Mass Incarceration

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Fines and Fees Are a Barrier to Criminal Record-Clearing Article
View of a Black man in profile, wearing dark winter clothes, walking on a sidewalk holding a large blue bucket. He is scattering de-icing salt in front of a brown brick/stone building with a small grassy area between the building and the sidewalk, although it's entirely covered in a tin layer of snow with brown leaves visible.

Fines and Fees Are a Barrier to Criminal Record-Clearing

Jurisdictions can take several steps to eliminate the financial barriers imposed by fines and fees, which would help system-impacted individuals clear their records and reenter society.

Gus Tupper, Akua Amaning, Jaboa Lake

The Facts on Progressive Prosecutors Fact Sheet
A courthouse stands on the downtown square of Jasper, Indiana, April 2015. (Getty/Universal Images Group/Education Images)

The Facts on Progressive Prosecutors

A growing number of prosecutors are shifting away from an overly punitive vision of safety and justice and toward alternatives to incarceration that promote equitable and prevention-oriented responses within the criminal justice system.

Allison Young

What You Need To Know About Ending Cash Bail Fact Sheet
 (Getty/Robert Nickelsberg)

What You Need To Know About Ending Cash Bail

Cash bail criminalizes poverty, fuels mass incarceration, and disproportionately affects communities of color. States and localities are increasingly pursuing opportunities for reform.

Lea Hunter

Ending Mass Incarceration, With Emily Bazelon and Rachel Barkow Podcast
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Ending Mass Incarceration, With Emily Bazelon and Rachel Barkow

This week, Daniella and Ed talk with Emily Bazelon, staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, and Rachel Barkow, professor at the New York University School of Law, about how to end mass incarceration through comprehensive criminal justice reform.

Daniella Gibbs Léger, Ed Chung, Kyle Epstein, 1 More Chris Ford

Congress Should Repeal the Ban on Pell Grants Article
Incarcerated students at Jessup Correctional Institution in Jessup, Maryland, discuss proposals for prison reform with students from Georgetown University, June 2016. (Getty/The Washington Post/Lucian Perkins)

Congress Should Repeal the Ban on Pell Grants

Congress has the opportunity to repeal the ban on Pell Grants and breathe fresh air into higher education programs inside of state and federal prisons.

Brent J. Cohen

The 1994 Crime Bill Continues to Undercut Justice Reform—Here’s How to Stop It Report
Razor wire surrounds Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center in Beaumont, Virginia, April 2013. (Getty/Jo Mount/The Washington Post)

The 1994 Crime Bill Continues to Undercut Justice Reform—Here’s How to Stop It

Lawmakers who are considering what should follow the FIRST STEP Act, the federal sentencing and prison reform effort, must begin by reversing the infrastructure that the 1994 federal crime bill created.

Ed Chung, Betsy Pearl, Lea Hunter

The Need for Sentencing Reform for Women and Mothers Video

The Need for Sentencing Reform for Women and Mothers

There is a dire need for smart sentencing reform—particularly for women and mothers who are trapped in prison for economic crimes.

Maritza Perez, Andrew Satter, Jasmine Hardy

Locking Up Our Own Podcast
 (The Thinking CAP podcast logo, a yellow neon cap against a black background with the word

Locking Up Our Own

Michele and Igor sit down with James Forman Jr., a public defender and author, and discuss the touch-on-crime policies that resulted in disproportionate numbers of black men in prison.

Michele L. Jawando, Igor Volsky, Sally Tucker, 1 More Rachel Rosen

Why Prison Reform Is Not Enough to Fix the U.S. Criminal Justice System Article
A female inmate who just graduated from high school in prison does an interview for a local TV station in Gainesville, Georgia, July 2015. (Getty/Melanie Stetson Freeman)

Why Prison Reform Is Not Enough to Fix the U.S. Criminal Justice System

The Trump administration’s rhetorical support for reforming America’s prisons is contradicted by its policies to incarcerate more people for longer periods of time.

Ed Chung

Related Priorities

Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice

Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice

We pursue climate action that meets the crisis’s urgency, creates good-quality jobs, benefits disadvantaged communities, and restores U.S. credibility on the global stage.

Restoring Social Trust in Democracy

Restoring Social Trust in Democracy

Democracy is under attack at home and abroad. We must act to ensure it is accessible to all, accountable, and can serve as a force of good.

Building an Economy for All

Building an Economy for All

Economic growth must be built on the foundation of a strong and secure middle class so that all Americans benefit from growth.

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice

We apply a racial equity lens in developing and advancing policies that aim to root out entrenched systemic racism to ensure everyone has an opportunity to thrive.

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