Key Facts

Total Number of People in County Jails and State Prisons, 2015
Explore your state's use of local jails and state prisons.

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“We are human beings. Even though we are in another country, we are human beings.”

Jonathan fled El Salvador as a teenager and was eligible to remain in the United States under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act, a 1997 law passed to help tens of thousands of Central Americans who fled political instability and violence in the 1980s. Jonathan had never heard of this law and said he would have certainly been ...

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With Seven Deaths in 2025, LA Jails Continue Deadly Trend

82 people have died in LA County jails since the start of 2023.

How are people dying? Los Angeles County has not yet publicly issued causes of death for everyone who has died in county jails in recent months. And even once even once autopsy reports are finalized, they don’t tell the whole story. When the coroner rules that a death is the result of “natural causes,” jail conditions can still be to blame. Researc ...

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The Labor Market for People with Conviction Histories

An Examination of Access to Good Jobs

Good jobs are the foundation of an equitable economy, one that lifts up workers and families and supports local communities. To access good jobs—those that are in demand and pay a living wage—a postsecondary education is critical. More than 1,000 people are released from state and federal prison every day and many already have a high school educati ...

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