news
October 12, 2016
Unable to Vote, New Yorkers Reach Out, Try to Have Impact on U.S. Election
A group of formerly incarcerated New Yorkers recently traveled to Ohio with one goal: to inform Ohio residents with felony convictions of their voting rights.
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.
Kemba Smith
At 24 years old, Kemba Smith was sentenced to 24.5 years in prison for conspiracy to participate in her boyfriend's drug activities, a non-violent, first-time offense. For years, her parents galvanized a tireless movement seeking clemency for their daughter.
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.
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.
Willie Mays Aikens
In 2008, Willie Mays Aikens made headlines when a federal judge reduced his lengthy prison term to 14 years as a result of the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s adjustment to the crack cocaine sentencing guidelines. Aikens was released in June 2008.
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.
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
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Andres Idarraga
After his release in June of 2004, Andres Idarraga became a full-time student at Brown University studying comparative literature and economics while maintaining full-time employment. Idarraga saw his right to vote as a significant and crucial aspect to rebuilding his life and to contributing to his community.
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