What’s New
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When bad policies spread: The expansion of the “sex offense registry†model to other convictions
Shaming doesn’t prevent crime.
August 10: Briefings
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Death by incarceration:
Detention duration, overdose, and COVID-19 in Los Angeles County Jails, 2008-2023 by Adrianne Katrina Nelson et al
August 10: Research Library: Jails
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Welcome to our Creator-in-Residence, Marci Marie Simmons!
Marci will work with the Prison Policy Initiative team to create social videos that expose the harms of mass incarceration in America.
August 6: Prison Policy Initiative Blog
Featured report
Bad Behavior: How prison disciplinary systems manufacture misconduct
Every prison system has extensive lists of misconduct rules and punishments for incarcerated people who break them. In a groundbreaking report, we analyzed these policies in all 50 state prison systems and collected testimonies from dozens of incarcerated people to explore the vast range of behavior that counts as an "infraction." We found that the majority of prison disciplinary cases are for minor misconduct and that these systems play a key role in keeping people in prison longer.
Mass incarceration, state by state
Learn about the national prison crisis and how we can begin to turn the tide on mass incarceration. Then, drill down to your state. Be sure to also check out our pages focused on D.C., and the incarceration of Native people.
Select your state:
If our work is new to you, you might want to check out our 2024-2025 annual report.
Recommended Reading:
50 state incarceration profiles
All of our recent reports about prison/jail growth, racial disparities, and more, re-organized by state.
Research Library
We curate a searchable database of 4,000+ original research reports, organizing each entry by topic and adding brief summaries.
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie
The U.S. incarcerates nearly 2 million people. Where are they locked up and why? Read our report.
Bad Behavior
This national report explains how prison disciplinary policies manufacture misconduct and severly punish incarcerated people.