The Sentencing Project

This year almost 650,000 people will return to their communities after being in prison.

Issues

The Sentencing Project works for the reform of unfair and ineffective criminal justice policies and promotes alternatives to incarceration. Visit our issue area pages to learn more about the impact and unintended consequences of criminal justice policies.

Sentencing Policy

Changes in sentencing law and policy, not increases in crime rates, explain most of the five-fold increase in the national prison population. Find out more.

Incarceration

The

United States

is the world's leader in incarceration with 2.1 million people currently in the nation's prisons or jails. Find out what led to this 500% increase over the past thirty years.

Racial Disparity

Two-thirds of the people in prison are now racial and ethnic minorities. Find out what led to these disparate rates.

Felony Disenfranchisement

More than 5 million Americans are denied the right to vote due to felony convictions. Find out what this means for democracy.

Drug Policy

The “war on drugs” has been the single greatest factor in the dramatic rise in the U.S. prison population. Find out more.

Women in the Justice System

The number of women in prison is increasing at nearly double the rate for men. Find out why.

Collateral Consequences

In addition to a sentence imposed by a judge, a felony conviction can result in many barriers to social and economic success that can continue for a lifetime. Find out more.