Help End Prison Gerrymandering
Prison gerrymandering funnels political power away from urban communities to legislators who have prisons in their (often white, rural) districts. More than two decades ago, the Prison Policy Initiative put numbers on the problem and sparked the movement to end prison gerrymandering.
Can you help us continue the fight? Thank you.
—Peter Wagner, Executive DirectorDonate
Can you help us continue the fight? Thank you.
—Peter Wagner, Executive DirectorDonate
Incarcerated populations in Illinois county board districts
| County District | County Population in Census | Number of legislative districts | Ideal district size | Facility Name | Prison population | Percent of district's population that is in prison | Voting power inflation in the prison district as a result of counting the prisoners as residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee 4 | 36,062 | 4 | 9,016 | Dixon Correctional Center | 2,200 | 24.7% | 3 votes here = 4 elsewhere |
| Clinton 1 | 35,535 | 5 | 7,107 | Centralia | 1,528 | 21.4% | 79 votes here = 100 elsewhere |
| Vermilion 9 | 83,919 | 9 | 9,324 | Danville | 1,821 | 19.9% | 4 votes here = 5 votes elsewhere |
| Will 8 | 502,266 | 9 | 55,807 | Stateville | 2,706 | 4.9% | 19 votes here = 20 votes elsehwhere |
| Will 9 | 502,266 | 9 | 55,807 | Joliet | 1,160 | 2.1% | 49 votes here = 50 votes elsewhere |
| Rock Island 24 | 149,374 | 25 | 5,975 | East Moline | 1,105 | 18.4% | 41 votes here = 50 votes elsewhere |
Recommended Reading:
About the Prison Policy Initiative
Learn more about the organization behind the Prison Gerrymandering Project.
The Racial Geography of Mass Incarceration
The transfer of Black and Latino incarcerated people to communities very different than their own is a nationwide problem.
Are legislative maps hurting prison reforms?
Pam Adams explains how in her downstate Illinois column.
Do prisons draw in Census money for their host communities? No.
We explain that prison gerrymandering is bad for democracy but federal & state aid are not impacted.