I need your help.
Prison gerrymandering gives extra political power to legislators who have prisons in their districts. We put numbers on the problem and sparked a movement to protect our democratic process from the overgrown prison system.
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
Too big to ignore:
How counting people in prisons distorted Census 2000
Rose Heyer and Peter Wagner
Prison Policy Initiative
April 2004
Followup research and articles, often with data tables
- Census data asks: Where are the Hispanic children? But it's the wrong question October 11, 2004
- Outdated methodology impairs Census Bureau's count of Black population May 3, 2004
- Prison expansion made 56 counties with declining populations appear to be growing in Census 2000 April 26, 2004
- Twenty one counties have twenty one percent of their population in prisons and jails April 19, 2004
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.
No, prison gerrymandering doesn't reallocate $1,838 per person
We explain that prison gerrymandering is bad for democracy but federal & state aid are not impacted.
Prison-based Gerrymandering in Anamosa, Iowa
How a prison helped one man get elected with just two votes.