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.
In prisons, Blacks and Latinos do the time while Whites get the jobs
We explore the racial disparity inside prisons.
Rome NY ends prison gerrymandering, Census Bureau can do better
Rome finally corrected the problem of prison gerrymandering within its borders; other cities and counties need the Census Bureau's help.
Prison-based gerrymandering's historical precedent
This is not the first time a policy barred people of color from the polls and transferred their political power to white voters.