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
Montana
- Report: Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Montana by Peter Wagner, December 14, 2004
- Press release: Census Bureau policy costs Montana's cities population, legislative clout
Previously published materials from the project that discuss Montana:
- Too big to ignore: How counting people in prisons distorted Census 2000, April 2004 report
- Fact sheet: Ending prison-based gerrymandering would aid the American Indian vote in Montana [PDF]
- Prison expansion made 56 counties with declining populations appear to be growing in Census 2000 Fact of the Week, April 26, 2004
Coverage
- Counting criminals, by Brad Tyer, Missoula Independent (MT), December 23, 2004
- More clout (editorial) Great Falls Tribune (Montana), January 1, 2005
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.
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.
Prison-based Gerrymandering in Anamosa, Iowa
How a prison helped one man get elected with just two votes.