news
October 03, 2022
October is Youth Justice Action Month!
October is Youth Justice Action Month! Our network of allied advocates and supporters use this month to celebrate the actions we’ve taken in the movement to end youth incarceration and provide all youth with the support they need to thrive.
publications
James Inge
James D. Inge is one of 300 individuals age 60 or older arrested between 1965 and 1980 that was sentenced to life imprisonment in Pennsylvania. Learn more about his campaign to give rehabilitated seniors serving life a second chance.
publications
August 23, 2022
Private Prisons in the United States
Twenty-six states and the federal government incarcerated 99,754 people in private prisons in 2020, representing 8% of the total state and federal prison population.
publications
August 18, 2022
New National Poll shows Majority Favor Guaranteed Right to Vote for All
Voters in the United States are ready for all citizens of this country to be eligible to vote, no
matter their relationship with the criminal justice system.
Dorothy Gaines
Dorothy Gaines's life changed when Alabama state police raided her home for drugs. Police found no evidence of Gaines having possessed or sold drugs, yet federal prosecutors charged Gaines with drug conspiracy.
publications
August 18, 2022
Amicus Brief in Support of Lawsuit Ending North Carolina Felony Disenfranchisement Law
North Carolina law disproportionately deprives Black North Carolinians of the right to vote and prolongs their disenfranchisement based
on circumstances that are marked by persistent racial inequity and have no connection to the legitimate interests of the State.
publications
August 15, 2022
Request for a Thematic Hearing on Life Imprisonment in the Americas
The Sentencing Project, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Penal Reform International submitted a request to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for a thematic hearing on life imprisonment in the Organization of American States (OAS) region.
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.
publications
August 11, 2022
Repurposing Correctional Facilities to Strengthen Communities
Twenty-one states partially closed or fully closed at least one correctional facility since 2000, resulting in a trend of prison repurposing in which old prisons are converted for community and commercial use.
publications
July 27, 2022
Voting in Jails: Advocacy Strategies to #UnlocktheVote
Every year, hundreds of thousands of eligible incarcerated voters are unable to cast their ballot due to misinformation, institutional bureaucracy and de-prioritization among government officials. This advocacy brief highlights strategies to improve ballot access for incarcerated people who are legally eligible to vote.
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
July 27, 2022
Comments to the Food and Drug Administration on the Proposed Ban of Menthol Cigarettes
The Sentencing Project submitted comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the proposed Tobacco Product
Standard for Menthol in Cigarettes.
publications
July 20, 2022
Comment on Home Confinement Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
The Sentencing Project's Executive Director Amy Fettig submitted comments to the Office of the Attorney General on behalf of The Sentencing project regarding the United States Department of Justice’s proposed rule on CARES Act Home Confinement.
Denver Schimming
As a previously incarcerated person who had his voting rights restored in 1996, Denver Schimming knew the power and importance of voting. His years in prison taught him that the criminal justice system could change only if impacted people spoke out. After his incarceration, voting was one of his highest priorities.
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