Research Library

Our mission is to empower activists, journalists, and policymakers to shape effective criminal justice policy, so we go beyond our original reports and analyses to curate a database of virtually all the empirical criminal justice research available online.

Tips: If you know what you are looking for, you may also search the database. We also have an email newsletter (at right)(at bottom) for new research library updates.

  • COVID-19 (82) Research on the pandemic’s impact on prisons and jails
  • Community impact (120) Research on the impact of the criminal legal system on housing, schools, employment, neighborhoods, and more
  • Conditions of confinement (292) Research on prison and jail conditions such as solitary confinement, labor, discipline, food, and more
  • Courts and trials (180) Research on prosecutors, judges, public defense, court caseloads, and more
  • Crime (290) Curated research on crime, crime rates, and victimization
  • Death penalty (156) Information and data on capital punishment and executions
  • Disability (34) Research on the prevalence of, and challenges faced by, people with disabilities in the criminal legal system
  • Drug policy and treatment (187) Research on punishing and treating drug use in the criminal legal system
  • Economics of incarceration (188) Research on the economic drivers and consequences of mass incarceration
  • Education (135) Curated research on education programs in prisons and the school-to-prison pipeline
  • Families (162) Information and data on the criminal legal system’s impacts on families
  • Felony disenfranchisement and voting rights (94) Information about laws barring people from the polls because of criminal convictions
  • General (176) Broad-based research and information about the criminal legal system
  • Gun control (46) Information and data about gun violence, firearms, and gun control policy
  • Health and healthcare (253) Research on access to healthcare, chronic and infectious disease, mortality, and more
  • Immigration (81) Research on the incarceration and detainment of immigrants
  • Incarceration rates and trends (341) Research documenting the growth of prison and jail populations
  • International incarceration (45) Curated research on incarceration trends worldwide, and how they compare to the U.S.
  • Jails (303) Research on jail populations, jail conditions, jail construction, and more
  • LGBTQ (27) Information and data on the mass criminalization and incarceration of LGBTQ+ people
  • Mental health (98) Research on the prevalence and treatment of mental illness in the criminal legal system
  • Policing (280) Information and data on arrests, traffic stops, law enforcement interactions, and more
  • Poverty and wealth (171) Research on fines, fees, debt, and the criminalization of poor people
  • Pretrial detention (149) Research on the costs and outcomes of detaining people before trial
  • Prison gerrymandering (20) Research on prison-based gerrymandering (see also www.prisonersofthecensus.org)
  • Privatization (105) Information and data on how private companies exploit incarcerated people and their families
  • Probation and parole (142) Information about community supervision policies, conditions, violations, and more
  • Public opinion (52) Research on public perceptions of crime, prison, reform, and more
  • Racial and ethnic disparities (193) Research and statistics on racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal legal system
  • Reentry and recidivism (265) Information and research on the challenges and outcomes for people released from incarceration, including collateral consequences
  • Sentencing policy (152) Research on the rise and impact of excessive criminal sentences
  • Sex-related convictions (18) Research about the unique punishment of sex-related crimes through registries, civil commitment, and other means
  • Women and gender (156) Information and data on gender disparities in the criminal legal system
  • Youth and juvenile justice (405) Research about youth in the criminal legal system

Enter one word from the title, author or topic to search the library:

Advanced search options or view entire database by the date added.


Some of the most recently added reports are:



Stay Informed


Get the latest updates:



Share on 𝕏 Donate