publications
October 05, 2016
Unlocking Justice: Strategizing for Reform - State Campaign Successes
This webinar highlighted successful efforts to scale back collateral consequences and challenge racial disparity in state sentencing policy.
news
September 26, 2016
Lawsuit Accuses Alabama of Bias in Law That Bars Some Felons From Voting
A federal lawsuit filed on Monday claims that Alabama's law revoking the voting rights of any person “convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude” is racially discriminatory and unconstitutional.
Denver Schimming
As a previously incarcerated person who had his voting rights restored in 1996, Denver Schimming knew the power and importance of voting. His years in prison taught him that the criminal justice system could change only if impacted people spoke out. After his incarceration, voting was one of his highest priorities.
news
September 20, 2016
Time to Take Private Profit Out of Texas Prisons
Texas corrections officials and policymakers should take a closer look at the state’s reliance upon privately operated incarceration facilities.
news
September 16, 2016
Mass Incarceration in Middle America
Criminal justice reform is reducing prison populations in big America cities. But in some suburbs and rural communities, prison populations are actually growing.
Lawrence and Lamont Garrison
Sentences for federal drug crimes are based on the quantity of the drugs involved, not the individual’s role in the crime. The emphasis on quantity rather than the role of the offender, along with the conspiracy laws, too often result in disproportionate sentencing, even for first-time offenses such as the Garrisons’.
news
September 13, 2016
Watch: A 30-Year March Toward Justice
Watch our 30th anniversary video celebrating The Sentencing Project's work over the last 30 years and looking ahead to the future of criminal justice reform
news
September 05, 2016
How Voting Laws Squelch Urban America’s Voice
Upwards of 6 million Americans are ineligible to vote due to a felony conviction, with the disenfranchised population disproportionately concentrated in urban areas.
Kimberly Haven
Kimberly Haven’s journey as an advocate began when she sought to regain her own voting rights after release from a Maryland prison in 2001. She soon became passionate about the unfairness of disenfranchising citizens after they have completed their sentence and returned to the community.
news
August 26, 2016
Will States Follow DOJ’s Private Prison Move? Some Are Ahead of the Feds
The Justice Department’s decision to phase out private prisons could have an impact well beyond federal prison facilities if states follow suit.
news
August 22, 2016
Virginia Restores Voting Rights for 13,000 Residents
One month after the Virginia Supreme Court overturned Governor Terry McAuliffe's blanket clemency order, the governor has announced that he has individually restored voting rights to 13,000 Virginians and is working on doing the same for a total of about 200,000 individuals.
Christopher Poulos
When Chris Poulos was arrested, he experienced firsthand the difference that money can make in the criminal justice system. He recounts the experience in his own words.
news
August 18, 2016
Justice Department Will End Use of Private Prisons
The use of private prisons since the mid-1980s has facilitated the unprecedented growth in incarceration, particularly in the federal system.
news
August 12, 2016
Can Marijuana Reform End Mass Incarceration?
While current marijuana enforcement is counterproductive in many respects, there is little evidence to indicate that it has been a substantial contributor to mass incarceration. Of the 1.5 million people in state or federal prisons, only about 40,000 are incarcerated for a marijuana offense.
Dorothy Gaines
Dorothy Gaines's life changed when Alabama state police raided her home for drugs. Police found no evidence of Gaines having possessed or sold drugs, yet federal prosecutors charged Gaines with drug conspiracy.
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