Incarceration Data and Other Resources

Prison Journalism Navigator

Incarceration Data and Other Resources

The availability of data particular to prisons and state corrections departments can vary, but many excellent resources are available to provide a good starting point to understand the U.S. criminal legal system and incarceration. Here are a few sources and reports that we rely on to help add context to our writers’ stories:

DATA SOURCES

ARTICLES & REPORTS

Overview

“Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2023”: The Prison Policy Initiative takes on the arduous task of aggregating disparate information and making sense of them through reports, fact sheets and articles that are presented succinctly in a way that journalists will find particularly helpful. “The Whole Pie” is a comprehensive study it releases annually with valuable information about the size and breakdown of the U.S. carceral system. Beat reporters might find it useful to get on their mailing list.
Criminal Justice Fact Sheet: By NAACP.
Trends in Incarceration: Trends, including incarceration rates in women and disparities in geography by Vera Institute.
Prisoners in 2021 — Statistical Tables: A study released in Dec. 2022 by the U.S. Department of Justice.
State by State Data: A resource page by the Sentencing Project.

Children

The State of America’s Children 2021: Youth Justice: By The Children’s Defense Fund.
Children in Adult Prisons: By the Equal Justice Initiative.

COVID-19

Prison Policy Initiative’s COVID-19 page: Links to several reports on the handling of COVID-19 in prisons as well as other health-related studies.
LA Times’ Tracking the Coronavirus in California State Prisons: A regularly updated comprehensive analysis.
California’s COVID-19 tracker: The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has one of the best COVID-19 trackers out there, breaking down staff and resident cases and testing by facility. Note that the tracker is constantly updated and provides no way to go back to see data at a certain point in time. We recommend taking a screenshot to capture any moments in time.
COVID Prison Project: Tracks data and policy to monitor COVID-19 in prisons nationwide.
Bureau of Prisons’ COVID-19 tracker: The federal prison system devotes a section of their website to COVID-19 data by facility.
COVID-19 Amplified Racial Disparities in the U.S. Criminal Legal System: A study by researchers from Yale and Northeastern Universities and the Santa Fe Institute.

Economics of Prison

The Price of Prisons: By the Vera Institute (Note: published in Nov. 2012)
Economics of Incarceration: By the Prison Policy Initiative.
The Hidden Cost of Incarceration: By The Marshall Project.
The True Cost of Incarceration on Families: A 2015 research report led by Ella Baker Center.
U.S. Department of Justice FY2022 Performance Budget
The Economic Burden of Incarceration in the U.S.: A 2016 report from the National Institute of Corrections, the only federal agency with a legislative mandate to provide specialized services to corrections from a national perspective.
Federal Prison Industries Inc.’s Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Management Report: An annual report from a government-owned corporation that operates industries in federal institutions.

Families of Incarcerated

Hidden Consequences: The Impact of Incarceration on Dependent Children: National Institute of Justice.
Impact of Incarceration on Children: A primer by Prison Fellowship.
Incarceration in America study: FWD.us and Cornell University partnered in 2018 to better understand the number of people in the U.S. who are impacted by incarceration. PJP often cites their primary finding that 113 million people — about half of the U.S. population — have an immediate family member who is formerly incarcerated or incarcerated.
Mass Incarceration and Children’s Outcomes: Economic Policy Institute 2015 report.

Food/Nutrition

Eating Behind Bars: A six-part series by Impact Justice that explores trends and inequalities around prison food in the U.S.
Nutrition in American Prisons: A research report by Catherine Peabody at Washington and Lee University.
Nutrition Availability for those Incarcerated in Jail: Implications for Mental Health

Health/Mental Health

Prison Policy Initiative’s Public Health page: Links to several reports on the handling of COVID-19 in prisons as well as other health-related studies.
Prisons Have a Healthcare issue: By The Marshall Project.
Treatment of Persons with Mental Illness in Prisons and Jail: By the Treatment Advocacy Center in 2014.
Serious Mental Illness Prevalence in Jails and Prisons: By the Treatment Advocacy Center in 2016.
Incarceration Can Cause Lasting Damage to Mental Health: A research roundup by Prison Policy Initiative.
Improving Mental Health for Inmates: By the American Psychological Association.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5): A seminal guide by the American Psychiatric Association that recognizes the impact of gender dysphoria on mental health. PJP’s trans writers have referred to this document in their articles making a case for gender affirmation surgery and other care.
Mental Health Treatment While Incarcerated: By the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Trauma Exposure and PTSD among incarcerated men: A 2014 academic study that shows how incidents of PTSD are significantly higher among incarcerated men than in the general population.
Unmet Health Needs of People in State Prisons: A June 2022 report by Prison Policy Initiative.

LGBTQ

LGBT: A curated page of resources by Prison Policy Initiative.
The unequal treatment of LGBTQ people in the criminal justice system: From the Prison Policy Initiative with visualization charts.
Incarcerated LGBTQ+ Adults and Youth: A fact sheet by The Sentencing Project.
LGBTQ Pe o ple Behind Bars: A study by National Center for Transgender Equality.

Prison Conditions

Prison Conditions: From the Equal Justice Initiative’s website.
Death and Dying in Prison: A comprehensive list of Prison Policy Initiative’s reports on this topic.
Deaths in Jail: An investigation of public records by Reuters on mortality deaths in jail.
Deaths Behind Bars (Louisiana): The first comprehensive collection and analysis of deaths behind bars in Louisiana by the Technology and Legal Innovation Clinic at Loyola Law School, New Orleans.
Deaths Behind Bars (South Carolina): The first comprehensive collection and analysis of deaths behind bars in South Carolina by the University of South Carolina School of Law in partnership with the Technology and Legal Innovation Clinic at Loyola Law School, New Orleans.
Uncounted Deaths in America’s Prisons and Jails: A staff report from the U.S. Senate’s permanent subcommittee on investigations for a Sept. 2022 hearing.

Race

The Color of Justice: A report by the Sentencing Project on racial and ethnic disparities in state prisons.
Race and Ethnicity: Prison Policy Initiative summary.
Jail Inmates in 2021: From the Bureau of Statistics. See page 21-23 for information and data about race.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System: From the National Council on State Legislatures, published in May 24, 2020.

Religion

Religious Freedom in Prisons: A primer by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Religion in Prisons: A 50-state survey of prison chaplains by the Pew Research Center in 2012.
How does the First Amendment Protect Religion in Prison? A Breakdown: From Interrogating Justice on the laws and policies around the protection of religion in prisons.

Solitary Confinement