Your Generosity in Action
Thank you for powering our movement to end mass incarceration! You make our wide-reaching research, advocacy, and public education possible. Here are just a few examples of how you’ve made a difference.
Advocacy
With your support, we can transform research into powerful advocacy, bolstering state and local initiatives aimed at building safer communities and promoting meaningful change.
Oklahoma Survivors’ Act Overcomes Veto
Thanks to your generous support, we partnered with many other organizations to support the passage of the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act, which overcame a veto to become law. This legislation allows individuals to receive resentencing opportunities if domestic violence was a significant contributing factor to their offense. Your contribution supports advocacy and policy change to address systemic issues in sentencing and drive these significant legal reforms.
Colorado voting rights victory
Colorado became the first state to require polling stations in all county jails and detention facilities. This historic law allows incarcerated individuals to vote in person, marking a monumental victory for democracy, racial equity, and reintegration. As a national partner to the Colorado Criminal Justice Coalition (CCJC), we hosted monthly advocacy calls where Colorado advocates spoke about their advocacy efforts and strategies, granted funds to CCJC to support their civic engagement efforts, and co-wrote a press release about the impact of this landmark legislation. Thank you for enabling us to strengthen democracy in Colorado and across the country!
Letter: Opposing Rollback of Raise the Age Legislation in North Carolina
In 2019, North Carolina made the appropriate and evidence-based decision to pass “Raise the Age” legislation, shifting most cases for 16- and 17-year-olds to the state’s juvenile courts. A current bill threatens to roll back these reforms, potentially increasing recidivism and compromising both youth and public safety. With your support, we submitted a letter of opposition to ensure North Carolina continues to safeguard its youth and continue to advocate for the well-being of young people.
Racial Justice Fund: 2023 Impact Report
In 2021, we established a Racial Justice Fund (RJF) with contributions from individual donors like you to support state advocacy partners. These targeted grants provide our partners with the support needed to build their capacity and increase the scope of their impact. Your generosity is deeply appreciated and crucial in empowering stronger organizations to sustainably advance racial justice in their local communities.
Research
Your support has been instrumental in publishing these resources, demonstrating the urgent need for policy reform to advocates, educators, policymakers, and the public.
Out of Step: U.S. Policy on Voting Rights in Global Perspective
The Sentencing Project, Human Rights Watch, and the American Civil Liberties Union published a report that highlights the stark differences between the U.S. and other democracies regarding felony disenfranchisement – denying a person’s right to vote because of a criminal conviction. The U.S. remains out of step with the rest of the world in disenfranchising large numbers of people based on criminal convictions, and its laws denying remains out of step with the rest of the world in disenfranchising large numbers of people based on criminal convictions. Your generous contribution played a crucial role in supporting the research and dissemination of this report, ensuring that its critical findings reach policymakers, advocates, and the public.
Incarceration and Crime: A Weak Relationship
We all deserve to feel safe in our communities. Our latest report reveals that our country’s overreliance on incarceration doesn't help us achieve community safety. Highlighting a weak correlation between increasing incarceration rates and crime reduction, the report challenges the notion that more incarceration automatically reduces crime. Essential for policymakers, advocates, and anyone concerned with understanding the real impact of incarceration on crime, this report also delves into alternative approaches for enhancing community safety.
The Second Look Movement: A Review of the Nation’s Sentence Review Laws
Second look laws have the potential to significantly reduce the prison population by allowing safe and early release for those with extreme sentences. Despite the growing energy behind second look legislation, there hasn’t been a comprehensive assessment of all of these second look laws in the country—until now. This new report details the history of the second look movement, analyzing each reform’s strengths and weaknesses, and making recommendations for laws to improve consistency, clarity, and meaningful application. It’s a useful resource for advocates seeking to pass similar laws in their states and litigators seeking to effectively implement the laws for the benefit of their incarcerated clients.
Public Education
Your generosity enables us to convene experts, directly impacted individuals, and stakeholders to educate a diverse audience and foster collective discussions about more effective and equitable solutions than incarceration. Thank you for helping to make these important conversations possible.
Webinar: America’s Growing Movement to Divert Youth Out of the Justice System
During this webinar, a youth using the pseudonym J shared his journey of being diverted away from the court system to a community-based program that actively involved his mother in the rehabilitation process. His story brought the concept of diversion to life, emphasizing its crucial role in real-life scenarios. The webinar also underscored how diversion reduces disparities during this pivotal stage of the juvenile court process.
Webinar: Can Parole Be Rehabilitated?
We hosted a national dialogue inspired by Ben Austen’s new book, Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change. Panelists discussed the history and evolution of parole, considering whether it can be reformed or if states should adopt “second look” judicial resentencing legislation. They also highlighted the importance of restorative justice and engaging victims in a trauma-informed manner.
Webinar: Unlocking the Ballot: Using Data to Expand Voting Rights
Our webinar exemplified how centering directly impacted individuals in data and research can empower them to organize within their communities. Many panelists shared personal experiences with incarceration and the significance of voting rights in their own lives.
Support our critical work
The Sentencing Project and our advocacy partners rely on generous supporters like you for the resources to launch urgently needed research, advocacy, and public education efforts.
