In-depth fieldwork and rigorous study culminated in 2006 with reports that shed light on often-hidden criminal justice problems. For instance, we released a national snapshot on innovative ways that states try to prevent both inmate-against-inmate and staff-against-inmate sexual activity.

Photo: Levina Robinson

After the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act took a zero-tolerance stance on this problem, state departments of corrections took action, and we identified their most promising practices. Increased surveillance inside prisons, for instance, helped prison officials figure out which locations or times of day created opportunity for sexual violence.

Twenty years ago, super-maximum-security prisons were rare in America. Based on a study we released in May 2006, 44 states had "supermax" prisons that housed about 25,000 inmates as of 2004. Designed to hold violent and disruptive inmates in single-cell confinement for 23 hours a day, these facilities have become political lightning rods.

Our research suggests grounds for skepticism and concerns about this form of correctional housing. Yet, states and wardens believe supermax prisons can be effective—and belief born of experience should not be lightly dismissed.

Is there a new youth crime wave? It would appear so from the expanded youth curfews, ramped-up gang injunctions, and increased use of surveillance cameras. A Thursday's Child panel in November 2006 examined the youth crime trends and considered policy solutions.

Six years after the Justice Policy Center first invested in prisoner reentry research, our growing reentry research portfolio continues to inform a broad discussion on the policies and practice that best meet the challenges facing former prisoners in many cities and communities. In 2006, we zeroed in on Cleveland neighborhoods, the state of Ohio, and the city of Philadelphia.

Center Staff
Center Publications