A closer look at mass incarceration's impacts on people with disabilities. And 25 new reports in our Library.

Criminal Justice Research Library for July 15, 2025 Bringing you the latest in empirical research about mass incarceration

Our mission is to empower activists, journalists, and policymakers to shape effective criminal legal system policy, so we go beyond our original reports and analyses to curate a database of the best empirical research on the criminal legal system available online [[link removed]]. This newsletter includes just the newest additions to this database.

Disability and the criminal legal system

Hello friends,

July is Disability Pride Month, but when it comes to how the criminal legal system treats people with disabilities, things are pretty shameful.

At this point, it is no secret that people with disabilities are overrepresented at all stages of the criminal legal system. So, this month, we’re taking a deep dive into some of the research that shines a light on how this system uniquely harms people with disabilities:

Getting the big picture: If you want to know more about the experiences of people with disabilities in the criminal legal system, this 2016 report from the Center for American Progress [[link removed]] remains a must-read. Exploitation of people with disabilities: This recent report from Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund [[link removed]] examines how private equity firms profit from the criminalization of people with disabilities. The unique role of jails: We often discuss the overlooked role of jails in the criminal legal system. Two reports, one from Disability Rights North Carolina [[link removed]] and the other from Disability Rights Oregon [[link removed]], explain that the inadequate screening of people with physical and mental disabilities in jails leads to senseless deaths in these facilities.

You can find more research about the prevalence of, and challenges faced by, people with disabilities in the criminal legal system in the Disability section of our Research Library [[link removed]].

Now, onto the rest of the updates to our Research Library. This month, we’ve added 25 new reports that examine the health consequences of incarceration, bust myths about the relationship between immigration and crime, take a closer look at the power of prosecutors, and more.

We hope these reports are useful and informative.

-Leah Wang, Senior Research Analyst

We've The Prison Policy Initiative has added 25 new reports to the Research Library [[link removed]]: Community impact [[link removed]]

See 116 reports [[link removed]] on the impact of the criminal legal system on housing, schools, employment, neighborhoods, and more.

Estimating the impact: How many people are excluded from Fair Housing protections because of a past drug conviction? [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, February, 2025

"By our count, [the Thurmond Amendment] makes it more difficult for as many as 3 million people with these kinds of convictions to secure housing." Who Benefits from Automatic Record Relief in California? [[link removed]] by California Policy Lab, October, 2024

"We estimate nearly 70% of people with a conviction between 2010-2021 are eligible to have all convictions and non-convictions automatically relieved, leaving them with no remaining criminal record." Conditions of confinement [[link removed]]

See 278 reports [[link removed]] on prison and jail conditions such as solitary confinement, labor, discipline, food, and more.

Rolling back solitary confinement reforms won't make prisons safer [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, April, 2025

"The crisis in New York prisons is one of an ongoing commitment to brutality rather than a crisis of capacity, and it is not one that will be resolved by doubling down on state-sanctioned torture and abuse." Courts and trials [[link removed]]

See 169 reports [[link removed]] on prosecutors, judges, public defense, court caseloads, and more.

Timely justice: How case screening improves efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness [[link removed]] by Justice Innovation Lab, June, 2025

"On average, screened cases are resolved within 82 days compared to 106 days for the control cases." Crime [[link removed]]

See 287 reports [[link removed]] on crime, crime rates, and victimization.

Immigration and Crime: Assessing a Contentious Issue [[link removed]] by Graham C. Ousey and Charis E. Kubrin, January, 2018

"[These findings] call into question those theories that advance a strong positive association between immigration and crime, regardless of the mechanism suggested." General [[link removed]]

See 170 reports [[link removed]] on the criminal legal system.

Administrative Nullification and the Precarity of Carceral Reform [[link removed]] by Riley Doyle Evans and Stefen R. Short, May, 2025

"In a carceral reform context, administrative nullification disempowers incarcerated people and their advocates and thwarts the democratization of carceral power, retrenching that power in the prison system." Health and healthcare [[link removed]]

See 227 reports [[link removed]] on access to healthcare, chronic and infectious disease, mortality, and more.

Individual- and Area-Level Incarceration and Mortality [[link removed]] by Utsha G. Khatri et al, June, 2025

"Individuals who were incarcerated faced significantly higher risks of death, particularly from overdoses, and elevated county incarceration rates exacerbated individual-level mortality risks." Evaluation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Colorectal Cancer Screening Practices [[link removed]] by Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, May, 2025

"Only 10 of the BOP's 97 facilities met the BOP's National Performance Measures for sustained or demonstrated performance by completing screenings for 76 percent or more of their average-risk population." Linkages between incarceration and health for older adults [[link removed]] by Meghan A. Novisky, Stephanie Grace Post, Benjamin Fleury-Steiner and Alexander Testa, April, 2025

"Beyond poor physical, cognitive, and mental health, older adults are uniquely vulnerable to limitations imposed by the physical environment typical of modern correctional facilities." The Hidden Healthcare Crisis Behind Bars: A Randomized Trial to Accredit U.S. Jails [[link removed]] by Marcella Alsan and Crystal Yang, January, 2025

"Surveys of staff indicate that accreditation improves coordination between health and custody staff. We also find that accreditation improves quality standards and reduces mortality among the incarcerated." Monitoring MAT/ MOUD implementation in New York State Correctional Facilities [[link removed]] by Correctional Association of New York, December, 2024

"DOCCS reported a 552% increase in total active [medication assisted treatment] participants from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023...[and CANY calculated] an additional 19% increase from July 1, 2023, to March 1, 2024." Vulnerable yet Unprotected: The Hidden Curriculum of the Care of the Incarcerated Patient [[link removed]] by Michelle Ihn Suh and Marc David Robinson, December, 2022

"Trainees routinely perform substandard history taking and physical examinations due to indiscriminate shackling and the presence of guards who are actually nonclinical observers outside of the care team." Immigration [[link removed]]

See 76 reports [[link removed]] on the incarceration and detainment of immigrants.

Rethinking Immigration Enforcement [[link removed]] by Charis Elizabeth Kubrin, June, 2025

"Local involvement in immigration enforcement...[is] often justified by the claim that immigrants pose a significant threat to public safety--a claim not supported by evidence." ICE Detention at Plymouth County Correctional Facility [[link removed]] by Boston University School of Law's Immigrants' Rights and Human Trafficking Program and Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts, September, 2024

"Consistent complaints over the last twenty-five years reveal a disturbing pattern of systemic abuse and mistreatment of ICE detainees at Plymouth County Correctional Facility." Immigration E-Carceration: A Faustian Bargain [[link removed]] by Mary Holper, March, 2022

"Scholars...have raised concerns that ICE's alternatives to detention has become an "alternatives to release" program, given that it has operated to detain many people who did not present either a danger or flight risk." Jails [[link removed]]

See 296 reports [[link removed]] on jail populations, jail conditions, jail construction, and more.

If They Build It: Organizing Lessons and Strategies Against Carceral Infrastructure [[link removed]] by Community Justice Exchange, May, 2025

"This resource documents the convening of the No New Jails Network (NNJN), a project that brought together 10 campaigns and organizations from around the US between 2020-2023 to share strategies and knowledge from their respective campaigns..." New national data help fill 20-year data gap: Offense data for people in local jails [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, April, 2025

"The Jail Data Initiative data reveal that misdemeanor charges accounted for more than 2.7 million jail admissions (35%) in 2023." New research finds higher county jail rates have deadly consequences for entire communities [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, January, 2025

"A recent study from a researcher at University of Pennsylvania finds that higher jail rates are associated with higher death rates, especially for Black people and women." Policing [[link removed]]

See 275 reports [[link removed]] on arrests, traffic stops, law enforcement interactions, and more.

Despite fewer people experiencing police contact, racial disparities in arrests, police misconduct, and police use of force continue [[link removed]] by Prison Policy Initiative, December, 2024

"New Bureau of Justice Statistics data reveal that concerning trends in policing persisted in 2022, even while fewer people interacted with police than in prior years." Prosecutors in the Passing Lane: Racial Disparities, Public Safety, and Prosecutorial Declinations of Pretextual Stops [[link removed]] by Donald Braman et al, March, 2024

"We find that reduced stops [in Ramsey County, Minn.] have led to decreased racial disparities without affecting crime rates." Pretrial detention [[link removed]]

See 135 reports [[link removed]] on the costs and outcomes of detaining people before trial.

"Justice by Geography": Improving Pretrial Electronic Monitoring in Maryland [[link removed]] by Justice Policy Institute, April, 2025

"In 2023, 91% of people on pretrial supervision in Prince George's County and 84% in St. Mary's County were on [electronic monitoring], compared to only 21% in Montgomery County and 17% in Baltimore County." Probation and parole [[link removed]]

See 129 reports [[link removed]] on community supervision policies, conditions, violations, and more.

Report of the New York State Bar Association Task Force on the Parole System [[link removed]] by New York State Bar Association, November, 2019

"There is little or no evidence that the current revocation process for persons accused of technical parole violations in New York actually enhances public safety or reduces recidivism as intended." Reentry and recidivism [[link removed]]

See 257 reports [[link removed]] on the challenges and outcomes for people released from incarceration, including collateral consequences.

Beyond Recidivism: A Systematic Review Exploring Comprehensive Criteria for Successful Reintegration After Prison Release [[link removed]] by Ana Mourao et al, May, 2025

"Reintegration is a complex and multifaceted process influenced by factors at different levels--individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and political." The American Guaranteed Income Studies: Gainesville, Florida [[link removed]] by Lucius Couloute et al, February, 2025

"Survey results demonstrate that resilience to a financial shock improved over time for the treatment group [receiving monthly cash payments]." Women and gender [[link removed]]

See 146 reports [[link removed]] on gender disparities in the criminal legal system.

Treatment and Care of Incarcerated Females [[link removed]] by Louisiana Legislative Auditor, May, 2025

"We found that none of Louisiana's local jails, which house 87.2% of incarcerated women in Louisiana, have sufficient, written procedures encompassing all requirements in state law regarding female incarceration." 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: 16 principles for parole reform [[link removed]]

Parole in America is failing. But it can be fixed.

We've partnered with the MacArthur Justice Center to develop 16 principles for parole reform.

In this blog post [[link removed]] we provide an overview of each of the principles and invite organizations working to reform parole to sign on to these principles [[link removed]].

FCC postpones its groundbreaking rules that reduced prison & jail phone rates [[link removed]]

The Federal Communications Commission recently announced the misguided decision to postpone its rules that dramatically slashed prison and jail phone rates. This decision was a gift to sheriffs and prison telecom companies.

In this blog post [[link removed]], we explain what this decision means for incarcerated people and their families, and what they should expect going forward.

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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