In our new report, we discuss how overbroad federal laws allow federal authorities to prosecute offenses normally left to local prosecutors, including street crimes and even minor offenses. This over-federalization threatens democracy and increases incarceration.

This October, we come together for #YJAM2025 under the theme United for Action – A Call for Unity! We’re excited to highlight ways you can get involved thanks to our friends at National Youth Justice Network and Coalition for Juvenile Justice. Here’s how you can take action: bit.ly/3IOZQLi

#ICYMI: Our virtual discussion highlighting the importance of improving justice system responses to youth gun possession is now available to watch online.

Our 2024 Annual Report highlights the impact our supporters helped create and the foundation it provides for the work ahead. Read more in our annual report: sentencingproject.org/about/annualreportsfinances/

Attending CBCF's #ALC54 this year? Hear from our Senior Director of Advocacy Nicole D. Porter on the "Creating Wealth and Work in Local Communities" panel on Sept. 26 @ 10AM ET.

The Sentencing Project Condemns House Passage of Bills Threatening D.C.’s Autonomy and Youth. Yesterday, U.S. House of Representatives passed a set of bills that rolls back progress and poses a serious threat to the District of Columbia, endangering our communities and targeting youth.

TAKE ACTION: Congress is about to vote on dangerous legislation that would roll back hard-won reforms, harm youth, deepen racial disparities, and undermine democracy in the District. Urge your lawmakers to protect kids: secure.sentencingproject.org/a/take-action-protect-dc-kids

Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is reviewing and voting on bills that would undo decades of evidence-based criminal justice reforms in Washington, D.C. and trample on Home Rule. DC deserves real safety solutions, not mass incarceration!

The Sentencing Project urges members of the House Oversight Committee to oppose bills that disregard evidence-based criminal legal reforms and other attacks on District home rule.

April Wilkens is an outspoken advocate for survivors of domestic violence and her personal experiences were integral to the passage of the Oklahoma Survivors' Justice Act. Yet, her request to be resentenced under the Oklahoma Survivors' Act was denied. #SurvivorsDeserveRealJustice!

Justice system responses to youth referred to court on weapons charges have grown increasingly punitive, with fewer youth diverted from prosecution and more youth placed in locked detention. Proven solutions exist that better support youth and improve community safety.

WEBINAR: Join us on Sept. 9 at 2PM (ET) for a virtual discussion highlighting the importance of improving justice system responses to youth gun possession Register: bit.ly/4oODr0Z

1/ Check out the @sentencingproject.bsky.social new report, which explores how states & courts are rethinking extreme prison sentences: www.sentencingproject.org/reports/the-...

Interested in joining our team? We're #hiring a Campaign Strategist! Here are more details: bit.ly/3HWuphG Apply or share with your network! Applications are due soon (August 31)!

Our updated report outlines how sentence review reforms—which allow courts to reconsider lengthy sentences—have gained traction in half of U.S. states. These reforms reflect research showing that extreme sentences are not an effective public safety solution.

WEBINAR: Join us on Sept. 9 at 2PM (ET) for a virtual discussion highlighting the importance of improving justice system responses to youth gun possession Register: bit.ly/4oODr0Z

Our One in Five series offers a blueprint for ending racial inequity in incarceration and shifting towards more effective investments in public safety. Check out the four-part series: sentencingproject.org/one-in-five/

Private for-profit prisons incarcerated 90,873 people in 2022, representing 8% of the total state and federal prison population. Since 2000, the number of people housed in private prisons has increased 5%. Read our fact sheet:

In 2024, four million Americans were banned from voting due to a felony conviction. We're committed to expanding voting rights in every state & working with state partners to provide specific data on state felony disenfranchisement. #UnlockTheVote!

DC Folks: Please join us at Politics & Prose this Friday 7pm for a discussion of Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice (@uchicagopress.bsky.social). @joshpage.bsky.social and I will be in discussion with @nazgolg.bsky.social, Director of Research @sentencingproject.bsky.social

We're deeply saddened by the passing of Judy Greene — a brilliant policy analyst, co-founder of Justice Strategies, and a steadfast advocate for criminal legal reform. A mentor to many, including members of our staff, Judy’s wisdom and commitment to justice will continue to guide our work.

Crime coverage has played an integral role in the buildup of mass incarceration & its racial disparities. Our updated media guide can help develop coverage that better informs the public & policymakers on how to pursue effective and humane public safety policies.

Maine & Vermont are the only states that allow people in prison to vote but incarcerated voters in those states still face confusing absentee voting processes, and lack access to candidate information and key election dates. The right to vote means nothing without real access!

Our new fact sheets reveal a disturbing resurgence in youth incarceration and widening racial disparities as of 2023. Research shows that over-incarcerating our youth won’t deter crime—it only deepens cycles of trauma & inequality, harming families and communities.

Youth incarceration has dropped since 2000 but disparities have risen. Josh Rovner's @sentencingproject.bsky.social report shows that tribal youth are at least 10 times as likely to be held in placement as white youth in Minnesota, the Dakotas & Wisconsin. www.sentencingproject.org/press-releas...

Today, President Trump declared a ‘public safety emergency’ to place Washington, DC's Metropolitan Police Department under temporary federal control & deploying the National Guard in the capital despite recent federal data demonstrating falling crime rates in cities across the country, including DC.

In 2024, 4M Americans were banned from voting due to a felony conviction. We're committed to expanding voting rights in every state & working with state partners to provide specific data on state felony disenfranchisement. #UnlockTheVote!

The system isn’t working. It’s time for a better approach to address youth gun possession – rooted in evidence-based solutions that support our young people and keep communities safe. sentencingproject.org/reports/from-punishment-to-prevention-a-better-approach-to-addressing-youth-gun-possession/

🧵 Sixty years after the Voting Rights Act, we're still fighting for the ballot. ⚖️ In their op-ed, attorneys Ramon de la Cabada of Miami & Seth Chazin of Albany, CA, co-chairs of @nacdl.org's Criminalization of Voting Rights Committee, argue that modern tactics are disenfranchising millions.

60 years ago the Voting Rights Act was signed. Yet in 2024, 4M Americans couldn't vote due to felony convictions, despite many having rejoined our communities. Justice-impacted voters deserve to be heard. Congress must pass the Inclusive Democracy Act + John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act!

Justice system responses to youth referred to court on weapons charges have grown increasingly punitive, with fewer youth diverted from prosecution and more youth placed in locked detention. Proven solutions exist that better support youth and improve community safety.

In 2024, four million Americans were banned from voting due to a felony conviction. We're committed to expanding voting rights in every state & working with state partners to provide specific data on state felony disenfranchisement. sentencingproject.org/reports/state-voting-rights-briefs

Voting is a right—not a privilege. Even in Maine & Vermont, where people in prison retain that right, many still face barriers. Our new report offers a clear path forward: ✅ Educate ✅ Train ✅ Equip facilities Learn more: sentproj.org/VotingFromPrison

Some of the most exciting work I’ve been able to do in recent years is The Sentencing Project’s convening to bring advocacy organizers & researchers together to support campaigns expanding voting rights to persons living w/ felony convictions inside & outside of carceral lockups. #CivicPower2025

Detention increases the odds that youth will reoffend and ultimately damages their futures, but evidence shows that diversion works to reduce crime. Learn the most effective ways to address gun possession &protect community safety: bit.ly/4otHNun #YouthJustice

"If we want to break the cycle [of charging youth as adults], we must stop pretending children are adults. We must finally treat them like children, especially children of color who’ve borne the brunt of this system for over a century.”

"...The current [youth justice] system is broken. But the solution is not doubling down on the same failed policies. It’s building a new system rooted in prevention, support, and hope. Because Maryland’s youth deserve more than jail cells. They deserve the future."

Crime coverage has played an integral role in the buildup of mass incarceration & its racial disparities. Our updated media guide can help develop coverage that better informs the public & policymakers on how to pursue effective and humane public safety policies.

I’ve not been on a school bus in years. And I’d never been on one w @melissamichelson.bsky.social & @hlw.bsky.social until tonight! Thank you @sentencingproject.bsky.social for an evening of fellowship & clips of the film “And Water Brings Tomorrow” (ashleyhunt.info/andwaterbrin...)

Incarcerated citizens in Maine & Vermont still face significant barriers to casting a ballot. With an estimated 1 million eligible voters currently completing a felony-level sentence in prisons/jails across the U.S., the findings underscore the need to remove systemic barriers to voting behind bars.

Favorite quote from the morning plenary: “Collective resistance is political kryptonite” #CivicPower2025 @hlw.bsky.social @sentencingproject.bsky.social

Restoring voting rights for people with felony convictions can improve community safety. It’s time to #FreeTheVote!

Despite the criminal legal system’s claimed goal of securing justice for victims, survivors of domestic violence & trafficking are instead often criminalized. Our joint report with the Survivors Justice Project offers guidance on creating a more trauma-informed approach to sentencing.

The United States makes up roughly 4% of the world population but holds an estimated 40% of the world’s life-sentenced population. Learn more: bit.ly/4gMO5kk

Nearly half of the roughly 200,000 people serving life sentences in 2024 are eligible for parole, but endure extended delays in the parole process – from the wait for initial eligibility to the wait for reconsideration following a denial. sentproj.org/justicedelayed

"In recent years, a new front has emerged in the fight against extreme youth sentencing — state courts. This shift has been driven by advances in neuroscience, advocacy efforts, and the voices of incarcerated people themselves, challenging assumptions about the legal culpability of young adults."

Effective advocacy for federal sentencing, guaranteeing voting rights for persons completing felony sentences inside of prison and jail, and youth justice reform starts in your own community. Check out our toolkit to be an active partner in our work to end extreme sentences & create second chances:

"By uniting around survivors' justice and Second Look legislation to help end extreme sentencing, we can build a justice system grounded in accountability, compassion, and true community safety," writes Dominique Grant of Women on the Rise GA.

Justice system responses to youth referred to court on weapons charges have grown increasingly punitive, with fewer youth diverted from prosecution and more youth placed in locked detention. Proven solutions exist that better support youth and improve community safety.

We honor Juneteenth by working to transform the criminal legal system! Our fight to end mass incarceration must include combating racial inequality and disparity. We have to center humanity and prioritize prevention, rehabilitation, and community safety for real change. #FreedomDay