PRISONS
& CRIMINAL JUSTICE
policy
& activist - u.s. government
- industry - california
symbol
represents a site we find particularly useful.
Policy
Analyst & Activist Sources
American
Civil Liberties Union (http://www.aclu.org)
This web page has sections on a number of criminal justice
issues (juvenile justice, the drug war, the death penalty)
and has press releases and criminal justice news from
various sources. Also has legislative updates on key criminal
justice issues involving the prison industrial complex.
Asian
and Asian American Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
(http://www.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/research/asia.html)
This web site has a very useful collection of documents
on various aspects of Asian/ Asian American criminal justice
issues and data. A good source of information on Asian
criminal law, and inter-ethnic crime data.
Building
Blocks for Youth (http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org)
This group does great research on juvenile justice issues.
It's an alliance of children's advocates, researchers,
law enforcement professionals and community organizers
that seeks to protect minority youth in the justice system
and promote rational and effective justice policies.
Center
on Juvenile & Criminal Justice (http://www.cjcj.org)
CJCJ does a wide array of criminal justice research and
their web site has informative studies and reports and
is easy to negotiate. The Center on Juvenile and Criminal
Justice is a private non-profit organization with a mission
to reduce reliance on incarceration as a solution to social
problems.
Critical
Resistance (http://www.criticalresistance.org)
Critical Resistance is a national grassroots organization
dedicated to ending the prison industrial complex and
fighting for social justice. CR does campaigns and cultural
events around prison expansion, gender, class and racial
inequalities within the criminal justice system and mistreatment
of prisoners behind bars. A great resource.
Debt
To Society: The Real Price of Prisons
(http://www.motherjones.com/prisons)
A special report by the Foundation for National Progress,
umbrella organization for MotherJones.com and Mother
Jones magazine. It explores the hidden costs of the
national prison explosion with articles and an interactive
"Incarceration Atlas," a map with state-by-state
data on who is getting locked up, and at what price.
The
Fortune Society (http://www.fortunesociety.org)
Staffed primarily by ex-offenders, The Fortune Society
is a not-for-profit community-based organization dedicated
to educating the public about prisons, criminal justice
issues, and the root causes of crime. They also help ex-offenders
and at-risk youth break the cycle of crime and incarceration
through a broad range of services. They
Have an excellent search engine on their web site and
publish a quarterly on criminal justice issues.
Moving
Stronger: Needs of the Criminal Justice Reform Movement
(http://www.datacenter.org/programs/movingstronger.htm)
A special DataCenter report that assesses the state of
grassroots organizing around a broad spectrum of criminal
justice reform issues, with the goal of bringing critical
information to funders and grassroots groups about the
diverse needs, organizing approaches and campaigns of
groups around the country.
National
Council on Crime and Delinquency (http://www.nccd-crc.org)
"The National Council on Crime and Delinquency, founded
in 1907, is a nonprofit organization which promotes effective,
humane, fair and economically sound solutions to family,
community and justice problems. NCCD conducts research,
promotes reform initiatives, and seeks to work with individuals,
public and private organizations and the media to prevent
and reduce crime and delinquency."
No
War On Youth Resources (http://www.colorlines.com/waronyouth)
"ColorLines Magazine and the DataCenter's Impact
Research Team have come together to create a set of resources
for organizers and activists fighting against the War
on Youth." Includes resources on gang profiling,
gang definitions, and organizing nationally. Not being
updated.
Prison
Activist Resource Center (http://www.prisonactivist.org)
"The source for progressive and radical information
on prisons and the criminal prosecution system."
Includes: "Statistics, discussion, and background
on the prison crisis, political prisoners, women prisoners,
the death penalty, and control units. Links to sites on
prisoner support, prison law, and prison activism. Archived
news on prisons and prisoners from the PrisonAct email
list. Links to organizations working on prison reform/abolition,
prisoner support, and alternatives to incarceration."
Searchable!
Prison
Legal News (http://www.prisonlegalnews.org)
Prison Legal News is an independent 36-page monthly
publication that provides a cutting edge review and analysis
of prisoner rights, court rulings and news about prison
issues. PLN has a national (U.S.) focus on both state
and federal prison issues, with international coverage
as well.
The
Sentencing Project (http://www.sentencingproject.org)
"The Sentencing Project Website is designed to provide
resources and information for the news media and a public
concerned with criminal justice and sentencing issues.
This site also includes news and information about the
National Association of Sentencing Advocates (NASA), which
The Sentencing Project sponsors, and professional information
of use to its members. We also provide information about
the Campaign for an Effective Crime Policy." Includes
a report on the impact of disenfranchisement on current
and former prisoners.
Western
Prison Project (http://www.westernprisonproject.org)
The Western Prison Project exists to coordinate a progressive
response to the criminal justice system, and to build
a grassroots, multi-racial movement that achieves prison
reform and reduces the over-reliance on incarceration
in the western states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana,
Utah, Wyoming and Nevada. They produce reports on prison
related issues and are a great information resource for
what's happening in the Northwest.
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U.S. Government Sources
U.S.
Department of Justice:
U.S.
General Accounting Office
(http://www.gao.gov)
As the investigative arm of Congress, the GAO examines
pertinent prison and criminal justice issues, including
prison expansion, private prison, and youth in adult prisons.
It evaluates federal programs and activities, and provides
analyses, options, recommendations, and other assistance
for Congress. Searchable! Use the search engine to find
reports on prison and criminal justice issues.
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Prison Industry
Sources
Corrections.com
(http://www.corrections.com)
The prison industry's online information source. Includes
information about vendors in food service, cleaning and
other industries profiting from prison construction, maintenance,
supply, and expansion. Also includes links to Education,
Food, Juvenile, Health Care, Privatization, International,
Student, and Technology issues from the prison industry's
perspective. Searchable!
Hoovers
(http://www.hoovers.com)
Financial and other information about prison corporations
traded on the stock market. Use the company's name or
ticker to obtain Securities & Exchange Commission
filings, stock prices, and recent news. Searchable!
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California Sources
California
Department of Corrections
(http://www.cdc.state.ca.us)
Official website of the California Department of Corrections.
California
Legislative Analyst's Office
(http://www.lao.ca.gov)
Official website of the California Legislative Analyst's
Office, which provides fiscal and policy advice to the
State Legislature.
Little
Hoover Commission (http://www.lhc.ca.gov/lhc.html)
The Little Hoover Commission is a bipartisan, independent
state body that promotes efficiency and effectiveness
in state programs. Does reports on California criminal
justice and public safety issues.
Schools
Not Jails (http://www.schoolsnotjails.com)
An informative source about young people and the prison
industrial complex. It boasts multiple chat rooms for
youth, tips and education tools for organizers, and informative
articles about criminalization, Junior ROTC, high school
ethnic studies courses, and other issues facing youth
nationwide.
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Updated Feb
2005. Please send Web site corrections to datacenter@datacenter.org.