Factsheets

Census Bureau

Redistricting Matters: Small changes in the boundary lines mean huge electoral effects, [PDF] Prison Policy Initiative. March, 2007. (Uses some simple illustrations to demonstrate why redistricting matters.)
Three trends in New York that require a changed Census [PDF] Prison Policy Initiative. March, 2007. (Discusses changes in New York State's demographics and prison policies that require a change in how the Census Bureau counts people in prison.)
How prisons alter the one-person one-vote principle [PDF] Prison Policy Initiative. March, 2007. (Uses a New York district to show how including prison populations changes the shape of prison districts.)
Diluting democracy: Census quirk fuels prison expansion, [PDF] Prison Policy Initiative. April, 2004.
Prisoners distort democracy in St. Lawrence County, NY Prison Policy Initiative. February, 2004. (the impact of counting prisoners as residents on redistricting in rural county legislatures)

Crime

Concerns Over Rising Crime in Context [PDF] Justice Policy Institute. March, 2007. "This factsheet is intended to put the 24-month trend of rising crime in 56 jurisdictions in context for people concerned about juvenile justice policy."
Close to Home: Developing Innovative, Community-Based Responses to Anti-LGBT Violence, [PDF] American Friends Service Committee. 2005.
Corrupting Justice: A Primer for LGBT Communities on Racism, Violence, Human Degradation & the Prison Industrial Complex, [PDF] American Friends Service Committee. 2005. "Applying the principles of nonviolence, healing justice & human rights to the struggle for LGBT liberation"
Crime Facts [PDF] Prison Policy Initiative and American Friends Service Committee, Arizona. April, 2004. (7 quick factoids)
Who is at the greatest risk of crime victimization? Who has confidence in the criminal justice system?, Prison Policy Initiative and Western Prison Project. July, 2003.

Death Penalty

(New) Facts about the Death Penalty [PDF] Death Penalty Information Center. November, 2009. (4 pages, updated frequently)
Why Abolition of The Death Penalty is a Queer issue, [PDF] American Friends Service Committee. 2005.
Most Capital Defendants Do Not Receive Adequate Legal Representation [PDF] American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 2002. (Factual evidence of inadequate representation in death penalty cases and attempts to correct this deadly problem.)
Racially Discriminatory Application of Death Penalty [PDF] American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 2002. (Factual evidence of racial bias in death penalty cases and reasons why patterns of discrimination in capital sentencing persist.)
Police and Prosecutorial Misconduct Are Common in Death Cases [PDF] American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 2002. (how fundamental flaws in the criminal justice system can lead to wrongful convictions)
The National Death Penalty System is Seriously Flawed Resulting in Wrongful Convictions and Death Sentences, [PDF] American Civil Liberties Union. 2002.
MCC Washington Office Guide to the Death Penalty [PDF] Mennonite Central Committee. December, 2001.

Drugs

Potential Savings in New York State's 2007-08 Budget Comes to Over $210 Million, [PDF] The Correctional Association of New York. February, 2007. "Potential annual savings from repealing the Rockefeller drug laws would amount to $217,400,000."
Trends in New York State Prison Commitments [PDF] The Correctional Association of New York. February, 2006. (Comparison of violent and non-violent offender incarceration in New York State since 1980.)
Drug Users and the Structure of the Criminal Justice System [PDF] Department of Health and Human Services. August, 2001.
Substance Abuse Treatment in the Criminal Justice System [PDF] Department of Health and Human Services. August, 2001. "About 80 percent of inmates in correctional facilities have substance abuse problems."
Substance Abuse Treatment for Drug Users in the Criminal Justice System [PDF] Department of Health and Human Services. August, 2001. "The number of inmates has surged in recent years, largely because of drug-related arrests and prosecutions."
Drug Use, HIV, and the Criminal Justice System [PDF] Department of Health and Human Services. August, 2001.
Drug Treatment in the Criminal Justice System [PDF] Office of National Drug Control Policy. March, 2001.

Families

Mass Black Incarceration and the Black Family: A Tragedy Unfolding: " Blacks, Hispanics, and poor Whites reflect the bulk of America’s 7.3 million correctional population. Over 60% of this amount consists of Black, and Hispanic men, women, and juveniles. Black men are over 42% of the American correctional population. In addition, Blacks are 13% of the total U.S. population but are over half of the 2.3 million presently in jails and prisons across the United States."
The External Effects of Black Male Incarceration on Black Females: "The prevalence of black imprisonment is more than 15 times higher for men than for women. Further, few black women pair with nonblack men. Hence, black women face a momentously unfavorable sex ratio."
Imprisonment and Families Fact Sheet [PDF] The Correctional Association of New York. March, 2007. "88% of fathers in New York State prisons report that their children live with their mothers, while only 20% of incarcerated mothers in New York report that their children live with their fathers."
Prisoners with Children: Facts and Figures at a Glance, [PDF] Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. September, 2002.
Resources for Dads Behind Bars and Those Working with Them Family and Corrections Network. 2002. (This Incarcerated Fathers Library page contains 10 factsheets, and then links to other resources on incarcerated fathers.)

Felon Disenfranchisement

Felon Disenfranchisement: Jim Crow Redux [PDF] Prison Policy Initiative and Western Prison Project. December, 2005.
Disenfranchised Veterans in the United States [PDF] Sentencing Project. June, 2003.
Tools for Democracy Restoring Voting Rights to Citizens with Felony Convictions, [PDF] Demos USA. 2002. (4 page)

Immigration:

Snapshot of U.S. Immigration Detention: 2011:
National Immigration Forum: The Math of Immigration Detention: Runnaway Costs for Immigration Detentioin Do Not Add Up to Sensible Policies: 2011: "One symptom of our broken immigration system is the exorbitant spending wasted on the detention immigrants. The vast majority of these immigrants, if ever Congress acted to reform our immigraiton system, would be encouraged to stay and continue contributing to our economy. Even for those who must eventually be removed, billions of dollars could be saved if the governemtn properly allocated resource towards more humane and cost-effective alternative methods of monitoring."
Report on Immigration in The United States: Detention and Due Process: 2010
Immigration Detention and the Law: U.S. Policy and Legal Framework: 2010
2009 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: office of Immigration Statistics: 2009
Population Bulletin: Immigration and America's Black Population: 2007: "The growing number and size of black immigrant communities with their distinctive dress, language, music, and foor-are raising their visibility. There is increasing recognition that these groups have produced some of America's most respected leaders, most recently former Secretary of State Colin Powell-son of Jamaican immigrants-and Illinois Senator Barack Obama-whose father was Kenyan. Black immigrants have more education and have higher incomes than foreign-born Americans in general, or than U.S.-born African Americans. They are less likely to be in poverty or unemployed. But many are overqualified and underpaid for the jobs they have."
Immigration and the Criminal Justice System Fact Sheet [PDF] The Correctional Association of New York. August, 2006. (Figures on non-citizens in US and NY prisons.)
Facts About Prisons and Prisoners [PDF] Sentencing Project. 2003. "Black males have a 32% chance of serving time in prison at some point in their lives; Hispanic males have a 17% chance; white males have a 6% chance."
Facts about prison and prisoners [PDF] Sentencing Project. August, 2002.
Viral Hepatitis and the Criminal Justice System [PDF] Department of Health and Human Services. January, 2002.
Providing Services to Inmates Living with HIV [PDF] Department of Health and Human Services. August, 2001.

International Comparisons

The United States stands alone on high incarceration Prison Policy Initiative and Western Prison Project. July, 2003.

Juveniles

Juvenile Detention in New York City [PDF] The Correctional Association of New York. November, 2007. "African American and Latino youth comprise 95% of the youth entering detention, while they comprise less than two-thirds of all youth in New York City."
Youth Confined in OCFS Facilities [PDF] The Correctional Association of New York. November, 2007. "Over half the youth in state custody were convicted of misdemeanors."
LGBT Youth in Detention: Myth and Reality, [PDF] The Correctional Association of New York. January, 2006. (List of concerns and answers to the problems facing LGBT youth in detention.)
MCC Washington Office Guide to Juvenile Justice [PDF] Mennonite Central Committee. June, 2003.

Sentencing:

Community Voices: Legislation Would Take State Backward on Prison Reform: 2011: "The Massachusetts House is considering legislation-S. 2054-that will have a disastrous impact on prison reform within the commonwealth."
The State of Sentencing 2011: Development in Policy and Practice
American Law Institute Model Penal Code Bars Life Imprisonment Without Parole for Children: 2011 "The American Law Institute, an independent organization composed of 4000 prominent judges, lawyers, and legal scholars working to clarify, modernize, and improve the law has called for banning the use of life imprisonment without parole for juveniles. its new model code requires consideration of the child's age and reduced sentences for juveniles prosecuted in adult court."
Jail Inmates at Midyear 2010-Statistical Tables: 2011:
Throwing Away the Key: The Expansion of Life Without Parole Sentencs in the United States:
California's Three Strikes Law Fact Sheet [PDF] Families to Amend California’s Three Strikes. March, 2004. "California’s Three Strikes law is the harshest in the country. No other state allows someone to be convicted under Three Strikes for a nonviolent offense."
Three Strikes Myths & Facts, [PDF] Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. 2003.
Primer on mandatory sentences [PDF] Families Against Mandatory Minimums. 2002. "Mandatory sentencing was once America's law-and-order panacea. Here's why it's not working."(12 pages, 6 statements and facts, quotes from judges and sympathetic profiles of prisoners serving long sentences)

Media

Off Balance: Youth, Race & Crime in the News [PDF] Building Blocks for Youth. 2002. (Perceptions versus reality on youth crime.)
Recommendations For The News Media for Fair Youth Crime Coverage [PDF] Building Blocks for Youth. 2002. (Suggestions to News Media on Reporting on Youth, Race & Crime)

Organizing

Prison and The Economy

Collateral Costs: Incarceration's Effect on Economic Mobility- 2011: "Incarceration affects an inmate's path to prospertiy. Collateral Costs quantifies the size of that effect, not only on offenders but on their families and children. Before being incarcerated more than two-third of male inmates were employed and more than half were the primary source of financial support for their chilren. Incarceration carries significan and enduring economic repercussion for the reminder of the person's working years."
The Social and Moral Cost of Mass Incarceration in African American Communities: "Three main theories explain the social mechanisms through which mass incarceration harms the African American communities where it is concentrated: Mass imprisonment damages social networks, distorts social norms, and destroys social citizenship."
The Impact of Incarceration on Wage Mobility and Inequality: "The relationship between prison growth and falling wages among low-skill and minority men might be interpreted in several ways. Men with felony records have difficulty finding good jobs.
Nationwide PLN Survey Examines Prison Phone Contracts, Kickbacks: 2011: "In a research task never before accomplished, Prison Legal News, using public records laws, secured prison phone contract information from all 50 states (compiled in 2008-2009 and representing data from 2007-2008). The initial survey was conducted by PLN contributing writer Mike Rigby, with follow-up research by PLN associate editor Alex Friedmann."
Why does prison building continue as crime drops? [PDF] Prison Policy Initiative and Western Prison Project. April, 2003.
Real Cost of Prisons timeline Real Cost of Prisons Project. 2003.
The CCPOA and California State Politics [PDF] Prison Activist Resource Center. 2002. (2 pages)
MCC Washington Office Guide to the Prison Industrial Complex [PDF] Mennonite Central Committee. May, 2001.

Racial Disparities

Race, Crime and Punishment: Breaking the Connection in America-2011: "More than 2.3 million people in America are in jail, prison. Sixty percent are African American and Latino. Of all the statistics portraying racial inequity in our country, this is the most alarming: it indicates the failure of so many of our society institutions; it predicts dire consequences for millions of children and families of color who are already at socioeconomic disadvantage; and it challenges thte very definition of democracy."
Racialized Mass Incarceration: Poverty, Prejudice, and Punishment: "Is anti-black racial prejudice a key component of the new law and order regime and of the emergence of racialized mass incarceration in the United States? We believe the answer is an unequivocal 'yes."
Incarceration is not an equal opportunity punishment [PDF] Prison Policy Initiative. April, 2003. (1 page PDF, the same facts as the first page of prisonsucks.com)
People of Color and the Prison Industrial Complex [PDF] Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. September, 2002.
Fair Reporting on Youth Crime: Community Involvement, [PDF] Building Blocks for Youth. 2002. (Fighting For Fair Media Coverage of Youth Crime: Recommendations For Child Advocates, Youth Groups And Civil Rights Organizations)
Racism and the Criminal Justice System [PDF] Prison Activist Resource Center. 2002. (3 double sided factsheets on African Americans, Latino and Native Americans and the criminal justice system)

Reentry

State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America's Prisons: 2011: "According to the survey result, 45.4 percent of people released from prison in 1999 and 43.3 percent of those sent home in 2004 were reincarcerated within three years, either for committing a new crime or violating conditions governing their release."
Transition from Prison to Community: Understanding Individual Pathways:
Obstacles to Re-Entry Flowcharts Real Cost of Prisons Project. 2004. (3 pages)
Prisoners Re-Entering the Community [PDF] Sentencing Project. 2002.
Helping Inmates Return to the Community [PDF] Department of Health and Human Services. August, 2001.

Rural Issues

Rural Prisons: The Development of Last Resort, [PDF] National Resource Center on Prisons and Communities. August, 2003.
Prisons and Rural Economic Development: Jobs [PDF] Tracy Huling. February, 2003.

State Specific

Basic Prison and Jail Fact Sheet [PDF] The Correctional Association of New York. March, 2006. (Provides basif facts about the New York State and City prison systems.)
Prisoner Profile [PDF] The Correctional Association of New York. March, 2006. (Demographic data on prisoners in New York State and City.)
Disciplinary Confinement in New York State Prisons [PDF] The Correctional Association of New York. March, 2004. "Prisoners with mental illness are disproportionately represented in disciplinary segregation."
Colorado Prison Facts [PDF] Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. 2002.

Women

Women in Prison Fact Sheet [PDF] The Correctional Association of New York. March, 2007. "As of January 2007, more than 42% of women in New Yorkï¿½s prisons have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness, compared to nearly 12% of male inmates."
Breaking the Barriers For Women on Parole, [PDF] Milton Marks. December, 2004. (Statistics by gender for the California corrections system.)
Women in Prison [PDF] Sentencing Project. May, 2003.
"Cadillac Health Care" for Women Prisoners?: Case Studies from the Inside, [PDF] Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. September, 2002.
Access to Medical Care in California's Women's Prisons: An Overview, [PDF] Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. September, 2002.
Women and the Drug War: Facts and Figures at a Glance, [PDF] Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. September, 2002.
Women Prisoners: Facts and Figures at a Glance, [PDF] Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. September, 2002.
Women in Prison in the U.S. & N.Y. [PDF] Correctional Association. 2002.
Women, Injection Drug Use, and the Criminal Justice System [PDF] Department of Health and Human Services. August, 2001. "Women inmates have consistently higher rates of drug use and HIV infection than do male inmates."
Women in Prison Sexual Assault and Misconduct Against Women in Prison, [PDF] Amnesty International. 2001.