The scope of this guide is meant to inform all who interact with it on related issues to mass incarceration and link interested parties to data and advocacy resources.
The following resources offer data and statistics related to incarceration, crime, and the demography of prisons/jails. Data resources are organized on the national, state, and local levels.
Data Matters - United Nations Office on Drugs and CrimeThis report was prepared by the Data Development and Dissemination Section and the Crime Research Section of the
Research and Trend Analysis Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
World Prison BriefThe World Prison Brief is an online database providing free access to information on prison systems around the world. It is a unique resource, which supports evidence-based development of prison policy and practice globally.
National Data
Americans for Effective Law Enforcement (AELE)The Americans for Effective Law Enforcement, Inc. (AELE) is a resource center and legal educational provider dedicated to offering interested parties objective, timely, accurate, legal, scientific, and evidence-based information and operational guidance for the enhancement of the criminal justice community and to reduce potential criminal and civil liability of criminal justice professionals and their employers.
AVID Prison ProjectThe Amplifying Voices of Inmates with Disabilities (AVID) Prison Project provides a view into the experiences of incarcerated people. Video interviews are accessible to learn about individual cases, while other pages provide specific written stories from physically disabled and mentally ill prisoners.
Beyond the CountBeyond the Count, an article from the Prison Policy Initiative, outlines the origin of those incarcerated in state prisons, as well as data on demographics, sociological contexts, and more.
Bureau of Justice StatisticsThe mission of BJS is to collect, analyze, publish, and disseminate information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. BJS also provides financial and technical support to state, local, and tribal governments to improve both their statistical capabilities and the quality and utility of their criminal history records.
Criminal Justice Fact Sheet - NAACPIn response to the racial disparities present in the criminal justice system, the NAACP provided this guide on the history of policing/law enforcement, statistics related to police brutality, and the court's role in the system.
Human Rights Watch - USA Criminal JusticeThe US Program investigates such injustices and advocates for reforms to ensure that the US meets its international legal obligations to ensure accountability for serious offenses, while doing so in a fair and non-discriminatory manner.
National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD)The National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) is the place to discover, access, and analyze data on crime and justice.
NACJD hosts several large-scale datasets, including the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), and the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN).
Prison Policy Initiative - COVID-19 DataThis informational page outlines the impact of COVID-19 on prisons and jails, and the disparity of impact on incarcerated people.
Prison Policy Initiative - Data ToolboxAll of our reports and many of our briefings compile previously unavailable or incompatible data. For the benefit of other advocates and researchers who want to do new things with our data, we’ve compiled our unique datasets on this page.
Prison Policy Initiative - Data VisualizationsThe PPI creates data visualizations to drive points home and empower others to make their own demands for justice. Data visualizations are organized by subject (e.g. LGBTQ, immigration, age, COVID-19, gerrymandering, etc.)
State Statistics - National Institute of CorrectionsThis web page provides lists of resources related to local, state, and federal statistics displayed to help you see the current state of the corrections industry as of the last set of reported data. We do our best to find as much information as we can about each state, however, because reporting standards are not currently uniform across the nation, there may be gaps in the data you see presented.
Pennsylvania Profile - Prison Policy InitiativeThis page includes statistics and helpful data visualizations outlining the status of prisons, jails, and incarcerated populations in the state of Pennsylvania.
Planning, Research, and Statistics - PA Dept. of CorrectionsThe Bureau of Planning, Research & Statistics (PRS) is responsible for planning, research, and statistical analysis activities within the Department to assist in short-term and long-term decision-making. This includes coordinating departmental research initiatives; preparing various planning and research reports; identifying correctional planning and research problems; preparing research models appropriate to the problem; developing instrumentation and procedures for data measurement; collecting and analyzing data; and submitting recommendations for departmental research and evaluation priorities.
Allegheny County Data
Crime and Justice - Allegheny County AnalyticsData on crime trends, policing practices, court services, people incarcerated in the County’s jail, and youth in the juvenile justice system.
