Prison Policy Initiative
@prisonpolicy.org
Challenging mass incarceration and over-criminalization through research, advocacy, and organizing. Get email updates: https://prisonpolicy.org/subscribe/
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🚨NEW REPORT: Parole is one of the most powerful release mechanisms that could significantly reduce the number of people behind bars. But across the U.S., parole systems are dysfunctional, to say the least.
We examine how parole boards work, and how parole decisions are made 🧵
We examine how parole boards work, and how parole decisions are made 🧵
Let's talk turkey: After months of targeting incarcerated people who received commutations from Biden, Pres. Trump pardoned 2 turkeys today.
Sparing a turkey while supporting the death penalty and punishing people for no longer being on death row is no act of festive goodwill.
Sparing a turkey while supporting the death penalty and punishing people for no longer being on death row is no act of festive goodwill.
November 25, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Let's talk turkey: After months of targeting incarcerated people who received commutations from Biden, Pres. Trump pardoned 2 turkeys today.
Sparing a turkey while supporting the death penalty and punishing people for no longer being on death row is no act of festive goodwill.
Sparing a turkey while supporting the death penalty and punishing people for no longer being on death row is no act of festive goodwill.
A reminder that on day one back in office, Trump ended the moratorium on the federal death penalty.
Pardoning turkeys but being a fierce defender of the death penalty just doesn’t add up. It’s time for the U.S. to end the death penalty, full stop.
Pardoning turkeys but being a fierce defender of the death penalty just doesn’t add up. It’s time for the U.S. to end the death penalty, full stop.
As President Donald Trump prepares to pardon a turkey ahead of Thanksgiving, take a look back at the history of the merciful tradition.
Who was the first president to pardon a turkey? History of the unusual event
As President Donald Trump prepares to pardon a turkey ahead of Thanksgiving, take a look back at the history of the merciful tradition.
bit.ly
November 25, 2025 at 4:42 PM
A reminder that on day one back in office, Trump ended the moratorium on the federal death penalty.
Pardoning turkeys but being a fierce defender of the death penalty just doesn’t add up. It’s time for the U.S. to end the death penalty, full stop.
Pardoning turkeys but being a fierce defender of the death penalty just doesn’t add up. It’s time for the U.S. to end the death penalty, full stop.
Thinking about that time an Arizona sheriff bragged about giving incarcerated people a 56¢ Thanksgiving meal 🤨
Cutting corners to give cheap, nutritionally inadequate slop is not a triumph – it's a public health concern.
Cutting corners to give cheap, nutritionally inadequate slop is not a triumph – it's a public health concern.
November 24, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Thinking about that time an Arizona sheriff bragged about giving incarcerated people a 56¢ Thanksgiving meal 🤨
Cutting corners to give cheap, nutritionally inadequate slop is not a triumph – it's a public health concern.
Cutting corners to give cheap, nutritionally inadequate slop is not a triumph – it's a public health concern.
As the U.S. continues to criminalize substance use disorder, jails & prisons are often thought of as de facto treatment facilities – but the reality couldn't be further from the truth
Communities must prioritize public health, not punishment
Communities must prioritize public health, not punishment
November 23, 2025 at 8:15 PM
As the U.S. continues to criminalize substance use disorder, jails & prisons are often thought of as de facto treatment facilities – but the reality couldn't be further from the truth
Communities must prioritize public health, not punishment
Communities must prioritize public health, not punishment
The U.S. is failing when it comes to maternal healthcare – and behind bars, it's even worse.
One analysis found that in at least one-third of jail births, the baby was born preterm. That's 3x the rate of preterm births across the U.S.
www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2025/07...
One analysis found that in at least one-third of jail births, the baby was born preterm. That's 3x the rate of preterm births across the U.S.
www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2025/07...
Birth behind bars: Ten years of U.S. jail births covered in the news highlight horrific experiences and minimal data collection
For some of the thousands of pregnant people entering jails each year, at what might be their moment of greatest need — going into labor ...
www.prisonpolicy.org
November 23, 2025 at 2:15 PM
The U.S. is failing when it comes to maternal healthcare – and behind bars, it's even worse.
One analysis found that in at least one-third of jail births, the baby was born preterm. That's 3x the rate of preterm births across the U.S.
www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2025/07...
One analysis found that in at least one-third of jail births, the baby was born preterm. That's 3x the rate of preterm births across the U.S.
www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2025/07...
November is Native American Heritage Month.
Sadly, Native people are consistently overrepresented in the US criminal legal system, accounting for only 1% of the total population but 3% of the incarcerated population.
Sadly, Native people are consistently overrepresented in the US criminal legal system, accounting for only 1% of the total population but 3% of the incarcerated population.
November 22, 2025 at 8:15 PM
November is Native American Heritage Month.
Sadly, Native people are consistently overrepresented in the US criminal legal system, accounting for only 1% of the total population but 3% of the incarcerated population.
Sadly, Native people are consistently overrepresented in the US criminal legal system, accounting for only 1% of the total population but 3% of the incarcerated population.
As the Trump administration continues to ramp up its immigration agenda, taxpayers are left footing the bill.
A new report from @bloomberg.com shows that on average, it costs more $17,000 to detain and deport a single person.
More here 👇
bit.ly/3M2Fe3r
A new report from @bloomberg.com shows that on average, it costs more $17,000 to detain and deport a single person.
More here 👇
bit.ly/3M2Fe3r
November 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM
As the Trump administration continues to ramp up its immigration agenda, taxpayers are left footing the bill.
A new report from @bloomberg.com shows that on average, it costs more $17,000 to detain and deport a single person.
More here 👇
bit.ly/3M2Fe3r
A new report from @bloomberg.com shows that on average, it costs more $17,000 to detain and deport a single person.
More here 👇
bit.ly/3M2Fe3r
When prisons are understaffed, conditions become even more nightmarish. Now, some prisons blame ICE for "poaching" COs. But the reality is that understaffing existed long before ICE's recent recruitment push.
Why? The obvious answer: There are way too many people locked up 🧵
Why? The obvious answer: There are way too many people locked up 🧵
November 21, 2025 at 8:05 PM
When prisons are understaffed, conditions become even more nightmarish. Now, some prisons blame ICE for "poaching" COs. But the reality is that understaffing existed long before ICE's recent recruitment push.
Why? The obvious answer: There are way too many people locked up 🧵
Why? The obvious answer: There are way too many people locked up 🧵
Reposted by Prison Policy Initiative
From what I've seen, the best analysis of this definitional game played by DHS is from @prisonpolicy.org. Their report back in July showed that ICE's public detention numbers capture about 2/3 of the actual number of people in ICE custody.
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/jail...
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/jail...
November 21, 2025 at 4:18 PM
From what I've seen, the best analysis of this definitional game played by DHS is from @prisonpolicy.org. Their report back in July showed that ICE's public detention numbers capture about 2/3 of the actual number of people in ICE custody.
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/jail...
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/jail...
While U.S. families struggle through an affordability crisis, mass incarceration still costs taxpayers $182 billion a year.
That's a lot of money that could be spent on communities instead of cages.
That's a lot of money that could be spent on communities instead of cages.
November 21, 2025 at 4:18 PM
While U.S. families struggle through an affordability crisis, mass incarceration still costs taxpayers $182 billion a year.
That's a lot of money that could be spent on communities instead of cages.
That's a lot of money that could be spent on communities instead of cages.
The U.S. unemployment rate just hit a four-year high at 4.4%. Now, try wrapping your head around the idea of a 43% unemployment rate.
That’s the reality formerly incarcerated Black women face, thanks to the prison penalty:
That’s the reality formerly incarcerated Black women face, thanks to the prison penalty:
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 PM
The U.S. unemployment rate just hit a four-year high at 4.4%. Now, try wrapping your head around the idea of a 43% unemployment rate.
That’s the reality formerly incarcerated Black women face, thanks to the prison penalty:
That’s the reality formerly incarcerated Black women face, thanks to the prison penalty:
Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Far too many trans people are targeted by the carceral system and caught in its vicious conditions.
Far too many trans people are targeted by the carceral system and caught in its vicious conditions.
November 20, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Far too many trans people are targeted by the carceral system and caught in its vicious conditions.
Far too many trans people are targeted by the carceral system and caught in its vicious conditions.
The U.S. just received a D+ grade on maternal healthcare from @marchofdimes.org. Again.
That's horrific. And for the nearly 60,000 pregnant people who get sent to prison or jail every year, the standard for maternal healthcare in the U.S. is even WORSE. 🧵
That's horrific. And for the nearly 60,000 pregnant people who get sent to prison or jail every year, the standard for maternal healthcare in the U.S. is even WORSE. 🧵
November 19, 2025 at 8:15 PM
The U.S. just received a D+ grade on maternal healthcare from @marchofdimes.org. Again.
That's horrific. And for the nearly 60,000 pregnant people who get sent to prison or jail every year, the standard for maternal healthcare in the U.S. is even WORSE. 🧵
That's horrific. And for the nearly 60,000 pregnant people who get sent to prison or jail every year, the standard for maternal healthcare in the U.S. is even WORSE. 🧵
Reposted by Prison Policy Initiative
Important Report from @prisonpolicy.org
The criminal legal system doesn't have to get any bigger in 2026. Here are 34 actionable policies I'm counting on lawmakers to follow for meaningful criminal justice reform.
By Sarah Staut & Emmett Sanders
The criminal legal system doesn't have to get any bigger in 2026. Here are 34 actionable policies I'm counting on lawmakers to follow for meaningful criminal justice reform.
By Sarah Staut & Emmett Sanders
Winnable criminal justice reforms in 2026
The criminal legal system doesn't have to get any bigger in 2026. Here are 34 actionable policies lawmakers can use for meaningful criminal legal system reform.
www.prisonpolicy.org
November 19, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Important Report from @prisonpolicy.org
The criminal legal system doesn't have to get any bigger in 2026. Here are 34 actionable policies I'm counting on lawmakers to follow for meaningful criminal justice reform.
By Sarah Staut & Emmett Sanders
The criminal legal system doesn't have to get any bigger in 2026. Here are 34 actionable policies I'm counting on lawmakers to follow for meaningful criminal justice reform.
By Sarah Staut & Emmett Sanders
Today, the House will vote on whether or not to reinstate cash bail in D.C. – an outdated policy that hasn't been in effect there in 30+ years.
Cash bail doesn't make communities safer. It throws them deeper into poverty:
Cash bail doesn't make communities safer. It throws them deeper into poverty:
November 19, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Today, the House will vote on whether or not to reinstate cash bail in D.C. – an outdated policy that hasn't been in effect there in 30+ years.
Cash bail doesn't make communities safer. It throws them deeper into poverty:
Cash bail doesn't make communities safer. It throws them deeper into poverty:
“It was like a machine... And it creates more harm than good.”
Time & time again, the system traps kids of color–particularly Black & Native American–in the system with no way out. And we're all worse off for it.
Time & time again, the system traps kids of color–particularly Black & Native American–in the system with no way out. And we're all worse off for it.
November 18, 2025 at 9:06 PM
“It was like a machine... And it creates more harm than good.”
Time & time again, the system traps kids of color–particularly Black & Native American–in the system with no way out. And we're all worse off for it.
Time & time again, the system traps kids of color–particularly Black & Native American–in the system with no way out. And we're all worse off for it.
Reposted by Prison Policy Initiative
And on November 11th of THIS YEAR, the Federal Communications Commission voted to roll back limits on how much companies can charge incarcerated people and their families for phone and video calls.
Under the new interim rules, phone calls will cost up to $0.11 per minute in large
Under the new interim rules, phone calls will cost up to $0.11 per minute in large
113 million U.S. adults have an immediate family member who has ever been to prison or jail.
As the holidays approach, it's hard not to think of the millions of people currently separated from their loved ones by prison & jail cells.
As the holidays approach, it's hard not to think of the millions of people currently separated from their loved ones by prison & jail cells.
November 18, 2025 at 5:45 PM
And on November 11th of THIS YEAR, the Federal Communications Commission voted to roll back limits on how much companies can charge incarcerated people and their families for phone and video calls.
Under the new interim rules, phone calls will cost up to $0.11 per minute in large
Under the new interim rules, phone calls will cost up to $0.11 per minute in large
113 million U.S. adults have an immediate family member who has ever been to prison or jail.
As the holidays approach, it's hard not to think of the millions of people currently separated from their loved ones by prison & jail cells.
As the holidays approach, it's hard not to think of the millions of people currently separated from their loved ones by prison & jail cells.
November 18, 2025 at 5:41 PM
113 million U.S. adults have an immediate family member who has ever been to prison or jail.
As the holidays approach, it's hard not to think of the millions of people currently separated from their loved ones by prison & jail cells.
As the holidays approach, it's hard not to think of the millions of people currently separated from their loved ones by prison & jail cells.
Reposted by Prison Policy Initiative
For much of this nation's history, health care for incarcerated people was provided directly by state prison or health authorities. But today, roughly two dozen states use for-profit health care contractors.
In Illinois, a Private Prison Company’s Long Trail of Deaths and High-Dollar Contracts
This year, Illinois again picked Wexford Health Services for prison health care despite longstanding claims of neglect. A judge has since extended court monitoring of prisons.
boltsmag.org
November 18, 2025 at 2:00 PM
For much of this nation's history, health care for incarcerated people was provided directly by state prison or health authorities. But today, roughly two dozen states use for-profit health care contractors.
Police contact of any kind is not innocuous: most police killings start with officers responding to a suspected non-violent situation or a case where no crime has been reported.
November 17, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Police contact of any kind is not innocuous: most police killings start with officers responding to a suspected non-violent situation or a case where no crime has been reported.
Reposted by Prison Policy Initiative
Charlotte reels as immigration raids bring North Carolina city to a ‘standstill’
@us.theguardian.com
@us.theguardian.com
Charlotte reels as immigration raids bring North Carolina city to a ‘standstill’
Thriving business districts in North Carolina city now at a ‘standstill’ after at least 81 were arrested over the weekend
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Charlotte reels as immigration raids bring North Carolina city to a ‘standstill’
@us.theguardian.com
@us.theguardian.com
Reposted by Prison Policy Initiative
"'We the People' includes we the incarcerated. It’s long past time to allow all voting-age Americans the freedom to vote." Story co-published with Reckon News.
‘We the People’ Includes We the Incarcerated
It’s time to let all voting-age Americans influence their government.
prisonjournalismproject.org
November 16, 2025 at 4:02 PM
"'We the People' includes we the incarcerated. It’s long past time to allow all voting-age Americans the freedom to vote." Story co-published with Reckon News.
Poor people in the United States are a primary target for policing, especially those forced to live on the streets.
Data shows that more than 40% of unhoused people booked into jail were booked again within the year.
Data shows that more than 40% of unhoused people booked into jail were booked again within the year.
November 16, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Poor people in the United States are a primary target for policing, especially those forced to live on the streets.
Data shows that more than 40% of unhoused people booked into jail were booked again within the year.
Data shows that more than 40% of unhoused people booked into jail were booked again within the year.
A reminder during Native American Heritage Month:
The legacy of centuries of oppression and theft from Native people is their vast overrepresentation in state prisons.
The legacy of centuries of oppression and theft from Native people is their vast overrepresentation in state prisons.
November 16, 2025 at 2:15 PM
A reminder during Native American Heritage Month:
The legacy of centuries of oppression and theft from Native people is their vast overrepresentation in state prisons.
The legacy of centuries of oppression and theft from Native people is their vast overrepresentation in state prisons.
The vast range of prison rules makes it nearly impossible to avoid infractions – and the punishments are horrific
Should people really face solitary confinement–a form of torture–for receiving a minor violation behind bars?
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...
Should people really face solitary confinement–a form of torture–for receiving a minor violation behind bars?
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...
November 15, 2025 at 8:15 PM
The vast range of prison rules makes it nearly impossible to avoid infractions – and the punishments are horrific
Should people really face solitary confinement–a form of torture–for receiving a minor violation behind bars?
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...
Should people really face solitary confinement–a form of torture–for receiving a minor violation behind bars?
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...