Prison and Criminal Justice
policy & activist – government – industry – california
• represents a site we find particularly useful
POLICY ANALYST AND ACTIVIST RESOURCES
American Civil Liberties Union (http://www.aclu.org)
Find news briefs; legal and legislative documents; and fact sheets using the "Prisoners' Rights" and "Capital Punishment" links on the right side of the home page. Each link contains a wealth of information on a range of detailed topics.
Asian and Asian American Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
(http://www.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/research/asia.html)
This research website is home to a great index of hard-copy resources on Asian and Asian-American criminal justice issues. It is a good source for further research on Asian criminal law and the relationship between Asian-Americans and the criminal justice system. Some internet sources are available.
Building Blocks for Youth (http://www.cclp.org/building_blocks.php)
An initiative of the Center for Children's Law and Policy, this group does great research on juvenile justice issues. It's an alliance of children's advocates, researchers, law enforcement professionals, and community organizers that seek to protect minority youth in the justice system and promote rational and effective justice policies.
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (http://www.cjcj.org)
The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice is a private non-profit organization with a mission to reduce reliance on incarceration as a solution to social problems. Use the Resource Center tab to find publications, links and readings about juvenile justice, adults corrections, alternatives to incarceration, sentencing, and various other policies. Information about model programs and policies is available as well.
Critical Resistance (http://www.criticalresistance.org)
Critical Resistance is a national grassroots organization dedicated to ending the prison-industrial complex and to fighting for social justice. CR does campaigns and cultural events centered around prison expansion; gender, class and racial inequalities within the criminal justice system; and mistreatment of prisoners behind bars.
The Fortune Society (http://www.fortunesociety.org)
Staffed primarily by ex-offenders, The Fortune Society is a non-profit community-based organization dedicated to educating the public about prisons, criminal justice issues, and the root causes of crime. They also help ex-offenders and at-risk youth break the cycle of crime and incarceration through a broad range of services. They have an excellent search engine on their website and publish their own quarterly.
The National Council on Crime and Delinquency
(http://www.nccdglobal.org/)
The National Council on Crime and Delinquency is a non-profit organization which promotes effective, humane, fair, and economically sound solutions to family, community, and justice problems. NCCD conducts research, promotes reform initiatives, and seeks to work with individuals, organizations, and the media to prevent and reduce crime and delinquency. There are new reports and initiatives on a range of topics.
Prison Activist Resource Center (http://www.prisonactivist.org)
PARC is a prison abolitionist group committed to building action networks and developing materials for teachers and activists. PARC includes an extensive prisoner support directory of resources, news alerts, and various projects, including a report on prison labor and the "Prisoner's Voices" blog. The website is searchable.
Prison Legal News (http://www.prisonlegalnews.org)
Prison Legal News is an independent 36-page monthly publication that provides a cutting-edge review and analysis of prisoner rights, court rulings, and news about prison issues. PLN has a focus on both state and federal prison issues, with some international coverage as well. One must be a paid subscriber to access most full-length articles. There is free access for sample issues and breaking news, and a free three-day trial subscription is available.
The Sentencing Project (http://www.sentencingproject.org)
The Sentencing Project is a national organization working for a fair and effective criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing law and practice and alternatives to incarceration. Statistics can be found by state. Publications, news, and advocacy information about issues including sentencing policy, racial disparity, felony disenfranchisement, drug policy and women in the justice system are all available. The website is searchable.
The Partnership for Safety and Justice (http://www.safetyandjustice.org/)
The Partnership for Safety and Justice exists to unite those convicted of crimes, victims of crime, and the families of both to "redirect policies and resources from an over-reliance on incarceration to effective strategies that reduce violence and recidivism and increase personal and community safety." It is based in Oregon but also serves Idaho, Montana and Washington. PSJ produces reports on prison-related issues and is a great information resource for what's happening in the Northwest.
Youth Justice Coalition (http://www.youth4justice.org/)
A community-based organization in Los Angeles, California. YJC 's membership and leadership is made up exclusively of young people who have been, or are currently under arrest, on probation, in detention, in prison, or on parole or whose parents/guardians, brothers, or sisters have been incarcerated for long periods of their lives. More than 100 youth a week are engaged in leadership development, organizing and advocacy through the YJC's chapters or legal education workshops. The Youth Justice Coalition (YJC) is working to build a youth-led movement to challenge race, gender and class inequality in the Los Angeles County juvenile injustice system. We are working to transform a system that has ensured the massive lock-up of people of color, widespread police violence, corruption and distrust between police and communities, violation of youth and communities' Constitutional rights, and the build-up of the world's largest prison system. We use direct action organizing, advocacy, political education and activist arts to mobilize youth, and their allies – both in the community and within government – to bring about change.The YJC website offers Know Your Rights Information as well as Organizing Strategies for other groups fighting the Prison Industrial Complex.
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U.S. Department of Justice Sources :
Bureau of Justice Assistance (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA)
The BJA is the funding and technical assistance arm of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Bureau of Justice Statistics (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs)
This website provides official Department of Justice statistics about prison population, crime rates, and court proceedings.
Drug Enforcement Administration: Stats and Facts http://www.justice.gov/dea/resource-center/statistics.shtml
This website is a great information source for doing quick data checks on drug arrest and conviction rates and learning about different aspects of drug war enforcement in a particular state and city.
Federal Bureau of Investigation: Uniform Crime Reports http://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/(http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm)
This is the most comprehensive annual statistic breakdown of crime in the U.S. The website includes racial, age, gender, and nationality data sets.
Federal Bureau of Prisons: Quick Facts About the Bureau of Prisons
(http://www.bop.gov/news/quick.jsp)
This website has useful data about who's locked up in federal prisons (categorized by race, age, and gender), what they're there for, how many facilities there are, and other related information.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (http://www.ncjrs.org)
This website provides comprehensive national criminal justice data on a number of different issues.
National Institute of Justice http://www.nij.gov/Pages/welcome.aspx
This is the official research agency of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org)
This website supplies government reports and resources about youth prisons and crime.
U.S. Government Accountability Office (http://www.gao.gov)
As the investigative arm of Congress, the GAO examines pertinent prison and criminal justice issues, including prison expansion, private prisons, and youth in adult prisons. It evaluates federal programs and activities and provides analyses, options, recommendations, and other assistance for Congress. Reports and testimonies can be browsed by date, agency or topic, including "Justice and Law Enforcement."
Corrections.com (http://www.corrections.com)
This is the prison industry's online information source. The website includes information about vendors in food service, cleaning, and other industries that profit from prison construction, maintenance, supply, and expansion. It includes pages for information on inmate education; juveniles; technology; health; legal and staff training from the prison industry's perspective. The resources tab includes links to a range of websites.
Hoovers (http://www.hoovers.com)
Hoovers provides financial and other information about corporations traded on the stock market. Use a prison corporation's name or ticker to obtain Securities & Exchange Commission filings, stock prices, and recent news for that corporation.
California Department of Corrections (http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/)
This is the official website of the California Department of Corrections.
California Legislative Analyst's Office (http://www.lao.ca.gov)
This is the official website of the California Legislative Analyst's Office, which provides fiscal and policy advice to the State Legislature.
Little Hoover Commission (http://www.lhc.ca.gov/)
The Little Hoover Commission is a bipartisan, independent state body that promotes efficiency and effectiveness in state programs. It does reports on California criminal justice and public safety issues.
Updated March 2012. Please send website corrections to datacenter[at]datacenter.org.