Why is the incarceration of drug offenders a highly ineffective way to reduce the number of illegal drugs sold in the United States?

Analysis of drug policy and its effects on the prison system

On this page, the Prison Policy Initiative has curated all of the research about drug policy that we know of. You can also see a selection of our best original research on this topic on our Drug policy page. For research on other criminal justice topics, see our Research Library homepage.

Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2022 Prison Policy Initiative, March, 2022
Fentanyl in Colorado: Overview and recommendations for addressing the overdose crisis Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, March, 2022
Drug Arrests Stayed High Even as Imprisonment Fell From 2009 to 2019 Pew Charitable Trusts, February, 2022
Recidivism and mortality after in-jail buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder Paywall :( Elizabeth A. Evans, Donna Wilson, and Peter D. Friedmann, February, 2022
Opioid Overdose Deaths Among Formerly Incarcerated Persons and the General Population: North Carolina, 2000-2018 Paywall :( Shabbar I Ranapurwala et al, February, 2022
Investigation of New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Incarcerated Individual Drug Testing Program New York Office of the Inspector General, January, 2022
When Accidental Overdose is Treated As Murder: Seeking Relief for Defendants Morgan Godvin, Northeastern University Health in Justice Action Lab, October, 2021
A New Approach: A Prosecutor's Guide to Advancing a Public Health Response to Drug Use Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College, September, 2021
Criminalized or Medicalized? Examining the Role of Race in Responses to Drug Use Paywall :( Sade L Lindsay, Mike Vuolo, August, 2021
Medicaid Expansion Increased Medications For Opioid Use Disorder Among Adults Referred By Criminal Justice Agencies Paywall :( Utsha G. Khatri, Benjamin A. Howell, and Tyler N. A. Winkelman, April, 2021
The Opioid Epidemic and Homicide in the United States Paywall :( Richard Rosenfeld, Joel Wallman, Randolph Roth, January, 2021
Since you asked: What role does drug enforcement play in the rising incarceration of women? Prison Policy Initiative, November, 2020
State supervision, punishment and poverty: The case of drug bans on welfare receipt Amanda Sheely, August, 2020
"Whatever they do, I'm her comfort, I'm her protector." How the foster system has become ground zero for the U.S. drug war Movement for Family Power, NYU Family Defense Clinic, Drug Policy Alliance, June, 2020
A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform ACLU, April, 2020
Opioids, Race, and Drug Enforcement: Exploring Local Relationships Between Neighborhood Context and Black-White Opioid-Related Possession Arrests Paywall :( Ellen A. Donnelly, Jascha Wagner, Madeline Stenger, Hannah G. Cortina, Daniel J. O'Connell, Tammy L. Anderson, March, 2020
Changing Course in the Overdose Crisis: Moving from Punishment to Harm Reduction and Health Vera Institute of Justice, February, 2020
Ending the War on Drugs in Travis County, Texas: How Low-Level Drug Possession Arrests are Harmful and Ineffective TCJC, Grassroots Leadership, Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, and the Civil Rights Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law, February, 2020
State criminal justice policy context and opioid agonist treatment delivery among opioid treatment admissions, 2015 Shivani Mantha, Pia M. Mauro, Christine M. Mauro, Silvia S. Martins, January, 2020
Criminal Justice Reform in the Fentanyl Era: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back Drug Policy Alliance, January, 2020
Treatment versus Punishment: Understanding Racial Inequalities in Drug Policy Jin Woo Kim, Evan Morgan, Brendan Nyhan, December, 2019
Diverted Opportunities: Gaps in Drug Treatment for Justice System-Involved Populations in Harris County, Texas Katharine Neill Harris and Jay Jenkins, December, 2019
Rethinking the "Drug Dealer" Drug Policy Alliance, December, 2019
We know how to prevent opioid overdose deaths for people leaving prison. So why are prisons doing nothing? Prison Policy Initiative, December, 2019
Association of Punitive and Reporting State Policies Related to Substance Use in Pregnancy With Rates of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Laura J. Faherty, Ashley M. Kranz, Joshua Russell-Fritch, et al., November, 2019
Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution in the San Francisco County Jail Paywall :( Lynn D. Wenger et al., October, 2019
The Cannabis Effect on Crime: Time-Series Analysis of Crime in Colorado and Washington State Ruibin Lu et al., October, 2019
America's Favorite Antidote: Drug-Induced Homicide in the Age of the Overdose Crisis Leo Beletsky, September, 2019
Drug use in the year after prison Paywall :( Bruce Western, Jessica T. Simes, August, 2019
The benefits and implementation challenges of the first state-wide comprehensive medication for addictions program in a unified jail and prison setting Paywall :( Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein et al., August, 2019
Economic decline, incarceration, and mortality from drug use disorders in the USA between 1983 and 2014: an observational analysis Elias Nosrati et al., July, 2019
Use of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Criminal Justice Settings Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, July, 2019
Incarceration and opioid withdrawal: The experiences of methadone patients and out-of-treatment heroin users Mitchell et al., June, 2019
Does Locked Up Mean Locked Out? The Effects of the Anti-Drug Act of 1986 on Black Male Students' College Enrollment Tolani Britton, April, 2019
High Time for Criminal Justice Reform: Marijuana Expungement Statutes in States with Legalized or Decriminalized Marijuana Laws Alana E. Rosen, February, 2019
Sharks and Minnows in the War on Drugs: A Study of Quantity, Race and Drug Type in Drug Arrests Joseph E. Kennedy, Isaac Unah, and Kasi Wahlers, December, 2018
A Public Health Strategy for the Opioid Crisis Saloner et al., November, 2018
Reclassified State Drug Law Reforms to Reduce Felony Convictions and Increase Second Chances Urban Institute, October, 2018
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Arrests for Drug Possession After California Proposition 47, 2011-2016 Mooney et al., August, 2018
Postincarceration Fatal Overdoses After Implementing Medications for Addiction Treatment in a Statewide Correctional System Traci C. Green et al., April, 2018
The Detention and Forced Medical Treatment of Pregnant Women: A Human Rights Perspective American Constitution Society, March, 2018
One War. Two Races. Bias Reigns in Florida's War on Drugs Herald Tribune, January, 2018
OPIOIDS: Treating an Illness, Ending a War The Sentencing Project, December, 2017
An Overdose Death Is Not Murder: Why Drug-Induced Homicide Laws Are Counterproductive and Inhumane Drug Policy Alliance, November, 2017
Access to Health Care and Criminal Behavior: Short-Run Evidence from the ACA Medicaid Expansions Jacob Vogler, September, 2017
Seizing Chicago: Drug stings and asset forfeiture target the poor Prison Policy Initiative, August, 2017
BJS report: Drug abuse and addiction at the root of 21% of crimes Prison Policy Initiative, June, 2017
Federal Prisons at a Crossroads The Sentencing Project, June, 2017
The Lack of a Relationship between Drug Imprisonment and Drug Problems The Pew Charitable Trusts, June, 2017
Neither Justice nor Treatment: Drug Courts in the United States Physicians for Human Rights, June, 2017
Drug Use, Dependence, And Abuse Among State Prisoners And Jail Inmates, 2007-2009 Bureau of Justice Statistics, June, 2017
Criminalizing Pregnancy: Policing Pregnant Women Who Use Drugs in the USA Amnesty International, May, 2017
Unequal & Unfair: New Jersey's War on Marijuana Users American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, May, 2017
Reducing Substance Use Disorders and Related Offending A Continuum of Evidence-Informed Practices in the Criminal Justice System Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, April, 2017
A New Normal: Helping the Criminal Justice System Address Opioid Overdoses Vera Institute of Justice, February, 2017
Declining Drug Enforcement After Proposition 47 Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, January, 2017
Every 25 Seconds: The Human Toll of Criminalizing Drug Use in the United States Human Rights Watch and the ACLU, October, 2016
Substance Abuse Treatment Centers and Local Crime Bondurant, Samuel R.; Lindo, Jason M.; and Swensen, Isaac D., September, 2016
Report to the Congress: Career Offender Sentencing Enhancements United States Sentencing Commission, August, 2016
Racial Disparity in Marijuana Policing in New Orleans Vera Institute of Justice, July, 2016
Global burden of HIV, viral hepatitis, and tuberculosis in prisoners and detainees National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, July, 2016
Have we gone too far myth busting criminal justice reform? Drug policy is still important Prison Policy Initiative, May, 2016
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2016 Prison Policy Initiative, March, 2016
Marijuana Legalization in Colorado: Early Findings Colorado Department of Public Safety, March, 2016
Health Disparities in Drug- and Alcohol-Use Disorders: A 12-Year Longitudinal Study of Youths After Detention American Journal of Public Health, December, 2015
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2015 Prison Policy Initiative, December, 2015
Who Gets Time for Federal Drug Offenses? Data Trends and Opportunities for Reform Urban Institute, November, 2015
How to reduce the federal prison population Urban Institute, October, 2015
Drug Offenders In Federal Prisons: Estimates Of Characteristics Based on Linked Data Bureau of Justice Statistics; Urban Institute, October, 2015
Federal Drug Sentencing Laws Bring High Cost, Low Return: Penalty increases enacted in 1980s and 1990s have not reduced drug use or recidivism Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project, August, 2015
A Price Too High: US Families Torn Apart by Deportations for Drug Offenses Human Rights Watch, June, 2015
Bridging the Gap: Improving the Health of Justice-Involved People through Information Technology Vera Institute of Justice, March, 2015
Drivers of Growth in the Federal Prison Population Urban Institute, March, 2015
Federal Justice Statistics, 2012 - Statistical Tables Bureau of Justice Statistics, January, 2015
Review of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Use of Cold Consent Encounters at Mass Transportation Facilities Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, January, 2015
End of an Era? The Impact of Drug Law Reform in New York City Vera Institute of Justice, January, 2015
A Natural Experiment in Reform: Analyzing Drug Policy Change In New York City, Final Report Vera Institute of Justice, January, 2015
Drugs: International Comparators Home Office, October, 2014
Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, September, 2014
The Health Impacts of Prop 47: A Case Story Human Impact Partners, September, 2014
Reforming Marijuana Laws: Which Approach Best Reduces the Harms of Criminalization? A Five-State Analysis Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, September, 2014
Managing Drug-Involved Offenders Department of Justice, July, 2014
Ending the Drug Wars Report of the LSE Expert Group on the Economics of Drug Policy London School of Economics, May, 2014
Recidivism Among Offenders Receiving Retroactive Sentence Reductions The 2007 Crack Cocaine Amendment United States Sentencing Commission, May, 2014
Collateral Costs Racial Disparities and Injustice in Minnesota's Marijuana Laws Minnesota 2020, April, 2014
Investigation of the Drug Laboratory at the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute 2002-2012 Office of the Inspector General Commonwealth of Massachusetts, March, 2014
Reaching too far: How Connecticut's large sentencing enhancement zones miss the mark Prison Policy Initiative, March, 2014
The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on Crime: Evidence from State Panel Data, 1990-2006 Plos One, March, 2014
Impact of opioid substitution therapy on mortality postrelease from prison: retrospective data linkage study National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, February, 2014
Healthcare Not Handcuffs: Putting the Affordable Care Act to Work for Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Reform ACLU, December, 2013
Incarceration is associated with used syringe lending among active injection drug users with detectable plasma HIV-1 RNA: a longitudinal analysis BMC Infectious Diseases, December, 2013
A Lifetime of Punishment: The Impact of the Felony Drug Ban on Welfare Benefits The Sentencing Project, November, 2013
Third Time the Charm? State Laws on Medical Cannabis Distribution and Department of Justice Guidance on Enforcement Americans for Safe Access, November, 2013
A Living Death Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses ACLU, November, 2013
Mortality After Prison Release: Opioid Overdose and Other Causes of Death, Risk Factors, and Time Trends From 1999 to 2009 Ingrid A. Binswanger et al., October, 2013
Drug Testing and Crime-Related Restrictions in TANF, SNAP, and Housing Assistance Congressional Research Service, September, 2013
Results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, September, 2013
Treatment of the Highest-risk Offenders Can Avoid Costs Oregon Secretary of State, August, 2013
The War on Marijuana in Black and White: Billions of Dollars Waster on Racially Biased Arrests American Civil Liberties Union, June, 2013
One Million Police Hours Making 440,000 Marijuana Possession Arrests In New York City, 2002‐2012 Drug Policy Alliance, March, 2013
Blueprint for a Public Health and Safety Approach to Drug Policy New York Academy of Medicine and the Drug Policy Alliance, March, 2013
The War on Drugs: Undermining peace and security International Drug Policy Consortium, February, 2013
ADAM II 2013 Annual Report Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program II, January, 2013
Effective Approaches to Drug Crimes In Texas: Strategies to Reduce Crime, Save Money, and Treat Addiction Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, January, 2013
Does Federal Financial Aid Affect College Enrollment? Evidence from Drug Offenders and the Higher Education Act of 1998 Cornell University, January, 2013
Examining Growth in the Federal Prison Population, 1998 to 2010 Urban Institute, December, 2012
The Growth & Increasing Cost of the Federal Prison System: Drivers and Potential Solutions Urban Institute, December, 2012
Treatment Instead of Prison HIA (Case Story) Human Impact Partners, November, 2012
Florida Senate Report: Review Penalties for Drug-Free Zone Violations Florida Senate, October, 2012
What Have We Done? Mass Incarceration and the Targeting of Albany's Black Males by Federal, State, and Local Authorities Center for Law and Justice, October, 2012
Reducing the U.S. Demand for Illegal Drugs A Report by the United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, June, 2012
The Costs and Benefits of Community-Based Substance Abuse Treatment in the District of Columbia Urban Institute, April, 2012
Eligibility and Capacity Impact Use of Flexibilities to Reduce Inmates' Time Government Accountability Office, February, 2012
Adult Drug Courts Studies Show Courts Reduce Recidivism, but DOJ Could Enhance Future Performance Measure Revision Efforts Government Accountability Office, December, 2011
Breakthrough in U.S. Drug Sentencing Reform The Fair Sentencing Act and the Unfinished Reform Agenda Sentencing Project, November, 2011
Drug Courts Are Not the Answer Toward a Health-Centered Approach to Drug Use Drug Policy Alliance, March, 2011
Cracked Justice Sentencing Project, March, 2011
Addicted to Courts How a Growing Dependence on Drug Courts Impacts People and Communities Justice Policy Institute, March, 2011
The Chicago Lawyers' Committee's Review of Alternatives for Non- Violent Offenders Chicago Lawyers' Committee, 2011
Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission Final Report Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission, December, 2010
America's Problem-Solving Courts The Criminal Costs of Treatment and the Case for Reform National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, September, 2009
Drug Courts: A Review of the Evidence Sentencing Project, April, 2009
Judging Maryland Baltimore Judges on Effective Solutions to Working with Substance Abusers in the Criminal Justice System Justice Policy Institute, March, 2009
The Rockefeller Drug Laws: Unjust, Irrational, Ineffective New York Civil Liberties Union, March, 2009
Reaching too far, coming up short: How large sentencing enhancement zones miss the mark Prison Policy Initiative, January, 2009
The Geography of Punishment: How Huge Sentencing Enhancement Zones Harm Communities, Fail to Protect Children Prison Policy Initiative, July, 2008
Disparity By Geography: The War on Drugs in America's Cities The Sentencing Project, May, 2008
Health and Prisoner Reentry: How Physical, Mental, and Substance Abuse Conditions Shape the Process of Reintegration Urban Institute, February, 2008
The Vortex: The Concentrated Racial Impact of Drug Imprisonment and the Characteristics of Punitive Counties Justice Policy Institute, December, 2007
A 25-Year Quagmire: The War on Drugs and Its Impact on American Society Sentencing Project, September, 2007
Cocaine and Federal Sentencing Policy United States Sentencing Commission, May, 2007
Through a Different Lens: Shifting the Focus on Illinois Drug Policy, An examination of states' solutions and applicability to Illinois Roosevelt University - Institute for Metropolitan Affairs, May, 2007
Supplemental Report on New Jersey's Drug Free Zone Crimes & Proposal For Reform The New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing, April, 2007
DTAP (Drug Treatment Alternative-to-Prison) Sixteenth Annual Report Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney, April, 2007
Evaluation of the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act: Final Report University Of California Los Angeles and Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, April, 2007
New Jersey's Drug Courts, Special Probation and Proposal for Reform The New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing, April, 2007
Changing Direction? State Sentencing Reforms 2004-2006 The Sentencing Project, March, 2007
Cracks in the System: Twenty Years of the Unjust Federal Crack Cocaine Law ACLU, October, 2006
Progress and Challenges: An analysis of drug treatment and imprisonment in Maryland from 2000 to 2005 Justice Policy Institute, September, 2006
Federal Criminal Justice Trends, 2003 Bureau of Justice Statistics, August, 2006
The Next Big Thing? Methamphetamine In the United States Sentencing Project, June, 2006
Evidence-based Treatment of Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Disorders: Potential Benefits, Costs, and Fiscal Impacts for Washington State Washington State Institute for Public Policy, June, 2006
Harmful Drug Law Hits Home: How Many College Students Have Lost Their Financial Aid Due to Drug Convictions? Students for Sensible Drug Policy, May, 2006
Drugs and crime in Ireland Overview 3 Health Research Board, May, 2006
Proposition 36: Five Years Later Justice Policy Institute, April, 2006
Disparity by Design: How drug-free zone laws impact racial disparity - and fail to protect youth Justice Policy Institute, March, 2006
Evaluation of the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act: Cost Analysis Report (first and second years) University Of California Los Angeles and Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, March, 2006
Treatment Instead of Prisons: A Roadmap for Sentencing and Correctional Policy in Wisconsin Justice Strategies, January, 2006
Benefit-Cost in the California Treatment Outcome Project Does Substance Abuse Treatment Susan L. Ettner, David Huange, Elizabeth Evans, et. al. (Published in Health Services Research, Volume 41), January, 2006
Drug Use and Dependence, State and Federal Prisoners, 2004 Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2006
Report on New Jersey's Drug-Free Zone Crimes and Proposal For Reform New Jersey Commission To Review Criminal Sentencing, December, 2005
Mandatory Minimum Sentences Briefing Connecticut General Assembly, December, 2005
Minimum Mandatory Sentence Final Report Connecticut General Assembly, December, 2005
Rethinking the Consequences of Decriminalizing Marijuana The JFA Institute, November, 2005
Efficacy and Impact: The Criminal Justice Response to Marijuana Policy in the United States Justice Policy Institute, August, 2005
Substance Dependence, Abuse, and Treatment of Jail Inmates, 2002 Bureau of Justice Statistics, July, 2005
The War on Marijuana: The Transformation of the War on Drugs in the 1990s Sentencing Project, May, 2005
Who's Really in Prison for Marijuana? Office of National Drug Control Policy, May, 2005
Caught in the Net: The Impact of Drug Policies on Women and Families ACLU, Break the Chains and Brennan Center, March, 2005
Judicial Response to Proposed Substance Abuse Treatment Leg. in Wisc. Results of Three Focus Groups Wisconsin Sentencing Commission, March, 2005
Adult Drug Courts: Evidence Indicates Recidivism Reductions and Mixed Results for Other Outcomes United States Government Accountability Office, February, 2005
Washington's Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative: An Evaluation of Benefits and Costs Washington State Institute for Public Policy, January, 2005
Crimes of Indiscretion: Marijuana Arrests in the United States NORML Foundation (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), 2005
Unjust and Counterproductive: New York's Rockefeller Drug Laws Physicians for Human Rights, September, 2004
Race and Drug Law Enforcement in Seattle Defender Association's Racial Disparity Project, May, 2004
Arizona Prison Crisis: A Call for Smart on Crime Solutions Families Against Mandatory Minimums, May, 2004
Treatment or Incarceration: National and State Findings on the Efficacy and Cost Savings of Drug Treatment Versus Imprisonment Justice Policy Institute, March, 2004
Drug Abuse in America: Rural Meth Council of State Governments, March, 2004
Cost and Benefits? The Impact of Drug Imprisonment in New Jersey Justice Policy Institute, November, 2003
State of the States: Drug Policy Reforms, 1996-2002 Drug Policy Alliance, September, 2003
Drug Policies in the State of Michigan: Economic Effects Justice Policy Institute, May, 2003
The Economics of Drug Selling: A Review of the Research Sentencing Project, April, 2003
Washington State's Drug Courts for Adult Defendants: Outcome Evaluation and Cost-Benefit Analysis Washington State Institute for Public Policy, March, 2003
Drug Treatment in the Criminal Justice System The Current State of Knowledge Urban Institute, January, 2003
Drug Use and Justice 2002: An Examination of California Drug Policy Enforcement Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, December, 2002
Trends in Substance Abuse and Treatment Needs Among Inmates Final Reports National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS), October, 2002
Population Impact of Mass Incarceration under New York's Rockefeller Drug Laws: an Analysis of Years of Life Lost Ernest Drucker, September, 2002
Distorted Priorities: Drug Offenders in State Prisons Sentencing Project, September, 2002
Drug War Facts Common Sense for Drug Policy, May, 2002
The War on Drugs and the War on Abortion: Some Initial Thoughts on the Connections, Intersections, and the Effects Lynn Paltrow, May, 2002
Drug and Crime Facts Bureau of Justice Statistics, May, 2002
Defining the Disparity -Taking A Closer Look: Do Drug Use Patterns Explain Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Drug Arrests in Minnesota Council on Crime and Justice, April, 2002
Race and Class Penalties in Crack Cocaine Sentencing Sentencing Project, 2002
Why the Department of Justice is Wrong About Cocaine Sentencing Sentencing Project, 2002
Pulse Check: Trends in Drug Abuse November 2001 Office of National Drug Control Policy, November, 2001
Survey on Drug Use and Drug Policy Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, September, 2001
Drug Policy and the Criminal Justice System Sentencing Project, August, 2001
Federal Drug Offenders, 1999 with Trends 1984-99 Bureau of Justice Statistics,, August, 2001
An Empirical Study of the School Zone Law in Three Cities in Massachusetts Join Together, July, 2001
Drugs and Disparity: The Racial Impact of Illinois' Practice of Transferring Young Drug Offenders Building Blocks for Youth, April, 2001
Drug War Clock Drug Sense, 2001
Crack Cocaine Sentencing Policy: Unjustified and Unreasonable Sentencing Project, 2001
Drug Use and Justice: An Examination of California Drug Policy Enforcement Justice Policy Institute, October, 2000
Poor Prescription: The Costs of Imprisoning Drug Offenders in the United States Justice Policy Institute, July, 2000
Collateral Casualties Children of Incarcerated Drug Offenders in New York Human Rights Watch, June, 2000
Punishment and Prejudice: Racial Disparities in the War on Drugs Human Rights Watch, May, 2000
Drug Use, Testing, and Treatment in Jails Bureau of Justice Statistics, May, 2000
Do Drug Courts Save Jail and Prison Beds? Vera Institute of Justice, 2000
Some Days Are Harder Than Hard: Welfare Reform and Women With Drug Convictions in Pennsylvania Center for Law and Social Policy, December, 1999
Gender and Justice: Women, Drugs, and Sentencing Policy Sentencing Project, October, 1999
The Path to Prison: A Response to The Governor's Assessment of Drug Offender Incarceration Rates Human Rights Watch, May, 1999
Substance Abuse and Treatment of State and Federal Prisoners, 1997 Bureau of Justice Statistics, January, 1999
Official Data Reveal Most New York Drug Offenders Are Nonviolent Human Rights Watch, January, 1999
Who Goes to Prison for Drug Offenses? A Rebuttal to the New York State District Attorneys Association Human Rights Watch, January, 1999
Double Jeopardy: An Assessment of the Felony Drug Provision of the Welfare Reform Act Justice Policy Institute, October, 1998
Substance Abuse and Treatment of Adults on Probation, 1995 Bureau of Justice Statistics, March, 1998
Behind Bars: Substance Abuse and America's Prison Population Charles E. Culpeper Foundation and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January, 1998
Profile of anti-drug law enforcement in urban poverty areas in Massachusetts William N. Brownsberger, November, 1997
Cruel and Usual: Disproportionate Sentences for New York Drug Offenders Human Rights Watch, March, 1997
Mandatory Minimum Sentences: Throwing Away the Key or the Taxpayers Money? RAND Foundation, 1997
Race and drug law enforcement in the state of Georgia Human Rights Watch, July, 1996
Does the punishment fit the crime? Drug users and drunk drivers, questions of race and class Sentencing Project, May, 1993
War on Drugs: New York Policies and Some Sober Thoughts New York State Coalition for Criminal Justice, September, 1989