publications
January 28, 2019
Letter to House Judiciary Committee Members on Voting Rights for People after Incarceration
The Sentencing Project urges House Judiciary Committee Members to prioritize passage of the Democracy Restoration Act.
publications
January 16, 2019
Top Trends in State Criminal Justice Reform, 2018
In 2018, formerly incarcerated activists, lawmakers, and advocates worked to challenge mass incarceration. This briefing paper highlights key changes in criminal justice policy achieved.
publications
December 14, 2018
The Sentencing Project Urges Senate to Oppose Cotton - Kennedy Amendment to the First Step Act
The Sentencing Project urges the Senate to pass the First Step Act without amendment #4109, introduced by Senators Tom Cotton and John Kennedy—which is designed to derail the legislation and weaken its rehabilitation incentive program.
publications
November 28, 2018
The Sentencing Project Calls on Congress to Pass First Step Act
In a letter sent to Senate and House leadership, The Sentencing Project urged Congress to move quickly to pass the sentencing reform measures in the First Step Act (S.3649) "to help create a safer, more equitable and fairer justice system."
publications
November 05, 2018
Long-Term Sentences: Time to Reconsider the Scale of Punishment
Unduly long prison terms are counterproductive for public safety and contribute to the dynamic of diminishing returns as the prison system has expanded.
publications
October 22, 2018
Juvenile Life Without Parole: An Overview
The United States stands alone as the only nation that sentences people to life without parole for crimes committed before turning 18. This briefing paper reviews the Supreme Court precedents that limited the use of JLWOP and the challenges that remain.
publications
October 17, 2018
Expanding the Vote: Two Decades of Felony Disenfranchisement Reforms
Since 1997, 23 states have amended felony disenfranchisement policies in an effort to reduce their restrictiveness and expand voter eligibility.
publications
September 05, 2018
Decarceration Strategies: How 5 States Achieved Substantial Prison Population Reductions
Connecticut, Michigan, Mississippi, Rhode Island, and South Carolina have reduced their prison populations between 14-25% over the past decade. This report describes how these five states can serve as decarceration roadmaps for other states.
publications
August 27, 2018
Public Comment on Commission’s Proposed Priorities for 2018-2019 Amendment Cycle
A coalition of civil rights, criminal justice reform, and human rights groups provided comments to the U.S. Sentencing Commission on ways to improve the fairness and proportionality of the Guidelines; promote individualized review of specific offense conduct; and mitigate excessively punitive provisions.
publications
August 02, 2018
Private Prisons in the United States
U.S. private prisons incarcerated 128,063 people in 2016, representing 8.5% of the total state and federal prison population.
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