@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
  • Tweets18.8K
  • 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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Prison Policy Initiative retweeted
Amnesty International USA
@amnestyusa5h
This heartbreaking death is the 60th in detention under the Trump Administration and the second at Folkston Detention Center where hundreds of people are on hunger strike protesting cruel conditions and medical neglect. ICE can't be reformed. Abolish ICE now! ajc.com/news/2026/10/ice-det…

ICE detainee dies at Folkston facility, 5th detainee death in Georgia since 2024

Also, federal authorities have arrested a man suspected of a Molotov attack on an Atlanta ICE building.

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🗳️Election Day is one week away, and mass incarceration is on the ballot. We pulled together a guide on how the offices you may be asked to vote on can dramatically impact the criminal legal system. Here's what you should know 🧵
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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These offices include U.S. representatives, U.S. senators, and the president (though the president is not up for election during midterms).
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No single elected official built America’s broken system of mass incarceration, and no one officeholder can end it single-handedly. Accomplishing that will require a wide focus on elected offices up and down the ballot. Learn more here👇 prisonpolicy.org/blog/2024/0…

Mass incarceration is on the ballot

A guide to how 19 offices you may be asked to vote on can help end mass incarceration in America.

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🚨Webinar starting now! Access to government documents is essential for advocates trying to change the criminal legal system, but requesting records can be intimidating. In this webinar, we'll demystify records requests. Join 👇 zoom.us/webinar/register/841…
Infographic with info for webinar: Title: Exercising our right to know: Making Effective Records Requests Description: Having access to government documents is essential for advocates trying to change the criminal legal system, but the records request process can often feel intimidating. This webinar breaks down the basics of making a request and goes over tips and tricks that the Prison Policy Initiative has learned over decades of sending requests to jails, prisons, and other agencies. Speakers: Sarah Staudt Policy and Advocacy Director, Prison Policy Initiative Aleks Kajstura Senior Policy and Advocacy Analyst, Prison Policy Initiative Mike Wessler Communications Director, Prison Policy Initiative Date, time, location: October 27, 2026 1:30pm ET Online, register at prisonpolicy.org

ALT Infographic with info for webinar: Title: Exercising our right to know: Making Effective Records Requests Description: Having access to government documents is essential for advocates trying to change the criminal legal system, but the records request process can often feel intimidating. This webinar breaks down the basics of making a request and goes over tips and tricks that the Prison Policy Initiative has learned over decades of sending requests to jails, prisons, and other agencies. Speakers: Sarah Staudt Policy and Advocacy Director, Prison Policy Initiative Aleks Kajstura Senior Policy and Advocacy Analyst, Prison Policy Initiative Mike Wessler Communications Director, Prison Policy Initiative Date, time, location: October 27, 2026 1:30pm ET Online, register at prisonpolicy.org

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The Trump admin said that ICE would scale back on community arrests if states complied with its deportation agenda. But data show that was a false promise. ICE's assault on communities has only gotten worse, even for states that do collaborate with the federal agency:
Trend chart showing ICE arrests from Oct. 2024 - July 2026, with spikes in Jan 2025 after Trump's inauguration; in April 2025 after the White House set an arrest quota; and a surge throughout summer 2026. Thanks to local collaboration, ICE arrested many people from local jails, police stations, and prisons.

ALT Trend chart showing ICE arrests from Oct. 2024 - July 2026, with spikes in Jan 2025 after Trump's inauguration; in April 2025 after the White House set an arrest quota; and a surge throughout summer 2026. Thanks to local collaboration, ICE arrested many people from local jails, police stations, and prisons.

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Prison Policy Initiative retweeted
Truthout
@truthoutOct 26
Today, we are grateful to announce the winners of the 6th annual Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize. The prize, awarded to 2 formerly or currently incarcerated people, is given in memory of Keeley Schenwar, a devoted advocate for incarcerated mothers.truthout.org/articles/announ…

Announcing the Winners of the 6th Annual Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize

The prize honors the work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated authors who are writing toward a more just world.

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While half of people in American families cannot afford the cost of living, the U.S. continues to burn through $445 billion on mass incarceration each year. That's a lot of money that could be spent on caring for communities instead of criminalizing them.
Urban Institute@urbaninstituteOct 26
As midterm elections approach, #affordability is top of mind. Explore the latest #data on the cost of everyday items with Urban’s American Affordability Tracker, part of The State of American Affordability series on financial well-being. 📈 urbn.is/4z9Wibr

The American Affordability Tracker

Timely data on Americans’ finances and the cost of basic needs by state and congressional district.

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🚨WEBINAR: Access to government documents is essential for advocates trying to change the criminal legal system, but requesting records can be intimidating. In this webinar, we'll demystify records requests 👇 zoom.us/webinar/register/841…
Infographic with info for webinar: Title: Exercising our right to know: Making Effective Records Requests Description: Having access to government documents is essential for advocates trying to change the criminal legal system, but the records request process can often feel intimidating. This webinar breaks down the basics of making a request and goes over tips and tricks that the Prison Policy Initiative has learned over decades of sending requests to jails, prisons, and other agencies. Speakers: Sarah Staudt Policy and Advocacy Director, Prison Policy Initiative Aleks Kajstura Senior Policy and Advocacy Analyst, Prison Policy Initiative Mike Wessler Communications Director, Prison Policy Initiative Date, time, location: October 27, 2026 1:30pm ET Online, register at prisonpolicy.org

ALT Infographic with info for webinar: Title: Exercising our right to know: Making Effective Records Requests Description: Having access to government documents is essential for advocates trying to change the criminal legal system, but the records request process can often feel intimidating. This webinar breaks down the basics of making a request and goes over tips and tricks that the Prison Policy Initiative has learned over decades of sending requests to jails, prisons, and other agencies. Speakers: Sarah Staudt Policy and Advocacy Director, Prison Policy Initiative Aleks Kajstura Senior Policy and Advocacy Analyst, Prison Policy Initiative Mike Wessler Communications Director, Prison Policy Initiative Date, time, location: October 27, 2026 1:30pm ET Online, register at prisonpolicy.org

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The disproportionate criminalization of Black people starts at a young age. While Black and white kids use drugs at similar rates, Black youth make up 24% of kids confined for drug offenses, despite comprising just 14% of the general youth population.
Graph showing that Black youth make up 24% of kids confined for drug offenses, despite comprising just 14% of the general youth population.

ALT Graph showing that Black youth make up 24% of kids confined for drug offenses, despite comprising just 14% of the general youth population.

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-Cells infested with mold and vermin -Floors covered with waste and sewage -Deadly temperatures during extreme weather This isn't a scene out of a horror movie. It's the real-life conditions that incarcerated people endure every single day. ajc.com/news/2026/10/valdost…

South Georgia prison conditions create humanitarian crisis, group says

Inhumane conditions have led to suffering, death at Valdosta State Prison, Southern Center for Human Rights law group alleges in report.

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While families struggle through an affordability crisis, the U.S. continues to spend $445 billion on mass incarceration each year. That's a lot of money that could be spent on caring for communities instead of criminalizing them.
Flow chart showing breakdown of how the U.S. spends $445 billion on mass incarceration each year

ALT Flow chart showing breakdown of how the U.S. spends $445 billion on mass incarceration each year

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"Parole is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. While parole does mean I’ve been released from prison, it’s also not exactly freedom. Much of my life feels like an adherence to a strict set of guidelines that dictate everything I can and cannot do." prismreports.org/2026/03/31/…

One bite at a time: the rules, regulations, and worries of parole

Each day of life on parole is carefully mapped out, and each decision starts with an exhausting mental checklist

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Both probation & parole impose an excessive number of conditions that can be nearly impossible to comply with all the time, like curfews or paying hefty fines. If they're missed, that could be a violation that lands someone in prison.
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And failure of these systems because of conditions is high: Supervision violations account for more than 25% of all prison admissions. This is not a system designed for success.
Graph showing that technical violations are the main reason for incarceration of people on probation and parole

ALT Graph showing that technical violations are the main reason for incarceration of people on probation and parole

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