22 new reports on policing, drugs, mental health, and more.

Criminal Justice Research Library for March 21, 2023 Bringing you the latest in empirical research about mass incarceration

We've The Prison Policy Initiative has added 22 new reports to the Research Library [[link removed]]: Conditions of Confinement [[link removed]] That Time We Tried to Build the Perfect Prison: Learning from Episodes Across U.S. Prison History [[link removed]]Paywall :( by Ashley T. Rubin, December, 2022

"While many of these endeavours are impressive...it is also possible to locate these ventures in a very long line of efforts to construct the perfect prison, a slippery goal that changes over time." Drug Policy [[link removed]] Overdose Prevention Centers: A Successful Strategy for Preventing Death and Disease [[link removed]] by The Cato Institute, February, 2023

"Federally legalizing all drugs would allow harm-reduction organizations to operate facilities where people can consume drugs more safely." Weighing the Impact of Simple Possession of Marijuana: Trends and Sentencing in the Federal System [[link removed]] by United States Sentencing Commission, January, 2023

"As of January 2022, no offenders sentenced solely for simple possession of marijuana remained in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons." Economics of Incarceration [[link removed]] Prioritization of carceral spending in U.S. cities: Development of the Carceral Resource Index (CRI) and the role of race and income inequality [[link removed]] by Britt Skaathun et al, December, 2022

"To our knowledge, this is the first study to consider the joint interaction of race and class on the prioritization of carceral systems over health and social support systems." General [[link removed]] Toward an Optimal Decarceration Strategy [[link removed]] by Ben Grunwald, April, 2022

"The public debate has focused almost exclusively on how we might decarcerate while minimizing any increases in crime and has, therefore, underappreciated the costs of prison itself. We should consider at least three more metrics..." Mental Health [[link removed]] Mental Health of Incarcerated Veterans and Civilians: Latent Class Analysis of the 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates [[link removed]]Paywall :( by Emily R. Edwards et al, September, 2022

"Classes were compared on Veteran status, military service-related variables, and treatment-related variables...Results attest to the importance of person-centered mental health care within correctional settings." Police and Policing [[link removed]] High-Frequency Location Data Shows That Race Affects the Likelihood of Being Stopped and Fined for Speeding [[link removed]] by Pradhi Aggarwal et al, December, 2022

"Relative to a white driver traveling the same speed, minorities are 24 to 33 percent more likely to be stopped for speeding and pay 23 to 34 percent more in fines." Police Diversion at Arrest: A Systematic Review of the Literature [[link removed]]Paywall :( by Caroline Harmon-Darrow et al, November, 2022

"Overall, police diversion programs were associated with reducing recidivism and lowering costs, although there is little association between program participation and improved behavioral health." The Social Costs of Policing [[link removed]] by Vera Institute of Justice, November, 2022

"[One study found that] people who were stopped and questioned or arrested by the police decreased their formal interactions with important social and welfare institutions such as medical, financial, civic, and educational institutions." Poverty and wealth [[link removed]] The Burden of Court Debt on Washingtonians [[link removed]] by Vera Institute of Justice, January, 2023

"At least 78 percent of people with legal-financial debt meet the state's indigency standard, yet courts routinely impose fines and fees at conviction averaging $695 for misdemeanor cases and $1,302 for felony cases." Broken Rules: Laws Meant to End Debtors' Prisons are Failing Nebraskans [[link removed]] by ACLU of Nebraska, December, 2022

"Observations from a combined 2,300+ bail and sentencing hearings show systemic disregard of laws meant to protect Nebraskans who are struggling financially." The Explosion of Unpaid Criminal Fines and Fees in North Carolina [[link removed]] by Duke Law Center for Science and Justice, April, 2020

"One in twelve adults in North Carolina currently have unpaid criminal court debt. This largely uncollectable debt may total well over one hundred million dollars." Pretrial Detention [[link removed]] Technical Violations and Their Effects on Pretrial/Bond Supervision Outcomes [[link removed]]Paywall :( by Haley R. Zettler and Kelli D. Martin, June, 2022

"While technical violations are associated with pretrial failure, the effects vary by violation type. Furthermore, the findings illustrate differences in risk factors for technical violations while on pretrial/bond supervision." Monitoring Pretrial Reform in Harris County: Second Report of the Court-Appointed Monitor [[link removed]] by Independent Monitor for the Odonnell v. Harris County Decree, March, 2021

"These data analyses show an overall decrease in the duration of pretrial detention: in more than 80% of the cases since 2017, defendants spent two days or fewer in jail before their release." Privatization [[link removed]] The Prison Industry Corporate Database [[link removed]] by Worth Rises, October, 2022

"The prison industry is worth over $80 billion and includes thousands of corporations. This is a database of corporations that do business with corrections and immigration detention in the U.S." Probation and parole [[link removed]] Are Supervision Violations Filling Prisons? The Role of Probation, Parole, and New Offenses in Driving Mass Incarceration [[link removed]] by Michelle S. Phelps, H. N. Dickens, and De Andre' T. Beadle, January, 2023

"These estimates suggest that although adults on community supervision constitute a substantial part of mass incarceration's growth, technical violations have not been a primary driver of prison populations." Commission to Examine Reestablishing Parole [[link removed]] by State of Maine Legislature, December, 2022

"The Commission reports on the history and current state of parole in Maine, as well as its recomendations for exploring options to reestablish a parole system in Maine." Race and ethnicity [[link removed]] Over-Incarceration of Native Americans: Roots, Inequities, and Solutions [[link removed]] by Safety and Justice Challenge, July, 2022

"Interventions meant to address over-incarceration of Native people should start at the tribal level. Tribes could impact disparity on a national level by providing supportive and restorative services for those involved in their own justice systems." Recidivism and Reentry [[link removed]] Homelessness and Contact with the Criminal Legal System among U.S. Combat Veterans: An Exploration of Potential Mediating Factors [[link removed]]Paywall :( by Ugur Orak et al, December, 2022

"A large proportion (53.6%) of the association between homelessness and criminal legal system involvement was accounted for by indirect associations, most notably via drug use disorder (22.1%), moral injury (11.4%), and alcohol use disorder (10.7%)." Expungement of Criminal Convictions: An Empirical Study [[link removed]] by J.J. Prescott and Sonja B. Starr, June, 2020

"What has been missing from the debate is hard evidence about the effects and true potential of conviction expungement laws...It leaves policymakers almost entirely in the dark." Trials [[link removed]] Preempting Progress: States Take Aim at Local Prosecutors [[link removed]] by Jorge Camacho et al, January, 2023

"In the past three state legislative sessions, at least 28 preemption bills have been proposed in 16 states to undermine anti-carceral uses of prosecutorial discretion." Youth [[link removed]] Mapping Transformative Schools: From Punishment to Promise [[link removed]] by National Juvenile Justice Network, December, 2022

"Young people we talked to discussed the wide use of suspensions and expulsions for minor infractions, differences in suspensions and expulsions based on race and gender, and the lasting harm to students when they are suspended." 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!

Other news: Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2023 [[link removed]]

The various government agencies involved in the criminal legal system collect a lot of data, but very little is designed to help policymakers or the public understand what’s going on.

In this new edition of our flagship report [[link removed]], we pull together the data from disparate pieces of the criminal legal system to show how many people are incarcerated, what type of facility they are in, and why. We also bust 9 common myths about mass incarceration and explain the impact of COVID on prison and jail populations.

Biden administration rules on money in federal prisons are wrong [[link removed]]

The Biden Administration and the Federal Bureau of Prisons have put forward new proposed rules that would be financially devastating to incarcerated people and their loved ones.

In this blog post [[link removed]] we explain what these rules do, why they are out of line with the Biden Administration's purported commitment to equity, and how they harm people beyond the prison walls.

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!

Our other newsletters General Prison Policy Initiative newsletter ( archives [[link removed]]) Ending prison gerrymandering ( archives [[link removed]])

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