Prison Policy Initiative

🚨NEW: Last year, the number of people incarcerated in the U.S. increased again. The driving factor? President Trump’s deportation agenda. Our annual report, The Whole Pie, gives the big picture of mass incarceration. Here are some key takeaways 🧵

The Behind Bars Data Project (@uclaprisondata), a @uclaprisonlaw initiative at @UCLA Law has released the first full dataset on deaths in ICE custody, offering a searchable record spanning more than two decades. Learn more: law.ucla.edu/news/behind-ba…

Cops called in to testify end up missing hearings at double the rate of defendants. Yet in many places, defendants alone face the harsh consequences of jail for missing a court date:

13,300 confined children in the U.S. are detained pretrial – aka, they’re legally innocent Locking kids up in deplorable conditions is traumatizing and counterproductive to public safety in the short & long term

More from our new briefing 👇 prisonpolicy.org/blog/2026/03/2…

Over 10 years, 98% of medical grievances filed in federal prisons were rejected — mostly because of ridiculous administrative reasons, like using the wrong size sheet of paper. The system works exactly how it's designed to: Thwart complaints & dodge accountability at every turn.

More than 1 in 3 people were first arrested before their 16th birthday – does this look like a society that cares about uplifting youth, or imprisoning them?

Incarcerated folks in one prison have been drinking poisoned water for decades — and the state ignored it. Now, the dire consequences of this cruelty are showing up in the surrounding community. Prisons are toxic wastelands that harm us all. prismreports.org/2026/03/24/mul…

How can you earn a second chance if the rules are a secret?  As Bill explains, parole systems currently operate with little oversight or clarity. We must prioritize transparency so the public—and those seeking release—understand how the process works. RT to spread the word! 🔄

Ultimately, the U.S. carceral system is a black box that doesn't want you to know what's happening inside But what we do know is that as immigrant detention expands, conditions inside ICE facilities are undoubtedly getting worse & even more harmful for the most vulnerable people

And when it comes to giving birth behind bars, the outcomes are extremely grim. Among 35 jail births identified in the news over 10 years, at least two-thirds of them occurred inside jail cells, which usually have nothing more than a mattress, toilet, and floor.

"Pregnant women said they were served food covered in cockroaches and water that tasted like bleach. They described how [ICE] agents shackled their hands and feet, refusing to believe that they were pregnant until a bump appeared" nytimes.com/2026/03/20/us/…

Learn more from our Follow the Money report: prisonpolicy.org/reports/money2…

Last year, agencies like ICE & Border Patrol cost the U.S. $41 billion. That's taxpayer money that could be better spent on investing in communities — not tearing them apart.

U.S. police kill civilians at a rate nearly incomparable to other wealthy democracies. It's not just "a few bad apples."

Bridging the Gap: Amplifying Incarcerated Voices events.haymarketbooks.org/events/haymark… @solitarywatch is co-sponsoring this conference in Chicago on May 29-30. Find out more and register at the link.

Equal Pay Day highlights a devastating consequence of the wage gap: Half of incarcerated women are held in local jails — frequently because they earn far less than incarcerated men. When the typical bail is a full year’s income for women, it’s no wonder they're stuck in jail.

Women often enter the justice system due to poverty, trauma, addiction, and victimization, highlighting the need for more tailored policy responses. In order to break the cycle of incarceration, we must first address root causes like these. stateline.org/2025/10/22/new…