26 new reports on crime, HIV, policing, and more.

Criminal Justice Research Library for February 13, 2024 Bringing you the latest in empirical research about mass incarceration

We've The Prison Policy Initiative has added 26 new reports to the Research Library [[link removed]]: COVID-19 [[link removed]] The COVID-19 pandemic and operational challenges, impacts, and lessons learned: A multi-methods study of U.S. prison systems [[link removed]] by Meghan A. Novisky et al, December, 2023

"[Prison] daily operations were strained, especially in the areas of staffing, implementation of public health policy, and capacities to sustain correctional programming." "It Makes Him Feel Even Farther Away": Disruptions in Communication Among Families Impacted by Incarceration During the COVID-19 Pandemic [[link removed]]Paywall :( by Breanna Boppre and Meghan A. Novisky, November, 2023

"Two rounds of interviews with family members...reveal stressors, including worry and frustration around uncertainty in communication, disconnected relationships due to visitation closure, and additional financial and emotional burdens." Lessons from COVID-19 can help prisons & jails prepare for the next pandemic [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, April, 2023

"Without any serious change to our reliance on mass incarceration -- this population will continue to bear the disproportionate burden of public health crises." Crime and Crime Rates [[link removed]] Criminal Victimization, 2022 [[link removed]] by Bureau of Justice Statistics, September, 2023

"Despite the recent increase, the last three decades saw an overall decline in the violent victimization rate from 79.8 to 23.5 per 1,000 from 1993 to 2022." Death Penalty [[link removed]] Death By Design: Part 1 [[link removed]] by The Wren Collective, December, 2023

"In all 28 Harris County capital cases we reviewed, trial lawyers failed to uncover relevant evidence." Death By Design: Part 2 [[link removed]] by The Wren Collective, December, 2023

"Every single attorney we interviewed in Harris County told us that there were simply not enough well-trained mitigation specialists for hire, especially those trained in mental health." Capital Punishment, 2021 - Statistical Tables [[link removed]] by Bureau of Justice Statistics, November, 2023

"Five states (Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, and Mississippi) and the BOP executed a total of 11 prisoners in 2021. Among the prisoners executed, 10 were male and 1 was female." Economics of Incarceration [[link removed]] One in Five: How Mass Incarceration Deepens Inequality and Harms Public Safety (Part 4) [[link removed]] by Sentencing Project, January, 2024

"Mass incarceration's hold on vast public resources, its imposition of financial burdens, and the obstacles erected for people with criminal records further erode economic and social buffers against crime." Families [[link removed]] How 12 states are addressing family separation by incarceration -- and why they can and should do more [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, February, 2023

"Four states and the federal prison system have implemented requirements that parents be detained within a specified distance of their kids, making it easier for children to access their caregivers." Since You Asked: What's next for prison and jail phone justice now that the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act is law? [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, January, 2023

"The Martha Wright-Reed Act accomplishes two main things: It clarifies the FCC's authority to regulate in-state calls placed from correctional facilities, as well as clarifying the agency's authority to regulate video calls." Health impact [[link removed]] Quality of Surgical Care Within the Criminal Justice Health Care System [[link removed]] by Rui-Min Mao et al, December, 2023

"[30-day readmission and mortality] outcomes were comparable between the Texas prison population and the general population.... However, morbidity was significantly higher in the prison population." Pathways to Wellness: Health Needs of Black Women After Incarceration [[link removed]] by National Black Women's Justice Institute, November, 2023

"The Black women in this study want to take preventative measures to address and improve their health and wellness. However, accessing healthcare after incarceration remains challenging." New data on HIV in prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic underscore links between HIV and incarceration [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, June, 2023

"It seems unlikely that the drop in the HIV-positive prison population was the result of a targeted effort to protect the health of these individuals." Dementia in the incarcerated population: a retrospective study using the South Carolina Alzheimer's disease registry, USA [[link removed]]Paywall :( by Margaret Chandlee Miller et al, February, 2023

"For ages 55 and above in South Carolina, the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias is 6.7% in the general, non-incarcerated population compared to 14.4% in the incarcerated population." How a Medicare rule that ends financial burdens for the incarcerated leaves some behind [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, January, 2023

"For people released from prison after January 1, 2023, there are new Medicare enrollment rules that create a 12-month Special Enrollment Period during which recently released people can enroll in Medicare Parts A and B without any financial penalties...." Why states should change Medicaid rules to cover people leaving prison [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, November, 2022

"Research shows that expanding access to healthcare through Medicaid saves lives and reduces crime and arrest rates -- along with state spending." Immigration [[link removed]] Emergency Medical Responses at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Centers in California [[link removed]] by Annette M. Dekker et al, November, 2023

"We found that EMS-reported medical emergencies were disproportionately for females at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, with 12% of all EMS-reported emergencies for female patients due to pregnancy concerns." Police and Policing [[link removed]] One in Five: Disparities in Crime and Policing (Part 2) [[link removed]] by Sentencing Project, November, 2023

"These racial and ethnic disparities in police contact snowball as individuals traverse the criminal legal system. They also, as discussed below, reduce the perceived legitimacy of policing." New data: Police use of force rising for Black, female, and older people; racial bias persists [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, December, 2022

"During traffic stops, Black and Hispanic people were the most likely groups to experience a search or arrest. Meanwhile, white people were the least likely to receive a ticket and the most likely just to get off with a warning during a traffic stop." Probation and parole [[link removed]] Mortality, health, and poverty: the unmet needs of people on probation and parole [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, April, 2023

"Three in 10 people under community supervision have substance use disorders, four times the rate of substance use disorders in the general population." Race and ethnicity [[link removed]] One in Five: Racial Disparity in Imprisonment -- Causes and Remedies (Part 3) [[link removed]] by Sentencing Project, December, 2023

"Extreme sentences for violent crimes and reliance on criminal histories as a basis for determining prison sentences are drivers of racial disparities in imprisonment." One in Five: Ending Racial Inequity in Incarceration (Part I) [[link removed]] by Sentencing Project, October, 2023

"As national and local politics resume the politicization of crime and drug policies, it is crucial to take stock of the progress that must be defended and built upon." Racial disparities in diversion: A research roundup [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, March, 2023

"Diversion decisions are often highly subjective, leaving candidates vulnerable to the racial biases held by police, prosecutors, judges, or other decisionmakers." A Racial Disparity Across New York That Is Truly Jarring [[link removed]] by New York Civil Liberties Union, December, 2022

"In Manhattan -- one of the wealthiest and least equal places in the country -- courts convicted Black people of felonies and misdemeanors at a rate 21 times greater than that of white people over the past two decades." Recidivism and Reentry [[link removed]] How your local public housing authority can reduce barriers for people with criminal records [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative and Selena Munoz-Jones, February, 2023

"Public housing policies -- which should be a part of a crucial safety net against housing insecurity -- actually discriminate against people with criminal legal involvement and criminal records." Sexual offenses [[link removed]] What is civil commitment? Recent report raises visibility of this shadowy form of incarceration [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, May, 2023

"With little transparency about or consistent standards regarding how to progress through treatment, many people inside say that civil commitment feels like a de facto life sentence." Please support our work [[link removed]]

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Other news: Proposed Biden junk fees rule provides lots of transparency but little protection for incarcerated people [[link removed]]

President Biden and his administration have proposed a series of reforms to crack down on "junk fees."

In this new briefing [[link removed]], we explain how the recently proposed rule from the Federal Trade Commission will do little to actually protect incarcerated people and their families from these unfair and excessive fees.

Watching the Watchers: Vera releases national census on electronic monitoring [[link removed]]

In a new report, the Vera Institute for Justice collected data from all 50 states, more than 800 counties, and the federal court and immigration systems to produce the most comprehensive picture of electronic monitoring in the U.S.

In this new blog post [[link removed]], we highlight some of the key findings from this important report.

Please support our work [[link removed]]

Our work is made possible by private donations. Can you help us keep going? We can accept tax-deductible gifts online [[link removed]] or via paper checks sent to PO Box 127 Northampton MA 01061. Thank you!

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