Sustainable Action Now

Private Prisons

The Hidden Census Crisis: Why Counting Incarcerated People Correctly Matters for Democracy, Justice, and the Future of the 2030 Census

Private Prisons, Politics, SAN News / /

Across the United States, the census is treated as a cornerstone of democracy. Every ten years the nation undertakes the monumental task of counting every resident to determine political representation, federal funding allocation, and the demographic realities that shape national policy for the decade that follows. Yet buried inside this process is a longstanding structural […]

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Reform Rollbacks in Washington D.C. Signal a Dangerous Shift in Criminal Justice Policy and a Warning for State-Level Advocates Across the Nation

Politics, Private Prisons, SAN News / /

Across the United States, criminal justice reform has evolved into one of the defining public policy debates of the modern era. Over the past two decades, reform movements have gained traction in cities, states, and federal institutions alike, fueled by growing awareness of mass incarceration, racial disparities in sentencing, and the social and economic costs

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Hunger as Punishment: How States Restrict SNAP Benefits for People on Probation — And Why Food Should Never Be a Tool of Control

Private Prisons, Prison Plantations, SAN News / /

In the United States, punishment does not always end at sentencing. For many people placed on probation, the penalties extend far beyond court supervision. They reach into housing, employment, voting rights, and increasingly, access to food. A newly added analysis titled “Hunger as punishment: How states restrict SNAP benefits for people on probation” on the

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Assemblyman Joe Danielsen Calls for Immediate Divestment From GEO Group — A Defining Moment for New Jersey’s Public Pension Ethics and Private Prison Accountability

Private Prisons, SAN News / /

New Jersey is once again at the center of a national reckoning over private prisons, immigrant detention, and the ethical responsibility of public pension investments. In a forceful letter sent today to Governor Mikie Sherrill, Assemblyman Joe Danielsen (D-17), Chair of the Public Safety and Preparedness Committee, called for the immediate divestment of approximately $800,000

Assemblyman Joe Danielsen Calls for Immediate Divestment From GEO Group — A Defining Moment for New Jersey’s Public Pension Ethics and Private Prison Accountability Read More »

Recognizing & Resisting the “Carceral Humanist” Narrative in Criminal Justice Reform — A Critical Conversation on Dismantling the Private Prison Mindset

Private Prisons, SAN News / /

On February 25, 2026 at 1 p.m. EST, Sustainable Action Now urges advocates, policy leaders, researchers, and community organizers to attend a critical national webinar examining one of the most urgent and misunderstood dynamics in modern criminal justice reform: How do we recognize and resist “carceral humanist” narratives that soften the language of incarceration without

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Specialty Courts — A Disappointing Form of Diversion

Private Prisons, SAN News / /

Across the United States, specialty courts—often branded as treatment courts, problem-solving courts, or accountability courts—are increasingly promoted as a humane alternative to incarceration. These courts are typically designed for people facing charges connected to substance use, mental health needs, or other social vulnerabilities. Their promise is appealing: address the “root causes” of criminalized behavior, reduce

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How Missed Court Dates Fuel Mass Incarceration and the Private Prison Pipeline

Private Prisons / /

In the public imagination, jail is often associated with serious crimes, violent offenses, or lengthy trials. The reality of the American justice system is far more mundane—and far more troubling. A staggering number of people are jailed not because they have been convicted of a crime, but because they failed to show up for a

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Rural Incarcerated Populations at Risk as Hospital Closures Loom Under “One Big Beautiful Bill”

Private Prisons, SAN News / /

Explore more on private prisons and reform → In the United States, nearly half of all incarcerated individuals are housed in rural jails and prisons, often isolated in communities with limited infrastructure and few healthcare options. For these populations, access to medical care is already a daily struggle. Now, proposed federal legislation threatens to make

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Highlights from a Transformative Year at the Prison Policy Initiative

Private Prisons, Politics, SAN News / /

At Sustainable Action Now, we are committed to examining systems that impact human rights, justice, and social equity. One area where scrutiny is especially critical is the private prison system in the United States. Recent insights from the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) highlight a year of intensive research, advocacy, and data-driven action aimed at addressing

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Investigating Parole Systems and Reform Through “Parole in Perspective”

Private Prisons / /

Understanding how parole systems operate in the United States is a crucial step toward meaningful criminal justice reform. With thousands of individuals navigating complex and often opaque parole processes every year, transparency and informed reporting are essential to ensure fairness, accountability, and public awareness. Sustainable Action Now highlights how journalists, advocates, and engaged citizens can

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Florida’s Political Power Struggles, Executions, and the Erosion of Justice

Death Penalty, Innocence Project, Politics, Private Prisons, SAN News / /

Florida finds itself at the center of two overlapping crises — one political, one moral — both revealing deep fractures in governance, justice, and humanity. On one side, Republican leaders in the state are pressing to redraw congressional maps before the 2026 midterm elections, citing what they call a flawed federal census that allegedly undercounted

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U.S. Leads Global Rates of Women’s Incarceration in 2025

Private Prisons, SAN News / /

A new report released in 2025 has once again drawn attention to a troubling reality: the United States continues to lead the world in the incarceration of women. According to the latest data shared by the Prison Policy Blog, every U.S. state now outranks most democratic countries in the rate at which women are imprisoned.

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Vermont’s Redistricting Crisis When Census Policy Undermines Democracy

SAN News, Politics, Private Prisons, Voting / /

Why Vermont’s Democracy is Being Distorted—And How Lawmakers Can Fix It Before 2030 In a nation that prides itself on “one person, one vote,” an obscure federal policy is quietly undermining democracy in Vermont—and across many parts of the country. The 2020 Census once again distorted Vermont’s legislative redistricting process, creating imbalanced voting districts due

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U.S. Women’s Incarceration Rates Surpass Global Democracies

Private Prisons, SAN News / /

The United States has long been known for its massive prison population, but a new 2025 report underscores a grim reality: every single U.S. state now outranks nearly all democratic countries when it comes to incarcerating women. This revelation places America at the very center of a global crisis in women’s imprisonment, raising urgent questions

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Youth Confinement in 2025 – Progress in Numbers, Setbacks in Justice

Private Prisons / /

A new analysis reveals troubling realities about youth confinement in the United States. While the overall number of young people in confinement has gone down in recent years, racial disparities are actually worsening. This contradiction underscores the urgent need to confront systemic inequalities, rethink juvenile justice policies, and push back against harmful legislation that seeks

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