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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 Experience

April Wilkens - Advocate for Survivors of Domestic Violence

"What does it say about a society that treats some of its most victimized and vulnerable citizens with so little compassion and mercy? How do we fix such a terrible injustice?"
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.

Get Involved

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

Second Look Network

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

50 Years and a Wake Up

This year marks the 50th year since the U.S. prison population began its unprecedented surge. 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

The Color of Justice: Racial and Ethnic Disparity in State Prisons

This report documents the rates of incarceration for white, Black and Latinx Americans in each state, identifies three contributors to racial and ethnic disparities in imprisonment, and provides recommendations for reform.
- Glossary of Criminal Justice Terms

Luke Trinka

Research Fellow

Luke Trinka is a Research Fellow focusing on racial inequalities in the criminal legal system. Luke provides research and writing support for The Sentencing Project’s work tracing the causes of racial disparities in the criminal legal system and the harms of felony disenfranchisement. Prior to joining The Sentencing Project, Luke worked at the nexus of human rights and spirituality. As a Jesuit Volunteer, Luke advocated for migrant farmworking families in western Missouri. He went on to do holistic criminal defense representation as a paralegal with the Lawndale Christian Legal Center, then accompanied men serving extreme sentences as a chaplain with the Boston College Law School Innocence Program. Luke earned an undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College and a Master of Theological Studies from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. His academic work culminated in a published title, “Cries from the Cross: Jesus and the Wrongfully Convicted.”