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
Texas
- Report: Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Texas by Peter Wagner and Rose Heyer, November 8, 2004
- Press release: Census Bureau policy costs Texas' cities population
- Facts for Features Intended for journalists, this is a page of facts about Texas counties and towns with large numbers of prisoners.
- Appendix H: Incarcerated populations in Texas State House Districts (Plan 1369H, 2001) (Or see the updated version with legislators in office in September 2007.)
- Appendix S: Incarcerated populations in Texas State Senate Districts (Plan 1188S, 2001)
- Appendix C: Incarcerated populations in Texas Congressional Districts (Plan 1374C, 2004)
Coverage
- Prisoners of the Census by Jordan Smith, Austin Chronicle, November 12, 2004
- Where prisoners 'live' is a question of power Counting prisoners as residents of rural counties robs cities of clout, money and services, some say, by Asher Price, Austin American-Statesman, November 8, 2004
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.