@PrisonPolicy

Challenging mass incarceration and over-criminalization through research, advocacy, and organizing. Get email updates: https://xitter.cf/t.co/AyYiUayx2n

 Easthampton, MA
prisonpolicy.org
Joined October 2009
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🚨NEW: Nearly 200,000 women and girls are incarcerated in the U.S. on any given day — a number that stands out globally. Where are they held? For what charges? And what conditions do they face? Our latest report, Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie, answers that & more 🧵
Pie chart showing the number of women locked up on a given day in the United States (199,000) by facility type and the underlying offense using the newest data available in 2026

ALT Pie chart showing the number of women locked up on a given day in the United States (199,000) by facility type and the underlying offense using the newest data available in 2026

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The bottom line is that ICE is using taxpayer dollars to turn local law enforcement into its bounty hunters, and sheriffs are thrilled to play along. But remember that local collaboration is voluntary and, as Election Day nears, sheriffs are elected officials!
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And, importantly, even if your local government isn't getting paid by ICE, there are many ways that it likely is still quietly fueling the agency's agenda. Learn more here 👇 prisonpolicy.org/blog/2026/0…

How is your local government collaborating with ICE? Here’s how to find out — and push back

From the deputization of local police to holding people on behalf of ICE, here are some ways your county might be working with federal agents ...

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Why do local law enforcement want to carry out ICE's dirty work in their own communities so badly? Well, because contracts with ICE are lucrative and yet another way for greedy sheriffs to line their pockets off mass incarceration. boltsmag.org/new-york-immigr…

New York Banned ICE Contracts. Pro-ICE Sheriffs Could Stand in the Way.

Orange County was forced to end its lucrative contract to detain immigrants in the local jail. Sheriff Paul Arteta, who

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This year, the federal agency also started offering money to departments that enrolled in its 287(g) program, which deputizes local police to act as immigration enforcement agents: npr.org/2026/05/05/nx-s1-580…

ICE is giving local police big money to help with immigration enforcement

The federal government is offering local law enforcement incentives to join a program that gives their officers authority to make immigration arrests. Police leaders say the funds, which include...

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The deportation agenda can't happen without local law enforcement. To make this happen, ICE has spent millions bankrolling them. For example, ICE often rents out beds from local jails to hold people: prisonpolicy.org/blog/2024/0…
U.S. map showing that in 25 states and D.C., federal agencies like ICE and the U.S. Marshals only detain people using local jails.

ALT U.S. map showing that in 25 states and D.C., federal agencies like ICE and the U.S. Marshals only detain people using local jails.

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For some kids, vaping in school can lead to arrest. Thanks to Texas' investment in expanding police presence at schools, thousands of young kids are being shuffled into the juvenile justice system — often for minor offenses. Kids need care, not cages. nytimes.com/2026/10/15/us/te…

For Texas Schoolchildren, Minor Misbehavior Can Mean Criminal Charges (Gift Article)

More students ages 10 to 13 are ending up in the justice system after vaping, making threats and lashing out at school.

nytimes.com
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Shuffling children into the juvenile system doesn't "teach them a lesson." What it actually does is traumatize them, creating wounds that could last a lifetime. Sometimes, it even saddles them with a criminal record that haunts them for years.
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In a country where almost 40% of people in state prisons were first arrested before they turned 16 years old, it's clear that children are being set up for failure. Learn more about youth confinement 👇 prisonpolicy.org/reports/you…

Youth Confinement: The Whole Pie 2025

The big picture of youth confinement in America, showing how many kids are entangled in the criminal legal system and why.

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While the U.S. strips away access to SNAP, 1 in 5 formerly incarcerated people is experiencing food insecurity. That's about 1 million people nationwide. We should be making it easier for vulnerable people to access healthy food, not harder.
Graph showing that formerly incarcerated people are 2x as likely (19.5%) to experience food insecurity as the general population (10.4%)

ALT Graph showing that formerly incarcerated people are 2x as likely (19.5%) to experience food insecurity as the general population (10.4%)

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🧵Everyone has to eat. The so-called "#WarOnDrugs" steals lives in man ways — through #StateViolence, #Overdose, & systemically cutting people off from the very things needed to survive, including food. As noted in this @NCHealthNews coverage, drug charges bit.ly/DrugChargesAndSNAP

A drug conviction can mean a lifetime without SNAP in North Carolina

People affected by the restriction say the loss of food assistance can make reentry and everyday life harder.

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A reminder during Prison Banned Books Week: Prisons & jails are the largest censors in the U.S. They say it's for "security," but the most banned book is a cookbook. 🤨 Book bans are designed to isolate and control incarcerated people — not keep them safe.
Picture of the book Prison Ramen by Clifton Collins Jr and Gustavo "Goose" Alvarez

ALT Picture of the book Prison Ramen by Clifton Collins Jr and Gustavo "Goose" Alvarez

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🗳️ Midterms are around the corner, and mass incarceration is on the ballot Here's what you should know about some of the most common offices that you might be asked to vote on this November: prisonpolicy.org/blog/2024/0…
Picture of a ballot showing examples of local, state, and federal offices and what they control in the criminal legal system

ALT Picture of a ballot showing examples of local, state, and federal offices and what they control in the criminal legal system

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Prison Policy Initiative retweeted
TransgenderLawCenter@TransLawCenterOct 21
A victory for incarcerated trans people. The Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict access to gender-affirming health care in federal prisons, keeping critical protections in place as the legal fight continues.
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Prison Policy Initiative retweeted
FAMM Foundation
@FAMMFoundationOct 21
For incarcerated people, prison lockdowns can mean losing access to basic necessities and communication with loved ones. This is why independent prison oversight matters. Read the full story and click the link in our bio to take our member polls, share your experiences, and find out how to contact your lawmakers about prison conditions.
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💰Since 2017, police funding has increased rapidly, now costing the U.S. more than $200 billion a year. Keep that in mind the next time somebody tries to use calls to "defund the police" as a scapegoat.
Graph showing that, when adjusted for inflation, policing cost $190 billion in 2017. In 2025, it cost $203 billion.

ALT Graph showing that, when adjusted for inflation, policing cost $190 billion in 2017. In 2025, it cost $203 billion.

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"They never tell you that menopause behind bars is a special kind of hell... designed by people who have forgotten you are human." October is Menopause Awareness Month. Incarcerated people can't be left behind in the fight for expanded menopause care. scalawagmagazine.org/2025/10…

Burning Inside: What Prison Heat Does to a Menopausal Body – Scalawag

Incarcerated writer Kwaneta Harris reflects on the tole that prison conditions take on the menopausal body.

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Our recent briefing found that only 5 states' prison policies have info explicitly about menopause, and none spell out what care, education, or resources prisons provide people experiencing perimenopause or menopause:
Screenshot of chart showing that only Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, and South Carolina mention "menopause" in their prison policies. Of those, only AL, AK, MS, OK, and OR have materials specifically addressing menopause.

ALT Screenshot of chart showing that only Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, and South Carolina mention "menopause" in their prison policies. Of those, only AL, AK, MS, OK, and OR have materials specifically addressing menopause.

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Learn more 👇 prisonpolicy.org/blog/2026/0…

Inevitable yet ignored: Prison policies disregard the realities of menopause behind bars

Our survey of state and federal prison policies shows just how little institutional attention is paid to menopause-related healthcare and education behind bars, despite the ...

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