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
Articles by Elena Lavarreda
- Reading, Writing, and Redistricting in School Board Districts with Prisons Part II: Florida
Florida school boards with large prisons should do all they can to avoid allowing the Census Bureau's method of counting prison populations to dilute the voices of their....
Dec 11, 2013 - Reading, Writing, and Redistricting in School Board Districts with Prisons, Part I: The Larger Picture
Over the past week I have begun to look into the effects that prison gerrymandering has on School Board districts, and have made some interesting discoveries about Florida.
Nov 6, 2013 - Not everything is bigger in Texas: How rural Texas counties with large prisons maintain fairness in democracy
County officials do not have the luxury of crafting specious arguments in favor of prison-based gerrymandering. They have to do the right thing.
Jun 2, 2010 - Don’t let the funding myth mislead Macon County
A rural TV station trips over a bad fact and misses a chance to praise its home county.
May 25, 2010 - Maryland papers highlight how rural Somerset County will benefit from prison count bill
Editorials and articles explain how the state's new counting method will improve democracy.
May 7, 2010 - What could be worse than suppressing someone’s right to vote?
Stealing their right to vote and attributing it to someone else, writes Daniel Loeb in The Philadelphia Jewish Voice.
May 3, 2010 - The Census and Democracy: Maryland Fixes a Major Error
Eric Lotke wrote an outstanding piece today highlighting our recent victory in Maryland and putting it in context of the national effort.
Apr 14, 2010 - WFCR’s Bob Paquette interviewed Director, Peter Wagner
Bob Paquette of WFCR Amherst, MA recently conducted a compelling interview with Peter Wagner about the fast-approaching Census count, and the problem posed by counting....
Feb 18, 2010
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.
How to get elected without being a candidate first.
Iowa Public Radio explores how Anamosa Iowa ended prison gerrymandering.
