@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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Prison Policy Initiative retweeted
Truthout
@truthout13h
Today, we are grateful to announce the winners of the 6th annual Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize. The prize, awarded to 2 formerly or currently incarcerated people, is given in memory of Keeley Schenwar, a devoted advocate for incarcerated mothers.truthout.org/articles/announ…

Announcing the Winners of the 6th Annual Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize

The prize honors the work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated authors who are writing toward a more just world.

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While half of people in American families cannot afford the cost of living, the U.S. continues to burn through $445 billion on mass incarceration each year. That's a lot of money that could be spent on caring for communities instead of criminalizing them.
Urban Institute@urbaninstitute15h
As midterm elections approach, #affordability is top of mind. Explore the latest #data on the cost of everyday items with Urban’s American Affordability Tracker, part of The State of American Affordability series on financial well-being. 📈 urbn.is/4z9Wibr

The American Affordability Tracker

Timely data on Americans’ finances and the cost of basic needs by state and congressional district.

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🚨WEBINAR: Access to government documents is essential for advocates trying to change the criminal legal system, but requesting records can be intimidating. In this webinar, we'll demystify records requests 👇 zoom.us/webinar/register/841…
Infographic with info for webinar: Title: Exercising our right to know: Making Effective Records Requests Description: Having access to government documents is essential for advocates trying to change the criminal legal system, but the records request process can often feel intimidating. This webinar breaks down the basics of making a request and goes over tips and tricks that the Prison Policy Initiative has learned over decades of sending requests to jails, prisons, and other agencies. Speakers: Sarah Staudt Policy and Advocacy Director, Prison Policy Initiative Aleks Kajstura Senior Policy and Advocacy Analyst, Prison Policy Initiative Mike Wessler Communications Director, Prison Policy Initiative Date, time, location: October 27, 2026 1:30pm ET Online, register at prisonpolicy.org

ALT Infographic with info for webinar: Title: Exercising our right to know: Making Effective Records Requests Description: Having access to government documents is essential for advocates trying to change the criminal legal system, but the records request process can often feel intimidating. This webinar breaks down the basics of making a request and goes over tips and tricks that the Prison Policy Initiative has learned over decades of sending requests to jails, prisons, and other agencies. Speakers: Sarah Staudt Policy and Advocacy Director, Prison Policy Initiative Aleks Kajstura Senior Policy and Advocacy Analyst, Prison Policy Initiative Mike Wessler Communications Director, Prison Policy Initiative Date, time, location: October 27, 2026 1:30pm ET Online, register at prisonpolicy.org

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The disproportionate criminalization of Black people starts at a young age. While Black and white kids use drugs at similar rates, Black youth make up 24% of kids confined for drug offenses, despite comprising just 14% of the general youth population.
Graph showing that Black youth make up 24% of kids confined for drug offenses, despite comprising just 14% of the general youth population.

ALT Graph showing that Black youth make up 24% of kids confined for drug offenses, despite comprising just 14% of the general youth population.

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-Cells infested with mold and vermin -Floors covered with waste and sewage -Deadly temperatures during extreme weather This isn't a scene out of a horror movie. It's the real-life conditions that incarcerated people endure every single day. ajc.com/news/2026/10/valdost…

South Georgia prison conditions create humanitarian crisis, group says

Inhumane conditions have led to suffering, death at Valdosta State Prison, Southern Center for Human Rights law group alleges in report.

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While families struggle through an affordability crisis, the U.S. continues to spend $445 billion on mass incarceration each year. That's a lot of money that could be spent on caring for communities instead of criminalizing them.
Flow chart showing breakdown of how the U.S. spends $445 billion on mass incarceration each year

ALT Flow chart showing breakdown of how the U.S. spends $445 billion on mass incarceration each year

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"Parole is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. While parole does mean I’ve been released from prison, it’s also not exactly freedom. Much of my life feels like an adherence to a strict set of guidelines that dictate everything I can and cannot do." prismreports.org/2026/03/31/…

One bite at a time: the rules, regulations, and worries of parole

Each day of life on parole is carefully mapped out, and each decision starts with an exhausting mental checklist

prismreports.org
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Both probation & parole impose an excessive number of conditions that can be nearly impossible to comply with all the time, like curfews or paying hefty fines. If they're missed, that could be a violation that lands someone in prison.
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And failure of these systems because of conditions is high: Supervision violations account for more than 25% of all prison admissions. This is not a system designed for success.
Graph showing that technical violations are the main reason for incarceration of people on probation and parole

ALT Graph showing that technical violations are the main reason for incarceration of people on probation and parole

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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.

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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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