Prison Reform Resources: Organisations & Support

A curated directory of organisations working on prison reform, reentry and criminal justice in the United States. Every entry below is a real, active organisation with a direct link. We have grouped them by what they actually do, because “prison reform” covers very different kinds of work.

Research and Data Organisations

Where to go for numbers you can cite. These are the primary sources most journalism and policy work draws on.

Bureau of Justice Statistics — the federal statistical agency for criminal justice. Recidivism, prison population and correctional data.
Prison Policy Initiative — publishes the annual Whole Pie report covering the total incarcerated population across all facility types.
Vera Institute of Justice — jail and prison population research, including county-level data.
The Sentencing Project — sentencing policy research and state-level analysis.
National Institute of Justice — the research arm of the US Department of Justice.
RAND Corporation — correctional education and rehabilitation research.

Legal Advocacy and Litigation

Equal Justice Initiative — legal representation and advocacy on sentencing, prison conditions and racial justice.
Brennan Center for Justice — policy research and litigation, based at NYU School of Law.
ACLU — civil liberties litigation including prison conditions and sentencing.
Innocence Project — works to overturn wrongful convictions.
Prison Legal News — reporting on prisoners’ rights and correctional litigation.

Policy and Reform Advocacy

FAMM — campaigns against mandatory minimum sentencing.
R Street Institute — criminal justice reform from a limited-government perspective.
The Marshall Project — nonprofit newsroom covering the US criminal justice system.
American Bar Association — criminal justice policy and sentencing standards.

Reentry and Direct Support

Organisations working directly with people coming home, and with their families.

National Reentry Resource Center — federally supported clearinghouse for reentry programmes and research.
Goodwill Industries — employment training and placement, including second-chance hiring programmes.
Federal Bonding Program (US Dept. of Labor) — free fidelity bonding for employers hiring people with records.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (US Dept. of Labor) — tax credit for employers hiring people facing barriers to employment.
US Department of Housing and Urban Development — public housing policy and local housing authority information.

Government Bodies

Federal Bureau of Prisons — the federal prison system; inmate locator and population statistics.
US Department of Justice — federal criminal justice policy.
National Institute of Corrections — training and technical assistance for correctional agencies.
US Sentencing Commission — federal sentencing guidelines and data.

Finding Help in Your State

Most reentry support is delivered locally, not nationally. The three most useful starting points are your state Department of Corrections reentry office, your state workforce agency (which administers the Federal Bonding Program and WOTC certification), and your local public housing authority. Requirements and programmes differ significantly between states.

This directory lists organisations for reference. Inclusion is not endorsement, and we have no affiliation with them unless stated. Last reviewed August 2026 — if a link is broken or an organisation should be added, please let us know.

Prison Reform Resources