.
- Justice Expenditure and Employment Extracts, 1992
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 1997.
- Implementing the National Incident-Based Reporting System:
A Project Status Report,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 1997.
- Guns Used in Crime:
Firearms, Crime, and Criminal Justice,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 1995.
- Presale Handgun Checks, the Brady Interim Period, 1994-98
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 1999.
- Medical Problems of Inmates, 1997
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2001.
"Presents survey data on offenders who were in prison who reported a medical problem since admission or a physical impairment or mental condition"
- Jails and Jail Inmates, 1993-94
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 1995.
- Lifetime Likelihood of Going to State or Federal Prison
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 1997.
- Noncitizens in the Federal Criminal Justice System, 1984-94
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 1996.
- Prison and Jail Inmates, 1995
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 1996.
- Prison Sentences and Time Served for Violence
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 1995.
- Prisoners at Midyear 1995
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 1995.
- Probation and Parole Violators in State Prison, 1991
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 1995.
- Profile of Jail Inmates, 1996
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 1998.
- Profile of Inmates in the U.S. and in England and Wales, 1991
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 1994.
- Local Police Departments, 1999
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2001.
- Police Use of Force
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 1997.
- Policing and Homicide, 1976-98:
Justifiable Homicide of Felons by Police and Murder of Police by Felons,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2001.
- Pretrial Release of Felony Defendants, 1992:
National Pretrial Reporting Program,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 1994.
- Perceptions of Neighborhood Crime, 1995
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 1998.
- Offenders Returning to Federal Prison, 1986-97
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2000.
- Indigent Defense
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 1996.
- Juvenile Delinquents in the Federal Criminal Justice System
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 1997.
- Juvenile Felony Defendants in Criminal Courts
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 1998.
- Youth Prosecuted in State Criminal Court
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 1997.
Tuesday, September 3 2002:
- Guns and Crime:
Handgun Victimization, Firearm Self-Defense, and Firearm Theft,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 1994.
- German and American Prosecutions:
An Approach to Statistical Comparison,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 1998.
"charging, conviction, and sentencing rates for selected crimes"
Monday, September 2 2002:
- Challenging the Conditions of Prisons and Jails:
A Report on Section 1983 Litigation,,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 1994.
"extent and outcomes of Federal civil suits by prisoners against correctional authorities"
- Age Patterns of Victims of Serious Violent Crime
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 1997.
"Presents data from the redesigned NCVS that examines violent crime across the general population, ages 12 or older."
- Changes in Criminal Victimization 1994-95
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 1997.
- Child Rape Victims, 1992
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 1994.
(based on 15 states)
- Child Victimizers:
Violent Offenders and Their Victims,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 1996.
- Crime and the Nation's Households, 1992
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 1993.
- Criminal Victimization, 1973-95
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 1997.
- Elderly Crime Victims
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 1994.
- Female Victims of Violent Crime
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 1996.
- Campus Law Enforcement Agencies, 1995
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 1996.
(600 agencies at 4-year schools with 2,500+ students)
- Domestic and Sexual Violence Data Collection:
A Report to Congress under the Violence Against Women Act ,,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 1996.
"how States and the Federal government collect data on the incidence of sexual and domestic violence offenses."
- Compendium of State Privacy and Security Legislation:
1999 Overview,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2000.
- Conducting Community Surveys:
A Practical Guide for Law Enforcement Agencies,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 1999.
- Continuing Criminal History Records Improvement Evaluation:
Final 1994-98 Report,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2000.
- Federal Firearms-Related Offenses:
Federal Offenses and Offenders,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 1995.
(Notes the association between firearms involvement and an increased severity of sentence)
- Firearm Injury from Crime:
Firearms, Crime, and Criminal Justice,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 1996.
- Firearms and Crimes of Violence
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 1994.
"trends in firearm use in serious violent crime, based on FBI data on homicide, BJS data on victimization and inmate firearm use, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on firearm ownership by high school students."
- Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 1995
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 1997.
- Characteristics of Adults on Probation, 1995
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 1997.
- Correctional Populations in the United States, 1997
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2000.
- Federal Offenders under Community Supervision, 1987-96
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 1998.
- Felony Sentences in the United States, 1996
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 1999.
- Crime and Justice in the United States and in England and Wales, 1981-96
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 1998.
- Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 1996
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 1998.
- Community Policing in Local Police Departments, 1997 and 1999
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2001.
(changes in the prevalence of community oriented policing policies)
- Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2001.
- Federal Pretrial Release and Detention, 1996
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 1999.
- Crime and Neighborhoods
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 1994.
"compares victimization levels and perceptions of neighborhood crime"
- Federal Criminal Appeals, 1999, with Trends 1985-99
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2001.
"Describes the increase in the appellate caseload as a result of challenges to the sentence imposed."
- Federal Habeas Corpus Review:
Challenging State Court Criminal Convictions,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 1995.
(samples cases in 18 courts in 9 states)
Thursday, August 29 2002:
- Cellblocks or Classrooms?:
The Funding of Higher Education and Corrections and Its Impact on African American Men,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
August, 2002.
"State spending on prisons grows at 6 times the rate of higher education"
Tuesday, August 27 2002:
- Reflections on the Crime Decline:
Lessons for the Future?,
[PDF] Urban Institute.
August, 2002.
(builds upon the work of The Crime Drop in America, edited by Alfred Blumstein and Joel Wallman)
Sunday, August 25 2002:
- Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2002
At A Glance,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2002.
- Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2002.
(statistics on all the stages of the federal criminal justice system from arrest to parole)
- Probation and Parole in the United States, 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2002.
(See Trends in State Parole 1990-2000 for more detail and explanations about this potentially misleading report)
- World Report 2002
Human Rights Watch.
2002.
(focuses on issues and legal developments rather than statistics)
- Rape and Sexual Assault:
Reporting to Police and Medical Attention, 1992-2000,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2002.
Sunday, August 11 2002:
Tuesday, August 6 2002:
Thursday, August 1 2002:
Wednesday, July 31 2002:
Tuesday, July 30 2002:
- Prisoners in 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2002.
"State prison population drops in second half of 2001-Federal inmate growth continues"
Sunday, July 28 2002:
- Rural Prisons: An Update
[PDF] Calvin Beale, Department of Agriculture, Rural Development Perspectives.
February, 1996.
"nonmetro counties continued to acquire prisons at a rate dramatically out of proportion to the percentage of the Nation's population that lives in such areas."
- Factories with Fences:
The History of Federal Prison Industries,
[PDF] Bureau of Prisons.
May, 1996.
- Explorations in Inmate-Family Relationships
Norman Holt, Donald Miller, California Department of Corrections.
January, 1972.
"The central finding of this research is the strong and consistent positive relationship that exists between parole success and maintaining strong family ties while in prison."
Sunday, July 21 2002:
Friday, July 19 2002:
- Third-Party Involvement in Violent Crime
1993-99,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2002.
(Third parties include bystanders, other victims, household members, police officer, officers, instigators, or any combination of these.)
- ¿Dónde Está la Justicia?
A Call to Action on behalf of Latino and Latina Youth in the U.S. Justice System (English Version),
[PDF] Building Blocks for Youth.
July, 2002.
(Available in English and Spanish)
Friday, July 5 2002:
Thursday, July 4 2002:
Monday, July 1 2002:
Sunday, June 30 2002:
- The brotherhood:
Racism and intimidation among prison staff at Indiana Correctional Facility-Putnamville,
[PDF] Kelsey Kauffman.
July, 2001.
Wednesday, June 26 2002:
Saturday, June 22 2002:
- Collateral Casualties
Children of Incarcerated Drug Offenders in New York,
Human Rights Watch.
June, 2000.
"An estimated 23,537 children currently have parents in New York prisons convicted of drug charges."
- Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2002.
- Prosecutors in State Courts
2001,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2002.
"Number of full-time prosecutors grows in nation's State court systems"
- Burglary Cases in Juvenile Court
1989-1998,
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
May, 2002.
- Juvenile Court Placement of Adjudicated Youth
1989-1998,
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
March, 2002.
- National Youth Gang Survey Trends
from 1996 to 2000,
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
March, 2002.
- Highlights of the 2000 National Youth Gang Survey
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
March, 2002.
- Robbery Cases in Juvenile Court
1989-1998,
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
March, 2002.
Friday, May 17 2002:
Monday, May 13 2002:
- Drug War Facts
[Website] Common Sense for Drug Policy.
May, 2002.
(Summaries with footnotes of major research on the war on drugs. Read individual chapters or download the whole thing)
- Police Departments in Large Cities, 1990-2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2002.
(Police per capita up 7% over the decade)
Saturday, May 11 2002:
- Hispanic Victims of Violent Crime, 1993-2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2002.
- Drug and Crime Facts
[Website] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2002.
"This site summarizes U.S. statistics about drug-related crimes, law enforcement, courts, and corrections from Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and non-BJS sources"
- Survey of State Procedures Related to Firearm Sales, Midyear 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2002.
- Jails in Indian Country, 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2002.
"At midyear 2001, jails in Indian country supervised 2,030 persons"
- Characteristics of Drivers Stopped by Police, 1999
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2002.
"Approximately 422,000 persons age 16 or older said the police used or threatened to use force against them at least once during 1999."
- Private Prisons, Politics & Profits
National Institute on Money in State Politics.
July, 2000.
- Summary of State Sex Offender Registries, 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2002.
- Juvenile Offenders in Residential Placement:
1997-1999,
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
March, 2002.
"There were 108,931 juvenile offenders in residential placement on October 27, 1999"
Thursday, May 2 2002:
- A Contributing Influence:
The Private-Prison Industry and Political Giving in the South,
[PDF] Institute on Money in State Politics.
April, 2002.
Tuesday, April 30 2002:
Monday, April 22 2002:
- Importing Constituents:
Prisoners and Political Clout in New York,
Prison Policy Initiative.
April, 2002.
(Study of the effect of counting urban prisoners as rural residents for purposes of state legislative redistricting)
Wednesday, April 10 2002:
- Analysis of new Justice Department report,
Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2001,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
April, 2002.
- New Justice Department Study:
As Some State Prison Populations Decline, Federal Prison Population Grows,
Justice Policy Institute.
April, 2002.
"While Some State Prison Populations Decline, Federal Lock-up Boom Continues As States Find Alternatives for Nonviolent and Drug Offenders, Federal Imprisonment of Non-Citizens and Drug Offenders Grows"
- Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
April, 2002.
Monday, April 8 2002:
Saturday, April 6 2002:
- Not Part of My Sentence
Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody,
[Website] Amnesty International.
March, 1999.
Saturday, March 30 2002:
Friday, March 22 2002:
- Age Patterns in Violent Victimization, 1976-2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2002.
- A Broken System, Part II:
Why There Is So Much Error in Capital Cases, and What Can Be Done About It,
James Liebman.
February, 2002.
- The Death Penalty in 2001:
Year End Report,
[PDF] Death Penalty Information Center.
December, 2001.
- Justice Expenditure and Employment in the United States, 1999
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2002.
"The extracts present public expenditure and employment data pertaining to justice activities in the United States, including police, judicial and legal services, and correctional activities."
- Justice Expenditure and Employment in the United States, 1995
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 1999.
- Federal and State Prisons:
Inmate Populations, Costs, and Projection Models, 1996,
[PDF] General Accounting Office.
1996.
- Federal Criminal Case Processing, 2000:
With trends 1982-2000,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2001.
- Detention in Delinquency Cases, 1989-1998
[PDF] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
January, 2002.
Sunday, March 10 2002:
- Changing Minds
The Impact of College in a Maximum Security Prison,
[PDF] Graduate Center of CUNY & Women in Prison at Bedford Hills CF, NY.
September, 2001.
- Weighing the Watchmen:
Evaluating the Costs and Benefits of Outsourcing Correctional Services,
Reason Public Policy Institute.
January, 2002.
- Life Sentences:
Denying Welfare Benefits to Women Convicted of Drug Offenses,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
February, 2002.
Monday, March 4 2002:
- Race and Incarceration in the United States
Human Rights Watch.
February, 2002.
"first state-by-state incarceration rates for whites, blacks and Latinos based on actual correctional facility counts"
(Note the links to the report and tables on the right)
Tuesday, February 12 2002:
Thursday, February 7 2002:
Friday, February 1 2002:
Thursday, January 31 2002:
- From Cell to Street:
A Plan to Supervise Inmates After Release,
[PDF] MassINC.
January, 2002.
(Free registration required)
Wednesday, January 23 2002:
Monday, January 21 2002:
- Survey on Drug Use and Drug Policy
[PDF] Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition.
September, 2001.
"voter attitudes and opinions toward issues relating to drug abuse and drug policy in Colorado"
Saturday, January 19 2002:
Saturday, January 5 2002:
Friday, December 21 2001:
Thursday, December 20 2001:
- Hate Crime Statistics, 2000
[PDF] Federal Bureau of Investigation.
November, 2001.
"This annual report captures information on bias-motivated incidents, the nature of the offense, and the characteristics of the victims and offenders."
(The UCR covers *reported* crime not actual crime.)
- Violence in the Workplace, 1993-99
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2001.
"Law enforcement officers most at risk for workplace violence"
(This report presents data for 1993 through 1999 from the National Crime Victimization Survey estimating the extent of workplace crime in the United States.)
- Capital Punishment 2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2001.
"Thirty-seven States and Federal government held almost 3,600 inmates on death row"
(This report presents the characteristics of persons under sentence of death on December 31, 2000, and of persons executed in 2000.)
- Firearm Use by Offenders
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2001.
"18% of state prisoners committed their crimes while armed"
(Topics of this BJS Special Report include types of firearms used, characteristics of inmates using firearms, why and where inmates used their firearms, and where they obtained their firearms)
- Traffic Stop Data Collection Policies for State Police, 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2001.
- Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 2000
[PDF] Federal Bureau of Investigation.
November, 2001.
- Racism and the administration of justice
[PDF] Amnesty International.
July, 2001.
(Covers the whole world, based in international law)
- State Court Prosecutors in Large Districts, 2001
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2001.
- State Court Sentencing of Convicted Felons, 1998
Statistical Tables,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 2001.
- Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties, 1998
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2001.
"36% of felony defendants detained prior to case disposition"
Wednesday, December 19 2001:
Tuesday, December 11 2001:
- No return to execution:
The US death penalty as a barrier to extradition,
[PDF] Amnesty International.
November, 2001.
"overview of the emerging global consensus against capital punishment"
(One more reason for the USA to abolish the death penalty is that its increasingly isolated resort to this punishment is undermining international cooperation on law enforcement)
Thursday, November 29 2001:
Wednesday, November 21 2001:
Sunday, November 11 2001:
- No Escape: Male Rape in U.S. Prisons
Human Rights Watch.
April, 2001.
- Out of Sight:
Super-Maximum Security Confinement in the US,
Human Rights Watch.
February, 2000.
- Red Onion State Prison:
Super-Maximum Security Confinement in Virginia,
Human Rights Watch.
May, 1999.
- Cold Storage:
Super-Maximum Security Confinement in Indiana,
Human Rights Watch.
October, 1997.
- From Alcatraz to Marion to Florence
Control Unit Prisons in the United States,
Committee to End the Marion Lockdown.
1992.
- Modern Capital of Human Rights?
Abuses in the State of Georgia,
Human Rights Watch.
July, 1996.
- Ohio Grievance Study
Prison Reform Advocacy Center.
2000.
- The Debate on Rehabilitating Criminals:
Is it True that Nothing Works?,
Jerome Miller, National Center for Institutions and Alternatives.
March, 1989.
(The easiest thing to say is that rehabilitation has never been seriously tried. There are, however, some studies of small programs cited in Miller's footnotes that deserve attention.)
- Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, 1993-99
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2001.
- Crime in 2000
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
October, 2001.
"FBI reports no change in crime"
(Uniform Crime Reports contains only reported crime)
- Hate Crimes Reported in NIBRS, 1997-99
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2001.
- Injuries from Violent Crime, 1992-98
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2001.
"On average each year between 1992 and 1998, 2.6 million of the 10.2 million victims of violent crime in the United States were injured in the victimization."
- Criminal Victimization 2000: Changes 1999-2000 with Trends 1993-2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2001.
- Violent Victimization and Race, 1993-98
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2001.
- Sexual Victimization of College Women
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2001.
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2000:
Crime in the Nation's schools declined in the 1990's,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2000.
- Criminal Victimization 1999:
Changes 1998-99 with Trends 1993-99,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2000.
"National violent crime rate falls more than 10 percent -- Violent victimizations down one-third since 1993"
- Intimate Partner Violence
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2000.
"Intimate partner violence against women declined from 1993 through 1998 -- One-third of all murdered females were killed by partner"
- School House Hype: Two Years Later
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
April, 2000.
- Dispelling the Myth:
An Analysis of Youth and Adult Crime Patterns in California over the Past 20 Years,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
March, 2000.
- Crimes against Persons Age 65 or Older, 1992-97
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2000.
"People 65 years old and older less likely to be victims of violent crime than younger U.S. residents"
- Federal Enforcement of Environment Laws, 1997
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 1999.
"Prosecutors investigated almost 1,000 individuals and businesses suspected of criminal environmental law violations"
- Carjackings in the United States, 1992-96
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 1999.
"Reports shows almost 49,000 non-fatal carjackings every year"
- DWI Offenders under Correctional Supervision
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 1999.
"More than 500,000 drunk drivers on probation or incarcerated in 1997"
- Criminal Victimization and Perceptions of Community Safety
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 1999.
"Survey in 12 cities show widespread community support for police: New process collects data on victimization, citizen perceptions of police and crime"
- Homicide Trends in the United States
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 1999.
"Nation's largest cities lead the way as homicides fall to lowest rate in three decades"
- School House Hype:
The School Shootings, and the Real Risks Kids Face in America,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
July, 1998.
- Beyond Reason:
The Death Penalty and Offenders with Mental Retardation,
Human Rights Watch.
March, 2001.
- The Death Penalty in 2000:
Year End Report,
Death Penalty Information Center & Justice Project.
December, 2000.
- A State of Denial:
Texas Justice and the Death Penalty,
The Texas Defender Service.
October, 2000.
- Survey of the Federal Death Penalty System
Department of Justice.
September, 2000.
- A Broken System:
Error Rates in Capital Cases, 1973-1995,
[PDF] James S. Liebman, Jeffrey Fagan & Valerie West.
June, 2000.
- Capital Punishment 1998
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 1999.
"Eighteen States executed 68 prisoners during 1998 -- eighty-nine executed so far this year"
- Capital Punishment on the 25th Anniversary of Furman v. Georgia
[PDF] Southern Center for Human Rights.
June, 1996.
- A World Leader in Executing Juveniles
Human Rights Watch.
March, 1995.
- Discrimination, Death and Denial:
The Tolerance of Racial Discrimination in Infliction of the Death Penalty,
[PDF] Stephen B. Bright.
1995.
- Federal Drug Offenders, 1999 with Trends 1984-99
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics,.
August, 2001.
"Federal drug law changes led to longer prison sentences"
- Drug War Clock
[Website] Drug Sense.
2001.
(See how much has been spent this year on the drug war. Also shows the number of drug war arrests and prison sentences.)
- Drug Use and Justice:
An Examination of California Drug Policy Enforcement,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
October, 2000.
- Poor Prescription:
The Costs of Imprisoning Drug Offenders in the United States,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
July, 2000.
- Drug Use, Testing, and Treatment in Jails
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2000.
"Most Jails that test for drugs find at least one inmate who tests positive"
- Drug Policy and the Criminal Justice System
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
August, 2001.
- Substance Abuse and Treatment of State and Federal Prisoners, 1997
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 1999.
"More than three-quarters of prisoners had abused drugs in the past"
- Double Jeopardy:
An Assessment of the Felony Drug Provision of the Welfare Reform Act,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
October, 1998.
- Cruel and Usual:
Disproportionate Sentences for New York Drug Offenders,
Human Rights Watch.
March, 1997.
- Mandatory Minimum Sentences:
Throwing Away the Key or the Taxpayers Money?,
RAND Foundation.
1997.
- Regulating the American Labor Market:
The Role of the Prison Industrial Complex,
[PDF] David Ladipo.
September, 1999.
- The Prison Industrial Complex
Eric Schlosser, Atlantic Monthly.
December, 1998.
- Prisoner Labor:
Perspectives on Paying the Federal Minimum Wage,
[PDF] General Accounting Office.
May, 1993.
(GAO testimony based on report is at the end of the PDF)
- U.S. Prison Spending Increases Faster than College Funding 1977-1995
ABC News.
July, 1998.
(Interactive state atlas)
- New York State of Mind?:
Higher Education vs. Prison Funding in the Empire State, 1988-1998,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
December, 1998.
- Class Dismissed:
Higher Education vs. Corrections During the Wilson Years,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
September, 1998.
(California)
- Is Maryland's System of Higher Education Suffering
Because of Prison Expenditures?,
Justice Policy Institute.
March, 1998.
- From Classrooms to Cellblocks: A National Perspective
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
February, 1997.
- Trading Classrooms for Cellblocks:
Destructive Policies Eroding DC Communities,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
March, 1997.
- From Classrooms to Cell-blocks:
How Prison Building Affects Higher Education and African American Enrollment in CA,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
October, 1996.
(California)
- Schools and Suspensions
Self-Reported Crime and the Growing Use of Suspensions,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
September, 2001.
"Students Report School Crime at Same Level as 1970s, But Use of Suspension Doubles"
- Education as Crime Prevention:
Providing education to prisoners,
[PDF] Center for Crime, Communities and Culture.
September, 1997.
- Briefing Sheet on Felon Disenfranchisement
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
August, 2006.
(frequently updated)
- Regaining the Vote:
An Assessment of Activity Relating to Felon Disenfranchisement Laws,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
January, 2000.
- Losing the Vote '98
Sentencing Project & Human Rights Watch.
October, 1998.
- Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2001.
- Firearm Injury and Death from Crime, 1993-97,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2000.
"Firearms assault injuries and murders fell between 1993 and 1997"
- Federal Firearm Offenders, 1992-98:
With Preliminary Data for 1999,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
June, 2000.
- HIV in Prisons and Jails, 1999
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2001.
- Federal Prisoner Health Care Copayment Act of 2000 Cost Estimate
Congressional Budget Office.
August, 2000.
"some indigent prisoners could not pay the fee, and that assessing such a fee would deter some prisoners from initiating some visits."
- Federal Prisons:
Responses to Questions Related to Containing Health Care Costs for an Increasing Inmate Population,
[PDF] General Accounting Office.
June, 2000.
- Federal Prisons:
Containing Health Care Costs for an Increasing Inmate Population,
[PDF] General Accounting Office.
April, 2000.
- HIV in Prisons 1997
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 1999.
"Rates of HIV infection and AIDS-related deaths drop among the Nation's prisoners"
- Detained and Deprived of Rights:
Children in the Custody of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service,
Human Rights Watch.
December, 1998.
- Locked Away:
Immigration Detainees in Jails in the United States,
Human Rights Watch.
September, 1998.
- Slipping through the cracks:
Unaccompanied Children Detained by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service,
Human Rights Watch.
April, 1997.
- Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 1998
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
May, 2000.
"Cross-agency Federal arrest data published for first time -- almost half of arrests for drug or immigration offenses"
- World Prison Brief
International Centre for Prison Studies.
November, 2001.
- World Prison Population List (second edition)
[PDF] Roy Walmsley, Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate.
2000.
- Americans Behind Bars
The International Use of Incarceration, 1992-93,
[PDF] The Sentencing Project.
1994.
- Mental Health Treatment in State Prisons
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2001.
(None of the prison systems have any idea how many mentally ill prisoners they have. Using the BJS reports for anything other than whether or not prisoners identified as mentally ill are actually receiving services would be a mistake.)
- Mental Health and Treatment of Inmates and Probationers
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 1999.
"More than a quarter million prison and jail inmates are identified as mentally ill"
- Prisons and Jails: Hospitals of Last Resort:
The Need for Diversion and Discharge Planning for Incarcerated People with Mental Illness in New York,
[PDF] Correctional Association of New York and the Urban Justice Center.
1999.
- Mental Illness in US Jails:
Diverting the nonviolent, low-level offender,
[PDF] Center on Crime Communities and Culture.
November, 1996.
- Shielded from Justice:
Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States,
Human Rights Watch.
July, 1998.
- Contacts between Police and the Public:
Findings from the 1999 National Survey,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2001.
(In 1999 an estimated 43.8 million persons age 16 or older had least one face-to-face contact with a police officer.)
- Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 1998
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2000.
"Number of Federal law enforcement officers grew 11 percent in two years"
- Local Police Departments, 1997
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 1999.
(personnel increases in local police departments)
- Sheriffs' Departments, 1997
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 1999.
"personnel increases in local sheriff's departments"
- Community-Based Treatment:
The Impact of the Homeless Pretrial Release Project,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
June, 2000.
- The Private Prison Research Site
[Website] Charles H. Logan, University of Connecticut.
2000.
(Author: Private Prisons: Cons and Pros)
- Private and Public Prisons:
Studies Comparing Operational Costs and/or Quality of Service,
[PDF] General Accounting Office.
August, 1996.
- The Prison Payoff:
The Role of Politics and Private Prisons in the Incarceration Boom,
Western States Center and Western Prison Project.
November, 2000.
- Emerging Issues on Privatized Prisons
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Assistance.
February, 2001.
- Jail Breaks:
Economic Development Subsidies Given to Private Prisons,
[PDF] Good Jobs First.
October, 2001.
- Trends in State Parole, 1990-2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2001.
"Forty-two percent of State parole discharges were successful"
- The Will of the People
The Public's Opinion of the Violent and Repeat Juvenile Offender Act of 1997,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
March, 1998.
- Crime, Punishment and Public Opinion
A Summary of Recent Studies and their implications for Sentencing Policy,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
2001.
- Public Attitudes Toward Uses of Criminal History Information
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2001.
- Optimism, Pessimism, and Jailhouse Redemption:
American Attitudes on Crime, Punishment, and Over-incarceration,
[PDF] ACLU.
July, 2001.
- National Task Force on Privacy, Technology and Criminal Justice Information
, Report of,
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2001.
(Findings from a comprehensive project that reviewed the law and policy addressing the collection, use, and dissemination of criminal justice record information and, particularly, criminal history record information.)
- Corrections in Florida:
What the Public, News Media and DC Staff Think,
Florida Department of Corrections.
March, 1998.
- Color of the Keystone:
Racial and Ethnic Disparity in the Use of Incarceration in Pennsylvania,
Justice Policy Institute and National Center on Institutions and Alternatives.
August, 2001.
- Masking the Divide:
How Officially Reported Prison Statistics Distort the Racial and Ethnic Realities of Prison Growth,
[PDF] National Center on Institutions and Alternatives.
May, 2001.
- Drugs and Disparity:
The Racial Impact of Illinois' Practice of Transferring Young Drug Offenders,
[PDF] Building Blocks for Youth.
April, 2001.
- Punishment and Prejudice:
Racial Disparities in the War on Drugs,
Human Rights Watch.
May, 2000.
- Crisis of the Young African American Male and the Criminal Justice System
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
April, 1999.
- American Indians and Crime
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 1999.
"American Indians are victims of violent crime at double the rate of the general population"
(includes some incarceration statistics)
- Race and drug law enforcement in the state of Georgia
Human Rights Watch.
July, 1996.
- A Question of Race
Minority/White Incarceration in New York State,
Center for Justice Education.
January, 1987.
- Truth In Sentencing:
Availability of Federal Grants Influenced Laws in Some States,
[PDF] General Accounting Office.
February, 1998.
- Counsel for the Poor:
The Death Sentence Not for the Worst Crime but for the Worst Lawyer,
[PDF] Stephen B. Bright.
May, 1994.
- State-Funded Indigent Defense Services, 1999
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2001.
- Muting Gideon's Trumpet:
The Crisis in Indigent Criminal Defense in Texas,
Committee on Legal Services to the Poor on Criminal Matters.
February, 2001.
- Indigent Defense Services in Large Counties, 1999
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2000.
- Defense Counsel in Criminal Cases
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
November, 2000.
"Two of three felony defendants represented by publicly-financed counsel"
- Promises to Keep:
Achieving Fairness and Equal Justice for the Poor in Criminal Cases,
[PDF] Southern Center for Human Rights.
November, 2000.
- Elected Judges and the Death Penalty in Texas:
Why Full Habeas Corpus Review by Independent Federal Judges Is Indispensable to Protecting Constitutional Rights,
[PDF] Stephen B. Bright.
2000.
- Death in Texas:
Not even a pretense of fairness,
[PDF] Stephen Bright, Southern Center for Human Rights.
July, 1999.
(This article appeared in The Champion.)
- Neither Equal Nor Just:
The Rationing and Denial of Legal Services to the Poor When Life and Liberty Are at Stake,
[PDF] Stephen B. Bright.
1999.
- Can Judicial Independence be Attained in the South?
Overcoming History, Elections, and Misperceptions About the Role of the Judiciary,
[PDF] Stephen B. Bright.
July, 1998.
- Judges and the Politics of Death:
Deciding Between the Bill of Rights and the Next Election in Capital Cases,
[PDF] Stephen B. Bright.
1995.
- Women Offenders
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
December, 1999.
"About 2.1 million violent female offenders annually. Most commit simple assaults against other females"
- Women in Prison:
Sexual Misconduct by Correctional Staff,
[PDF] General Accounting Office.
June, 1999.
- Nowhere to Hide:
Retaliation Against Women in Michigan State Prisons,
Human Rights Watch.
September, 1998.
- All Too Familiar:
Sexual Abuse of Women in U.S. State Prisons,
Human Rights Watch.
December, 1996.
(summary and recommendations only)
- And Justice for Some
[PDF] Building Blocks for Youth.
April, 2000.
- The Color of Justice
An Analysis of Juvenile Adult Court Transfers in California,
[PDF] Building Blocks for Youth.
February, 2000.
- Youth Crime/Adult Time:
Is Justice Served?,
[PDF] Building Blocks for Youth.
October, 2000.
- Incarcerated Parents and Their Children
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2000.
"Almost 1.5 million minor children have a mother or father in prison"
- Profile of State Prisoners under Age 18, 1985-97
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
February, 2000.
"The number of people under 18 sent to adult State prisons more than doubled between 1985 and 1997"
- Prosecuting Juveniles in Adult Court
An Assessment of Trends and Consequences,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
January, 2000.
- No Minor Matter:
Children in Maryland's Jails,
Human Rights Watch.
November, 1999.
- Critical Choices:
New Options in Juvenile Crime Policy,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
February, 1999.
- High Country Lockup:
Children in Confinement in Colorado,
Human Rights Watch.
September, 1997.
- Children in Confinement in Louisiana
Human Rights Watch.
October, 1995.
- The Florida Experiment:
An Analysis of the Practice of Sending Kids to Adult court.,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
September, 1999.
- The Impact of Juvenile Curfew Laws in California
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
June, 1998.
- Runaway Juvenile Crime?:
The Context of Juvenile Crime Arrests,
Justice Policy Institute.
March, 1998.
(Special release version just after the Jonesboro shootings)
- The Pods of Elmore County
A glimpse into the rhetoric behind the juvenile crime bill,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
September, 1997.
Friday, November 9 2001:
- Felony Sentences in State Courts, 1998
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
October, 2001.
"In 1998 federal and state courts convicted 978,211 adults of a felony."
- A Tale of Two Jurisdictions:
Youth Crime and Detention Rates in Maryland & the District of Columbia,
[PDF] Building Blocks for Youth.
October, 2001.
- Census of Jails 1999
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
September, 2001.
"At midyear 1999 the Nation's jails held 605,943 inmates, up 32% since the last census in 1993."
- Aging Behind Bars:
Three Strikes, Seven Years Later,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
August, 2001.
- Probation and Parole in the United States, 2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2001.
"National correctional population reaches new high -- Grows by 117,400 during 2000 to total 6.5 million adults"
- Nations' Incarcerated Population Went Up, Not Down, in 1999-2000
Justice Policy Institute.
August, 2001.
- Prisoners in 2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
August, 2001.
- New prison population figures show slowing of growth but uncertain trends
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
August, 2001.
- Prisoner Statistics, 2000 England and Wales
[PDF] Home office.
August, 2001.
- Jails in Indian Country, 2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
July, 2001.
- Analysis of BJS June 30, 2000 statistics
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
March, 2001.
- Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2000
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
March, 2001.
- Too Little Too Late:
President Clinton's Prison Legacy,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
February, 2001.
- Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration:
A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice,
[PDF] Catholic Bishops of the United States.
November, 2000.
- Diminishing Returns:
Crime and Incarceration in the 1990s,
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
September, 2000.
- Veterans in Prison and Jail
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 2000.
"Male military veterans are incarcerated at less than half the rate of non-veterans"
- The Punishing Decade:
Prison and Jail Estimates at the Millennium,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
May, 2000.
- Shattering "Broken Windows":
An Analysis of San Francisco's Alternative Crime Policies,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
October, 1999.
- America's One Million Nonviolent Prisoners
Justice Policy Institute.
March, 1999.
- Truth in Sentencing in State Prisons
[PDF] Bureau of Justice Statistics.
January, 1999.
"State sentencing law changes linked to increasing time served in State prisons"
- Three strikes: 5 years later
[PDF] Sentencing Project.
1998.
- Continuing Crime of Black Imprisonment
Committee to End the Marion Lockdown.
1995.
- Three Strikes and You're Out:
Estimated Benefits and Costs of California's New Mandatory-Sentencing Law,
RAND Foundation.
1994.
- Striking Out:
The Failure of California's "Three Strikes and You're Out" Law,
[PDF] Justice Policy Institute.
March, 1999.
- Off Balance: Youth, Race & Crime in the News
[PDF] Building Blocks for Youth.
April, 2001.