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Issues

Learn about our key areas of focus to end mass incarceration and promote racial justice.
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Racial Justice

Ending mass incarceration must include combating racial inequality and disparity.

Sentencing Reform

It's time to take a second look at extreme sentences.

Voting Rights

The criminal justice system shouldn't have a say in our democracy.

Youth Justice

We must end youth incarceration and provide all youth with the support they need to thrive.
Featured Campaign

Second Look Network

Ending mass incarceration requires taking a second look at extreme sentences. Learn more about our coalition of legal professionals providing direct representation to incarcerated individuals seeking relief from lengthy or unfair sentences.
Advocacy

The Sentencing Project is a leading voice for criminal legal reform.
Advocacy overview
Our Work

Explore our work at the national, state, and local level to promote a fair and effective criminal legal system.

Second Look Network

The Network serves, connects, and empowers legal advocates across the country to bring people serving excessive and unfair prison sentences home.

Get Involved

Changing laws and policies to end mass incarceration require a mass movement. Here are ways you can take action.
Featured Campaign

50 Years and a Wake Up

America’s 50-year experiment with mass incarceration has been a profound moral and policy failure. Partner with us to end mass incarceration!
Research

Explore our publications, fact sheets, data & more.
Overview
Growth in Mass Incarceration

The United States is the world’s leader in incarceration. Get the facts and statistics on trends in U.S. incarceration.

U.S. Criminal Justice Data

View state-level data to provide a snapshot of key indicators of mass incarceration's impact in the United States

Detailed Data Tool

Compare state-level incarceration data for youth and adults with this expanded data set

Resource Library

Search important resources published by The Sentencing Project, including research publications, advocacy briefs, webinars, and more
Featured Publication

One in Five

One in five Black men born in 2001 is likely to experience imprisonment within their lifetime. Our four-part “One in Five” series examines racial inequities in America’s criminal legal system, as well as highlights promising reforms.
- Glossary of Criminal Justice Terms

Jake Sussman

Board Member

Jake Sussman is Chief Counsel for Justice System Reform at Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ), based in Durham, North Carolina. With over 25 years of experience in criminal justice and civil rights work, Jake previously worked for two leading civil rights law firms in the South, Ferguson Stein Chambers and Tin Fulton Walker & Owen. There, he handled cases ranging from indigent defense in federal court to juvenile proceedings in family court, as well as death penalty cases. He has prosecuted numerous civil rights cases involving excessive police force, First Amendment violations, and race discrimination. Before joining SCSJ, Jake helped establish and grow a nonprofit organization that provided legal, policy, communications, and networking support to advocates, organizations, and elected officials nationwide, all aimed at rethinking public safety strategies and reducing instability. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and New York University School of Law, where he was a Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholar.