PJIL Publications
See publications in the following categories:
Transparency & Oversight (Featured Publications)
Recent Developments in Prison Oversight in the US: Building Bipartisan Momentum (2018-2026)
This Policy Brief reviews recent developments in the correctional oversight field in the United States, with particular attention to how bipartisan cooperation has shaped the creation of these bodies, and how their design and funding determine their effectiveness. The brief provides profiles of the nine states that have established independent prison oversight bodies since 2018, as well as the Federal Prison Oversight Act, and highlights other notable developments. The analysis reveals that the establishment of an oversight body is a significant first step, but its long-term impact depends on whether lawmakers pair enabling legislation with the resources and support necessary for meaningful implementation.
Recommendations For Revised Jail Standards, Oversight, and Programming for Jails in the State of Louisiana
This report was published in response to House Concurrent Resolution No. 89 (HCR89), which was passed by the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2021. HCR89 directed PJIL to work with the Louisiana Sheriffs Association and the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections to expand upon Louisiana's Basic Jail Guidelines (BJG). In this report, Michele and Alycia recommend modifications to the BJG, changes to existing methods of enforcement, and pathways for expanding programming in local jails.
But Who Oversees the Overseers? The Status of Prison and Jail Oversight in the United States
Updating and expanding upon Michele’s 50-state inventory of prison oversight models published in 2010, this article provides background information about the nature, value, and history of correctional oversight; documents the shifting landscape and increasing momentum around the oversight issue over the last decade; and provides a comprehensive assessment of the state of prison and jail oversight in the US today.
Health & Safety (Featured Publications)
The Nightmare of Sleep in Prison
PJIL has released a new report, The Nightmare of Sleep in Prison, exposing the impact of chronic sleep disruption in U.S. prisons and jails. The report draws on scientific research, first-person accounts from currently and formerly incarcerated people, insights from corrections officials, and oversight reports from across the country to examine how routine conditions and operational practices in carceral settings impact the ability of incarcerated people to experience restorative sleep. Chronic sleep loss affects the physical and mental health of people in custody, can contribute to tension and violence inside facilities, and may undermine rehabilitative efforts. The report offers practical recommendations for corrections agencies and policymakers aimed at improving sleep conditions while supporting safety and operational goals.
Trapped in Time: The Silent Crisis of Elderly Incarceration
This report, released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) National Prison Project in partnership with PJIL, exposes the humanitarian and fiscal challenges of a rapidly aging prison population.
The report recommends expanding compassionate release, revisiting long sentences, improving age-appropriate health care and ensuring ADA compliance. Author Alyssa Gordon of the ACLU, with the PJIL team as co-authors, notes that these reforms “will save taxpayers money, limit unnecessary incarceration and lead to a safer and more dignified setting for elderly individuals who remain in prison.”
Research for the report was conducted by students in Deitch’s Advanced Research class at the LBJ School last year.
Deaths in Custody Conference 2024: Proceedings
In November of 2024, we hosted a two-day conference on Deaths in Custody. We assembled an incredible group of speakers to lead our discussion of these issues, and there was tremendous expertise among our audience participants as well. Our speakers and participants included: oversight practitioners; medical professionals; researchers; people with lived experience; journalists; advocates; corrections officials; academics; litigators; and more.
The conference offered an opportunity for collective reflection by the country’s leading experts on prison and jail conditions on one of the most critical, challenging, and urgent issues in our field. We hope that these proceedings capture the information, expertise, and wisdom that was shared over the course of the conference.
Women in Custody (Featured Publications)
The Pandemic Gender Gap Behind Bars: Meeting the Needs of Women in Custody During COVID-19 and Planning for the Future
This report examines the distinct harms that women in custody experience during incarceration and highlights the ways in which correctional agencies’ COVID-19 restrictions are exacerbating those harms. The report recommends a set of gender-responsive approaches to COVID precautions in corrections facilities that would simultaneously strengthen public health and improve outcomes for women, their families, and communities.
Designing and Planning a New Women’s Jail Facility for Travis County: A Roadmap for Reform
As Chair and member, respectively, on the Travis County Sheriff’s Women’s Jail Advisory Committee in 2018, Michele and Alycia detail a vision for a reimagined, gender-responsive facility for women in custody at the Travis County Correctional Complex.
Youth Justice (Featured Publications)
Juveniles in the Adult Criminal Justice System in Texas
This report examines all available Texas data with respect to certified juveniles and compares them to the population of juveniles who receive determinate sentences and are placed in TYC. It also compares the significant differences in programming and services for the two populations of juvenile offenders.
Desktop Guide to Quality Practice for Working with Youth in Confinement, Chapter 14
Michele and Alycia researched and drafted a chapter of NIC’s Desktop Guide to Quality Practice for Working with Youth in Confinement on ways to manage the behavior of youth in confinement.
From Time Out to Hard Time: Young Children in the Adult Criminal Justice System
This report offers set of recommendations directed to policy-makers to reconsider policies that allow for the trial and harsh sentencing of pre-adolescent children in the adult criminal justice system. It was the focus of a lead editorial in the New York Times, "12 and Under in Prison."