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

New Jersey has enacted legislation to end prison gerrymandering. It is one of more than a dozen states that counted incarcerated people at home for redistricting purposes in the 2020 redistricting cycle.

New Jersey — Campaign Archive

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Legislation
Organizations in New Jersey
Fact sheets
Testimony
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The U.S. Census Bureau counts incarcerated people where they are confined not where they are from. Using these counts to draw state and local legislative districts enhances the political clout of people who live near prisons at the expense of everyone else in the state or county.

Pending legislation

  • S758, "requir[ing] incarcerated individual from State to be counted at residential address for legislative redistricting purposes", introduced by Senators Sandra Cunningham and Nilsa Cruz-Perez on January 9, 2018, passed the Senate on February 21, 2019 and A1987, introduced by Assemblymembers Sumter, Mukherji, Quijano, and Pinkin, January 9, 2018.

Organizations in New Jersey

It's impossible to include everyone who is working toward fair districting in New Jersey, but if you are looking to get involved, these are some of the people and organizations you might want to contact first:

  • New Jersey Institute for Social Justice: Henal Patel
  • American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey: Dianna Houenou

Fact sheets

Testimony

Before the Assembly Appropriations Committee, 2020

  • Testimony of Aleks Kajstura (Prison Policy Initiative), January 6, 2020

Before the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee, 2018

  • Testimony of Aleks Kajstura (Prison Policy Initiative), September 27, 2018

Before the Assembly Judiciary Committee, 2017

  • Testimony of Aleks Kajstura (Prison Policy Initiative), February 13, 2017

Before the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee, 2016

  • Testimony of Aleks Kajstura (Prison Policy Initiative), October 17, 2016

Before the Assembly Judiciary Committee, 2014

Before the Senate Committee on State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation, 2012

Before the Apportionment Commission, 2011

More Information



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