Mass Incarceration

Black man wearing brightly colored daishiki holds his arms out as he stands before a large group of police officers wearing riot gear.
Shani Saxon  Aug 13, 2019 3:29PM EDT

How Can Rethinking Policing Reverse the Mass Incarceration Epidemic?

A new report from the Vera Institute of Justice breaks down how a single negative interaction with a police officer can alter a life forever—and how a shift in how the nation approaches justice can prevent the criminalization of people of color.
long shot inside prison that shows prison bars and men's arms peeking through some of the bars.
Shani Saxon  Jul 17, 2019 6:22PM EDT

Private Prisons Ask ICE to Pay Multi-Million Dollar Human Trafficking Lawsuit Costs

Private immigration detention center operator GEO Group faces lawsuits alleging human rights violations.
Lonnie Morris and Richard Lathan. Two middle-aged Black men in prison uniforms, blue and yellow, in front of a gate.
N. Jamiyla Chisholm  Jun 6, 2019 10:26AM EDT

LISTEN: San Quentin State Prison Podcast 'Ear Hustle' Returns for New Season

Season four introduces listeners to a new host and a segment about learning the ropes in the prison.
Albert Woodson. Older Black man with gray Afro holding up oar while in a canoe.
N. Jamiyla Chisholm  Jun 5, 2019 1:52PM EDT

'Solitary' Film to Tell Story of Angola 3's Albert Woodfox

Mahershala Ali will executive produce, and perhaps star, in biopic of the Black man who spent 43 years in solitary confinement for a crime he says he didn’t commit.
The Exonerated 5: Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana and Yusef Salaam stand in front of a blue and white step and repeat.
N. Jamiyla Chisholm  Jun 5, 2019 11:22AM EDT

Activists Ask DA to Reopen Linda Fairstein's Cases

The prosecutor who plays a huge role in Netflix’s “When They See Us” is getting her time in the court of public opinion.
When They See Us: Four Black and one Latinx Man on a stage with hands linked in the air.
N. Jamiyla Chisholm  May 31, 2019 1:37PM EDT

'When They See Us' Is a Punch to the Gut

Ava DuVernay takes the Central Park Five’s horror story to cinematically emotional heights. Get your tissue ready.
An old, abandoned state penitentiary cellblock bathed in sunlight.
Shani Saxon  May 29, 2019 4:51PM EDT

How An Antiquated Reading of the Law Prevents the Formerly Incarcerated From Voting in Georgia

State officials maintain a strict interpretation of the law, which prevents voting by anyone convicted of a “felony involving moral turpitude.”
An old, abandoned state penitentiary cellblock bathed in sunlight.
Shani Saxon  Apr 10, 2019 4:35PM EDT

Q&A: How These Oregon Leaders Are Empowering Black Women in the Criminal Justice System

Colorlines talks to Abbey Stamp and O’Nesha Cochran, two women at the forefront of revolutionary change in their community.
White prison bars with bright, florescent light shinning in the background.
Shani Saxon  Apr 4, 2019 3:38PM EDT

The Marshall Project Launches Print Publication for People Living Behind Bars

News Inside is distributed at prisons and jails.
Silver handcuffs on black asphalt
Shani Saxon  Mar 27, 2019 11:13AM EDT

New Report Highlights Need, Strategies for Juvenile Justice Reform

The Urban Institute and the Youth First Initiative want to help America move away from youth incarceration in favor of community-based solutions.
White prison bars with bright, florescent light shinning in the background.
Shani Saxon  Mar 21, 2019 6:00PM EDT

Florida House Advances Bill That Would Limit Voting Rights for Formerly Incarcerated

Will formerly incarcerated Florida residents be forced to pay fees before their voting rights are restored?
An old, abandoned state penitentiary cellblock bathed in sunlight.
Shani Saxon  Mar 19, 2019 4:35PM EDT

New Report Offers Big Picture Look at Mass Incarceration

The Prison Policy Initiative shines a light on racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
Close-up of two pregnant, Black prison inmates as they stand behind bars with the orange uniforms raised to show their pregnancies.
Shani Saxon  Mar 13, 2019 3:39PM EDT

States Consider Ban on Shackling Incarcerated People During Childbirth

The American Civil Liberties Union estimates that roughly 12,000 pregnant women are jailed in the United States each year.
Bronze bullets lined up in a triangle
Brandon Dasent, Amina Henderson  Feb 14, 2019 5:17PM EST

Teens from Parkland and Chicago Ask: 'How Many More Must Die?'

Student organizers Brandon Dasent and Amina Henderson unite to push for gun control that will keep kids in their communities safer.
Close-up of white police officer's arm and waistline, with gun in holster showing.
Shani Saxon  Jan 31, 2019 4:16PM EST

New Tool Maps Arrests Nationwide With Eye to Reform

Vera Institute of Justice’s new Arrest Trends interactive database underscores racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
Black barbed wire with blue sky in background
catherine lizette gonzalez  Jan 23, 2019 2:49PM EST

REPORT: In Wisconsin, Black and Native People Hardest Hit by Probation, Parole

A new report from Columbia University Justice Lab reveals that Black and Native folks in the state are subject to “structural disadvantages that make adhering to the requirements of community corrections more difficult for people of color.”
Illustrated image of the continental United States of America in green and yellow and red hues with black images of jail cell bars on gray background and in front of white text spelling "MASS INCARCERATION"
Sameer Rao  Jan 11, 2019 2:36PM EST

How Prosecutors Contribute to Mass Incarceration

A new animated video from Color of Change anchors the group’s 100 Days of Justice campaign to hold reform-minded prosecutors accountable.
Sunlight shines on old, abandoned penitentiary.
Shani Saxon  Dec 13, 2018 4:18PM EST

Racial Justice Group Testifies That Pennsylvania's Proposed Risk Assessment Tool is Racist

Color of Change says the use of a computer algorithm to determine if and how long people should be sentenced to incarceration is racist and unfair.
Three women in burgundy shirts sitting next to each other. They each make phone calls on blue telephones mounted on a wall with laminated signs including a plaque that says calls may be subject to recording.
catherine lizette gonzalez  Dec 7, 2018 5:30PM EST

Nearly Half of All U.S. Adults Have a Family Member Who Has Been Incarcerated

A new study finds that mass incarceration has ruinous consequences for the 113 million people in the United States whose family members have spent time in prisons or jails, and people of color are disproportionately impacted.
An old, abandoned state penitentiary cellblock bathed in sunlight.
Shani Saxon  Oct 31, 2018 3:32PM EDT

New Report Shows Prison Can Block Access to Education for Life

Data sheds light on the educational mobility of formerly incarcerated people.