@PrisonPolicy

Challenging mass incarceration and over-criminalization through research, advocacy, and organizing. Get email updates: https://xitter.cf/t.co/AyYiUayx2n

 Easthampton, MA
prisonpolicy.org
Joined October 2009
  • Tweets18.7K
  • Following3.8K
  • Followers74.1K
4.1KMedia
🚨NEW: Nearly 200,000 women and girls are incarcerated in the U.S. on any given day — a number that stands out globally. Where are they held? For what charges? And what conditions do they face? Our latest report, Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie, answers that & more 🧵
Pie chart showing the number of women locked up on a given day in the United States (199,000) by facility type and the underlying offense using the newest data available in 2026

ALT Pie chart showing the number of women locked up on a given day in the United States (199,000) by facility type and the underlying offense using the newest data available in 2026

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A reminder during Prison Banned Books Week: Prisons & jails are the largest censors in the U.S. They say it's for "security," but the most banned book is a cookbook. 🤨 Book bans are designed to isolate and control incarcerated people — not keep them safe.
Picture of the book Prison Ramen by Clifton Collins Jr and Gustavo "Goose" Alvarez

ALT Picture of the book Prison Ramen by Clifton Collins Jr and Gustavo "Goose" Alvarez

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🗳️ Midterms are around the corner, and mass incarceration is on the ballot Here's what you should know about some of the most common offices that you might be asked to vote on this November: prisonpolicy.org/blog/2024/0…
Picture of a ballot showing examples of local, state, and federal offices and what they control in the criminal legal system

ALT Picture of a ballot showing examples of local, state, and federal offices and what they control in the criminal legal system

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Prison Policy Initiative retweeted
TransgenderLawCenter@TransLawCenterOct 21
A victory for incarcerated trans people. The Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict access to gender-affirming health care in federal prisons, keeping critical protections in place as the legal fight continues.
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Prison Policy Initiative retweeted
FAMM Foundation
@FAMMFoundationOct 21
For incarcerated people, prison lockdowns can mean losing access to basic necessities and communication with loved ones. This is why independent prison oversight matters. Read the full story and click the link in our bio to take our member polls, share your experiences, and find out how to contact your lawmakers about prison conditions.
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💰Since 2017, police funding has increased rapidly, now costing the U.S. more than $200 billion a year. Keep that in mind the next time somebody tries to use calls to "defund the police" as a scapegoat.
Graph showing that, when adjusted for inflation, policing cost $190 billion in 2017. In 2025, it cost $203 billion.

ALT Graph showing that, when adjusted for inflation, policing cost $190 billion in 2017. In 2025, it cost $203 billion.

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"They never tell you that menopause behind bars is a special kind of hell... designed by people who have forgotten you are human." October is Menopause Awareness Month. Incarcerated people can't be left behind in the fight for expanded menopause care. scalawagmagazine.org/2025/10…

Burning Inside: What Prison Heat Does to a Menopausal Body – Scalawag

Incarcerated writer Kwaneta Harris reflects on the tole that prison conditions take on the menopausal body.

scalawagmagazine.org
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Our recent briefing found that only 5 states' prison policies have info explicitly about menopause, and none spell out what care, education, or resources prisons provide people experiencing perimenopause or menopause:
Screenshot of chart showing that only Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, and South Carolina mention "menopause" in their prison policies. Of those, only AL, AK, MS, OK, and OR have materials specifically addressing menopause.

ALT Screenshot of chart showing that only Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, and South Carolina mention "menopause" in their prison policies. Of those, only AL, AK, MS, OK, and OR have materials specifically addressing menopause.

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Learn more 👇 prisonpolicy.org/blog/2026/0…

Inevitable yet ignored: Prison policies disregard the realities of menopause behind bars

Our survey of state and federal prison policies shows just how little institutional attention is paid to menopause-related healthcare and education behind bars, despite the ...

prisonpolicy.org
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Over 5,000 young women and girls are confined in the U.S. Many are locked up for violations like running away or truancy — things that are not crimes for adults and have nothing to do with public safety.
Detail image of the youth confinement slice of the womenʻs whole pie showing the offenses for which 5,200 girls are held in juvenile facilities

ALT Detail image of the youth confinement slice of the womenʻs whole pie showing the offenses for which 5,200 girls are held in juvenile facilities

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Mirroring the adult system, girls of color and those who identify as LBTQ+ are disproportionately confined by the juvenile justice system. Black girls in particular shoulder an added burden of adultification, which leads to greater contact with the system & harsher consequences.
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More from our recent report 👇 prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie…

Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2026

198,800 women are behind bars in the U.S. See the report that shows where they are locked up and why.

prisonpolicy.org
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Prison Policy Initiative retweeted
Fines and Fees Justice Center@FinesandFeesJCOct 19
October is Youth Justice Action Month. This month, we celebrate the youth advocates fighting to transform the juvenile justice system from something harmful into something supportive. In particular, we will explore a specific type of fee that affects people across the country.
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Women in state prison are more likely to have a disability, struggle with mental health, and been unhoused as a child. By almost any measure, women in prison are worse off than men — leading up to and during incarceration. Prison is no answer for marginalized, traumatized women.
Pie chart showing the number of women locked up on a given day in the United States (199,000) by facility type and the underlying offense using the newest data available in 2026

ALT Pie chart showing the number of women locked up on a given day in the United States (199,000) by facility type and the underlying offense using the newest data available in 2026

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More from our latest report 👇 prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie…

Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2026

198,800 women are behind bars in the U.S. See the report that shows where they are locked up and why.

prisonpolicy.org
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While Americans struggle to buy groceries, ICE is burning through nearly $14,430,000 per day on the detention of 65,000 people.
Bar graph showing the daily cost of immigration detention ($222), alternatives to ICE detention ($2), federal prisons ($129), U.S. Marshals detention ($128), pretrial detention ($13), and release ($0).

ALT Bar graph showing the daily cost of immigration detention ($222), alternatives to ICE detention ($2), federal prisons ($129), U.S. Marshals detention ($128), pretrial detention ($13), and release ($0).

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"Most states spend less than $3 per person per day on prison food — and some as little as $1.02 — according to the analysis by Impact Justice. Even Maine, widely seen as a model for providing good quality food in its prisons, only spends $4.05 per person" themarshallproject.org/2025/…

Prison Food Is a Growing Billion-Dollar Industry. Many Meals Are Inedible.

As private food providers' contracts grow, the meager and moldy portions behind bars have forced some people to eat toothpaste and toilet paper.

themarshallproject.org
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Women’s incarceration has risen by almost 60% globally since 2000. For several decades in the U.S., it grew at 2x the pace of men’s incarceration. The mass incarceration of women is a crisis.
Line graph showing change in women's incarceration rates in state prisons, federal prisons, and local jails from 1970 to 2023

ALT Line graph showing change in women's incarceration rates in state prisons, federal prisons, and local jails from 1970 to 2023

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More from our latest report 👇 prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie…

Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2026

198,800 women are behind bars in the U.S. See the report that shows where they are locked up and why.

prisonpolicy.org
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Prison Policy Initiative retweeted
JoinJeremy@join_jeremyOct 16
Jeremy wrote for @karenhunter's TheHub about how the nasty food and contaminated water in prison isn't just due to neglect. It forces incarcerated people to make profiteers richer by spending money on overpriced commissary products.
TheHub.News@karenhunterOct 14
Contaminated water. Denied #medicalcare. For private prison corporations, human suffering is simply a business model. Incarcerated journalist @join_jeremy exposes who profits from #ICE detention, exclusively for TheHub.news. tinyurl.com/4atn9ke6
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