The Sentencing Project

Voting rights: the organization is a leader in national efforts to educate the public about the disenfranchisement of justice-involved people, the racially disparate impacts of current felony disenfranchisement laws and jail practices, and the need to implement universal suffrage for all citizens in order to end the role of the criminal legal system in mediating the central right of voting in a democracy. The organization publishes and distributes research estimating the number of people impacted by state felony disenfranchisement laws and other related topics, hosts an annual conference of national advocates, and it works to advocate for full voting rights for individuals in jail, prison, and the community regardless of conviction status.

Extreme sentencing: the organization plays a leadership role in sentencing reform activities: publishing research, educating media, lawmakers, and the public, and advocating for change to address the substantial increase in the prison population over the last 50 years. The organization has prioritized the study of life imprisonment in the united states and understanding its impact on prison population increases, aging behind bars, and the consequences of lifelong imprisonment on young people and emerging adults. The organization works in coalition with other organizations to promote additional opportunities for sentence reduction to address unfairness in the system.in response to the evolving second look movement, the organization launched the second look network (the network) in march 2023.

Policy reform advocacy: the organization advocates at the federal, state, and local level for reducing the use of incarceration to address crime, decreasing the number of people in prison in favor of more community-based solutions, reforming sentencing policies that produce mass incarceration and racial, gender or economic injustice, expanding and restoring voting rights to americans with convictions, and protecting youth from the adult criminal legal system.

Research and public education: the organization monitors the criminal justice system and produces research and policy analyses to educate the public about the impact of criminal justice laws, policies, and practices. Findings are shared through highly visible public education campaigns that include earned media, webinars, newsletters, action alerts, and social media. Policy priorities include extreme sentencing, voting rights, youth justice, and racial and ethnic disparities.