Resources

The premise of this article is that policymakers around the country are grappling with how to provide a second chance to people with criminal records, which the author asserts, create collateral consequences—invisible punishments that inhibit opportunity in all facets of a person’s life. The article highlights that, over the past ...

As the brief points out, 5.2 million people in the United States are currently denied access to the vote because of a felony conviction. The number of people disenfranchised has grown, from 1.2 million in 1976, as a product of mass incarceration and supervision. Of people denied the vote, one in four ...

Many state and federal regulations limit or prohibit people with criminal records from accessing employment, education, housing, and more. Some states have taken action to understand and remove these restrictions, known as collateral consequences, which have a particularly devastating effect on employment opportunities. The national playbook identifies best practice goals and ...

This article examines the extent to which certain collateral consequences almost exclusively affect Black people, as the author compares such consequences to Jim Crow laws. Similar to Jim Crow laws, the author asserts, these collateral consequences almost exclusively prohibit individuals who are Black with a criminal record from public housing, ...

This publication is designed to empower and equip people affected by the D.C. criminal justice system with necessary information to successfully navigate reentry and reintegration. It is intended for use by people who are currently incarcerated or recently released, people living in the community with a D.C. criminal record, or ...

A complex web of local, state, and federal statutes and regulations—known as collateral consequences of conviction—can make it all but impossible for some people with criminal records to truly rebuild their lives. These state snapshots  from The Council of State Governments Justice Center present an overview of the nearly 30,000 state and federal ...

In 2020, 32 states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government enacted 106 legislative bills, approved 5 ballot initiatives, and issued 4 executive orders to restore rights and opportunities to people with a criminal record.

According to this brief, the United States is the world leader in incarceration and keeps nearly 7 million persons under correctional control. More than 2 million are in prison or jail, and 4.6 million are under community surveillance on probation or parole. At least 19 million persons are living with ...