news
May 24, 2018
Disenfranchisement News: Louisiana expands voting rights to people on probation and parole
Louisiana lawmakers pass a bill to restore voting rights to people on probation and parole after a 5 year waiting period, Indiana lawsuit seeks damages for denying people in jail access to the polls, and more in Disenfranchisement News.
news
May 10, 2018
Impacted advocates use their experience to raise awareness around female incarceration
In honor of Mother's Day, we are celebrating leading advocates who are giving voice to the unique issues and concerns facing incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and girls.
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.
publications
May 10, 2018
Incarcerated Women and Girls
Over the past quarter century, there has been a profound change in the involvement of women within the criminal justice system. This is the result of more expansive law enforcement efforts, stiffer drug sentencing laws, and post-conviction barriers to reentry that uniquely affect women.
news
May 01, 2018
State Advocacy News: Grassroots Actions to Challenge Mass Incarceration
Coalitions in Maryland, Mississippi, and Kentucky mobilized to counter regressive sentencing measures by promoting solutions addressing underlying causes of crime.
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’.
news
April 30, 2018
Jeff Sessions is shamefully undermining WEB Du Bois's legacy
A justice department program of research fellowships in the civil rights leader’s name has been twisted to suit the attorney general’s agenda
publications
April 24, 2018
Families and Mass Incarceration
In the United States mothers and fathers go to prison at troubling rates. One of every 12 American children, more than 5.7 million kids under age 18, have experienced parental incarceration at some point during their lives.
Willie Mays Aikens
In 2008, Willie Mays Aikens made headlines when a federal judge reduced his lengthy prison term to 14 years as a result of the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s adjustment to the crack cocaine sentencing guidelines. Aikens was released in June 2008.
news
April 23, 2018
Race & Justice News: Louisiana’s Non-Unanimous Juries Disadvantage African Americans
On average, Louisiana sends one person to prison every five days on the decision of a divided jury—a practice that disproportionately impacts African Americans. Learn more in Race & Justice News.
publications
April 19, 2018
Report to the United Nations on Racial Disparities in the U.S. Criminal Justice System
The Sentencing Project submitted a report to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance
news
April 05, 2018
Disenfranchisement News: Woman sentenced to 5 years for voting with a felony conviction
A woman on supervised release voted in the November election and was sentenced to 5 years in prison, Florida officials appeal court order to reform system for restoring voting rights, and more in Disenfranchisement News.
news
March 30, 2018
Race & Justice News: Jackson, MS to Stop Releasing Mug Shots of People Shot by Police
"The last image of any person should not be on the worst day of their life," said Jackson Mayor. Learn more in Race & Justice News.
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