Criminal Justice Resources and Organizations

Posted on February 6, 2022 by mekorganic

Categories:

Control Units and Supermax Facilities

Criminal Justice Reform and Advocacy

  • National PREA Resource CenterThe National PREA Resource Center provides information about the Prison Rape Elimination Act standards, and implementation of PREA in correctional facilities nationwide.
  • Perilous – A chronicle of prison unrest across the US and Canada 2010-PresentPerilous is a project supported by a network of people—including you—who seek to gather and track information on prison uprisings, riots, protests, strikes, and other disturbances within public and private jails, prisons, and detention centers in the US and Canada. In this process, we rely on crowdsourced information in addition to local news outlets and our own reporting.
  • Recidivism: The Ultimate GuideA comprehensive guide to recidivism, including facts and statistics about recidivism rates as well as causes and impacts. 
  • The Next Frontier in the Criminal Justice ConversationThis resource explores the Sixth Amendment, which guarantees a defendant’s right to counsel, and discusses how the poor are still disadvantaged in court despite this right. The resource also provides statistics regarding the amount of money the United States spends on public defense in comparison to other major countries, and how many public defenders are being overworked.
  • Formerly Incarcerated & Convicted Peoples MovementAt the forefront of leadership in the struggle to end the US system of mass incarceration stands the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted People’s Movement (FICPM), a nationwide coalition of formerly incarcerated men and women who are holding forth a radical vision for justice and transformation, and who are putting that vision to work in towns and cities across the nation.
  • National Association of Criminal Defense LawyersThe National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is the preeminent organization in the United States advancing the mission of the nation’s criminal defense lawyers to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or other misconduct. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL’s approximately 9,200 direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys — include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, active U.S. military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness within America’s criminal justice system. In addition to its website, resources include NACDL’s State Criminal Justice Network Conference, Advocacy Calls, NACDL First Amendment Project and NACDL Reports.
  • JustLeadershipUSAJLUSA is a national criminal justice advocacy organization dedicated to cutting the U.S. correctional population in half by 2030. We believe those closest to the problem are closest to the solution, and we are committed to lifting the voices of currently and formerly incarcerated leaders in the policy conversation. Contact: JustLeadershipUSA, 1900 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10035; (347)-454-2195
  • Justice Policy InstituteThe Justice Policy Institute works to end over-reliance on incarceration and advocates for alternatives to prison through research, public education and media outreach.
  • The Open File BlogThis website is the culmination of the work of an informal collection of lawyers, law professors, law students and policy advocates who are concerned about prosecutorial misconduct.
  • Real Cost of Prisons ProjectWorks to inform people about the real cost of prisons and mass incarceration; publishes the Real Cost of Prisons Comix; hosts the Coalition for Prisoners’ Rights Newsletters on their site.
  • Taxpayers for Improving Public SafetyThe site for Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety. Works to address the needs of “Inmates & Victims, Children and the Prison Reform Community,” with an emphasis on California, where they are based.

Death Penalty / Capital Punishment Resources

Disenfranchisement / Voting Rights

Drug War Resources

  • Drug War ClockThe Drug War Clock provides a running tally of the cost of the War on Drugs, including money spent by the government and citizens arrested and imprisoned.
  • National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)Education and advocacy organization for the legalization of marijuana.
  • November CoalitionSite devoted to everything you could possibly want to know about the War on Drugs and its effect on our society. They publish the Razor Wire, a bi-annual newsletter on drug war-related issues, releasing drug war prisoners and restoring civil rights. 

Education / Prison Issues

  • Prison University ProjectThe mission of the Prison University Project is to provide excellent higher education to people at San Quentin State Prison; to support increased access to higher education for incarcerated people; and to stimulate public awareness about higher education access and criminal justice.
  • Inside-Out Prison Exchange ProgramInside-Out Prison Exchange Programs partner college students with prisoners in mutually-beneficial, hands-on educational courses that discuss criminal justice-related issues. This site is for the Inside-Out program at Temple University; other programs have been started at other colleges.
  • Prison Education Program NYUProvides information about the prison education programs offered by New York University to NY state prisoners.
  • The Prison Studies ProjectThe Prison Studies Project is compiling the first nationwide directory of postsecondary programs in U.S. prisons. Searchable and continually updated, the directory is an online, state-by-state listing of primarily on-site degree-granting postsecondary education programs in prisons.
  • School to Prison Pipeline / ACLUACLU page on the “School to Prison Pipeline” — i.e., how children are channeled from schools into the criminal justice system through disciplinary expulsions, alternative education programs and interaction with the juvenile justice system.

Elderly in Prison

  • Anti-PolygraphAntiPolygraph.org has everything you want to know about why polygraph tests are unreliable and “bad science”; includes a section on polygraph-related litigation.
  • Positional Asphyxia, Restraint AsphyxiaThis site, operated by Charly D. Miller, who is a consultant and expert witness, contains a wealth of information on the issue of positional asphyxiation and asphyxiation while in restraints — which are often involved in jail and prison cases where prisoners die after being restrained or subjected to use of force.

Human Rights and Social Change

  • Amnesty International – USAAmnesty International advocates for human rights worldwide; their criminal justice-related projects include advocacy against the death penalty, torture, racial profiling and police misconduct, and support for political prisoners. They also compile information about prisoner torture, beatings, rape, etc. to include in reports about U.S. prison conditions. 
  • Critical ResistanceCRis a national organization that seeks to build an international movement to abolish the Prison Industrial Complex. They are dedicated to ending society’s use of prisons and policing as an answer to social problems. CR has chapters nationwide with offices in California, Florida, Louisiana, New York, and Texas. 
  • Human Rights Watch Prison ProjectHuman Rights Watch is a human rights organization; they have produced a number of excellent reports on abuses in U.S. prisons, and track prison conditions and the treatment of prisoners around the world.
  • Private Property – Civil ForfeitureA project driven by the Institute for Justice (IJ) and a group of Karen Christians from Burma and Thailand that challenges the civil forfeiture of more than $53,000 in seized assets by Muskogee County, OK.  
  • Stanford Prison ExperimentThis is the official website of Stanford Professor Philip Zimbardo’s ground-breaking 1971 experiment that substantiated the harmful effects on both guards and prisoners after exposure to a prison environment for only a few days.
  • Univ. of Minn. Human Rights LibraryThe University of Minnesota maintains an impressive online library of human rights-related documents, including materials related to torture, detainees, United Nations treaties, etc.
  • Vera Institute of JusticeThe Vera Institute of Justice works on immigration, justice, sentencing, corrections and youth justice issues, to effect changes in institutional and societal criminal justice policies.

Immigration Issues

  • The Business of Detention – CCA and immigation detentionThe Business of Detention is an excellent and informative site that profiles CCA’s involvement in the immigration detention business, from financial and political connections with the federal government to stock trends and an increasing number of ICE contracts. Includes multimedia, audio and graphs.
  • Detention Watch NetworkDetention Watch Network (DWN) is a broad coalition of groups that works to educate the public and policy makers about the U.S. immigration detention and deportation system, and to advocate for humane reform of immigration detention and policies. An excellent source of information and materials for those interested in immigration detention issues.
  • Global Detention ProjectThe Global Detention Project tracks immigration detention and related issues in a number of countries, including the U.S., which “maintains the largest immigration detention infrastructure in the world, which by the end of fiscal year 2007 included 961 sites either directly owned by or under contract with the federal government.” Includes an interactive map with detention facility information.
  • ICE Family Residential StandardsThis site, maintained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), lists the agency’s standards for family and residential detention facilities, such as the T. Don Hutto facility in Texas.
  • Jesuit Refugee Service USAJesuit Refugee Service USA provides religious services and advocacy for immigrant refugees, including chaplaincy programs at detention facilities and advocacy for reduced detention of immigrant detainees.
  • New Yorker article on CCA-run T. Don Hutto facility in TexasThis March 2008 article from the New Yorker Magazine is an excellent write-up on the CCA-run T. Don Hutto facility in Texas, which incarcerates women and children immigrant detainees.
  • National Immigrant Justice CenterThe National Immigrant Justice Center works to ensure human rights protections and access to justice for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

Innocence Projects and Wrongful Convictions

  • The Arizona Justice ProjectArizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice operates the Justice Project, which will consider cases of wrongful conviction in Arizona ONLY.
  • Centurion, Inc.Centurion is an investigative and advocacy organization that considers cases of factual innocence. Centurion does not take on accidental death or self-defense cases or cases where the defendant had any involvement whatsoever in the crime.In cases involving sexual assault, a forensic component is required. Cases that fit the above may send a 2-4 page letter outlining the facts of the case. This summary should include the crime you were convicted of, the evidence against you, and why you were arrested. You will receive a return letter of acknowledgement from Centurion. If we find you meet our initial criteria, we will provide additional instructions for further review. Write to: Centurion,1000 Herrontown Rd., Clock Building 2nd Floor, Princeton, NJ 08540.
  • Death Penalty Information Center – Death Row ExonerationsThis section of the DPIC site specifically addresses wrongful convictions resulting in death sentences. There have been over 160 cases of innocent defendants sentenced to death and exonerated since 1973.
  • The Exoneration InitiativeThe Exoneration Initiative (EXI) is a pioneering organization that provides free legal assistance to wrongfully convicted persons in New York. We primarily focus on the most challenging cases, those that lack DNA evidence. Our mission is simple: To exonerate the actually innocent.
  • The Exoneration ProjectThe Exoneration Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to working to free prisoners who were wrongfully convicted. The Project represents innocent individuals in post-conviction legal proceedings; typical cases involve DNA testing, coerced confessions, police misconduct, the use of faulty evidence, junk science, faulty eyewitness testimony and ineffective assistance of counsel claims.
  • ForejusticeForejustice, a companion site to Justice Denied, includes a database of exonerated prisoners, articles book reviews and audio clips on wrongful convictions. Created in the spirit of The White Rose to increase justice in the world. News articles, case studies and an extensive database of people who were wrongfully convicted, plus a listing of Innocence Projects and other resources.
  • Innocent in Prison Project InternationalInformation about wrongly imprisoned people both in the U.S. and internationally. Hosts a number of discussion forums.
  • The Innocence ProjectThe Innocence Project at the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law in New York handles only cases of actual innocence provable by DNA testing. The Project has been instrumental in freeing dozens of prisoners who were wrongly convicted. The site also contains detailed information on why wrongful convictions occur, and links to other innocence projects by state. Case profiles, causes and remedies of wrongful convictions, and much, much more on this topic.
  • Innocence Project – NorthwestThe Innocence Project Northwest is a non-profit group of attorneys, professors and students working to free innocent prisoners. IPNW will ONLY consider cases from the states of Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho or Montana involving people with substantial claims of actual innocence. The efforts of IPNW attorneys and law students have helped to free 11 innocent prisoners since 1997.
  • Innocent Inmates Association of OhioInnocent Inmates Association of Ohio is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the rights of Ohio citizens who have been imprisoned unjustly and publicizing their cases.
  • Justice Denied – The Magazine for the Wrongly ConvictedComprehensive information on cases of innocence (including an extensive database). Publishes the “Justice Denied,” which is the only magazine in the world exclusively devoted to publicizing cases of wrongful convictions and how they occur. Extensive information is available on their website, including books and DVDs related to innocence and exonerations.
  • List of Innocence Projects in the U.S. and internationallyA comprehensive list of innocence projects and projects related to wrongful convictions are available at forejustice.org.
  • Witness to InnocenceWitness to Innocence is the nation’s only organization composed of, by, and for exonerated death row survivors and their loved ones. By engaging them in public education programs, direct action, and legislative and media work, we empower our exoneree members to be leaders in the stuggle to end the death penalty in the United States, and to actively challenge the public to grapple with the reality of a fatally flawed criminal justice system that sends innocent people to death row. We also provide peer support for death row exonerees, and campaign for federal compensation for them.

International

  • Action for Prisoners’ FamiliesA federation of services supporting families of prisoners in England.
  • Aswasa BhavenA home for children of prisoners in India.
  • Children of Prisoners EuropeEuropean-wide network on behalf of children separated from an imprisoned parent.
  • International Centre for Prison StudiesThe International Centre for Prison Studies is a project of the School of Law, King’s College, in London. It offers a wealth of information, data and publications related to prison issues internationally.
  • International CUREThe International CURE site is an umbrella group for international chapters of National CURE, primarily in Africa.
  • Pen InternationalPen International is a worldwide association of writers, artists, and intellectuals covering many fields that aims to bridge strengthen cross-cultural divides. The association strongly affirms and promotes its commitment to the free expression and exchange of ideas.
  • Reclaim Justice NetworkReclaim Justice Network is a collaboration of individuals, groups, campaigners, activists, trade unionists, practitioners and researchers and people most directly affected by criminal justice systems in the U.K., who are working together to radically reduce the size and scope of criminal justice systems and to build effective and socially just alternatives.
  • Security Force MonitorThe Security Force Monitor is a platform created by the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute that aims to monitor police, military, and other security forces in countries of human rights concern. 
  • Sisters InsideSisters Inside is an independent community organization that exists to advocate for the human rights of women in the criminal justice system in Queensland, Australia, and to address gaps in the services available to them. Sisters Inside works alongside women in prison in determining the best way to fulfill these roles.
  • LLRX – Law & Technology Resources for Legal ProfessionalsThis webpage provides a list of criminal justice resources related to prisoners’ rights and web-based resources.
  • PrisonLawBlog.comThe Prison Law Blog is an online resource that which regularly covers topics such as defense in prison disciplinary hearings, wrongful convictions, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and more. Their writers are comprised of incarcerated jailhouse litigators, attorneys, prison consultants and other criminal justice professionals. They write from a pro-prisoner and pro-defendant perspective.
  • PrisonSucks.comDespite its crude-sounding name, PrisonSucks is an excellent resource for research, books, fact sheets and statistics on issues related to imprisonment. Documentary videos are also available, as well as prison-related music. This site is linked with the Prison Policy Initiative.

Journals

  • Journal of Prisoners on PrisonsThe Journal of Prisoners on Prisons features peer reviewed, academically-oriented, critical writings of current and former prisoners designed to enlighten public discourse about imprisonment and criminal justice policies and issues.
  • Prison Culture: How the PIC Structures Our World…Prison Culture is an attempt to document how the current prison industrial complex operates and to underscore the ways that it structures American society.
  • The Prisons HandbookAn annual, comprehensive guide to prisons in England and Wales, edited by Mark Leech.

Justice Blogs

  • ACLU’s Blog of RightsThe official blog of the American Civil Liberties Union. Regurlarly updated with articles on a wide variety of human rights and constitutional issues.
  • California Criminal CrisisRun by faculty and students at UC Hastings College of the Law, the California Criminal Crisis blog offers news and commentary on criminal justice issues and correctional policy in California.
  • CDCR StarBlog of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, aggregating articles on criminal justice issues in California from a variety of news sources.
  • Paul’s Justice BlogPaul Leighton (Ph.D., American University 1995) is a Professor in the Dept of Sociology, Anthropology & Criminology at Eastern Michigan University. Dr Paul’s areas of teaching and research interests include white collar and corporate crime; punishment; private prisons; inequalities (class, race and gender).
  • Prison Reform Movement’s BlogRegularly updated blog focusing on news, policies and laws related to the criminal justice reform movement.
  • Snitching BlogSNITCHING BLOG continues to offer ongoing news analysis, legal commentary, and cultural insights into how snitching affects the criminal system and the lives of ordinary people.
  • Support Prisoner ResistanceSupport Prisoners Resistance is a blog that reports on planned or ongoing individual and collective strikes across the United States. This ranges from anti-work protests to hunger strikes and plenty other forms of resistance.

Juvenile Detention

  • Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of YouthThe Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is dedicated to ending the practice of sentencing juvenile offenders to life in prison (juvenile life without parole, or JLWOP).
  • Uncompromising Photos Expose Juvenile Detention in AmericaOn any given night in the U.S., there are approximately 60,500 youth confined in juvenile correctional facilities or other residential programs. Photographer Richard Ross has spent the past five years criss-crossing the country photographing the architecture, cells, classrooms and inhabitants of these detention sites.  The resulting photo-survey, Juvenile-In-Justice, documents 350 facilities in over 30 states. It’s more than a peek into unseen worlds — it is a call to action and care.
  • California Habeas Handbook 5th EditionA practical guide to state and federal habeas corpus under the AEDPA; useful information on habeas issues, with an emphasis on California. Published by Kent Russell, an attorney in San Francisco.
  • California State Prisoners HandbookA “Comprehensive Practice Guide to Prison and Parole Law,” Third Edition. Written by experienced prison law attorneys, the Handbook’s 17 chapters include detailed discussions of the laws governing prisoner rights and the policies and practices of the California DOC (2006 supplement available). Includes many sample forms and pleadings. Sold by the Prison Law Office.
  • Jailhouse Lawyer’s ManualA Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual (JLM) is a handbook of legal rights and procedures designed for use by people in prison. Since publication of the First Edition in 1978, tens of thousands of prisoners in institutions across the country have used A Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual to exercise their legal rights. The JLM informs prisoners of their legal rights and instructs them about how to secure these rights through the judicial process, clearly explaining legal research techniques and how to read legal documents. The JLM is published by law students of the Columbia Human Rights Law Review. The Ninth Edition of the JLM, published in 2011, contains chapters covering a wide variety of topics that are listed and available for download in PDF format.
  • My Little Red Rules BookThe Little Red Rules Book is a pocket-size publication containing the Federal Rules of Evidence, some selected Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and some other useful references for use in court, published by the Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho. The publication contains annotations with case citations. To obtain a copy please send a check or money order for $6.00 payable to the Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho, 10 North Post St., Suite 700, Spokane, WA 99201.
  • Incarceration and the LawA fully overhauled, updated, and expanded edition of the leading case book on incarceration which examines the complex legal regime that defines prisoners’ rights.
  • Free Law Project’s RECAP ArchiveThe RECAP Archive is a free, searchable archive of millions of court records and dockets dating back to 1960.
  • AllLaw.comAllLaw.com is a general resource site for legal issues, with a variety of subject areas for both consumers and legal professionals.
  • American Civil Liberties Union – National Prison ProjectThe ACLU National Prison Project is involved in prison-related litigation nationwide, often through class-action lawsuits, and also advocates for criminal justice policy reform.
  • Civil Rights Litigation ClearinghouseThe Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse collects information and documents from civil rights cases in a variety of subject categories, including prison conditions, jail conditions, policing, juvenile facilities, and election/voting rights.
  • Federal Criminal LawA low-cost paid subscription legal research site devoted exclusively to criminal law, with some information on prison legal issues, too.
  • Collateral Consequences Resource CenterAn overview of state expungement and sealing laws to help individuals with a criminal record overcome barriers to employment and licensing through clearing their records. It includes links to other useful websites and case documents as well.
  • Federal Judicial CenterAn educational and informational site for federal courts and federal judges.
  • Federal Pattern Jury Instructions – Circuit, District CourtsThis site includes pattern jury instructions for federal circuit and district courts, among many other resources.
  • FindlawFindLaw provides a comprehensive set of legal resources legal professionals, businesses, students and individuals. These resources include Web search utilities, state and federal cases and codes, legal news, an online career center, message boards and even free e-mail.
  • LawInfo.comLawInfo.com is a general legal assistance site that includes an attorney locator, legal forms, legal guides, instructional videos and other free legal resources.
  • Lawyers.comProvides access to “criminal law basics” information; also has links to criminal law statutes for most states.
  • Martindale-HubbellProvides a searchable directory for locating attorneys.
  • National Lawyers GuildThe National Lawyers Guild is an advocacy organization dedicated to the need for basic change in the structure of our political and economic system; members include lawyers, law students, legal workers and jailhouse lawyers. They sponsor a Jailhouse Lawyers project and a Prison Law Project (New York).
  • OyezMultimedia project that maintains audio files of select U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments.
  • PACE Law Library – Prisoners’ RightsThe PACE Law Library maintains a legal resource section on issues related to prisoners’ rights.
  • Prison Law OfficeA non-profit public interest law firm that litigates prison-related issues in California. They offer a variety of prisoner legal self-help materials on their site.
  • The Expert Company – Prison and Jail expertsThe Expert Company provides a fee-based service that connects attorneys with experts; their database of experts includes those with experience and expertise in prison and jail-related litigation.
  • U.S. Supreme Court CenterEasily accessible U.S. Supreme Court decisions (full text) from 1791 to 2004. Plus blogs on the Supreme Court and Constitutional rights.

Magazines, Newsletters and Info Resources

  • EFF Launches Searchable Database of Police Agencies and the Tech Tools They Use to Spy on CommunitiesAtlas of Surveillance Shines Light on Deployment of Cameras, Drones, and More
  • Coalition For Prisoners’ Rights NewsletterNewsletter dealing with prisoner rights. For information please contact: Coalition For Prisoner’s Rights Newsletter; PO Box 1911; Santa Fe, NM 87504-1911.
  • Fines & Fees Justice Center ClearinghouseThe Fines & Fees Justice Center Clearinghouse aims to provide an easily-accessible library of information about efforts to reform fines and fees in the legal system. The Clearinghouse, which will be continuously updated, is designed for laypeople, justice system experts, and everyone in between. The Clearinghouse curates and organizes research, legislation, litigation, court-rule changes, pilot projects, community voices, data, and media related to fines and fees reform in the United States. 
  • Corporate Crime ReporterThe Corporate Crime Reporter, a weekly print publication with an on-line presence, reports on all things related to white collar corporate crime. Especially read “20 things you should know about corporate crime.”
  • Crime Magazine – An Encyclopedia of CrimeCrime Magazine is about true crime: organized crime, celebrity crime, serial killers, corruption, sex crimes, capital punishment, prisons, assassinations, justice issues, crime books, crime films and crime studies.
  • The Crime ReportThe Crime Report is a news, information and multimedia source for criminal justice-related news and developments.
  • GraterfriendsGraterfriends is a prisoner-oriented newsletter published monthly by the Pennsylvania-based Prison Society. It includes lots of interesting and useful information about criminal justice matters, with a focus on Pennsylvania. $3.00 per year for prisoners.
  • National Prisoner Resource ListThe National Prisoner Resource List is published quarterly by the Prison Book Program (although the latest version available is dated Dec. 2006). It contains numerous informational resources available for U.S. prisoners; however, some of the information may be dated.
  • The Nuclear ResisterThe Nuclear Resister is a bi-monthly newsletter published since 1980 that provides information for and about imprisoned anti-nuclear and anti-war activists.
  • PARC Prison Support DirectoryPrison Activist Resource Center (PARC) produces a comprehensive Prisoner Support Directory with contact information for a wide variety of organizations of interest to prisoners.
  • The Razor WireThe Razor Wire is an excellent newsletter published quarterly by the November Coalition. It predominantly deals with issues related to the war on drugs and sentencing reform.
  • Snitching.org – Criminal Informant Law, Policy and ResearchThis website provides educational information about all aspects of criminal informant use, law, and policy. SNITCHING.ORG provides resources for lawyers, journalists, law enforcement, legislators, and members of the public who want information about the law and policies associated with snitching.
  • 4Struggle Magazine4Struggle Magazine focues on U.S. political prisoners, and publishes 3 times a year. While this is primarily an e-publication, hard copies are available, too. (Free for prisoners.)

Media Access / Resources

Medical Issues & Resources

  • Drug Watch – HealthDrugwatch.com is a great drug and health resource for men and women of all ages. They also help people evaluate if they have a legal case because of life-changing side effects or complications that were caused by a device maker or a drug company.
  • Center for Health JusticeFormerly CorrectHELP. Provides information related to HIV in prison – contact them if you are not receiving proper HIV medication or are denied access to programs due to your HIV status. 
  • Drug Watch – ActosInformational website aimed at spreading awareness about the drug Actos, which used to treat Type 2 Diabetes, and its serious side effects and health complications.
  • National Hepatitis Corrections NetworkThis is a national educational group that brings together organizations and individuals to raise awareness and provide support and advocacy to prisoners suffering from Hepatitis C and HIV/HCV coinfection.

Movies

  • Cry FreedomSteve Biko was the most prominent leader behind the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) in apartheid-ruled South Africa. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr who fought to empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Cry Freedom is about his life and death.
  • The House I Live InAs America remains embroiled in conflict overseas, a less visible war is taking place at home, costing countless lives, destroying families, and inflicting untold damage on future generations of Americans. Over forty years, the War on Drugs has accounted for more than 45 million arrests, made America the world’s largest jailer, and damaged poor communities at home and abroad.
  • Middle of NowhereAs Ruby (Emayatzy Corinealdi) rides a bus through the inner city streets, she wills herself to push away memories that crowd her. Four years earlier, she was a vibrant medical student married to the love of her life, Derek (Omari Hardwick). Now, she makes her way to the maximum security prison on the outskirts of town. This is where her love now resides.
  • Prison Lullabies – Documentary about pregnancy behind barsSite for the film “Prison Lullabies,” a documentary about four women who gave birth while they were incarcerated. Ordering information, media kits and outreach links are available.
  • Unlikely FriendsThe film explores the stories of friendships that have grown through forgiveness between victims of violent crimes and their perpetrators. The documentary is made by award winning director and activist Leslie Neale (Juvies, Road to Return), who has a strong commitment and history of social advocacy.
  • Mothers in Prison: The impact of incarceration on motherhoodMothers in Prison: The impact of incarceration on motherhood is a documentary on incarcerated women and their children. 

Open Records and Freedom of Information Requests

  • Chicago Justice ProjectThe core mission of the Chicago Justice Project is to increase public access to justice-related information, through FOI requests and the Citizen Open Data Access project.
  • Federal Freedom of Information Act GuideThis online guide to the Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) contains useful details on how to file FOIA requests. Provided by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
  • GovernmentAttic.orgGovernmentAttic.org provides access to federal documents that have been obtained through FOIA requests — many are related to law enforcement and the military.
  • National Security Archive / George Washington UniversityThe National Security Archive collects and publishes declassified government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act related to the national security, foreign, intelligence, and economic policies of the United States. Includes the Torture Archives.
  • Open Government GuideThis site, part of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press site, includes a complete compendium of information on every state’s open records and open meetings laws. Each state’s section is arranged according to a standard outline, making it easy to compare laws in various states.
  • Public.Resource.orgPublic.Resource.org maintains links to government public information sites and documents.

Police Brutality and Accountability

  • Bad Cop, No Donut!A Reddit feed featuring law enforcement abuse stories regarding “abuse of power, corruption, and other misfortunes in developing police states.”
  • Citizens Police Data ProjectCitizens Police Data Project discloses statistics collected on police misconduct in the city of Chicago through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
  • Cop WatchCitizen initiative (with chapters in many cities) to “police the police.” Maintains a database of police abuse/misconduct and sponsors discussion forums.
  • Mapping Police ViolenceA website that tracks and reports the incidents of police killings all across the United States using data collected from third party crowdsourced databases.
  • National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law EnforcementInformation and resources related to civilian oversight of law enforcement agencies.
  • National Police Accountability ProjectA project of the National Lawyers Guild; includes a list of civilian review boards and other resources.
  • Open Data PolicingA project created by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, this online platform presents data on policing practices relating to stops, searches, and use of force. The platform focuses on North Carolina, Maryland, and Illinois. 
  • Open Police ComplaintsThis website allows people to prepare, file and track police misconduct reports.
  • Police Crimes (misconduct and brutality)Site devoted to citizen rights, police brutality and misconduct, filing complaints against officers, etc.
  • Police Use of Force ProjectPolice Use of Force Project documented and reviewed use of force of 91 of the 100 largest police departments in the United States. Their analysis of the data can be viewed in a report found on this website.  
  • Project ComportThis is a platform that helps law enforcement agencies publish and be transparent with their data pertaining to Complaints, Use of Force, and Officer Involved Shootings. The website currently presents data for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
  • Transparency and Accountability ProjectThe Transparency and Accountability Project publishes police disciplinary records in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Florida with the purpose of creating a better justice system. The data was made available through public records requests. 

Prison and Jail Phone Calls

Prison and Corrections History / Historical Information

  • Washington Prison History ProjectThe site features a robust collection of prisoner-produced newspapers from the late 20th century; oral histories and testimonials about the Washington state prison system; research on local histories of punishment; and a text-adventure computer game designed inside a maximum security prison. 
  • Alcatraz HistoryExtensive information about “The Rock,” including escape attempts, rules and regulations, famous prisoners and historical background.
  • Eastern State Prison (Pennsylvania)Site about the Eastern State Prison in Philadelphia, PA, which was built in 1821 and is is designated as a National Historic Landmark. Includes links to other prison museums worldwide.
  • New York Correction History SocietyThis site contains an archive of text and images related to corrections/prison history in New York.
  • Virtual Tour of AlcatrazVirtual pictoral tour of this famous island prison.

Prison Employees, COs, etc.

  • Correctional Officer EDUA website providing resources for all things on the correctional officer profession, including salaries, schools & training.
  • Correction Officers Going WrongThis site tracked news articles related to misconduct by correctional officers and other prison employees. No longer updated after 2010, but contains archived news articles.

Prisoner Advocacy Groups, Projects and Organizations

  • Prison WritersPrison Writers mission is to give incarcerated people a voice and to educate people on the outside about what is really happening inside America’s prisons. Incarcerated writers gain a sense of confidence and pride knowing their words are being read by the general public. Prison Writers believes those closest to the problem are closest to the solution.
  • ABA – National Inventory on the Collateral Consequences of ConvictionThis valuable resource by the American Bar Association addresses how a conviction will impact housing, government benefits, civic participation, and a whole range of other areas. Holistic legal practitioners and criminal defense practitioners who want to follow best practices will be sure to bookmark this site.
  • ACLU National Prison ProjectThe National Prison Project of the ACLU seeks to enforce constitutional conditions of confinement and strengthen prisoners’ rights through class action lawsuits and public education. The NPP is the only national litigation program on behalf of prisoners.
  • ACLU – Criminal Law Reform CampaignThe Criminal Law Reform Campaign is a priority of the ACLU. We seek to end excessively harsh criminal justice policies that result in mass incarceration and stand in the way of a just and equal society. Learn more about our campaign goals below, and support our work by taking action.
  • Black and Pink – LGBTQ Prisoner AdvocacyBlack and Pink is an open family of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer prisoners and “free world” allies who support each other. A national organization, Black and Pink reaches thousands of prisoners across the country and provides a free monthly newspaper of prisoner-generated content, a free (non-sexual) pen-pal program and connections with anti-prison movement organizing. Their website also hosts a blog by founder Jason Lydon, a Unitarian minister who was arrested and jailed for protesting at a military base.
  • Center for Prison ReformThe Center for Prison Reform is a think tank and coalition of like minded groups that lobby for prison reform.
  • Colorado Criminal Justice Reform CoalitionThe Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition is a statewide network of over 100 organizations and faith communities and nearly 5,000 individuals united to stop prison expansion and mass incarceration in Colorado.
  • Convict CriminologyThe “New School of Convict Criminology” is a relatively new and controversial perspective in the field of corrections and the academic field of criminology. It challenges the way crime and correctional problems are traditionally represented and discussed by researchers, policymakers, and politicians.
  • Ex-Prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA)EPOCA consists of former and current prisoners striving to organize and assist (ex-)prisoners to promote criminal justice policy changes.
  • FedCUREFedCURE is a chapter of National CURE that deals with issues specifically related to federal prisons and prisoners. Current issues include reinstating federal parole, increasing good time, restoring PELL grants, and reentry issues. They publish the FedCURE Newsletter.
  • International Community Corrections Association (ICCA)The ICCA is a membership organization dedicated to promoting community-based corrections for adults and juveniles to enhance public safety.   Community corrections involves a variety of different community-provided and government-funded services. As such, the ICCA focuses on several program areas, from assessment and evaluation to siting to employment training.
  • Michigan Battered Women’s Clemency ProjectThe MBWCP seeks the release of battered women convicted of killing or defending themselves and their children against an abusive partner.
  • National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and GirlsThe National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls is a female-focused advocacy group that aims to bring policy makers, academics, researchers and the public together in order to make sure that incarcerated women and girls have a voice in adopted policies. 
  • National CURENational CURE is a grassroots membership organization that believes that prisons should be used only for those who absolutely must be incarcerated, and that those who are incarcerated should have all of the resources they need to turn their lives around.
  • Prison Activist Resource Center (PARC)PARC is a prison abolitionist group committed to exposing and challenging all forms of institutionalized racism, sexism, able-ism, heterosexism and classism, specifically within the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC).
  • Prison Mindfulness InstitutePrison Mindfulness Institute (PMI) is a Rhode Island-based organization supporting projects dedicated to promoting mindfulness and meditation programs in prisons around the world.
  • Prisoner SolidarityPrisoner Solidarity 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. Emphasis on justice-related issues in Ohio.
  • Stop Prison Abuse NowStop Prison Abuse Now’s goals are to are to make people aware that physical, psychological and medical abuse occurs in U.S. prisons, to convince Congress to investigate conditions within our prisons, and to pass legislation to protect prisoners from abuse.
  • The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) / Incarcerated Workers Organizing CommitteeThe Prison Reentry Network is a nonprofit that works with prisoner prior to their release in aiding their transition back into their communities. Their work encompasses providing information to inmates on how to find food, shelter, and work opportunities. They distribute this information directly to prisoners through print editions of their programs as well as online to the families of the incarcerated individuals. 
  • Whitestone Foundation – Civil CommitmentThe Whitestone Foundation is concerned with issues related to the civil commitment of sex offenders and their treatment. The link is to the Foundation’s Yahoo group (must have a free Yahoo account to join).
  • Cornell University Prisoners’ Rights SiteThe Cornell University Law School maintains this brief overview of prisoners’ rights with selected links to related materials.
  • FindLaw page on Rights of InmatesThis FindLaw page provides a brief overview of prisoners’ rights, including the ADA and PLRA.
  • Federal Office of Defender ServicesThe Office of Defender Services is the federal department that provides training and support for federal public defenders. Their site includes training materials and other publications on habeas, death penalty appeals and federal criminal law.
  • Prison Law OfficeA non-profit public interest law firm that litigates prison-related issues in California. They offer a variety of prisoner legal self-help materials on their site.
  • Southern Poverty Law CenterThe Southern Poverty Law Center handles civil rights cases against hate groups, as well as litigation involving immigration issues, workers’ rights, prison conditions and juvenile justice. The SPLC also tracks hate groups nationwide and publishes a quarterly magazine.

Prisoners’ Families and Children

  • Canadian Families and Corrections NetworkCanadian Families and Corrections Network (CFCN) focuses on families, children, and friends who have someone they care about in jail. Our mission is “to build stronger and safer communities by assisting families affected by criminal behavior, incarceration, and reintegration”.
  • Angel TreeProvides Christmas gifts for children of prisoners.
  • Bethel Bible VillageResidential care agency provides support and ministry to children and youth of families shattered by crime and troubled environments.
  • Center for Children of Incarcerated ParentsThe Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents provides services in four components. (1) The Information component includes publications and audio-visual materials free of charge to prisoners, their children and their families; and provides advice to groups of incarcerated parents and family members. (2) The Educational component provides materials and holds parent education training for parents in the criminal justice system. A correspondence course in parent education is offered free of charge to incarcerated parents. (3) The Family Reunification component has about 60 service projects to help prisoners and their children maintain a relationship. (4) The Therapeutic Component provides therapy for incarcerated mothers and their infants and young children. 
  • Families for Justice as HealingFamilies for Justice as Healing focuses on raising public awareness about the incarceration of women and the impact on children and communities.
  • Child Welfare Information GatewayProvides information and resources related to issues involving incarcerated parents and their children.
  • Forever Family (Formerly Aid to Children of Imprisoned Mothers)Forever Family (formerly AIM) is a service organization based in Georgia (with chapters in other states). The agency assists incarcerated mothers, their children and other family members in maintaining critically important family ties during the mother’s incarceration.
  • Friends OutsideFriends Outside is a advocacy and outreach organization committed to improving the quality of life of families, children and communities impacted by incarceration, and to assisting with successful community reentry and family reunification for those transitioning from confinement to freedom. Friends Outside provides direct services to prisoners and their families in the State of California, and conducts advocacy worldwide.
  • Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC)Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) offers a comprehensive site dealing with issues involving incarcerated parents, families and children of prisoners, and women prisoners. Their focus is on women prisoners and their families, as well as prisoners rights. Publications available through their site include the Incarcerated Parents Manual, which is highly recommended.
  • Prison: The Hidden SentencePrison: The Hidden Sentence is a blog and online platform with a focus on educating and empowering families and friends of incarcerated individuals. The aim and purpose of which is to create a community where the people affected can share their stories with one another.
  • Save Kids of Incarcerated Parents (SKIP)Save Kids of Incarcerated Parents (SKIP) has chapters in several states; the organization provides supportive services to children of incarcerated parents and their families, and seeks to increase public awareness of the underlying problems these children face.
  • The National Resource Center on Children and Families of the IncarceratedNRCCFI is the oldest and largest organization in the U.S. focused on children and families of the incarcerated and programs that serve them, providing a comprehensive directory of programs, a library of helpful resources, and more.

Prison in the Arts – Song, Dance, Plays, Poetry

  • Cellblock VisionsCellblock Visions, a site maintained by Phyllis Kornfeld, provides a gallery of prison art and information about art behind bars.
  • Books Through BarsBooks Through Bar is a volunteer group that distributes free books and reading material to incarcerated people all across the United States. The organization aims to create a better understanding between people within and outside the walls of prison.
  • Digital Humanities Initiative: American Prison Writing ArchiveThere is a real need to create a single-site where American prison writers can write about and document their experience and where free-world citizens—including scholars and students in a growing field of study of criminal justice and mass incarceration—can access such writing. No such archive yet exists. The American Prison Writing Archive will be a place where incarcerated people can bear witness to the conditions in which they live, to what is working and what is not inside American prisons, and where they can contribute to public debate about the American prison crisis.
  • The Prison Arts CoalitionThe Prison Arts Coalition (PAC) is an independent space providing information and resources for people creating art in and around the American prison system.
  • NYC Books Through BarsNYC Books Through Bars is an all-volunteer-run group that sends free, donated books to incarcerated people across the nation, except for AL, FL, LA, MA, MI, MS, NC, PA, OH, and WI.
  • The Robben Island SingersThe Robben Island Singers are composed of three South African former political prisoners who were incarcerated on Robben Island. They perform stories, songs and discussions regarding forgiveness and building community.
  • Prisons FoundationPrisonsFoundation.org publishes books written in prison worldwide without cost to prisoners. They are also partners with SafeStreetArts Foundation, an organization that exhibits art made in prison.

Prison Medical Issues, Experiments, Health Care

  • California DOC medical care – Federal receiver’s websiteThis is the website for the federal court-appointed receiver over healthcare in the California DOC (in the Plata litigation). Includes reports, court pleadings, press releases, current projects, etc.
  • Cases Against DoctorsThis listing, updated by the Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration, lists all DEA-involved investigations of physician registrants which resulted in the arrest and prosecution of the registrant. This list includes doctors who work for private and public prisoner medical care providers.
  • The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting ProgramYour FDA gateway for clinically important safety information and reporting serious problems with medical products.
  • Inmate Letter CampaignThis Yahoo group recruits people to write letters in support of prisoners who need medical care.
  • National Commission on Correctional Health CareThe National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) is a coalition that “is committed to improving the quality of health care in jails, prisons, and juvenile confinement facilities.” They provide accreditation services, establish health care standards, publish a journal, and sponsor conferences.

Prison Privatization / Privatization of Prison Services

  • Private prisons: Research, Data and ControversiesA collection of resources addressing the impact of privatization on public policy, immigration policy, and the overall cost of prison systems.
  • AFSCME Prison PrivatizationThe American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) maintains a site about corrections workers, which includes information against prison privatization. A publication titled “Don’t be a prisoner to empty promises” is available in the AFSCME privatization section.
  • Association of Private Correctional and Treatment OrganizationsAPCTO is an industry special-interest group for for-profit prison companies and companies that provide prison-related services.
  • CoreCivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America (CCA))Corporate website for CoreCivic/CCA, the nation’s largest private prison company.
  • GEO Group (formerly Wackenhut Corrections)Corporate site for the Geo Group (formerly Wackenhut Corrections).
  • Grassroots LeadershipGrassroots Leadership is civil rights organization, committed to ending for-profit incarceration. Their site contains other information and resources about prison privatization, with an emphasis on private prisons in the southern U.S.
  • Management & Training Corp.Corporate site for Management & Training Corporation (private prison operator).
  • Private Corrections Working GroupOne-stop clearinghouse for information about the private prison industry with a state-by-state listing of news and events, company rap sheets, reports and studies, etc. Assists communities and groups opposed to prison privatization.
  • Tennesseans Against PuryearTennesseans Against Puryear is a site coordinated by PLN associate editor Alex Friedmann, which opposes the judicial nomination of Gustavus A. Puryear IV, general counsel of Corrections Corp. of America (CCA). Mr. Puryear has been nominated for a lifetime appointment to the federal court in the Middle District of Tennessee, the same jurisdiction where CCA is headquartered.
  • Why I Hate CCA BlogBlog on private prison companies, with an emphasis on CCA, detailing problems and failures of the private prison industry.

Prison Torture, Abuse, Sexual Abuse & Rape

  • Abu Ghraib photos and videoCBS has posted a collection of Abu Ghraib photos and a video clip.
  • NIC / WCL Project on Addressing Prison RapeThis is a joint project by the National Institute of Corrections and the Washington College of Law that provides training to corrections staff on the issue of sexual misconduct and abuse.
  • California releases controversial prison videosSix videos of dramatic confrontations between mentally ill prison inmates and California prison guards were filed Thursday in federal court, giving the public its first glimpse of what inmate advocates contend are inhumane uses of force.
  • Commission on Safety and AbuseThe Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s prisons is a national effort to clarify the nature and extent of violence, sexual abuse, degradation, and other serious safety failures and abuses in U.S. prisons and jails through public hearings.
  • Human Rights Report on Prison RapeExtensive report by Human Rights Watch on male rape in U.S. prisons. (2001)
  • Just Detention International (Stop Prisoner Rape)Formerly Stop Prisoner Rape, this is the premiere advocacy organization and information center on the problem of prison rape (both male and female rape). Offers a resource guide for rape survivors, numerous publications and other resources.
  • National Prison Rape Elimination CommissionHome page for the commission that was involved with the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (which has since been signed into law).
  • Prison MurderSite dedicated to profiles of prisoners who have died in custody, often from abuse by guards or medical neglect.
  • Restraint Asphyxia (Suffocation)Articles, scholarly papers and other information on deaths caused by restraint asphyxia (positional suffocation); some articles on tasers, too.
  • Slate Article on Prison RapeInformative article posted on Slate about prison rape, by Robert Weisberg, Professor of law at Stanford Law School, and David Mills, a senior lecturer at Stanford Law School (with rebuttal by SPR).

Radio Programs

  • Jaws of Justice RadioIt is the intention of Jaws of Justice Radio to investigate how to achieve justice in America, this includes issues of economic injustice, political injustice and the criminal justice system. We want to put a human face on those caught in the grasp of injustice and those that are part of an unjust system.  The Jaws of Justice Radio group is made up of formerly incarcerated citizens, family members of victims, family members of the incarcerated, lawyers, and justice seeking members of our community. We invite you to join the dialogue.
  • Prison PipelineThe Prison Pipeline radio show broadcasts every Tuesday at 6:30pm West Coast time on KBOO 90.7 FM in Portland, Oregon. The program is broadcast live world-wide over the Internet at http://www.kboo.org. You will need to have either RealPlayer or WinAmp installed on your computer to listen to KBOO over the Internet.
  • The Prison ShowRay Hill’s “The Prison Show,” has been broadcast on Houston Pacifica radio station KPFT (90.1 FM) weekly since March 1980. You can tune in on Friday nights at 9 p.m. CST; previous shows are archived on the website.
  • Thousand Kites – Calls from HomeThousand Kites is sponsoring the “Calls from Home” radio show, which is a one-hour program that lets family members send greetings to their incarcerated loved ones. It will be recorded on Dec. 13, 2007 and available on their website soon afterwards.

Religion in Prisons

  • Aleph InstituteServes Jewish prisoners and their families
  • Appignani Humanist Legal CenterThe Appignani Humanist Legal Center is a nonprofit organization advocating progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists, and non-religious Americans. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., its work is extended through more than 180 local chapters and affiliates across America. Humanism is the idea that you can be good without a belief in a god.
  • The Pluralism ProjectThe Pluralism Project at Harvard University provides this page of links and reports related to different types of faiths/religion in the prison context.

Research and Statistics

  • Federal Employee Salary SearchSearch for salary information for federal employees by name, agency, job title, or location. Does not include employees involved in security work, the FBI, CIA, Defense Department, nuclear materials, IRS and jobs “essential to national security.” The list contains most executive branch employees but does not cover the White House, Congress, the Postal Service, and independent agencies and commissions. 
  • Hall of JusticeHall of Justice is a robust, searchable data inventory of nearly 10,000 datasets and research documents from across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the federal government. 
  • Jail MediaJail Media provides informational web pages about individual jails (e.g., the Maricopa, AZ jail;, the Sacramento, CA County jail, etc.). This link is for the list of individual jail web sites they maintain.
  • National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of ConvictionA project of the American Bar Association, this online database breaks down collateral consequences to conviction on a state-by-state basis, listing federal and state laws and regulations that restrict employment, housing, and education benefits and other opportunities.
  • Opening up a Closed World – Prison OversightHeld in April 2006 in Austin, TX, the “Opening Up a Closed World” conference, which addressed the need for accountability and transparency in corrections systems, focused on effective prison oversight. This was an invitation-only gathering that included the top names in the criminal justice field, including federal judges, DOC directors, prisoners’ rights activists and representatives from a variety of agencies including the ACA and ACLU. The three-day event included frank discussions about the closed world of prisons and how effective oversight could be achieved.This Pace Law Review volume was born from that conference and contains a number of interesting articles related to oversight and advocacy.
  • Prison MapPrison Map attempts to compile satellite images of every detention center in the United States, displaying overhead maps of nearly 5,000 facilities.
  • Public.Resource.orgPublic.Resource.org maintains links to government public information sites and documents.
  • Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI)The Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) website provides detailed evaluations and data on an ongoing reentry study conducted in conjunction with the Urban Institute.
  • Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics – BJSThe Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is a treasure trove of data related to crime, corrections and criminal justice in the United States. This site maintains the data from the last Sourcebook published.
  • Texas Justice InitiativeThe Texas Justice Initiative is a website that tracks, collects, and publishes statistics on the deaths of individuals in police, jail or prison custody. The data is collected from the office of the Attorney General of Texas through the Texas Public Information Act.
  • University of Michigan Law School Policy ClearinghouseA project started by the University of Michigan Law School, Clearinghouse aggregates state jail and prison policies governing prisoner grievances, mail, publication and visiting for all 50 states. A majority of the information was obtained by filing several state Freedom of Information Act’s (FOIA).
  • World Prison Brief (WPB), Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR)This site, by the International Centre for Prison Studies, provides numerical data for the highest and lowest prison populations in various categories in different regions worldwide, with excellent data on international prison systems.

Resources for Released / Soon to be Released Prisoners

  • After InnocenceAfter Innocence is an organization that provides assistance for wrongfully convicted prisoners upon their release. Realizing the tremendous disadvantages these former inmates face. After Innocence works to coordinate with different social services in order to ease the transition of former inmates into civilian life. 
  • Family ReEntryFamily ReEntry is a nonprofit organization that works to provide community based services to individuals and families impacted by the criminal justice system. Through the integration of three sectors; Prevention, Intervention, and, Reentry, Family ReEntry aims to break the cycle of incarceration.
  • National Reentry Resource CenterThis site, maintained by the Dept. of Justice, profiles prisoner reentry grant programs and resources. A number of downloadable publications related to reentry and recidivism are also available.
  • Federal Bonding ProgramInformation page for the Federal Bonding Program, which provides free fidelity bonds to employers as an incentive to hire ex-prisoners.
  • New York Public Library’s Correctional ServicesThe New York Public Library’s Correctional Services delivers a range of library programs at city, state, and federal facilities, including Connections, an annual guide and directory of resources in New York City available to help people when they are released from incarceration.
  • Prisoner Reentry NetworkThe Prison Reentry Network is a nonprofit that works with prisoner prior to their release in aiding their transition back into their communities. Their work encompasses providing information to inmates on how to find food, shelter, and work opportunities. They distribute this information directly to prisoners through print editions of their programs as well as online to the families of the incarcerated individuals. 
  • Restoration of Human Rights ProjectThe National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers offers a collection of individual downloadable documents that profile the law and practice in each U.S. jurisdiction relating to relief from the collateral consequences of conviction. 54 jurisdictional profiles include provisions on loss and restoration of civil rights and firearms privileges, legal mechanisms for overcoming or mitigating collateral consequences, and provisions addressing non-discrimination in employment and licensing.
  • The Fortune SocietyProvides post-release services and programs for prisoners in the New York City area and occasionally publishes Fortune News, a free publication for prisoners that deals with criminal justice issues, primarily in New York. 

Sentencing Issues (Mandatory Minimums, Three Strikes, etc.)

  • Families to Amend California’s Three Strikes (FACTS)Families to Amend California’s Three Strikes is an organization specifically dedicated to amending California’s “Three Strikes” law to ensure it is narrowly applied to violent offenders. This site is a good source for statistics, stories of petty crimes resulting in life sentences, etc.
  • Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM)Families Against Mandatory Minimums is the premiere organization for information, advocacy and research on federal mandatory minimum sentences (plus info on state sentencing issues, too). FAMM publishes the FAMM-gram newsletter, a print publication.
  • NACDL’s Proportionality Litigation ProjectState profiles and related materials provide a detailed snapshot of existing proportionality doctrines and jurisprudence as of fall 2012. They are intended as a resource for practitioners in all phases of the criminal justice system, for sentencing and appellate courts, for policymakers and advocates concerned with the high economic and human costs of excessively long terms of imprisonment, and for defendants facing or serving extreme prison terms.
  • The Other Death Penalty ProjectThe Death Penalty Project is a UK-based charity that uses legal resources “to protect priosners facing execution and achieve fairer and more humane justice systems.”
  • The Sentencing Project / NASAConsidered one of the best sources for research and information on sentencing policies, alternative sentencing, felon disenfranchisement and related issues. Affiliated with the National Association of Sentencing Advocates (NASA), a membership organization dedicated to the promotion of fair, humane and equitable sentencing.

Sex Offender / Sex Offense Issues

  • 50 State Incarceration ProfilesThese 50 state profiles, plus one for the United States as a whole, draw on graphs made from two Prison Policy Initiative briefings and other materials PPI has produced on those states.
  • AZ: The Arizona Justice ProjectArizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice operates the Arizona Justice Project, which will consider cases of wrongful conviction in Arizona ONLY.
  • CA: Friends OutsideFriends Outside is a advocacy and outreach organization committed to improving the quality of life of families, children and communities impacted by incarceration, and to assisting with successful community reentry and family reunification for those transitioning from confinement to freedom. Friends Outside provides direct services to prisoners and their families in the State of California, and conducts advocacy worldwide.
  • CA: Prison Law OfficeA non-profit public interest law firm that litigates prison-related issues in California. They offer a variety of prisoner legal self-help materials on their site.
  • GA: Georgia Justice ProjectThe mission of the Georgia Justice Project is to eliminate injustices in the criminal justice system experienced by poor people and to provide them with resources to advance their human potential, proving that the cycle of poverty and crime can be broken.
  • IL: CAARPRChicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression is part of a National Alliance founded to mount organized action against unjust treatment of individuals due to race or political beliefs. The Alliance can help publicize wrongful convictions, and advocate for prisoners by engaging in actions like calling and emailing IDOC staff when a prisoner does not receive the health care they need.
  • IL: Cabrini Green Legal AidCGLA provides criminal justice-related services to people in the Chicago area.
  • NY: CURE-NYNew York State chapter of CURE
  • NY: Legal Aid Society of NY – Prisoners’ Rights ProjectThe Prisoners’ Rights Project advocates for constitutional and humane conditions of confinement for prisoners in the New York City and State correctional systems.
  • NY: Prisoners’ Legal Services of New YorkPrisoners’ Legal Services of New York is a private, not-for-profit corporation that provides civil legal assistance to indigent prisoners in New York state facilities. PLS has been operating since 1976.
  • OH: FADS (Families Against Disparate Sentences)Family-of-prisoners oriented group focused on sentencing disparity in Ohio.
  • PA: Families OutsideFamilies Outside is our program which provides trips to Pennsylvania State Correctional Institutions for family members to visit their loved ones. Children and seniors are welcome.
  • PA: Pennsylvania Institutional Law ProjectThe Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project provides free legal assistance in civil matters to low-income people who are incarcerated or institutionalized in the state of Pennsylvania.
  • VA: Assisting Families of Inmates, Inc.Helps families preserve and strengthen positive relationships with relatives incarcerated in Virginia’s state correctional centers.

War on Terror – Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo

  • Univ. of Minn. Human Rights Library – reportsThe University of Minnesota, Center for Bioethics, maintains a collection of declassified documents related to the treatment of “war on terror” detainees in U.S. custody, including internal military memos and reports.

Women’s Issues – Prison and Corrections

Federal Prison Handbook - Footer

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Prisons/Incarceration

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Specific Issues Index

from Creating Better World

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About mekorganic

I have been a Peace and Social Justice Advocate most all of my adult life. In 2020 (7.4%) and 2022 (21%), I ran for U.S. Congress in CA under the Green Party. This Blog and website are meant to be a progressive educational site, an alternative to corporate media and the two dominate political parties. Your comments and participation are most appreciated. (Click photo) .............................................. Created and managed by Michael E. Kerr
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