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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

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

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

Video

The Sentencing Project: For a Better Justice System

September 9, 2016

Founded in 1986, The Sentencing Project works for a fair and effective U.S. justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy.

Related to: Incarceration, Sentencing Reform, Racial Justice

Founded in 1986, The Sentencing Project works for a fair and effective U.S. justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing unjust racial disparities and practices, and advocating for alternatives to incarceration.

Related Resources

View all resources

Press Release

The Sentencing Project Applauds President Biden’s CARES Act Clemency

President Biden announced that he was commuting the sentences of nearly 1500 individuals placed on home confinement during the Covid-19 pandemic who had successfully reintegrated into the community, as well as pardoning 39 individuals convicted of nonviolent crimes.

December 12, 2024

Press Release

New Report Demonstrates Baltimore Media’s Role in Shaping Youth Justice Narratives, Policy

The Sentencing Project's latest report, “The Real Cost of ‘Bad News’: How Misinformation is Undermining Youth Justice Policy in Baltimore," reveals how media reporting on youth crime is misleading city residents and fueling poor public policy.

December 11, 2024

Report

The Real Cost of ‘Bad News’: How Misinformation is Undermining Youth Justice Policy in Baltimore

The Sentencing Project's analysis of six of Baltimore’s leading media outlets during the first half of 2024 revealed how the city's media reporting on youth crime misled residents and fueled poor public policy.

By Richard Mendel on December 11, 2024