Links to Organizations and Information Activism and Organizing Policy Resources and Information Women Capital Punishment Maps Allied Organizations and Related Sites Corrections Industry State Departments of Corrections

Credit: Andalusia Knoll

Activism and Organizing

All of Us or None
Prison sentences for millions of people with felony convictions never really end when prejudice and discrimination based on felony criminal histories persist outside the prison walls. Former prisoners, prisoners, people convicted of felonies and their allies have come together to combat the many forms of life-long discrimination in All of Us or None.
http://www.prisonerswithchildren.org/news/allofusornone.htm

AFSC's Michigan Criminal Justice Program
Serves as a monitor and conscience of the Department of Corrections' long-standing misuse of power, state money, and human resources. We advocate for a more humane approach to criminal justice in the state of Michigan. We do this through prisoner-rights advocacy, public education on the destructive role of the growing prison industry, Although AFSC is a faith-based organization, we welcome supporters and constituents of all (or no) faith traditions. AFSC frequently works in coalition with other organizations, including Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending, Juvenile Justice Coalition, and The State Bar of Michigan Prisons & Corrections Section Executive Council. They do accept collect calls from Michigan state prisoners. Inmates can reach us at (734) 761-9796. These calls are very expensive, and our resources are very limited, so please only call collect if you need emergency assistance.
http://www.prisoneradvocacy.org/contactus.htm

Sargent Binkley and California's Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws
Under California's strict mandatory minimum sentencing laws, US Army Captain Sargent Binkley is facing at least 12 years in state prison. Sargent Binkley committed two robberies in 2006. These crimes were desperate attempts to obtain the painkillers he became addicted to after sustaining injuries while serving abroad. These injuries were repeatedly misdiagnosed and mistreated by the military medical system, resulting in Sargent's downward spiral of addiction. He harmed no-one, took no money, and turned himself in. Under California's minimum sentencing law, no judge can commute his sentence to one more in proportion to his crime. Sargent has been in jail for over a year and a half and potentially faces final sentencing on September 20th, 2007, in Santa Clara County.
http://supportsarge.org

Book 'Em
Pittsburgh's Books-to-Prisoners Program
http://www.thomasmertoncenter.org/bookem.htm

Books Through Bars
Map and contact information for books through bars groups in the U.S.
http://booksthroughbars.org/pbp/

Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB)
A broad-based coalition of over 40 organizations seeking to lower prison spending by reducing the number of people in prison and the number of prisons in the state.
http://www.curbprisonspending.org

The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ)
CJCJ provides services to youth and adults across the country that are facing or transitioning from incarceration. CJCJs model programs demonstrate how alternatives to incarceration can be successful.
http://www.cjcj.org/

Citizens Against Recidivism, Inc.
Stopping the revolving door . . . . Neither imprisonment or the life after should mean the loss of all the rights and attributes of citizenship.
http://citizensinc.org/index.html

Coalition for the Abolition of Prisons
Coalition for the Abolition of Prisons works to inform the general public about how local, state and federal prisons and the prison industrial complex affect them. The Coalition seeks the abolition of prisons as its central political goal.
http://www.noprisons.org/

The Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform (CHEAR)
In 1998, Congress enacted an amendment to the Higher Education Act that every year denies loans, grants, even work-study jobs to tens of thousands of would-be students with drug convictions. Since that time, a student-led campaign to overturn the law has spread to hundreds of campuses around the nation. The Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform (CHEAR) comprised of education, civil rights, religious, drug policy reform and other organizations campaigns for Congressional repeal of the law.
http://www.raiseyourvoice.com

Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition
CCJRC is a coalition of individuals, organizations and faith communities that strives to reverse the excessive use of incarceration and halt the privatization of prisons in Colorado. CCJRC looks at ways to redirect funding to substance abuse and mental health treatment and develop alternatives to incarceration that will strengthen communities.
http://www.ccjrc.org/index_mem.html

Community Alternatives to Jail Expansion (CAJE) Project
Seeks to stop the widescale expansion of the population incarcerated in the United States in local jails, whose population has increased even as growth in prisons has slowed. As community members, advocates, and elected officials alike are faced with the critical decision of how to deal with the growing number of people in jail, the CAJE Project works to provide real alternatives that can help keep communities safe and strong, while cutting the social and economic costs of jail expansion. An excellent and useful website.
http://www.cajeproject.org/index.html

The Council on Crime and Justice
The Council on Crime and Justice is an independent, non-profit organization integrating research, demonstration projects and advocacy to bring just solutions to the causes and consequences of crime.
http://www.crimeandjustice.org/

Critical Resistance
Critical Resistance seeks to build an international movement to end the Prison Industrial Complex. CRs work seeks to demonstrate how providing basic necessities such as food, shelter, and freedom makes our communities secure, not incarceration, prisons, and other forms of social control.
http://www.criticalresistance.org/

End Crack and Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparities
The Sentencing Project and its coalition partners, the American Civil Liberties Union, Open Society Policy Center and Drug Policy Alliance, are actively working to advance crack cocaine sentencing reform in Congress. Coalition members have launched a national campaign to educate the public about the crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity. The goal is to encourage the American public to make their voices heard in order to tame the mandatory penalties. The 1986 and 1988 Anti-Drug Abuse Acts established excessive mandatory penalties for crack cocaine that were the harshest ever adopted for low-level drug offenses and created drastically different penalty structures for crack cocaine compared to powder cocaine, which are pharmacologically identical substances. The law has diverted precious resources away from prevention and treatment for drug users and devastated communities ripped apart by incarceration.
http://www.sentencingproject.org/crackreform.aspx

The Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama
The Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama is a private, nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to indigent defendants and prisoners who have been denied fair and just treatment in the legal system. They litigate on behalf of condemned prisoners, juvenile offenders, people wrongly convicted or charged with violent crimes, poor people denied effective representation, and others whose trials are marked by racial bias or prosecutorial misconduct. EJI works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment.
http://eji.org/eji/issues

Equitable Telephone Charges Campaign
This excellent website is designed to help you advocate for changes in the prison phone system. Includes state by state information. Organizing and letter writing information.
http://www.etccampaign.com/

Essential Facts About the Victims of Hurricane Katrina
(no description)
http://www.cbpp.org/9-19-05pov.htm

FACTS: Families to Amend California's Three Strikes
Website for organizing information, legal information, personal stories.
http://www.facts1.com/

Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM)
FAMM is a national nonprofit organization that challenges mandatory sentencing laws. Mandatory minimums can propagate inflexible and excessive penalties. To change the system, FAMM promotes sentencing policies that give judges the discretion to sentence defendants according to their role in the offense, seriousness of the offense and potential for rehabilitation.
http://www.famm.org/index2.htm

FREE! Families Rally for Emancipation and Empowerment
A NY women-led, grassroots collective of people with incarcerated loved ones, empowering, and mobilizing ourselves to create viable community alternatives to, and impact public policy around the destructive, profit-driven prison industry.
http://www.prisonfamiliescommunity.org/

Free Jalil
Jalil A. Muntaqim, Political Prisoner and Prisoner of War. San Francisco 8.
http://www.freejalil.com/

Free Russell Shoats
Russell Shoats, Black Liberation Army prisoner in Waynesburg PA has prostate cancer. Organizing and letter writing on his behalf seeking treatment and a move closer to his family.
http://www.freerussellshoatz.com/urgentaction.htm

Free the San Francisco 8
Eight former Black Panthers were arrested January 23rd in California, New York and Florida on charges related to the 1971 killing of a San Francisco police officer. Similar charges were thrown out after it was revealed that police used torture to extract confessions when some of these same men were arrested in New Orleans in 1973. Richard Brown, Richard O'Neal, Ray Boudreaux, and Hank Jones were arrested in California. Francisco Torres was arrested in Queens, New York. Harold Taylor was arrested in Florida. Two men charged have been held as political prisoners for over 30 years - Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim are both in New York State prisons. A ninth man - Ronald Stanley Bridgeforth - is still being sought. The men were charged with the murder of Sgt. John Young and conspiracy that encompasses numerous acts between 1968 and 1973.
http://www.cdhrsupport.org/

Grassroots Leadership
Grassroots Leadership focuses on organizing and direction action in the southern states. The website also contains useful research materials, including a comprehensive national study on the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA).
http://www.grassrootsleadership.org

Harm Reduction Coalition (HRC)
The HRC reduces drug-related harm among individuals and their communities by promoting local, regional, and national harm reduction education and organizing. The HRC adopts alternative models to conventional approaches to drug treatment and provides resources, educational materials, and support to health professionals and drug users to reduce drug-related harm.
http://www.harmreduction.org

The INSIDE - OUT Prison Exchange Program
Exploring Issues of Crime and Justice Behind the Walls.
http://www.temple.edu/inside-out/IOhome.html

Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana
To transform the juvenile justice system into one that builds on the strengths of young people, families and communities in order to instill hope and to ensure children are given the greatest opportunities to grow and thrive. Special Report! Treated Like Trash: Juvenile Detention in New Orleans Before, During, and After Hurricane Katrina
http://www.jjpl.org/

Letters to the Editor
The Telephone Justice Campaign at the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York City has put together an extensive list of newspapers and links to their websites allowing people to easily contact them and write letters to the editor. This is a national list and does not need to be used only for letters realting to the Telephone Justice Campaign.
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/ccr/pickMedia.jsp
?letter_KEY=113&t=TJfinaltemplate.dwt

The National Coalition to Free the Angola 3
The National Coalition to Free the Angola 3 was formed in 1998 to find justice for three innocent and wrongfully convicted men locked down at Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, for nearly three decades.
http://www.angola3.org/

New York Telephone Justice Campaign
They are looking for endorsers to back their campaign to stop price gouging by MCI in New York prisons.
http://www.telephonejustice.org/get_involved/endorse_campaign.asp

The November Coalition
Website focusing on all aspects of the War on Drugs including links to resources and organizing.
http://www.november.org/

Partnership for Safety and Justice
The Oregon based Partnership for Safety & Justice unites people convicted of crime, survivors of crime, and the families of both to advance approaches that redirect policies away from an over-reliance on incarceration to effective strategies that reduce violence and increase safety.
http://www.safetyandjustice.org/

Penal Reform International (PRI)
PRI is an international non-governmental organisation. Founded in London, UK, in 1989, PRI has members in five continents and in over 80 countries. PRI develops programs on a regional basis, assisting both non-governmental organisations and individuals to establish projects in their own countries.
http://www.penalreform.org/

The Pennsylvania Prison Society
Founded in 1787, The Pennsylvania Prison Society is a social justice organization that advocates on behalf of prisoners, formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. Headquartered in Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Prison Society operates through a network of statewide chapters.
http://www.prisonsociety.org/index.shtml

The Pennsylvania Prison Directory Action
2007 Edition of the Pennsylvania Prison Directory - Hoping to link the arms of those inside and outside of prison fighting for a more just and caring world. The Pennsylvania Prison Directory Action is a project of Book 'Em and a printed copy is Free on Request if you are in PA or you have an incarcerated friend or loved one in PA. Otherwise please send $1.11 (the price of postage; stamps ok) write: Pennsylvania Prison Directory Action, c/oBook 'Em PO Box 71357 Pittsburgh, PA 15213. An excellent resource for people in PA and others.

Prison Action Network
The Prison Action Network seeks to unite people who are incarcerated in NYS, people who have a loved one in a NYS prison, and people who care about the impact incarceration has upon our society. Once we learn we are not alone we can begin to work together to create a safer and more just society.
http://prisonaction.blogspot.com/

People Against Injustice
People Against Injustice is a grassroots organization in New Haven that works for reforms in the criminal justice system. Its members are a mixture of people directly affected by the unjust penal system and other citizens outraged by what is happening.
http://www.yale.edu/slam/pai.html

PrisonerSolidarity.org
The Internet site Prisonersolidarity.org serves as a catalyst for communication between prisoners and people on "the outside." It publishes updated research, news, opinion pieces and educational material from activists, writers, prisoners, and the concerned public. Prisonersolidarity grew out of the Youngstown Prison Forum (Youngstown is home to Ohio's death row and one of the highest prison concentrations of any urban center), led by the long-time social justice activists Staughton and Alice Lynd.
http://www.prisonersolidarity.org

The Prisons Foundation
The Prisons Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC that promotes the arts and education in prison and alternatives to incarceration. Website includes gallery, current work, news, links to other organizations.
http://www.prisonsfoundation.org/

Prison Moratorium Project (PMP)
PMP is a not-for-profit organization that works to stop prison expansion and mass incarceration. PMP supports alternatives that re-invest resources into communities most impacted by criminal justice policies through educational programs, alternatives-to-incarceration initiatives, housing and sustainable economic development.
http://www.nomoreprisons.org/

Prison Policy Initiative Democracy Toolkit
A set of online tools designed to help rural citizens determine if prison populations in legislative districts are diluting their right to equal representation. Despite the fact that people in prison remain legal residents of the place they lived prior to their incarceration, the Census Bureau counts people in prison as if they were willing residents of the prison location.

The toolkit offers step-by-step instructions to help residents of rural communities with prisons determine whether including prisoners in the population base harms their access to government, to quantify that harm, and to advocate for a better democracy. The toolkit includes the Correctional Facility Locator, which provides a simple interface to locate prison populations in the Census. The toolkit is designed to analyze county legislatures, but can also be used for other forms of district-based government at the regional, county and local level, including city councils and school boards.
http://www.prisonersofthecensus.org/toolkit/

The Private Corrections Institute
A not-for-profit corporation, educate the publics, media, and elected officials about the dangers of for-profit private prisons, jails and detention centers.
http://www.privateci.org/

Resource Information Help for the Disadvantaged
A Virginia-based non-profit organization assisting uplifting and empowering those who are at a disadvantage and disenfranchised (Inmates - ExOffenders - At Risk Youth- Their Families and Communities in Despair with rehabilitation and "Earned" Second Chance).
http://www.rihd.org/

The Right to Vote
The Right to Vote campaign has just launched its new website on felony disenfranchisement. Right to Vote is a national collaboration of eight leading civil rights and civil liberties organizations dedicated to removing barriers to voting for citizens with felony convictions. The new website is a source of information, advocacy, and technical assistance for communities engaged in reform work in this area.
http://www.righttovote.org/

The SAVE Coalition
The SAVE Coalition is a group of organizations and individuals dedicated to protecting the U.S. prison and jail population - a group that is increasingly vulnerable to violence and abuse since the 1996 enactment of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA). Members of the SAVE Coalition have studied the impact of the PLRA and developed proposed reforms to the law that do not interfere with its stated purpose: to reduce frivolous litigation by prisoners. The SAVE Coalition's proposed reforms seek to preserve the rule of law in America's jails and prisons and better protect prisoners from rape, assault, denials of religious freedom, and other constitutional violations by fixing the unintended consequences of the PLRA.
http://www.savecoalition.org

St. Paul, Minnesota: Second Chance Day on the Hill
March 31, 2008, 11:00 a.m. Capitol Rotunda.
A consortium is organizing Second Chance Day in Minnesota. They are asking for support in raising statewide and national attention to increase awareness regarding the barriers facing individuals with criminal records that affect the social, civic and economic stability of families and communities.
There are currently 155,000 Minnesota adults under some form of correctional supervision; 142,000 on probation, 4,200 on some level of supervised release and 9,100 in prison. And there are at least as many with a criminal record who have satisfied all the requirements of their sentence. This equates to one in every sixteen Minnesotans having the stigma of a conviction they must overcome to qualify for housing, employment and student loans, among other things. Legislatively we have created nearly 200 collateral sanctions over and above the penalties associated with a conviction.
http://www.employexoffenders.com/secondchance.html

S.T.A.M.P. Southern Tier Advocacy and Mitigation Project, Incorporated
Seeks to empower community control over delinquency and crime, reduce over-reliance on incarceration, and assist those formerly incarcerated with the tools they need to re-integrate into society.
http://www.stamp-cny.org/

South Texans Opposing Private Prisons (STOPP)
South Texans Opposing Private Prisons (STOPP) was formed in the fall of 2003 in an effort to stop the expansion of the incarceration industry in south Texas - starting with the construction of the Laredo superjail. The superjail is a proposed 2,800 bed detention facility solicited by the US Marshals Service.
http://www.stoppcoalition.org/index.php

Southern Rural Development Initiative (SRDI)
SRDI is a collaborative project of community-based institutions working in the poorest communities of the rural South. SRDI examines alternative community development strategies, including redirecting resources to support local development and asset-building among poor communities.
http://www.srdi.org/

STOPMAX Campaign
Ending solitary confinement and related forms of torture. National STOPMAX Conference, May 30 - June 1, 2008, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. What Is Solitary Confinement? Solitary confinement of prisoners exists under a range of names; isolation, control units, supermax prisons, the hole, SHUs, administrative segregation, maximum security or permanent lockdown. Prisoners can be placed in these units for many reasons; as punishment, while they are under investigation, as a mechanism for behavior modification, when suspected of gang involvement, as retribution for political activism or to fill expensive, empty beds, to name but a few. Although conditions vary from state to state and in different institutions, systematic policies and conditions of control and oppression used in isolation and segregation include:

• confinement behind a solid steel door for 23 hours a day
• limited contact with other human beings
• infrequent phone calls and rare non-contact family visits
• extremely limited access to rehabilitative or educational programming
• grossly inadequate medical and mental health treatment
• restricted reading material and personal property
• physical torture such as hog-tying, restraint chairs, and forced cell extraction
• mental torture such as sensory deprivation, permanent bright lighting, extreme temperatures, and forced insomnia
• sexual intimidation and violence

Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)
SSDP is a youth-oriented non-profit organization that seeks to reduce the harms caused by drug abuse and drug policies. SSDP neither encourages nor condemns drug use, but strives to involve youth in the political process and to promote an open discussion of alternative solutions to drug problems.
http://www.ssdp.org/

SuffolkSuperJail.com
The official website of the Concerned Communities for Alternatives to Jail" a movement of citizens and organizations opposed to the construction of an 1130 bed jail facility in Yaphank, NY, also known as the Suffolk "super jail". They believe that a sustainable alternative needs to be presented. Included is information on: environmental Impacts on the local community, financial costs to tax payers, social costs to the community, cost effective alternatives.
http://www.suffolksuperjail.com

Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
New interesting website with research, organizing related to Texas and the U.S. TCJC is committed to identifying and working towards real solutions to the problems facing Texas' criminal justice system. We do this by identifying and educating supporters using cost-effective and innovative tools, partnering with organizations who share our core beliefs, and promoting evidence-based criminal justice solutions that embody the principles of effective management, accountability, public safety, and human and civil rights.
http://www.criminaljusticecoalition.org/end_racial_profiling

Thousand Kites
Thousand Kites is a community-based performance, web, video and radio project centered on the United States prison system.
http://www.thousandkites.org

Voting While Incarcerated: A Toolkit for Voting Rights Advocates
The Sentencing Project and the ACLU released this report in September 2005, detailing efforts to maintain and restore voting rights for the currently incarcerated.
http://www.sentencingproject.org/pdfs/votingkit.pdf

Y.P.A.C.T. Leadership Deveopment Program
The Youth for Prevention, Action and Change through Thought program in Dorchester, MA.
http://ypact.com/index.htm

Policy Resources and Information

360 Degrees.org
This site contains a rich collection of resources on the criminal justice system, including a historical timeline, stories, theoretical background, and interactive modules (for example, the "Are You a Criminal?" on-line quiz). A "one of a kind" website.
http://www.360degrees.org/

Advocacy Toolkits to Combat Legal Barriers Facing Individuals with Criminal Records
People with criminal records face a daunting array of counterproductive, debilitating legal barriers that make it much more difficult for them to succeed in almost every important aspect of life.In order to help advocates eliminate these unfair roadblocks, the Legal Action Center has developed advocacy kits on 12 critically important policy, funding and legal issues that can be used to remove nearly all of the most harmful roadblocks to re-entry.
http://www.lac.org/toolkits/Introduction.htm

CAPPS: The Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending
Based in Michigan, CAPPS is a non-profit public policy organization concerned about the social and economic costs of prison expansion. Because policy choices, not crime rates, have caused our prison population to explode, CAPPS advocates re-examining those policies and shifting our resources to public services that prevent crime, rehabilitate offenders, and address the needs of all our citizens in a cost-effective manner.
http://www.capps-mi.org/

Common Sense for Drug Policy
A news and information source which focuses on the war on drugs, drug laws, legalization, and current developments in drug policy. The website provides many useful links to organizations, information resources, and timely news stories.
http://www.csdp.org/

The Correctional Association of New York
The Correctional Association of New York is a criminal justice policy and advocacy organization that works to create a more balanced, efficient, and humane criminal justice system. Currently, the Association is undertaking four core projects: the Public Policy Project, the Women in Prison Project, the Prison Visiting Project and the Juvenile Justice Project.
http://www.correctionalassociation.org/

Corrections Statistics by State
This interactive Web application provides state-level corrections statistics and charts showing national rankings. The site provides detailed statistics covering crime, population, incarceration, and community corrections. See how your state compares to other states and the national average.
http://www.nicic.org/WebTopic_346.htm

Criminal Justice Policy Coalition (CJPC)
A member-based organization dedicated to the advancement of effective, just, and humane criminal justice policy in Massachusetts. CJPC seeks to expand the public discourse on criminal justice, promote dialogue and cooperation among diverse stakeholders, and build support for policies that better protect our communities.
http://www.cjpc.org/

Demos
Demos is an organization committed to redesigning policy and politics to build democratic participation and to achieve a broadly shared prosperity characterized by greater opportunity and less disparity. Demos has conducted policy-relevant research into the disenfranchisement of individuals with felony convictions.
http://www.demos-usa.org

The Drug Policy Alliance
The Drug Policy Alliance works to end the war on drugs and promote realistic alternatives. The guiding principle of the Alliance is harm reduction, an alternative approach to drug policy and treatment that focuses on minimizing the adverse effects of both drug use and drug prohibition.
http://www.drugpolicy.org/homepage.cfm

The Family Life Center
The Family Life Center of Providence, RI, helps ex-offenders and their families by providing long-term holistic case management services starting prior to release from prison and extending for two months afterwards. The FLC Resource Center is available for all previously incarcerated individuals and their families. In addition to supporting individual families and ex-offenders, the Family Life Center advocates on behalf of communities affected by crime and incarceration. The Family Life Center ran the successful Rhode Island Right to Vote Campaign. In November 2006 RI became the first state in our nation's history to restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated individuals through public referendum.
http://www.ri-familylifecenter.org

Good Jobs First (GJF)
GJF provides information to the public, the media, public officials and economic development professionals on state and local job subsidies. GJF for creating seeks to ensure that subsidized businesses are held accountable decent jobs. GJF also works on prison financing issues. Publications include: JailBreaks: Economic Development Subsidies Given to Private Prisons (2001) by Phil Mattera and Mafruza Kan.
http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/

Human Rights Watch Prison Project
Working in conjunction with numerous local partners, Human Rights Watch monitors conditions of detention around the world, pressuring governments to bring their treatment of prisoners into compliance with basic human rights standards.
http://www.hrw.org/prisons/

Informational Resources on the Second Chance Act of 2005
The Second Chance Act of 2005 is federal re-entry legislation designed to ensure the safe and successful return of prisoners to the community. The bill has been introduced in both the U.S. House (April 2005) and Senate (October 2005), and enjoys broad bipartisan support, including sponsorship by leaders in both chambers. In addition, the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held a hearing on the Second Chance Act in early November, in which three Membersincluding Subcommittee Chairman Howard Noble (R-NC)called for fast tracking the bill. [Note, the original link here was a dud, so I changed it to the organization's main page.]
http://www.reentrypolicy.org/

Justice Reinvestment
The Eastern States Conference of the Council of State Governments has established a new Justice Center. This program works to help legislators make decisions on prison cost reductions, increasing public safety and improving neighborhood conditions where many released inmates reside. Justice Reinvestment is currently working with the states of Connecticut, Arizona, Kansas, Rhode Island and Texas.
http://www.justicecenter.csg.org/resources/justice_reinvestment/

The Justice Policy Institute
JPI is a Washington DC-based think-tank that is committed to reducing societys reliance on incarceration. The policy work of JPI aims to advance the quality and content of public discourse in the ongoing debate around juvenile and criminal justice system reform.
http://www.justicepolicy.org/

Juvienation
This news site covers developments in juvenile justice, hosts a forum for exploring ideas on how to reform the system, and serves as a resource for anyone interested in or curious about the subject.
http://juvienation.wordpress.com/

The Legal Action Center Criminal Justice Program
An advocacy, research, and policy organization that works to improve the criminal justice system by assisting individuals with criminal records, engaging with current criminal justice policies, providing training to service providers and government agencies, and collecting and disseminating information on barriers people with criminal records face in terms of reentry.
http://www.lac.org/programs/crimjus.html

Methadone in Jails and Prisons
This is a gathering location for any and all material on the advancement of Methadone maintenance in jails and prisons. Including, but not limited to: Personal histories and stories, links to news articles, deaths, suicides, state information, tapering, maintenance, police departments, clinic support, Buprenorphine treatment, inmates coming in with opiate addiction offered methadone, other forms of medically assisted treatment. FOR INFORMATION ON MMF METHADONE MAINTENANCE FRIENDLY, Please send me your articles or other information for this blog at: Varnua@aol.com.
http://methadoneprisons.blogspot.com

The National Juvenile Defender Center
The site provides descriptions of services and other work, announcements about latest projects, access to publications, and summaries of juvenile justice-related data for every state; it also allows visitors to join their mailing list, subscribe to their listservs, or request information about arranging a training session.
http://www.njdc.info/

One Nation Pulling Apart Project (Penn State University)
This research program provides new understanding of the manifestation, meaning, and causes of enduring economic distress. This project combines statistical analysis with policy evaluation and historical assessment of previous policy efforts.
http://www.onenation.psu.edu/

Open Society Institute Links to Papers and Publications on Prison and Criminal Justice Issues
Maintained by the Open Society Institute U.S. Justice Fund. This site provides links to a wide range of policy papers, research studies, and publications dealing with the U.S. criminal justice system, incarceration, and the social costs of current policies.
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/articles_publications/publications

Philadelphia Mayor's Office for the Re-Entry of Ex-Offenders
To provide an administrative and operational system inclusive of industry Best Practices through which effective and efficient reintegration services are delivered resulting in the successful transition of individuals from Federal, State and local jails back into local Philadelphia communities, effectively reducing the rate of recidivism. This website has been designed to provide ex-offenders and their families with information regarding agencies, programs, services, employment opportunities and social events that will ultimately assist in the reintegration process.
http://www.phila.gov/reentry/index.html

Prison Activist Resource Center (PARC)
PARC provides information and programs for educators, activists, prisoners, and prisoners' families. Its outreach efforts aim to build networks for action. The PARC website also lists many useful sources of information.
http://www.prisonactivist.org/

Prison Legal News (PLN)
Prison Legal News is an independent monthly publication that reports, reviews and analyzes court rulings and news related to prisoner rights and prison issues. PLN has a U.S. focus with some international coverage as well. The website provides access to PLN articles, sells relevant books, and distributes information about related resources.
http://www.prisonlegalnews.org/

Prison Policy Initiative
Up-to-date listings for organizations providing legal services to people in prison and jail.
http://www.prisonpolicy.org/resources/legal/

Prisoners in 2004
Reports the number of persons in State and Federal prisons at yearend, compares the increase in the prison population during 2004 with that of the previous year, and gives the prison growth rates since 1995. The report also provides the number of male and female prisoners on December 31, 2004. It includes incarceration rates for the States and the 5 highest and 5 lowest jurisdictions for selected characteristics, such as the growth rate, number of prisoners held, and incarceration rates. Tables present data on prison capacities and the use of local jails and privately operated prisons. Estimates are provided on the number of sentenced prisoners by age, gender, race, and Hispanic origin.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/p04.htm

Prisoners of the Census
In 48 states prisoners cannot vote, but the U.S. Census Department Census counts the nations mostly urban prisoners as residents of the mostly rural towns that host prisons. This website documents how, as a result, resources move away from urban areas to rural prison towns and how state legislative boundaries are redrawn and political power redistributed.
http://www.prisonersofthecensus.org/

Prisonsucks.com
Prisonsucks.com is a clearinghouse for useful, reliable statistics about prisons, the criminal justice system, and the crime control industry. The site provides factsheets, descriptions of information sources, and links to research organizations.
http://www.prisonsucks.com/

Prof. Todd Clear Website
Todd R. Clear is Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York. He is Executive Officer of the Program Of Doctoral Studies in the Graduate Center of CUNY. Browse the site for information on Todd Clear's publications, projects, professional experience and contact information. Included are links to his books and publications, as well as other links relevant to the field.
http://www.toddclear.org/

Public Bonds
A resource for public officials, journalists, researchers and others who are interested in the process of government borrowing to finance public infrastructure such as prisons and schools. Our aim is to demystify the bond process and encourage greater public scrutiny and participation.
http://www.publicbonds.org

The Racial Disparity Initiative
The goals of the project are to make visible the often invisible discriminatory practices of denying employment to individuals with criminal records, to reduce the class and race based stigma of criminality and to challenge the popular media discourse that demonizes individuals with criminal records and individuals making the transition from prison to civil society. This project aims to challenge the belief that employing individuals with criminal records is a public safety risk.
http://www.racialdisparity.org

The Real Price of Prisons site
From Mother Jones magazine. This site contains state incarceration profiles, including graphs and statistics on prisons vs. education spending, racial inequalities in incarceration, incarceration rates for drug crimes, and per capital spending (last updated July 2001).
http://www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/prisons/index.html

Reentry Net/NY
The first ever clearinghouse of practical advocate resources on the civil consequences of criminal proceedings.
http://www.reentry.net/ny/

The Resource Directory for Prisoners This extensive list includes many spiritual resources (Buddhist, Christian, Native American Indian, Hindu, etc.) as well as legal support, book to prisoner resources, creative writing/artistic newsletters, re-entry resources and distance learning. To receive the list by mail, send 4 first class stamps. The list can be downloaded for free at the link below, or contact Naljor Prison Dharma Service, PO Box 3990, Santa Barbara CA 93130-3990. http://www.naljorprisondharmaservice.org/pdf/ResourceDirectoryLinks.htm

Texas Prison Bid'ness
Federal officials denying a human rights expert access to a controversial prison that's holding children... a former state legislator roaming the capitol lobbying for private prison companies... scandals that deal harsh penalties for workers while a corporation continues business as usual... it's all part of private prison business in Texas -- that's why you'll see it on Texas Prison Bid'ness.
http://www.texasprisonbidness.org/

The Sentencing Project
The Sentencing Project is one of the nations leading organizations that develops alternative sentencing programs, conducts policy research on U.S. criminal justice, and advocates for creating meaningful reforms.
http://www.sentencingproject.org/about.cfm

The Urban Institute
The Urban Institutes Justice Policy Center carries out research to inform and shape the national dialogue on crime, justice, and community safety.
http://www.urbaninstitute.org/

Voting Rights Act 40th Anniversary
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund's special website commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act contains a wealth of information.
http://www.naacpldf.org/vra.aspx

Watching Justice
Watching Justice's mission is to keep a vigilant and long-term eye on Americans' fundamental rights and liberties by providing a forum for analysis, praise, and criticism of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Watching Justice also monitors those offices in the Department of Homeland Security that were previously based in the DOJ.
http://www.watchingjustice.org/

World Prison Population List (5th edition)
Click on this link to download the pdf file of the 5th edition of the World Prison Population List, published by the Home Office in Britain. The World Prison Population List gives details of the number of prisoners held in 205 countries. It also illustrates the differences in the level of imprisonment across the world and provides a means of estimating the world prison population.
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r234.pdf

Women

The Center for Human Potential and Public Policy (Harris School, University of Chicago)
The Center for Human Potential and Public Policy is a public policy research institute that focuses on improving the health, welfare, and development of children and their families. The center has supported research into the welfare of incarcerated mothers and their families.
http://harrisschool.uchicago.edu/chppp/

Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM)
CLAIM provides legal and educational services to maintain the bond between imprisoned mothers and their children. CLAIM also advocates for policies and programs that benefit families of imprisoned mothers and reduce incarceration of women and girls. The Advocacy Project is a vehicle for the activism of women who speak with the authority of their experience and who have the courage to work publicly as former prisoners to bring about change.
http://www.claim-il.org

Coalition for Women Prisoners' Re-entry Committee
The Coalition for Women Prisoners' Re-entry Committee has published a new nook for women returning home from incarceration. My Sister's Keeper, A Book for Women Returning Home From Prison or Jail, is a unique compilation of the words and experiences of women from New York in various stages of returning home from incarceration. My Sister's Keeper offers peer-to-peer guidance, strength and hope to help women in re-entry cope with challenges of reclaiming their lives. The CA's Women in Prison Project will distribute the guide to women incarcerated in New York's correctional facilities, as well as women in alternative to incarceration programs and transitional services programs throughout New York State. (May 2008) It is available online.
http://www.correctionalassociation.org/.../MySistersKeeper_Re-EntryGuide.pdf

Justice Works
Based in Brooklyn, NY, Justice Works educates, organizes, and mobilizes a national partnership of religious and secular organizations to advocate for just and humane criminal justice policies for women. Justice works has three central goals: to arouse citizen accountability for the crimial justice system, to foster better public policies, and to empower women exprisoners to influence the public debate.
http://www.justiceworks.org

Kathy Boudin
Accurate information about Kathy Boudin, her life, her work at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, the facts of the Brinks Robbery, and her quest for parole.Includes Kathy Boudin's academic writing about women, motherhood and incarceration.
http://www.kathyboudin.com/index.html

Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC)
LSPC works for the rights of incarcerated parents and people in risk of incarceration. LSPC provides information, trainings, and technical assistance, and responds to requests for help with litigation, community activism and the development of more advocates. In particular, the organization focuses on women prisoners and their families.
http://www.prisonerswithchildren.org/

National Advocates for Pregnant Women
Works nationally and locally to ensure that women do not lose their constitutional rights as a result of being pregnant. Currently litigating and advocating on behalf of Regina McNight who was convicted of homicide for using crack cocaine while pregnant.
http://www.advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/

Organizing for Change--Women's Anti-prison Activism
From the 2005 edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves.
http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book/companion.asp?id=32&compID=108

The Window Study
Release from Jail: Moment of Crisis or Window of Opportunity for Female Detainees in Baltimore City - Jacqueline Robarge et al., Power Inside. June 2005
download pdf

Women and Girls in the Criminal Justice System
From the National Criminal Justice Reference Service. "Female criminal behavior has been commonly perceived as a less serious problem than male criminal behavior. Historically, women have been more likely to commit minor offenses and have made up only a small proportion of the offender population. Although women remain a relatively small number of all prisoners, these facts have concealed a trend in the rising percentage of female offenders, their participation in violent crime, and have inhibited the development of gender-specific programs to address the issue."
http://www.ncjrs.org/spotlight/wgcjs/Summary.html

Women and Prison: A Site for Resistance
Makes visible women's experiences in the criminal justice system. Documenting these stories is integral to this project of resistance. The stories are supported by a collection of resources, such as organizations, reports, essays, and links to a wide range of information on women and prison.
http://www.womenandprison.org/about.html

Womens Prison Association (WPA)
WPA is a non-profit organization working to create opportunities for change in the lives of women prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families. WPA provides programs whose ultimate goal is to end womens involvement in the criminal justice system and improve choices and opportunities for women and their families.
http://www.wpaonline.org

Capital Punishment

Death Penalty Information Center
The Death Penalty Information Center is a non-profit organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment. Their website contains resources, news, and links addressing issues of clemency, the costs of capital punishment, the death penalty worldwide, race, gender, the execution of innocent people, and much more.
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP)
NCADP is one of the nations leading organizations devoted to abolishing the death penalty. NCADP provides information, advocates for public policy, and mobilizes and supports individuals and institutions that share our unconditional rejection of capital punishment.
http://www.ncadp.org/

Maps

Global Incarceration Patterns
From the International Center for Prison Studies.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/worldbrief/world_brief.html

Map of Federal Prisons
Map of U.S. Federal Prisons from the Bureau of Prisons.
http://www.bop.gov/facilnot.html

Mental Health Care in U.S. Prisons
A map of the most recent information available on mental health care for all 50 state adult prison systems. Click on each state to find: the percentage of inmates diagnosed as mentally ill; an assessment of whether there is an adequate number of staff for mental health care; and details on the kinds of mental health training, if any, that correctional officers are required to receive. There is also contact information for each state's Department of Corrections.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/asylums/etc/map.html

NYPD in the Subways
An interactive map. Check out the racial breakdown of people stopped and charged while riding the subways in NYC.
http://www.nydailynews.com/features/maps/subways_nypd/

Prison Proliferation Maps
From Prisoners of the Census, a series of U.S. maps that show how prisons have expanded over the past century.
http://www.prisonersofthecensus.org/prisonproliferation.shtml

Allied Organizations and Related Sites

Aniz
Aniz was formed in 1994 as a non-profit human services organization to empower children and adults through professional support and therapeutic intervention. A primary goal of Aniz is to be a resource to African-Americans and other under-served populations and to those organizations dedicated to meeting their needs.
http://www.aniz.org

Art Behind Bars
The Art Behind Bars website features work by inmates who have participated in the organization's art programs.
http://www.artbehindbars.org/

Center for Popular Economics
CPE is a non-profit organization that teaches economic literacy to activists for progressive social change. CPE creates and communicates economic theories that challenge systems of oppression based on class, race, gender and nation.
http://www.populareconomics.org/

Center for the Study of Political Graphics
March 19 - June 4, 2006, "Prison Nation: Posters on the Prison Industrial Complex."
http://www.politicalgraphics.org/home.html

The Center for Urban Pedagogy
CUP makes educational projects about places and how they change. Projects bring together art and design professionals - artists, graphic designers, architects, urban planners - with community-based advocates and researchers - organizers, government officials, academics, service-providers and policymakers. These partners work with CUP staff to create projects ranging from high school curricula to educational exhibitions. http://www.anothercupdevelopment.org/projects/48

Fraudwatchers Crime Statistics
A varied group of links related in New York and Harlem.
http://www.fraudwatchernetwork.com/news/crime-statistics-in-harlem-ny.html

Herman Krieger Photos
This site includes a wide assortment of photographs by Herman Krieger, including images of prisons throughout the United States.
http://www.efn.org/~hkrieger/prison.htm

JEHT (Justice, Equality, Human dignity, and Tolerance) Foundation
One funding priority of the foundation focuses on ameliorating the impact that crime and the criminal justice system has on low-income, marginalized communities.
http://www.jehtfoundation.org

Justice Action
Justice Action is an Australian community-based organization comprising criminal justice and prison reform activists. We are prisoners and ex-prisoners, lawyers, academics, victims of crime, and community members.
http://www.justiceaction.org.au

Justice for Lynne Stewart: Who is Lynne Stewart?
Radical human rights attorney Lynne Stewart has been falsely accused of helping terrorists. Now convicted, she faces 30 years in prison. On Tuesday, April 9, 2002, she was arrested and agents searched her Manhattan office for documents. She was arraigned before Manhattan federal Judge John Koetl. This is an obvious attempt by the U.S. government to silence dissent, curtail vigorous defense lawyers, and install fear in those who would fight against the U.S. government's racism, seek to help Arabs and Muslims being prosecuted for free speech and defend the rights of all oppressed people.
http://www.lynnestewart.org/

Media Strategies for Activists
A PR firm for progressive causes.
http://www.causecommunications.com/forgetus/basicguide.html

Mixed Signals
Counter-recuritment comic book from Sabrina Jones. Sabrina Jones is the comic book artist of the "Prisoners of the War on Drugs"The last panel of the comic book explains how to get copies. You can down load and xerox them or you can send Sabrina $2 per copy and she will send you a comic book you can xerox.
http://www.nextleftnotes.net/current/sabrina.html

The National Priorities Project (NPP)
NPP focuses on the impacts of federal tax and spending policies at the community level. NPP works to translate policy information into everyday language in order to assist national and grassroots groups in their efforts to improve schools, create living wage jobs, provide affordable housing, and develop alternatives to excessive spending on the military and prisons.
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/

The Open Society Institute (OSI)
The Open Society Institute is part of the Soros foundations network. The goal of the Soros foundations network is to transform closed societies into open, democratic ones and to protect the values of existing open societies. The OSI Criminal Justice Initiative supports work to reduce the excessive reliance on punishment and incarceration in the United States, and to promote fair and equal treatment in all aspects of the U.S. criminal justice system.
http://www.soros.org/

Postcardsfromprison.com
A collection of images of prisons and prisoners. The goal of postcardsfromprisons.com is to raise awareness of the uses society makes of imprisonment and punishment by using a variety of images.
http://www.postcardsfromprison.com

Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP)
The Prison Creative Arts Project of the University of Michigan is committed to supporting the production of original work in the arts in Michigan Correctional Facilities. PCAP's purpose is to enhance creative opportunities for inmates.
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/english/pcap/

Provisions
Provisions is a social change learning resource amplifying compelling voices that challenge and redefine the mainstream. It is a platform for experiencing alternative perspectives and radical visions that inspire the activist in each of us. Provisions is an experimental arena where broad and diverse audiences, cultures and ideas intersect, sparking new possibilities for enacting peace, justice, sustainability, social responsibility and respect for the diversity of life.
http://www.provisionslibrary.org/index.php?src=gendocs&link=About_Provisions

The Public Eye (Political Research Associates)
Political Research Associates is a research institute that studies authoritarian and repressive institutions and trends worldwide. The Public Eye is their website with research, information, and links for activists, educators and others.
http://www.publiceye.org/

Radical Reference
Radical Reference is a collective of volunteer library workers who believe in social justice and equality. We support activist communities, progressive organizations, and independent journalists by providing professional research support, education and access to information. We work in a collaborative virtual setting and are dedicated to information activism to foster a more egalitarian society.
http://radicalreference.info/about

Secrecy News Blog
Secrecy News Weblog from the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy.
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

Shakespeare Behind Bars
Shakespeare Behind Bars follows the members of an all-male Shakespeare company working within the bars of a Kentucky prison as they rehearse and perform The Tempest over the course of one year. Within the rigid context of prison, Shakespeare's timeless themes provide a catalyst for the inmates to examine their pasts with remarkable candor, testing the power of truth, change and forgiveness. New video 2006.
http://www.itvs.org/search/ataglance.htm?showID=1038

Voices from the Gulf
On the second anniversary of Katrina, a connection to people around the country, as directly as possible, to Katrina survivors -- creating a window into their lives. Here is a platform for Katrina survivors to make their stories heard.
http://www.VoicesFromTheGulf.com

Welfare Warriors Mothers Organizing Center
"Mother Warriors Voice" on-line, fight-back songs and chants, links.
http://welfarewarriors.org/ARCHIVED_WMV.htm

World Comics
Almost any issue, idea or fact can be expressed in a comic. This kind of visual storytelling is flexible, attention-grabbing and relatively inexpensive. World Comics promotes the use of local comics as a means for social change.
http://www.worldcomics.fi/home_about.shtml

Youth at Risk
Youth at Risk transforms the chaotic lives of young people through persistent and companionate mentoring.
http://www.nyyouthatrisk.org

Zen Karmics
Zen Karmics is designed to impart useful instruction in meditative practice for prisoners in a culturally relevant manner, accessible to those who might be poorly educated or illiterate. The illustration to the right is a panel from a Zen Karmics installment. We are grateful to Duncan Eagleson for his art work in Zen Karmics.
http://www.engaged-zen.org/Zen%20Karmics/

Corrections Industry

Association of Private Correctional and Treatment Organizations
For those of you wanting info about facilities owned or operated by private prison companies, you need to check this site out. It tells who is in the facility, who owns or manages, where it is, when it opened, accreditation, who the contractors are, jurisdiction and what is subcontracted out.
http://www.apcto.org/fac_search.cfm

Corrections.com
The "official home of corrections". Corrections.com is a news source and on-line information center for the corrections industry. The website contain links to many websites associated with the corrections industry (for example, the Corrections Corporation of America).
http://www.corrections.com/

State Departments of Corrections