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 Peter Wagner
Prison Policy Initiative Executive Director Peter Wagner (full bio)
- In Memory of Joseph “Jazz” Hayden
Jazz was a driving force for ending the disenfranchisement of incarcerated people and a powerful ally in our efforts to combat prison gerrymandering.
Jan 12, 2024 - Census Bureau will count incarcerated people in the wrong place once again in 2020 Census, continues to distort democracy
Census Bureau announcement means another decade of prison gerrymandering. State-by-state reforms are urgent.
Feb 7, 2018 - 100,000 people call for an end to prison gerrymandering
An overview of the comment letters calling on the Census Bureau to end prison gerrymandering.
Sep 8, 2016 - Rural residents of New York State called for ending prison gerrymandering
Two residents of rural upstate New York explain why a prison cell is not a residence.
Jul 15, 2016 - What the Census Bureau proposes to do on prison gerrymandering and why it is inadequate
We offer our analysis.
Jul 1, 2016 - Census Bureau proposes to count incarcerated people in the wrong place once again in 2020 Census, continues to distort democracy
Advocates should make their voices heard to demand a more accurate count
Jun 30, 2016 - Federal Court Rules that Prison-based Gerrymandering Violates the Constitution
A U.S. District Judge ruled today that the City of Cranston violated the one person, one vote principle of the U.S. constitution when it counted people incarcerated at the Adult Correctional Institutions as "residents" of one Ward of the City.
May 24, 2016 - In Memory of Jacqueline A. Berrien (1961-2015)
Among her other accomplishments, Jackie Berrien helped launch the movement against prison gerrymandering.
Dec 30, 2015 - In Memory of Bertha Finn (1932-2015)
2015 saw the passing of Bertha Finn, one of the unsung heros of the movement to end prison gerrymandering. She was from Anamosa Iowa.
Dec 30, 2015 - Significant Victory in Fight to End “Prison Gerrymandering”:
Judge Lagueux rules that lawsuit against prison gerrymandering in Cranston Rhode Island may go forward.
Sep 8, 2014 - How many people benefit from ending prison gerrymandering?
We run the numbers. It's almost everyone.
Aug 21, 2014 - The Census Bureau pins down correctional facility locations
Census Bureau maps locations of correctional facilities, taking another step toward a more accurate count of incarcerated people.
Aug 15, 2014 - RI Senate committee passes bill to end prison gerrymandering
Last night, the Rhode Island Senate Committee on the Judiciary unanimously passed S2286, The Residence of Those in Government Custody Act, sponsored by Senators Metts....
May 2, 2014 - Prison gerrymandering hurts the 99.989%
The political clout of all but 112 Rhode Islanders is diminished by prison gerrymandering.
May 1, 2014 - Incarceration in America: Past and Present: A Panel with Three Leading Scholars
Historian and PPI board member Heather Thompson gave an overview of how prison gerrymandering distorts Pennsylvania democracy, and showed the graphic from our brand new report "Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie."
Apr 9, 2014 - New fact sheet about prison gerrymandering in Connecticut
Common Cause Connecticut and the Prison Policy Initiative update their fact sheet about prison gerrymandering in Connecticut.
Feb 26, 2014 - Avoiding prison gerrymandering is often a matter of common sense: Texas and Louisiana research update
New data shows that communities facing the most dramatic potential vote dilution from prison gerrymandering are most likely to reject the Census Bureau’s prison miscount
Dec 6, 2013 - Ohioans want an end to prison gerrymandering
Civil rights and good government groups are showing a lot of enthusiasm for ending prison gerrymandering in Ohio. In November, I presented our research to stakeholders and....
Dec 5, 2013 - Ohio’s migration to prison, as seen through the Census
More than half of the incarcerated people in Ohio come from just 6 populous counties, but more than half of the state's prison cells are located in just 6 small counties
Oct 10, 2013 - Andrew Cohen blogs on the struggle to end prison gerrymandering
The federal government, in the form of the Census Bureau, is permitting states and counties all over the country to undermine the "one person, one vote" concept.
Oct 8, 2013 - Census Bureau hears from states that prison gerrymandering must go
A pre-conference NCSL session highlights Census Bureau progress towards heeding states' call to end prison gerrymandering.
Sep 18, 2013 - Don’t forget the Census Bureau’s prison miscount when fixing Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act
The Census Bureau’s prison miscount is indeed a complication to improving Section 4, but it’s neither an insurmountable barrier nor a permanent one.
Jun 26, 2013 - Census Bureau replies to letter from 210 organizations about prison gerrymandering
The Bureau is aware of our organizations' concerns about prison gerrymandering, but side-stepped our request to prioritize developing a solution.
May 17, 2013 - Census Bureau’s Advance Group Quarters Summary File: Two years later
Now that most state and local redistricting efforts have come to a close, it's clear that this data has been central to our recent advocacy efforts.
May 16, 2013 - More than 1 in 5 U.S. residents protected from prison gerrymandering
Right now, 68,913,691 people live in a state, county or municipality that has formally rejected prison-based gerrymandering.
May 16, 2013 - Virginia ends mandatory prison gerrymandering
Governor signs HB1339, changes law that required some counties to dilute the votes of county residents who did not live adjacent to a prison.
Mar 20, 2013 - Kentucky redistricting proposal took steps to minimize prison gerrymandering
Excluding the federal prison population for redistricting purposes would be step towards minimizing the harm of prison gerrymandering in Kentucky.
Mar 11, 2013 - Ending prison gerrymandering in the Midwest
Midwest Democracy Network meeting included presentation on prison gerrymandering, with new state-specific fact sheets for the region.
Feb 15, 2013 - Over 200 organizations ask Census Bureau to develop solutions to “prison gerrymandering”
210 civil rights, voting rights and criminal justice organizations sent a letter calling on the U.S. Census Bureau to seize a timely opportunity to research alternative ways to count incarcerated people in the decennial Census.
Feb 14, 2013 - 2012 was a great year; can you help with 2013?
Thanks to your support, we've put the problem of prison gerrymandering – and the solutions -- squarely on the national agenda.
Dec 21, 2012 - Massachusetts Legislators call on Census Bureau to tabulate incarcerated people at home
The Report from the Chairs of the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting concludes that action at the Bureau is the "most expedient and streamlined avenue" towards ending prison gerrymandering.
Dec 12, 2012 - Please support our movement in 2013
The movement to end prison gerrymandering had its best year ever in 2012. Can you help us keep the momentum up in 2013?
Dec 7, 2012 - How to spot false majority-minority districts in three clicks
Our online tools can show the race and ethnicity of any given incarcerated population in three simple steps.
Oct 25, 2012 - Model bills updated
We've updated our model bills to end prison-based gerrymandering and shared them with past legislative sponsors.
Oct 10, 2012 - New map shows building momentum for ending prison-based gerrymandering
New map shows the growing national movement to reject the Census Bureau's prison miscount and to end prison-based gerrymandering.
Aug 27, 2012 - Georgetown’s gain is Census Bureau’s loss
Under Dr. Groves, the 2010 Census was a huge success for the Census Bureau. The President should appoint the next director as soon as possible to make the 2020 Census as efficient and high quality as possible.
Aug 22, 2012 - Prison Policy Initiative included in video library for philanthropists
Making the videos was a great opportunity for us to explain how the Prison Policy Initiative came to be and present our vision for the future of the criminal justice and democracy reform movements.
Aug 17, 2012 - Valley Advocate: Lawmakers look at fixing Massachusetts’ “representation without population” problem
Western Massachusetts newspaper reports that state lawmakers are looking for ways to end prison-based gerrymandering.
Jul 27, 2012 - Washington Post op-ed published
"An End to 'Prison-Based Gerrymandering'" explains what our victory in the Supreme Court means for the national movement to end this repugnant practice.
Jul 14, 2012 - Supreme Court meets today to decide whether to hear prison-based gerrymandering appeal
The Court is expected to announce on Monday whether or not it will hear the case challenging Maryland’s first-in-the-nation law ending prison-based gerrymandering.
Jun 21, 2012 - Maria Leavey Tribute Award: Congratulations to Samantha Corbin
It was a great honor to be a finalist alongside someone who has so successfully extended the debate about what progressive politics mean, and a great opportunity to affirm the issue of prison-based gerrymandering on the national progressive agenda.
Jun 20, 2012 - Federal Judges save Kansas from “worst prison gerrymander” award
The Federal judges drawing Kansas's new state legislative maps saved the state from extreme prison-based gerrymandering by implementing a simple solution.
Jun 8, 2012 - Report: Kansas has “one last chance” to avoid prison-based gerrymandering
The federal Judges drawing Kansas' legislative maps can take a few simple steps and keep Kansas from having the most extreme instance of prison-based gerrymandering.
May 28, 2012 - In Memory of Jon E. Yount (1938 – 2012)
Late last month, in a remote Pennsylvania prison, a voting rights pioneer took his own life. I offer my remembrances of Jon E. Yount.
May 22, 2012 - Breaking the Census: Redistricting in an Era of Mass Incarceration
The William Mitchell Law Review has published Peter Wagner's new, highly-readable introduction to the problem of prison-based gerrymandering and its remedies.
May 22, 2012 - Ten years ago: PPI releases first report about prison-based gerrymandering
Democracy and criminal justice activists rejoiced, but the initial media response was much cooler.
Apr 26, 2012 - Speaking about prison-based gerrymandering at Manning Marable Memorial Conference in NYC
Peter Wagner be in NYC to speak about prison-based gerrymandering on Saturday at Columbia University.
Apr 26, 2012 - Remembering Ramon Velasquez
A leader of the fight to end prison-based gerrymandering in New York State passes away.
Mar 29, 2012 - John Payton passes away
President and Director-Counsel of NAACP LDF passes; Under his leadership, LDF took up prison-based gerrymandering reform.
Mar 23, 2012 - Ten years ago today: PPI tells NY legislature to start over, avoid prison-based gerrymandering
PPI made its public debut ten years ago, and the movement to end prison-based gerrymandering has come a long way since!
Mar 14, 2012 - Ten years ago today, Tilove article put prison-based gerrymandering on the national map
First national article to explain prison-based gerrymandering is still timely.
Mar 12, 2012 - Intentional prison-based gerrymandering found in Wyoming
One Wyoming district is moved 17 miles to include a prison; padding one district with a large prison protects two incumbents from facing each other.
Mar 4, 2012 - Virginia bill against prison-based gerrymandering passed Senate, on to Governor for signature
Virginia bill allowing more counties to avoid prison-based gerrymandering passes Senate unanimously, goes on to Governor for signature.
Feb 24, 2012 - Virginia bill against prison-based gerrymandering passes Senate committee
Virginia bill allowing more counties to avoid prison-based gerrymandering passes Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections.
Feb 21, 2012 - Missouri Municipal Review: Prison Populations Create Complications at Redistricting Time
The January, 2012 issue of the Missouri Municipal Review includes my article on how prisons create problems for Missouri cities at redistricting time.
Jan 27, 2012 - It’s “the law” not “a deal”
New York's partisan vortex makes an agreement to follow the law ending prison-based gerrymandering appear to be a change in the text of the law. It's not.
Jan 13, 2012 - LATFOR implements law ending prison-based gerrymandering
New York task force has released population data to be used for state and local redistricting, which counts incarcerated people at their home addresses.
Jan 6, 2012 - Federal Judges uphold Maryland law ending prison-based gerrymandering
One judge calls our amici brief "particularly impressive and persuasive".
Dec 27, 2011 - Virginia bill would help counties avoid prison-based gerrymandering
HB13 will give any county faced with drawing a district that would be more than 12% incarcerated the option of choosing to not include the prison populations when drawing the districts.
Dec 21, 2011 - Will task force heed court prison-count ruling?
Although everything is in order for the NY redistricting task force to follow the law ending prison-based gerrymandering, members are still digging in their heels. But for how long?
Dec 15, 2011 - Panic over end to prison-based gerrymandering unfounded
Unfortunate myths fuel NY officials' concerns about ending prison-based gerrymandering in New York State.
Dec 7, 2011 - Paging Senator Nozzolio…
Judge rejects Senators' lawsuit, says law ending prison-based gerrymandering must stand. Legislature further postpones implementation of law. Coincidence?
Dec 5, 2011 - McAlester City Okla. Councilor continues to question necessity of prison-based gerrymandering
A letter to a City Councilor in McAlester Oklahoma explains why the city should change the City Charter if necessary to avoid prison-based gerrymandering.
Oct 25, 2011 - One person, two votes in Pacific, Missouri?
The city of Pacific, Missouri is in danger of using a prison to dilute the votes of a two-thirds of its citizens.
Oct 13, 2011 - With Governor Brown’s signature, California becomes 4th state to outlaw prison-based gerrymandering
The non-profit non-partisan Prison Policy Initiative hails California Governor Brown for signing AB 420 in to law on Friday.
Oct 9, 2011 - Prison-based gerrymandering in Tennessee Counties
This memo discusses several ways that Tennessee counties could harmonize the federal “one person one vote” principle with the unique requirements of the State Constitution.
Sep 26, 2011 - McAlester, Okla. still struggling to avoid prison-based gerrymandering
Unintended consequence: an Oklahoma city's new charter may require prison-based gerrymandering. Or does it?
Sep 19, 2011 - Prison Policy Initiative celebrates 10 year anniversary: A decade of fighting prison-based gerrymandering
This is the first of a series of posts that tell the story of how PPI grew as an organization and built a national movement to end prison-based gerrymandering.
Sep 14, 2011 - Attica’s lessons and the urgency of ending prison-based gerrymandering
It's time to pay attention to the lessons we learned 40 years ago from the Attica prison rebellion, and recognize the critical differences between where prisoners come from and where they are confined.
Sep 13, 2011 - Poll: New Yorkers of all regions and parties oppose prison-based gerrymandering
Majorities of both parties, in upstate and downstate New York, say that prison inmates should be counted as residents of their home districts.
Aug 17, 2011 - Will you be at NCSL in San Antonio, Texas?
Brenda Wright of Demos and Peter Wagner of PPI will be at the NCSL Summit in TX on Aug 9-10, and are available to meet about avoiding prison-based gerrymandering.
Jul 28, 2011 - Wisconsin sees dramatic prison-based gerrymandering in new state, county, city districts
New districts in Wisconsin to set new records for prison-based gerrymandering.
Jul 18, 2011 - How Massachusetts can avoid prison-based gerrymandering – video
We've released a new video to support the campaign to end prison-based gerrymandering in Massachusetts.
Jul 11, 2011 - California bill advances with careful messaging
Prison-based gerrymandering affects political representation, not funding. When messaging matches this reality, legislation gains more support.
Jun 29, 2011 - Cartoon and coverage on lawsuit seeking to bring back prison-based gerrymandering in New York State
Mark Wilson from EmpireWIre has a great cartoon about Senator Little's attempt to bring back prison-based gerrymandering in New York State.
Jun 28, 2011 - Does avoiding prison-based gerrymandering cost a city revenue?
We explain why adjusting the census for redistricting purposes to avoid prison-based gerrymandering will not affect revenue sharing or other grants.
Jun 22, 2011 - Shapefile of Massachusetts correctional facility counts presented to redistricting chairs
Last night at an event in Mattapan, I presented the chairs of the Massachusetts Joint Special Joint Committee on Redistricting with a shapefile showing each correctional....
Jun 22, 2011 - What about prisons? – Georgia Redistricting Video
In this video clip, Linda Meggers explains to Georgia City Attorneys how to avoid prison-based gerrymandering.
Jun 20, 2011 - Mansfield, Ohio considers avoiding prison-based gerrymandering
City Law Director tells City Council they should decide whether to avoid prison-based gerrymandering when drawing city council districts.
Jun 10, 2011 - Mass. legislature passes two bills recognizing that incarcerated people do not vote in local elections; third introduced
Two Mass. bills pass, and a third one introduced, to free towns from having to use Census counts of incarcerated people to create additional expensive and unnecessary voting precincts.
Jun 3, 2011 - How Massachusetts can avoid prison-based gerrymandering in three simple steps
I testify at redistricting hearing in Greenfield, Mass. about how the state can avoid prison-based gerrymandering in this round of redistricting.
Jun 1, 2011 - Justin Levitt explains prison-based gerrymandering
Justin Levitt leads a discussion about the strategy and rationale of ending prison-based gerrymandering with advocates at the Redrawing the Boundaries: A Midwest Redistricting Discussion in October 2009.
May 23, 2011 - Prisoners can’t vote, but may cost second Mass. town extra funds for elections
Bills are filed to keep two towns from having to add expensive precincts due to prison populations being counted in the towns.
May 17, 2011 - Civil Rights Organizations File Motion to Defend Law Ending Prison-Based Gerrymandering
Voters and Community groups intervene in suit to ensure that all New Yorkers are equally represented in state and local legislatures
May 17, 2011 - Tools for using the Advance Group Quarters Summary File
Shapefiles and online databases make it even easier to use the Census Bureau's group quarters data in the redistricting process.
May 17, 2011 - Census Bureau releases group quarters data
Census Bureau released the Advance Group Quarters data, and our free tools make it easy to use to identify prison populations in redistricting data.
Apr 22, 2011 - Advocates Hail Census Bureau’s Release of Data to Assist in Correcting Prison-Based Gerrymandering
New Data Will Boost State and Local Efforts to Draw Fairer Districts
Apr 20, 2011 - Prisoners can’t vote, but will cost Mass. town extra funds for elections
The prison population has grown in Lancaster Mass, and the town must add a new election precinct for them, even though they can't vote.
Apr 12, 2011 - Advance Group Quarters Table coming soon
Advocates and governments eagerly await data that will help identify prison populations and avoid prison-based gerrymandering.
Apr 11, 2011 - Who wants to bring prison-based gerrymandering back to New York?
Somebody wants to bring prison-based gerrymandering back to New York. But who? It's not upstate counties or upstate newspapers.
Apr 5, 2011 - In Memory of Manning Marable
Manning Marable helped put prison-based gerrymandering on the map.
Apr 2, 2011 - MI city de-annexes prison to reduce costs
Rural city annexes prison to get (some) more funds, then reconsiders in face of larger costs.
Mar 25, 2011 - Alaska Republican Party Chairman calls for end to prison-based gerrymandering
Ending prison-based gerrymandering would be good for rural Native populations, says Republican Party Chairman.
Mar 24, 2011 - Maryland Redistricting Population Count Released
Maryland releases adjusted redistricting data that counts incarcerated people at home.
Mar 22, 2011 - Upstate New York Legislators Propose Return to Prison-Based Gerrymandering
Do two Reps. think it makes sense to claim thousands of disenfranchised Black and Latino urban men as "constituents" of their white rural districts?
Mar 19, 2011 - Census reform bill passes Illinois House Committee
HB94 sponsored by Rep. Lashawn Ford, has passed out of committee and is before the full Illinois House.
Mar 15, 2011 - NJ Commission asked to address prison-based gerrymandering
Alexander Shalom, policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, blogs on NJ.com.
Mar 13, 2011 - Primer for reporters on redistricting & prison-based gerrymandering
Guide about prison-based gerrymandering for reporters covering county/municipal redistricting in jurisdictions with large prisons
Mar 10, 2011 - Sumter County Florida should reconsider prison-based gerrymandering
Sumter County Florida should reconsider its plan to give some people more than twice the influence of others just because they happen to live next to a large federal prison.
Mar 3, 2011 - Conversation on historic election in Somerset County Maryland
The first African-American elected official in Somerset County Maryland explains how prison-based gerrymandering delayed electoral progress in his county.
Feb 24, 2011 - Preventing Prison-Based Gerrymandering in Redistricting: What to Watch For
A guide for redistricting advocates, shadow commissions and the media on avoiding prison-based gerrymandering.
Feb 23, 2011 - Does 1=3 in Jackson County Arkansas?
Using prison populations to pad an Ark. Justice of the Peace district gives those residents 3 times the political power of residents in other districts.
Feb 18, 2011 - New Jersey campaign against prison-based gerrymandering launched
New coalition says a fast redistricting timeline does not mean prison-based gerrymandering can not be addressed.
Feb 16, 2011 - Prison-based gerrymandering costs Maine 8th graders local schooling
Giving extra school board representation to a (former) prison town changes the outcome of a controversial vote in Maine.
Feb 15, 2011 - New prison in Adams County, Miss. could be 30% of a district
A new prison in Adams County forces a choice in the Board of Supervisors.
Feb 15, 2011 - Prison counts can mask economic troubles and defer calls for change
The Census Bureau's miscount complicates self-reflection in Vigo County and Terre Haute Indiana.
Feb 13, 2011 - Are some votes worth twice as much as yours?
Sumter County Florida proposes to use prison populations to pad county legislative districts.
Feb 8, 2011 - Partisan prison gerrymandering
Letter to the editor asks why Senator Little wants to spend state funds to roll back the clock on prison-based gerrymandering.
Feb 7, 2011 - Virginia bill passes committee; would empower more counties to avoid prison-based gerrymandering
Proposed law would give more counties the choice to avoid using prison populations as padding.
Feb 7, 2011 - “A Rural Fairness Differential?” – Podcast Episode #6
Interview with Common Cause Oregon on a creative solution to the problem that some rural districts are unwieldy to represent.
Jan 20, 2011 - NBCSL calls for end to prison-based gerrymandering
National Black Caucus of State Legislators resolution calls on the Census and states to end prison-based gerrymandering.
Jan 6, 2011 - The secret beneficiaries of Maryland’s “No Representation Without Population” Act
Hint: It's not just Baltimore.
Dec 23, 2010 - Jackson County Wisconsin should debate prison-based gerrymandering
A rural newspaper reports that prison-based gerrymandering is not on the table for discussion. Will the public allow that to stand?
Dec 22, 2010 - Solutions pages updated
All the ways to end prison-based gerrymandering are spread across a handful of clicks.
Dec 20, 2010 - House should approve Census oversight bill
The Prison Policy Initiative joins a public call to the House leadership to pass Census oversight bill just passed by the U.S. Senate.
Dec 12, 2010 - CountyNews previews Census Bureau release schedule
NACO article previews Census Bureau release of Advance Group Quarters File.
Dec 2, 2010 - “Dale Ho interview” — Podcast Episode #5
Podcast interview with Dale Ho, Assistant Counsel, NAACP LDF
Dec 1, 2010 - Gerrymandering screenings
Last night I spoke on a panel with director Jeff Reichert at a screening of the Gerrymandering at Yale Law School Room 129 in New Haven CT. The event was organized by....
Nov 18, 2010 - Are legislative maps hurting prison reforms?
Pam Adams has an excellent column in the Journal Star in Peoria Illinois: Are legislative maps hurting prison reforms? She explains that gerrymandering districts around....
Nov 12, 2010 - What states can do to end prison-based gerrymandering
The problem, the solutions and what can be done today.
Oct 5, 2010 - “Crooked Lines” on NY1 addresses prison-based gerrymandering
New York TV station does 4 part series on gerrymandering, one segment focuses on the end of prison-based gerrymandering.
Sep 30, 2010 - Screening schedule for Gerrymandering film posted
The first major film discussion of prison-based gerrymandering is coming soon to a theatre near you!
Sep 29, 2010 - NAACP LDF to hold Voting Rights and Redistricting Training Institute
Many experts on prison-based gerrymandering will be in attendance.
Sep 16, 2010 - Texas Lawmakers Urge a Change in How Inmates are Counted
Julian Aguilar has an excellent article in the Texas Tribune.
Sep 9, 2010 - VA Legislature urged to change prisoners’ role in districting
2001 law designed to help some counties end prison-based gerrymandering should be expanded to give all counties the same power.
Sep 7, 2010 - What Is Prison-Based Gerrymandering?
Jeff Reichert and I blog at Huffington Post about the making of the Gerrymandering film and put prison-based gerrymandering in context.
Sep 7, 2010 - Delaware prison-based gerrymandering bill signed
Delaware Governor Jack Markell has signed HB384 in to law, ending prison-based gerrymandering in that state.
Sep 1, 2010 - Escambia County, Alabama, avoids prison-based gerrymandering
Lisa Tindell cites our research in an article in Escambia County Alabama's Atmore Advance.
Aug 31, 2010 - “Organizing to end prison-based gerrymandering in Rhode Island” — Podcast Episode #4
Podcast with Bruce Reilly about the effort to end prison-based gerrymandering in Rhode Island
Aug 26, 2010 - Where should inmates be counted for redistricting?
The Texas House Research Organization has a lengthy article that cites a lot of our Texas research on prison-based gerrymandering.
Aug 26, 2010 - “An End to Prison Gerrymandering”
New York Times editorial cites our research and hails New York's new law ending prison-based gerrymandering.
Aug 22, 2010 - Jefferson, St. Lawrence counties to see benefits from new prison census rules in New York
Letter to the editor explains what Senator Griffo and others are ignoring.
Aug 19, 2010 - How much money is New York City going to gain from new law counting prisoners at home?
None. The new law applies to state and local redistricting, not funding.
Aug 18, 2010 - Even small prisons can mean a big problem for democracy
City of Hudson used prison population to give the residents of Ward 3 about 35% more clout than their actual population warranted.
Aug 17, 2010 - Rhode Island legislator boasts of prison-based gerrymandering
Ed Fitzpatrick finds that prison-based gerrymandering is not unique to Iowa. Another clear example is right in his home state.
Aug 17, 2010 - A few upstate politicians misconstrue NY’s constitution, want to keep phantom constituents
Reactions from politicians who want to claim phantom constituents, despite constitutional definition of residence for incarcerated people.
Aug 13, 2010 - Democracy reform is not a partisan horse race
Saturday's New York Times has an unfortunately partisan take on the end of prison-based gerrymandering that misses the largest benefits of the new law.
Aug 11, 2010 - North Country Public Radio identifies the biggest impact of end to prison-based gerrymandering
Impact of ending prison-based gerrymandering in New York's North Country.
Aug 6, 2010 - New York to correct miscount of incarcerated people
New law caps decade-long effort to improve fairness and accuracy of data used for state and local redistricting.
Aug 3, 2010 - Blogosphere on Delaware’s decision to end prison-based gerrymandering
Colin Asher, Ben Greenberg and Sara Mayeux blog about Delaware's end to prison-based gerrymandering.
Jul 9, 2010 - Progressive States Network hails Delaware victory
Progressive States Network blogs about Delaware victory on prison-based gerrymandering.
Jul 8, 2010 - Delaware Passes Law to Count Incarcerated Persons at their Home Addresses for Redistricting
Becomes Second State To Adopt Reform Ensuring Fairness and Accuracy of Redistricting
Jul 7, 2010 - 13 New York State Senators who should be supporting an end to prison-based gerrymandering
Elena Lavarreda has prepared an interesting analysis that links our previous research on county and municipal governments to state senate districts.
Jul 1, 2010 - Syracuse Post-Standard calls for end to prison-based gerrymandering
Editorial praises larger reforms but reminds reformers to include a fix for prison-based gerrymandering.
Jun 30, 2010 - WAMC’s Legislative Gazette story on prison-based gerrymandering
Great radio interview with Senator Schneiderman and Charlie Albanetti. Senator Griffo is quoted repeating the same long-debunked myths and objections to reform.
Jun 30, 2010 - New York Times calls for state to end prison-based gerrymandering
The New York Times says it is time for Albany to end the practice of prison-based gerrymandering, in which people in prison are counted as residents to inflate some....
Jun 28, 2010 - Raymondville Texas won’t find windfall in Census Bureau prison count
Predictions that a rural Texas town will be getting millions in federal funds from claiming a detention facility in the Census don't stand up to scrutiny.
Jun 22, 2010 - “Organizing to end prison-based gerrymandering in Minnesota” — Podcast Episode #3
In this podcast, Peter Wagner speaks with the Minnesota Second Chance Coalition about their campaign to end prison-based gerrymandering in that state.
Jun 16, 2010 - Delaware organizing page launched
Page to support organizing to end prison-based gerrymandering in Delaware.
Jun 9, 2010 - New Rhode Island fact sheet
Aleks Kajstura and I release a new one page fact sheet about the problem, the law and the solution to prison-based gerrymandering in Rhode Island.
Jun 8, 2010 - Rhode Island activist says “Still time to pass the Residence of Those in Government Custody Act”
Rhode Island is about to make history; but will it be positive or negative?
Jun 7, 2010 - Hypocrisy on prison-based gerrymandering in Illinois
ChicagoNow calls out downstate politicians for hypocrisy, comparing their voting records to claims that they actually represent incarcerated people's interests.
Jun 6, 2010 - Delaware House passes bill to count incarcerated people at home
Delaware is poised to follow Maryland and end prison-based gerrymandering.
Jun 2, 2010 - Immigration prisons do not mean a Census windfall
An Associated Press story spreads confusion and fear about potential changes in how prisoners counted for redistricting purposes.
Jun 1, 2010 - Closed prison can mean long-term harm to democracy in Oklahoma County
A large prison closed just after the 2010 Census was completed could harm democracy.
Jun 1, 2010 - “Maryland Bill” — Podcast Episode #2
Peter Wagner speaks with Cindy Boersma of the ACLU about Maryland's new law to count incarcerated people at their home addresses for redistricting purposes.
May 27, 2010 - Senator Dilan includes prison fix in redistricting reform proposals
Two bills to create non-partisan redistricting commissions include a clause that will require incarcerated people to be counted at home.
May 27, 2010 - “Address Unknown” — Podcast Episode #1
Justin Levitt of the Brennan Center and Peter Wagner discuss model legislation to end prison-based gerrymandering.
May 20, 2010 - 8 things our opponents should know about prison-based gerrymandering in New York State
Many of the elected officials who oppose Census reform should be supporting it.
May 18, 2010 - Hawaii prisoners held on mainland skew census results
The Honolulu Advertiser highlights how the Census Bureau's decision to credit Hawaiian prisoners to mainland prisons hurts the Hawaiian count.
May 17, 2010 - An Illinois prison census bill would bring fairness to redistricting
The city of Danville, Illinois already rejects the idea of using prison populations to draw city districts. Its state and its county should follow suit.
May 17, 2010 - Model legislation
Example text of a state bill to end prison-based gerrymandering.
May 13, 2010 - Shanking the Count?
Could a simple misunderstanding, and not self-interest, be at the root of Delegate Shank's opposition to No Representation Without Population law?
May 12, 2010 - Unfair advantage?
New Maryland law says that districts with prisons should not get an unfair advantage over other districts.
May 11, 2010 - Prison-based gerrymandering at Seattle Film Festival, YouTube
See a clip about prison-based gerrymandering from the new documentary Gerrymandering.
May 11, 2010 - Prison census count costs rural county money
By statute, inflating the population of rural counties in Georgia raises their costs. The prison count is not a windfall.
May 7, 2010 - NAACP branch passes resolution to end prison-based gerrymandering
NAACP branch says that redistricting committees should refuse to use prison counts to pad legislative districts.
May 7, 2010 - Cranston Rhode Island softens stance on prison census reform
The NAACP LDF announces support for ending prison-based gerrymandering in Rhode Island, and the major opponents of reform change positions.
May 6, 2010 - Illusory funding fight obscures fact that Calhoun County is more friend than foe
An Atlanta Journal Constitution article creates an urban-rural conflict over an illusory funding fight from how incarcerated people are counted in the Census.
May 3, 2010 - Terre Haute, Indiana columnist says city should consider modifying Census Bureau’s prison count data
Counting inmates in council districts skews representation.
Apr 23, 2010 - Maryland’s Daily Times hails Census reform bill
Activists and the major paper on Maryland's Eastern Shore are hailing the passage of the No Representation Without Population act.
Apr 23, 2010 - Prison-based gerrymandering on the big screen
Our work is featured in a new documentary being premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival!
Apr 21, 2010 - Minn. Census prison count comes with downside
Padding city's population with a federal prison distorts city council wards.
Apr 16, 2010 - A Fairer Way to Count – New York Times editorial
NYT Editorial: Maryland struck blow for electoral fairness, requires prisoners be counted at their homes when districts are redrawn after census.
Apr 14, 2010 - Change.org on prison-based gerrymandering
Two great pieces today on Change.org about our prison-based gerrymandering work in Maryland and Rhode Island.
Apr 14, 2010 - Claiming prisoners as Cranston constituents has a downside for Rhode Island city’s voting rights
The residents of Cranston who don't live next to the state's prison complex have their votes diluted in the city council, charges a new report.
Apr 13, 2010 - Maryland enacts law to count incarcerated people at their home addresses
First-in-nation law will improve fairness and accuracy of the Census data used for redistricting.
Apr 13, 2010 - Valley Advocate profiles our work
The Valley Advocate profiles our work on prison-based gerrymandering.
Apr 9, 2010 - Fixing the count is easier and more necessary than it sounds
It is neither impractical nor illegal to adjust the Census Bureau's count of incarcerated people; and the length of prison sentences is not relevant to state residence law.
Apr 5, 2010 - Representatives Lawlor and Holder-Winfield announce legislation to end prison-based gerrymandering
Press release for report and event at Yale Law School.
Mar 31, 2010 - Change where incarcerated people are counted
My essay on Census reform for the American Bar Association's magazine for teachers, Insights on Law & Society.
Mar 31, 2010 - New reports on Connecticut & California
We have new reports on prison-based gerrymandering in Connecticut and California: Importing Constituents: Incarcerated People and Political Clout in California, by....
Mar 31, 2010 - American Prospect, Boise Weekly coverage
Brenda Wright of Demos has an editorial in American Prospect and Nathaniel Hoffman takes on prison-based gerrymandering in Idaho.
Mar 31, 2010 - The Census and the Cell Block
Brenda Wright at Demos has an editorial in today's American Prospect: The Census and the Cell Block.
Mar 30, 2010 - Prison “resident” wants to register his child in local school
Some Cranston RI politicians want to claim prisoners as residents for districting purposes. But are they willing to let a prisoner send his daughter to their resident-only schools?
Mar 28, 2010 - Prison Proliferation Audio Video Installation
Artist Paul Rucker's new installation, Proliferation, inspired by the map of U.S. Prison Proliferation, 1900-2000 by PPI's Rose Heyer has just been posted in its full version to his website.
Mar 25, 2010 - A Proper Count of Inmates – NYT Editorial
The New York Times cites our newest report, in today's editorial: "A Proper Count of Inmates".
Mar 24, 2010 - 50-state guide to “Fixing prison-based gerrymandering after the 2010 Census”
New 50 state guide released: How the Census Bureau's prison miscount harms democracy, with info on prison residence law and the status of reform efforts.
Mar 22, 2010 - Citizens Union Backs Bill To Count Prisoners At Former Place Of Residence For Redistricting Purposes
Good government group supports Schneiderman/Jeffries bill more accurately aligning state legislative Representatives with their constituents
Mar 18, 2010 - RI seeks to change how jail inmates counted for residency
One of the representatives of a district that could lose population if the bill were passed said he didn't see a problem with it.
Mar 14, 2010 - Nation Cities Weekly: Big stakes in prison count
Neal Peirce has this column in Nation Cities Weekly published by the National League of Cities: How the Census Counts Prisoners: Significant Political Stakes [PDF, page....
Mar 13, 2010 - Report on Rhode Island hearing on prison-based gerrymandering
Bruce Reilly has this report on Tuesday's hearing in Rhode Island to end prison-based gerrymandering.
Mar 12, 2010 - Minnesota Post article on our new report
Casey Selix writes about our new report, Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Minnesota in the Minnesota Post: Prison-policy study shows how inmate....
Mar 9, 2010 - Prison Populations a Big Issue for Census
The Census Project Blog has posted my guest blog post: Prison Populations a Big Issue for Census. Check it out.
Mar 9, 2010 - Prison-based gerrymandering in Maryland
New report and resources on prison-based gerrymandering in Maryland
Mar 8, 2010 - Census Bureau Director blogs: “So, How do You Handle Prisons?”
Census Bureau Director Robert Groves writes on his blog about how incarcerated people are counted in the Census.
Mar 2, 2010 - Times Herald-Record asks: Who gets to count inmates?
Orange County paper addresses the political log-jam that keeps prison-based gerrymandering on the books in New York State.
Mar 1, 2010 - Utica NY paper calls on Sen Griffo & Assemblywoman Destito to oppose prison-based gerrymandering
The Utica New York Observer-Dispatch calls prison-based gerrymandering "absurd" and says their state senator and assemblywoman should support reform bills.
Feb 26, 2010 - Minnesota Post on prison-based gerrymandering
Minnesota Post says advocates are working to end prison-based gerrymandering in that state.
Feb 25, 2010 - Wagner testimony at Congressional field hearing on Census group quarters count
I tell Congress it's important to count people in prison in the right place; I praise Census Bureau for making it easier to find prison populations in the data.
Feb 25, 2010 - Syracuse Post-Standard endorses bill to end prison-based gerrymandering
The Post-Standard in Syracuse, New York, has endorsed ending prison-based gerrymandering in New York State with a strong editorial:
Feb 25, 2010 - Who are the real victims of prison-based gerrymandering?
Hint: It's not urban people.
Feb 24, 2010 - Prison doubles the clout of one Rome NY City Council ward
A prison doubles one city councilor's clout in Rome NY; and he expresses interest in fixing that unfair enhancement of his political influence.
Feb 19, 2010 - Democracy is not a zero-sum game
We have to stop framing census reform as a zero-sum game of funding. It's a democracy issue about the state constitution, and its an issue where almost everyone has something to gain from reform. Partisan and regional conflict makes for great press, but it's not going to build a better society.
Feb 16, 2010 - “You don’t live here (except on Census day),” say local politicians
Except on Census day, prison district politicians do not believe that incarcerated people are residents of their districts.
Feb 15, 2010 - Count This As a Big Step Forward
Justin Levitt at the Brennan Center for Justice says the Census Bureau's new prison count data is a big step forward for democracy.
Feb 14, 2010 - Rep. Clay applauds Census Bureau decision to change reporting procedure for prisoners
Rep Clay says Census Bureau is giving state and local governments an opportunity to stand up for fairness and justice.
Feb 13, 2010 - News roundup
The Census Bureau's decision to change how census counts of prisoners are reported to state and local governments is getting a lot of press. Samples include: Prisons....
Feb 13, 2010 - Cheating at the ballot box is not how you fix other injustices
Prisons don't pay property taxes. But violating the state and federal constitutions by cheating during the redistricting process is not the solution.
Feb 11, 2010 - Advocates Commend Census Bureau for Enhancing States’ Access to Data on Prison Populations in 2010 Census
Census Bureau commits to a new data product that will enable states and counties to avoid prison-based gerrymandering.
Feb 10, 2010 - Glenn Martin says New York should demand Census reform
It's time New York demanded the census do what it was intended to do: Count the populations of its real communities, not tamper with its political scales.
Feb 9, 2010 - Reform is about political power and fairness, does not affect funding
Rebutting misinformation, I explain in a letter to the editor that revising the Census and drawing fair districts would not affect a prison town's funding.
Feb 7, 2010 - Census engaged in ‘prison-based gerrymandering,’ report says
"Did you know that your vote counts more if you live near a prison? That's what the census says." Andrew Paley reports on our Illinois research in Medill Reports.
Feb 6, 2010 - Somerset County says no to prison-based gerrymandering
A vote in Somerset County Maryland means that ending prison-based gerrymandering is getting closer. An NAACP- and ACLU-led group of county leaders and community members....
Feb 4, 2010 - Hearings held in Oregon and Wisconsin today
Hearings were held in the Oregon Senate and Wisconsin Assembly on proposals to adjust the census to eliminate prison-based gerrymandering today.
Feb 2, 2010 - Report on prison-based gerrymandering in Illinois released
A new report on prison-based gerrymandering in Illinois examines how the Census Bureau's prison miscount harms democracy in the state and county government.
Feb 2, 2010 - Wisconsin organizing materials added
Added a page of organizing materials to support eliminating prison-based gerrymandering in Wisconsin.
Feb 1, 2010 - New York Campaign Kickoff Press Coverage
The Campaign to End Prison-Based Gerrymandering in New York got a big start with a press conference and meeting in New York City today. See the press coverage and videos.
Jan 28, 2010 - Model legislation page
We've updated our legislation page and added model legislation for both the interim and residence restoration strategies.
Jan 28, 2010 - Prison town says census count cost funds
The prison miscount's impact on funding is small, and in some cases, claiming incarcerated people in the census costs prison towns money.
Jan 20, 2010 - WBAI interview on NY’s Prison Census Adjustment Act
NY Senator Eric Schneiderman and I discuss the Prison Census Adjustment Act pending in the state legislature on WBAI's On the Count with Eddie Ellis.
Jan 19, 2010 - Utica paper: Don’t count prisoners as constituents
Editorial: It is simply inane that the 6,000-plus prison inmates at ... four prisons are factored into population totals for county legislative districts.
Jan 7, 2010 - Should prisoners count when drawing legislative districts?
Utica, New York, paper asks: Should prisoners count when drawing legislative districts? Everyone quoted agrees: No.
Jan 2, 2010 - Radio interviews
On Wednesday, Hugh Hamilton of WBAI NYC's TalkBack! interviewed Demos' Brenda Wright about prison-based gerrymandering in New York State. The 30 minute segment starts....
Dec 31, 2009 - News Roundup
A number of new articles and resources about prison-based gerrymandering were posted over the long holiday weekend. The Brennan Center's Justin Levitt gave a speech to....
Dec 28, 2009 - Black leaders urge census to change how it counts inmates
The Washington Post reports: A coalition of African American leaders concerned about minorities being undercounted in the 2010 Census called Wednesday for inmates at....
Dec 17, 2009 - Annual appeal
The 2010 Census is almost here, and the Prison Policy Initiative needs your support. The financial and moral support of the people who read this blog has helped to propel....
Dec 16, 2009 - The Vicious Cycle of the Census
Matt Kelley on Change.org puts the prison miscount in the context of why an accurate Census matters to urban communities.
Dec 16, 2009 - No Census of Justice
Elena Lavarreda explains how the Census Bureau's method of counting people in prison distorts democracy and changes criminal justice policy.
Nov 30, 2009 - Somerset County Maryland paper endorses call to end prison-based gerrymandering
The Daily Times on Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore has endorsed a call for Somerset County to base future legislative districts on the resident population.
Nov 24, 2009 - New York City Council considers resolutions to end prison-based gerrymandering
The New York City Council holds a hearing on prison-based gerrymandering, supporting change at the Census Bureau and in Albany.
Nov 20, 2009 - Mississippi Attorney General: Census should change prison count
County Supervisors in Wilkinson County, Mississippi faced a quandary after the last census. The Corrections Corporation of America had just opened a large private prison....
Nov 12, 2009 - Prison-based gerrymandering cited in NYT as an example of need for reform
The New York Times is calling for the New York state legislature to turn the process of drawing legislative districts over to an Iowa-style non-partisan independent....
Nov 12, 2009 - Census Bureau counts Massachusetts prisoners in wrong place; access to democracy distorted
Report finds that crediting prisoners to the prison towns leads to unequal distributions of political power within Massachusetts.
Oct 8, 2009 - Prison count has downside for prison town
In a Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, Indiana) column, Mark Bennett argued that the Census Bureau's decision to credit the population of the federal prison to the city of Terre....
Sep 30, 2009 - Census Bureau counts Oklahoma prisoners in wrong place; Access to state and county government distorted
Report finds 7 Okla. House districts meet federal minimum population requirements only because prison inmates are used to pad the districts' populations.
Sep 25, 2009 - Wisconsin amendment corrects Census
The 23rd decennial Census will again be counting incarcerated people in the wrong place. But if a proposed constitutional amendment in Wisconsin passes, the state's days....
Sep 14, 2009 - National Review blogger says Census should change where incarcerated people counted
Eli Lehrer writes in the conservative National Review Online that the Census Bureau should change where it counts incarcerated people: Prisoners aren't, in any real....
Sep 10, 2009 - Maine residents take up petition against prison-based gerrymandering in school district
The residents of Maine's Regional School Unit 13 have launched a petition drive to end prison-based gerrymandering in their school district. The school district's voting....
Sep 9, 2009 - “Change is Predicted in Census Prisoner Count”
Amaris Elliott-Engel blogs about my Tuesday talk at the National Conference of State Legislatures summit on the The Legal Intelligencer Blog: Change is Predicted in....
Jul 23, 2009 - NAACP calls for end to prison-based gerrymandering at national convention
On Tuesday, the delegates to the NAACP's 100th annual convention approved a resolution calling for an end to prison-based gerrymandering: THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that....
Jul 17, 2009 - Maine school board member says democracy is not a minor issue, prison-based gerrymandering must end
Maine Regional School Unit 13 board member Josiah Wilson is calling for an end to using prison counts to distort the school board's weighted voting system. He cites the....
Jul 17, 2009 - Census Prisoner Count Dilutes Urban Political Clout in Pennsylvania
The voting power of Philadelphians is diluted on the state level because state and federal prisoners are counted by the U.S. Census Bureau where they are incarcerated....
Jul 10, 2009 - Wisconsin’s Rep. Kessler Introduces Census Correction Amendment
A state constitutional amendment [PDF] has been introduced in Wisconsin that would end prison-based gerrymandering in that state. Last year, John Hejduk and I released a....
Jun 28, 2009 - Maine asked to declare prison-based gerrymandering a violation of one person one vote
Demos and the Prison Policy Initiative have called on [PDF] the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education to declare prison-based gerrymandering a violation of....
Jun 26, 2009 - DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy supports Prisoners of the Census bill
The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy has offered enthusiastic support for the Prisoners of the Census Bill. Executive Director Roger Green explained how prison....
Jun 25, 2009 - Three timely actions that could help end prison-based gerrymandering
The next Census will be taken 14 months after our next President is sworn in. Counting the entire population, just once and in the right place, is an incredibly complex....
Dec 12, 2008 - New York Times profiles Anamosa Iowa, where a district is almost entirely people in prison
Sam Roberts of the New York Times has written an excellent article about Anamosa Iowa where a prison amounts to 96% of a city council ward: Danny R. Young, a 53-year-old....
Oct 24, 2008 - New prisons mean new challenge for democracy in rural county
According to the Chippewa Herald, the construction of new state prisons in Chippewa County, Wisconsin has inflated county population estimates, making the county appear....
Oct 20, 2008 - Second Circuit again mentions Census Bureau’s prison miscount
A new opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit makes clear that at least some members of court remain intrigued and concerned that basing....
Sep 29, 2008 - Locked Up, But Still Counted: How Prison Populations Distort Democracy
This article originally appeared in Open Society News. A 200-year-old glitch in the U.S. census is causing an increasingly serious problem for American democracy....
Sep 5, 2008 - Census Bureau should use forms, not administrative records, to count people in prison
In May, I sent this letter to the Census Bureau asking it to use Census forms to count people in prison. In a step backwards for accuracy in the prison count, the Bureau....
Jun 25, 2008 - International Committee Urged to Scrutinize U.S. Census Practices That Dilute Vote of Minority Populations
Census Bureau’s counting of prisoners in their districts of incarceration rather than their home districts leads to violation of international treaty.
Dec 13, 2007 - Budget battles endanger prison count
The New York Times editorial page reported yesterday that a budget dispute between the Bush Administration and Congress is endangering the 2010 Census. In response to....
Oct 30, 2007 - Senator Schneiderman, the Prison Policy Initiative and Other Elected Officials and Advocates Call on Census to Count Prisoners in Their Home Communities
Senator Schneiderman and other elected officials announce national letter-writing campaign to urge Census Bureau policy change on prison population count.
Oct 18, 2007 - Prisoners in the Census skew county government in New York
Report explains that New York counties violate state constitution by relying on Census data that counts prisoners as residents of the prison location.
Jul 18, 2007 - A Little common sense: Three fallacies about prisons and New York redistricting
It should come as no surprise that one of the few people to publicly oppose changing the way the U.S. Census Bureau counts people in prison would be the New York State....
Apr 18, 2007 - Interactive Democracy Toolkit helps grassroots democracy activists
Prison Policy Initiative launches set of online tools to help rural citizens determine if prisons are diluting their right to equal representation.
Apr 10, 2007 - New article from Northwestern University Law School demonstrates viability of state-based solution to federal failures in decennial census
Census miscount of prisoners skews legislative power across nation, but states can adjust Census data to use actual resident populations in redistricting.
Jan 3, 2007 - Testimony calls for New York to adjust Census counts of people in prison as part of larger redistricting reforms
New York State is considering a number of reforms to its redistricting practices that would transfer control over the process from the legislature to an independent....
Nov 3, 2006 - New tool shows how prisons skew county demographics
The Prison Policy Initiative frequently receives requests from people in rural counties asking for data showing how the Census Bureau's method of counting people in....
Oct 20, 2006 - National Academies report calls for Census Bureau to collect alternative addresses for people in prison
National Academies releases report calling for the Census Bureau to begin collecting the home addresses of incarcerated people.
Sep 14, 2006 - Voter Guide asks New York candidates about Census reform
A new website is asking candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Comptroller in New York for their position on census reform and 5 other....
Sep 8, 2006 - Census count hurts prison towns right now
This is a letter I sent last week to the editor of the Tribune-Star in Terre Haute, Indiana responding to Mark Bennett's column If a coalition of congressmen get their....
Mar 28, 2006 - Rural Michigan newspaper calls for change in Census counts of prisoners
On Feb. 9, the Jackson City Patriot in Jackson Michigan published an editorial calling for the Census Bureau to change how it counts incarcerated people because it is....
Feb 23, 2006 - New report shows “Why the Census Bureau can and must start collecting the home addresses of incarcerated people”
In November 2005, the Appropriations Committee directed the Census Bureau to undertake a study of using prisoners' permanent homes of record, as opposed to their....
Feb 17, 2006 - Fixing the Census Bureau’s mistakes is admirable, but not every government can do it
In past articles I have celebrated the efforts of jurisdictions to adjust the federal census data so that it meets their needs and people are counted in the right place....
Jan 5, 2006 - Financial burden of how prisoners counted in Census falls on rural — not urban — communities
Article explaining that the prisoner miscount distorts how rural counties distribute their own funds, but does not affect state distributions.
Dec 8, 2005 - Phantom Constituents in the Census — New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial, September 26, 2005 A longstanding quirk in census rules counts incarcerated people as residents of the prisons where most are held for only a....
Sep 26, 2005 - Census treatment of incarcerated felons unfairly dilutes voting strength of non-prison communities
NEWS RELEASE JUNE 22, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:Brenda Wright, National Voting Rights Institute (617) 624-3900, ext. 13 Peter Wagner, Prison Policy Initiative....
Jun 22, 2005 - Census counts of prisoners distort decision making on crime policy
The American system of democracy distributes political power to the people by the means of legislative districts, which are redrawn after the Census each decade to....
Jun 1, 2005 - Pennsylvania voting rules explain prisoner residence
In previous articles, I've explained how the two states that currently allow prisoners to vote, Maine and Vermont, require prisoners to vote via absentee ballot back....
Apr 18, 2005 - Zoe Gottlieb takes prisoner-census analysis to southern states
Zoe Gottlieb, a law student at the New York University School of Law, has made available on Prisoners of the Census the first review in southern states of the impact of....
Apr 11, 2005 - Pace Law Review: Prisoners of the Census: Electoral and Financial Consequences
The U.S. Census Bureau counts people in prison where their bodies are confined -- in prison -- not the communities they come from and where they are genuine members. This....
Apr 5, 2005 - Skewing Democracy: Where the Census Counts Prisoners
New York's conservative State Senator Dale Volker is glad prisoners can't vote, because if they did, as he told Newhouse News Service, They would never vote for me....
Mar 28, 2005 - Frequent transfers mean that prison is not a residence
The U.S. Census currently counts prisoners as residents of the correctional facility, despite the requirement in many state constitutions that incarceration does not....
Mar 21, 2005 - 92% of New York’s prison cells are in disproportionately White Assembly districts
The Census Bureau counts incarcerated people as if they were residents not of their homes but of the prison's location. When states like New York ignore their own....
Mar 14, 2005 - Georgia’s proposed congressional districts may violate One Person One Vote principle
State legislators in Georgia are currently redrawing the districts of Georgia's Congressional delegation, but by relying on Census data that counts prisoners as....
Mar 7, 2005 - New York proposes to fix the Census distortion
On February 25, New York Deputy Minority Leader Senator Eric T. Schneiderman introduced S2754 to prevent the way the U.S. Census counts prisoners from distorting....
Feb 28, 2005 - Census miscounts prisoners, dilutes urban voting power
Back in 2000, the Census Bureau counted prisoners as if they actually lived in the town that contains the prison. According to recently published analysis, this....
Feb 21, 2005 - Illinois bill reflects growing frustration with Census counts of prisoners
On February 2, Illinois Deputy Majority Leader Representative Arthur L. Turner introduced the Prisoner Census Adjustment Act to prevent the current U.S. Census practice....
Feb 14, 2005 - New research on Nevada, Montana, and Idaho: How the census is watering down the voting power of some communities
The Census Bureau counts prisoners not at their homes but as if they were residents of the town that contained the prison. This administrative quirk reduces the....
Feb 7, 2005 - Federal appeals court urged to consider census-based dilution of minority voting strength when weighing legality of prisoner disenfranchisement scheme
The National Voting Rights Institute and the Prison Policy Initiative have filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit highlighting the New York....
Jan 31, 2005 - Eric Cadora shows how incarceration is concentrated in particular Brooklyn neighborhoods
The Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in New York report was able to quantify the population loss to New York City from the Census Bureau practice of....
Jan 24, 2005 - 98% of New York’s prison cells are in disproportionately White Senate districts
The Census Bureau counts incarcerated people as if they were residents not of their homes but of the prison's location. When states like New York ignore their own....
Jan 17, 2005 - 15% of one Montana district’s population is prisoners; largest vote dilution yet seen
Our recent Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Montana report found one district that was almost 15% prisoners, a higher figure than in any other....
Jan 10, 2005 - Judge in Westchester voting recount says homeless shelter can, but jail cannot, be a residence
The winner of the New York 35th Senate district race is still undecided two months after the election. Lawyers for both sides are disputing how ballots were handled, as....
Jan 3, 2005 - NYT: Why Some Politicians Need Their Prisons to Stay Full
By Brent StaplesNew York TimesDecember 27, 2004 The mandatory sentencing fad that swept the United States beginning in the 1970's has had dramatic consequences -- most of....
Dec 27, 2004 - Census Bureau’s method of counting prisoners steals political clout from Las Vegas and Reno
Current system favors rural counties at the Nevada Legislature The Census Bureau's method of counting prisoners reduces the population of Nevada's urban areas and....
Dec 20, 2004 - New tool allows researchers to find correctional facilities in Census data
As Rose Heyer and I wrote in Too Big to Ignore, How counting people in prisons distorted Census 2000, the Census Bureau's decision to count incarcerated people as....
Dec 13, 2004 - Census prison quirk dilutes democracy in Idaho
Like most states, Idaho relies on U.S. Census data to draw its legislative districts. Districts are redrawn each decade so that each districts is of equal size. Having....
Dec 6, 2004 - A changing country needs a changing census
When the Census Bureau began counting Americans in 1790, it really didn't matter that they decided to count prisoners as residents of the prison. The data was only used....
Nov 29, 2004 - New York Times calls for Census Bureau to count prisoners at their home addresses
This week's fact of the week is an editorial by the New York Times Editorial Board calling for the Census Bureau to change how it counts prisoners: Jailhouse Blues....
Nov 22, 2004 - Prisoners in the census dilute democracy in South Dakota
Like most states, South Dakota relies on U.S. Census data to draw its legislative districts. Districts are redrawn each decade so that each districts is of equal size....
Nov 15, 2004 - New Report: Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Montana
I've posted a new report showing how the Census Bureau's method of counting prisoners as residents of the rural areas that host prisons skews the democratic process in....
Nov 14, 2004 - Texas sees damaged democracy from Census counts of prisoners
The Census Bureau counts incarcerated people as if they were residents of the towns that contain the prisons and jails. Thanks to the rapid rise in incarceration over....
Nov 8, 2004 - State officials tell counties to exclude prison populations from county level redistricting
Previous articles have discussed individual counties in California and New York that have decided after public outcry to exclude incarcerated non-resident populations....
Nov 1, 2004 - Students and prisoners: Census should not count them the same
The Census Bureau currently counts college students and prisoners the same way: as residents of the town in which they sleep. This makes sense for students, because they....
Oct 25, 2004 - Public rightly insists that that federal prison be excluded from new California county’s districts
The California county of Santa Barbara is considering splitting itself in two, and the commission charged with drawing Supervisor districts for the proposed new Mission....
Oct 18, 2004 - Census data asks: Where are the Hispanic children? But it’s the wrong question.
Are Hispanics in rural New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan and other rural places not having children? Or are these the new retirement hotspots for Hispanics?....
Oct 11, 2004 - Census expert Prof. Persily suggests allowing data users to decide where prisoners should be counted.
In previous articles, I have called for the U.S. Census to count prisoners at their home addresses rather as residents of the prison town. All states currently rely on....
Oct 4, 2004 - Boston Globe profiles Prisoners of the Census project
Sep 27, 2004 - Most of New York State’s prison cells are in Republican Assembly Districts
New York State is a majority Democratic state, but the politics -- like the prisons and prisoners -- are far from evenly distributed throughout the state. The Republican....
Sep 20, 2004 - Counting prisoners at home would not share problems seen in Overseas Americans test enumeration
A Government Accounting Office report [PDF] released on September 14 concluded that it would not be feasible for the Census Bureau to count overseas Americans in the 2010....
Sep 13, 2004 - New Op-ed: Census’ cell count steals voting power
Emily Bazelon and I have an op-ed in the September 8, 2004 Newsday calling for the Census Bureau to change how it counts prisoners: Census' cell count steals voting....
Sep 8, 2004 - Rural citizens call for change in how Census counts prisoners
This fact of the week is a letter written by 3 residents of Franklin County in upstate New York to the Census Bureau describing how rural New York counties with prisons....
Sep 6, 2004 - Temporary populations change the political face of New York; 98% of NY’s prison cells are in Republican Senate Districts
As this week's news coverage has emphasized, the Republican National Convention is being held in strongly Democratic New York City. While the presence of thousands of....
Aug 30, 2004 - Legislative districts belong to the people, not the politicians
The mayor of Marion Ohio -- which contains a number of large prisons -- was quoted in an article about our Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Ohio....
Aug 23, 2004 - Rural Pennsylvania invests in prisons, but not for their own residents
Like many other states, Pennsylvania has engaged in a huge prison building boom over the last 2 decades. And like in many other states, the locations of the prisons and....
Aug 16, 2004 - World’s largest jail skews voting power in controversial New York district
District 34 as shown on the New York Senate's official map. It took me over a year and to find Rikers Island on this map because the boundaries were unrecognizable....
Aug 9, 2004 - Border districts hang in the balance of Census counting decisions
Below is a map of New York Senate district 34. The boundary line of this district was the subject of a lawsuit arguing that it was drawn to dilute the voting strength of....
Aug 2, 2004 - Redistricting Matters: Small changes in the boundary lines mean huge electoral effects
Our project, Prisoners of the Census, addresses the political impact of the Census Bureau's policy of counting prisoners where they are incarcerated, not at home. In....
Jul 26, 2004 - Texas bill shows states could correct Census counts of prisoners
As I wrote in May, there are 3 ways to fix how the U.S. Census counts prisoners: The Census could change its methodology States could adjust the counts after the fact....
Jul 19, 2004 - Census Bureau Policy Costs Ohio’s Cities Political Power
As described in last week's column, how the Census Bureau counts prisoners undercounts Ohio's urban areas while boosting the population of the rural areas that host the....
Jul 12, 2004 - Census Bureau Policy Costs Ohio’s Cities Population
The Census Bureau counts prisoners not at their homes but as if they were residents of the town that contained the prison. This administrative quirk reduces the....
Jul 5, 2004 - Call your cell a residence?: Do not pass “GO”, go directly to ….
In 1894, Michael Cady tried to register to vote using his address at the Tombs Jail in New York City. Jail inmates are allowed to vote, but he was convicted for illegal....
Jun 28, 2004 - 14th Amendment is an unintended casualty of Census Bureau’s method of counting prisoners
Each decade, the U.S. Census counts the population and then gives the counts to state legislatures for use in redistricting. Legislators take the data and redraw their....
Jun 21, 2004 - Prison town legislators represent prisoners’ interests? Not quite.
On June 7, talks between the New York State Senate and the Assembly on how to best reform the draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws broke down. Publicly, the dispute is over....
Jun 14, 2004 - Local officials tell prisoners: “You don’t live here”
Many prison town officials are quick to claim prisoners as residents when the Census Bureau comes to town, but prisoners report that this is the only time these....
Jun 7, 2004 - Home is where the cell is? Only to the Census Bureau
In the words of U.S. Department of Agriculture demographer Calvin Beale: A rural prison is a classic 'export' industry, providing a service for the outside community....
May 31, 2004 - Census’ transfer of incarcerated population creates legislative stalemate in New York
The current legislative stalemate in reforming New York's drug laws might be the result of a Census Bureau quirk that counts prisoners as if they were residents of the....
May 24, 2004 - Three ways to fix Census counting problem
I was recently asked if restoring a prisoner's right to vote would solve the census counting problem. Personally, I think that would be a good idea, but it would not....
May 17, 2004 - Why are so many Native Hawaiians incarcerated in Minnesota?
The Bureau of Justice Statistics provides incarceration rate data for Latinos, non-Latino Whites, and non-Latino Blacks, but it does not provide this data for other....
May 10, 2004 - Outdated methodology impairs Census Bureau’s count of Black population
Census 2000 showed a number of rural counties in the West, Midwest and Northeast that more than doubled their Black populations over the previous decade. Is this some....
May 3, 2004 - Prison expansion made 56 counties with declining populations appear to be growing in Census 2000
Counting incarcerated people as if they were residents of the prison town leads to misleading portrayals of which counties are growing and which are declining. Declining....
Apr 26, 2004 - Journalist Alan Elsner’s new book on criminal justice system calls for changing Census
Alan Elsner's new book on the U.S. prison system, Gates of Injustice: The Crisis in America's Prisons includes a call for reforming how the U.S. Census counts....
Apr 22, 2004 - Twenty one counties have twenty one percent of their population in prisons and jails
Counting large external populations of prisoners as local residents leads to misleading conclusions about the size and growth of communities. Many of the prison hosting....
Apr 19, 2004 - The distortion of Census data caused by counting people in prisons is “Too Big To Ignore”
Rose Heyer and I will release a new report tomorrow: Too big to ignore: How counting people in prisons distorted Census 2000. The report is the first national look at the....
Apr 12, 2004 - How Census Bureau counts prisoners undercounts Michigan’s cities
The way the Census Bureau counts state prisoners -- not at home but as if they were residents of the prison town -- reduces the population of Michigan's largest cities....
Apr 5, 2004 - Census counts of prisoners stymie Arizona’s efforts to create equally sized districts
By official Census numbers, small population deviations between Arizona districts On March 1, 2004, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission released the new....
Mar 29, 2004 - Miscounting prisoners complicates Census portrait of New Jersey
Eighteen percent of New Jersey's prisoners are from Essex County which includes Newark. Thirty percent of the state's prisoners are incarcerated in Cumberland County far....
Mar 22, 2004 - Redistricting explained
We've written two new articles that explain how redistricting works. The first is a theoretical introduction to the topic and the second explains how the transfer of....
Mar 15, 2004 - Census counts of prisoners shift population in California
Los Angeles County is 28% of the state of California, but it supplies 34% of the state's prisoners. The political effect of this disproportionate incarceration is....
Mar 15, 2004 - Upstate New York radio asks: Are state prisoners local residents?
David Sommerstein has a great piece on North Country Public Radio Prisoners: North Country Residents?. The piece was aired on March 5, the morning of Peter Wagner's....
Mar 8, 2004 - Forty out of forty legislators agree: Prisoners incarcerated in my district are not really my constituents
PrisonersoftheCensus.org argues that prisoners are a part of the community where they originated and not the prison-hosting community. Home is where their social....
Mar 8, 2004 - Changing how prisoners are counted will not require a change in how college students are counted
Unlike college students, prisoners are not a part of the local community. While some colleges are partially self-reliant communities, prisons are entirely so. Students....
Mar 1, 2004 - Counting prisoners in prison towns can burden local government
In 1999, the tiny village of Grafton Ohio successfully lobbied the Ohio legislature to have state prisoners excluded from its official population totals. Ohio law....
Feb 23, 2004 - Prisoners distort democracy in St. Lawrence County
The legislative districts in St. Lawrence County average 7,462 residents in size. District 2 (Ogdensburg) counts 2,074 prisoners in two state prisons as residents;....
Feb 16, 2004 - Similarities in counting overseas Americans and counting prisoners at home
On February 5 2004, the Census Bureau began a test enumeration of Americans in France, Mexico and Kuwait to determine the feasibility of counting all overseas Americans....
Feb 9, 2004 - Where did the Census Bureau count 44,326 New York City prisoners?
Data source: Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in New York.
Feb 2, 2004 - Fear of “unwieldy” rural districts in Florida should not have led to dilution of one person one vote principle
The entire 7th state representative district [in Florida] ... has nine prisons or work camps and 8,443 inmates -- better than 5 percent of its total population.We worked....
Jan 26, 2004 - Census count helps postpone drug reform in New York
[New York] State Senator Dale Volker, who calls himself the keeper of the keys for his control of the process that allocates new prisons, said in an interview that....
Jan 19, 2004 - Prisoner count skews Illinois population
Paul Street illustrates how Census counts of prisoners at the prisons rather than at home skew the population of Illinois in important ways:... The Chicago metropolitan....
Jan 12, 2004 - Federal court strikes down Georgia legislative districting plan
On February 10, 2004, a three judge panel struck down Georgia's legislative redistricting plan. The case is Larios v. Cox. Traditionally, the rule has been that....
Jan 11, 2004 - Concern for prisoner-count based skew of democracy dates back to at least 1963
The use for legislative redistricting of Census counts of prisoners at the prison rather than at home is of critical importance because the number of incarcerated people....
Jan 5, 2004 - UPenn Law Review: Defying one-person, one-vote: Prisoners and the “Usual residence” principle
Rosanna M. Taormina has published a great article, Defying one-person, one-vote: Prisoners and the Usual residence principle, [PDF] in the University of Pennsylvania Law....
Jan 2, 2004 - Increasingly rural Illinois prisons dilute Chicago’s political power
New prisons in Illinois are being built further and further from urban Chicago, home to 59% of the state's prisoners. Prior to 1980, the average prison was 160 miles from....
Dec 29, 2003 - Prof. Karlan: Underpopulated rural districts use prisoners as “inert ballast” to gain population
Pamela S. Karlan of Stanford Law School has a great new article about felon disenfranchisement that discusses the census issue:The year 2000 involved another event that....
Dec 27, 2003 - “Home of record” would be a more accurate “home address” than the prison town
Unlike the other populations in other Census controversies (college students and military personnel) prisoners are not considered a part of the local community. After....
Dec 22, 2003 - If prisoners could vote, they would vote at home, not in the prison town
The Census counts prisoners as if they were residents of the prison town, but if prisoners could vote, they would vote at home. This isn't just a matter of choice, it's....
Dec 15, 2003 - Prior to 1990 Census, prisoners were not explicitly excluded from Census counts
The 2000 Census form says to exclude family members incarcerated in correctional facilities.While the Census' usual residence rule has evolved over time, some group....
Dec 8, 2003 - Counting urban prisoners as rural residents counts out democracy in New York Senate
The inmates at Attica prison in western New York state are represented in Albany by state Sen. Dale Volker, a conservative Republican who says it's a good thing his....
Dec 1, 2003 - Disenfranchised urban prisoners are not rural constituents
Counting urban prisoners as rural residents turns the entire idea that districts should be of equal population on its head. In three New York Senate districts, and 10....
Nov 24, 2003 - Kansas proves adjusting Census is possible
The experience in Kansas shows that it is practical to adjust the Census data to reflect state residents at their home, rather than Census, addresses. If the federal....
Nov 17, 2003 - States are not required to use the federal census
While states must redistrict on the basis of actual population, the U.S. Constitution does not require states to use the federal census for its own redistricting:Although....
Nov 10, 2003 - Usual residence rule has been modified for other special populations and can be changed for prisoners too
The Census cites its usual residence rule as requiring it to count prisoners at the prison. That's true as far as it goes in regards to prisoners, but the Census and....
Nov 3, 2003 - Prisoner counts skew local gender and marriage statistics
There are 86 unmarried men for every 100 unmarried women in the United States. The ratio will vary between neighborhoods, cities, regions and states from a variety of....
Oct 27, 2003 - County of conviction and prisoner residence
Much of the research on this website uses county-of-conviction as a proxy for a prisoner's home residence because this data is more frequently available. Although most....
Oct 20, 2003 - A repugnant flashback?
Unfortunately, counting disenfranchised residents for purposes of mis-representation in the legislature is nothing new. At the founding of the United States, the white....
Oct 13, 2003 - Prisoner-staff racial disparity shows need for Census reform
It comes as no surprise that prisoners resemble the communities from which they come, and that prison staff resemble the communities that host the prisons. But what may....
Oct 6, 2003 - Cities with large prisons: Counting prisoners as residents dilutes democracy in Mansfield Ohio
Mansfield, Ohio is a small city with 6 city council wards of approximately 8,600 residents each. The problem? Two large prisons (Mansfield Correctional Institution and....
Sep 29, 2003 - Prisoners skew local rural redistricting too
Counting prisoners as residents of the prison town can skew the balance of political power within a rural community as well. As I wrote in Bogus data pumps up the rural....
Sep 22, 2003 - Bogus data pumps up the rural population
Sep 15, 2003 - Call your cell a residence?: Do not pass “GO”, go directly to ….
In 1894, Michael Cady tried to register to vote using his address at the Tombs Jail in New York City. Jail inmates are allowed to vote, but he was convicted for illegal....
Sep 8, 2003 - Buying the prisoner count in Minnesota
On April Fool's Day this year state prison wardens gave more than 5,600 inmates time off from their hourly-wage jobs to fill out their census forms. The wardens know how....
Sep 1, 2003 - “Residents” not by choice but by Census policy
Almost 30 percent of new residents who came to Upstate New York in the 1990s didn't make the trip by choice, and they didn't move into subdivisions or houses on secluded....
Aug 25, 2003 - Constitution allows states to correct for Census misallocations of prisoners
The Federal Constitution does not prohibit a state from adjusting the census data to count population as it wishes the prisoners to be counted: Although a state is....
Aug 18, 2003 - Baltimore supplies the prisoners, but doesn’t get the prisons
There is a tremendous disparity in Maryland between the incarceration rates in each county. Baltimore City's incarceration rate of 2,420 per 100,000 residents may be the....
Aug 11, 2003 - Counting prisoners as prison-town residents leads to “misleading” conclusions about growth
As the following two letters to the editor show, counting prisoners as residents of the prison town can present an image of rapid growth or tumultuous decline, when in....
Aug 4, 2003 - Rural areas have 20% of population, but 60% of new prisons
In the words of U.S. Department of Agriculture demographer Calvin Beale: A rural prison is a classic 'export' industry, providing a service for the outside community....
Jul 28, 2003 - Prisoners are not the only temporarily absent population that intends to return home
The State of Utah lost a potential 4th Congressional seat to North Carolina in 2000 after the Census Bureau counted overseas military in each state's population, but....
Jul 22, 2003 - Putting the state off-balance
Sixty-five percent of New York State's prisoners come from New York City. But even if the prisoner origins were not disproportionately concentrated in New York City, the....
Jul 13, 2003 - Lost population-based revenue is a hidden cost of incarcerating prisoners out-of-state
UpdateIt is ironic that Connecticut would value the distribution of federal aid in this way and then send residents out of the state. That issue aside, the Secretary of....
Jul 6, 2003
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.
