The Sentencing Project

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.

Extreme Sentencing: The organization plays a leadership role in campaigns and coalitions at The national, state, and local level in support of policies that expand The use of post-conviction release mechanisms, eliminate virtual life sentences and life sentences without parole, cap sentences at 20 years, and foster a culture that rejects excessive punishment in favor of restorative approaches to safety. The organization produces cutting-edge research and promotes media and stakeholder engagement on Sentencing policies, reforms, and impacts to foster a shift in The national narrative around extreme sentences. In response to The evolving second look movement, The organization launched The second look network (The network) in march 2023. The network is composed of over 250 members representing 100 organizations, public defender offices, and law school clinics across The us that provide direct legal representation to persons serving extreme sentences. The network ensures that defense teams are connected, supported, and equipped to provide effective sentence review and parole representation.

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. It works at The federal, state and local level to advocate for full voting rights for individuals in jail, prison, and The community regardless of conviction status.

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.

Youth justice: The organization works to safeguard youth from The ravages of The adult criminal legal system and explore alternatives to youth involvement in both The juvenile and adult justice systems. In addition to advocating for an end to policies that transfer youth to The adult criminal legal system, The organization advocates for The shielding of minors from avoidable involvement in The youth justice system, including ending The presence of police in schools, and promoting treatment-based approaches to youthful behavioral problems rather than punishment. In all this work a racial justice lens is paramount.