publications
February 09, 2017
Reviving Parole for Life Sentences
This webinar discussed state and federal practices and policies that contribute to the country’s growing lifer population, and highlighted state efforts to increase parole for people serving life sentences.
news
Christopher Poulos
When Chris Poulos was arrested, he experienced firsthand the difference that money can make in the criminal justice system. He recounts the experience in his own words.
news
January 25, 2017
What We Can Learn from the Amazing Drop in Juvenile Incarceration
The number of youth held in adult prisons declined to fewer than 1,000, an 82% drop from the peak year in 1997.
news
January 23, 2017
Race & Justice News: DOJ Reflects on Civil Rights Division's Policing Reforms
Department of Justice releases new report on the Civil Rights Division’s police reform work since the passage of the 1994 federal crime bill, investigation finds many police departments across the country do not reflect the diversity of their communities, and more in our latest Race & Justice News.
Kemba Smith
At 24 years old, Kemba Smith was sentenced to 24.5 years in prison for conspiracy to participate in her boyfriend's drug activities, a non-violent, first-time offense. For years, her parents galvanized a tireless movement seeking clemency for their daughter.
publications
January 19, 2017
State Advances in Criminal Justice Reform, 2016
During 2016, reforms were adopted in at least 17 states targeted at reducing prison populations and addressing collateral consequences for people with criminal convictions.
news
January 05, 2017
The President’s Role in Advancing Criminal Justice Reform
President Obama draws on The Sentencing Project's research to highlight the urgent need to end mass incarceration.
Theresa McIntyre Smith
In 1999, Theresa Smith was arrested at an airport after she met a drug courier in Roy Mercer’s network and according to the government, identified a suitcase containing eleven kilograms of cocaine for the courier. Smith said she had been told by Mercer that the suitcase contained his nieces’ clothes. For this first-time non-violent offense, Smith was sentenced to a ten-year mandatory prison term.
news
December 21, 2016
The Obama Legacy: Chipping Away at Mass Incarceration
Marc Mauer assesses the accomplishments of the Obama Administration and provides thoughts on criminal justice reform for the coming years.
news
December 20, 2016
Disenfranchisement News: Unlocking Democracy in the Cells and on the Streets
NAACP LDF and The Sentencing Project release new felony disenfranchisement brief, Florida Supreme Court to review voting rights amendment, and more in our latest Disenfranchisement News.
Lawrence and Lamont Garrison
Sentences for federal drug crimes are based on the quantity of the drugs involved, not the individual’s role in the crime. The emphasis on quantity rather than the role of the offender, along with the conspiracy laws, too often result in disproportionate sentencing, even for first-time offenses such as the Garrisons’.
publications
December 19, 2016
Free the Vote: Unlocking Democracy in the Cells and on the Streets
We can free the vote for people who have been made vulnerable by harmful and discriminatory felony disenfranchisement laws, and in turn, strengthen our collective democracy.
news
December 16, 2016
Race & Justice News: Black Women Overrepresented in Solitary Confinement
Among 40 jurisdictions providing data, black women constituted 24% of the total female incarcerated population but comprised 41% of the female restricted housing population. More in our latest Race & Justice News.
Kimberly Haven
Kimberly Haven’s journey as an advocate began when she sought to regain her own voting rights after release from a Maryland prison in 2001. She soon became passionate about the unfairness of disenfranchising citizens after they have completed their sentence and returned to the community.
Load More