The Sentencing Project

The Sentencing Project
Name	The Sentencing Project
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	1986
Founders	Joan Petersilia; Malcolm Feeley
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Focus	Criminal justice reform; sentencing policy; incarceration policy

The Sentencing Project The Sentencing Project is an American nonprofit advocacy group focusing on criminal sentencing reform, mass incarceration, and racial disparities in punishment. Founded in 1986, it engages in research, policy analysis, litigation support, and public education to influence legislative and administrative change. The organization has interacted with a wide range of actors in the fields of law, civil rights, and public policy.

History

The Sentencing Project was established in 1986 during debates that involved figures and institutions such as Ronald Reagan, William J. Bennett, Newt Gingrich, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, and scholars connected to Stanford University and UC Berkeley. Early work intersected with landmark events and reforms like the passage of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, the expansion of mandatory minimums associated with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, and policy trends traced to the War on Drugs era. Founders and early affiliates included academic leaders and criminal justice scholars who published alongside legal scholars at institutions such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and Columbia Law School. The organization’s trajectory related to national dialogues featuring advocates and officials including John Ashcroft, Eric Holder, Kamala Harris, and advocacy groups like the ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Brennan Center for Justice.

Mission and Activities

The Sentencing Project’s stated mission centers on reducing mass incarceration, addressing racial disparities in punishment, and promoting evidence-based sentencing alternatives through policy change. Its activities have involved collaborations and communications with entities such as the United States Congress, the Supreme Court of the United States, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and state legislatures in jurisdictions like California, Texas, New York (state), and Florida. The organization has provided expert testimony to committees chaired by members such as Charles Grassley, Patrick Leahy, Kamala Harris (Senator), and Cory Booker, and submitted amicus briefs in cases argued before courts, including matters connected to rulings from the Supreme Court of the United States and circuit courts like the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Research and Publications

Research and publications produced by the group include reports, fact sheets, and policy briefs addressing incarceration trends, racial disparities, juvenile sentencing, and collateral consequences. Reports have cited data sources and interacted with statistical work from agencies and organizations such as the Bureau of Justice Statistics, United States Census Bureau, Pew Charitable Trusts, Urban Institute, and academic journals published by presses like Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Publications have analyzed issues with reference to landmark legal decisions and statutes including Roper v. Simmons, Graham v. Florida, Miller v. Alabama, and provisions of the First Step Act. The Sentencing Project’s research has been cited in scholarship alongside work by scholars from Princeton University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, and think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and American Enterprise Institute.

Policy Advocacy and Impact

The organization’s advocacy has contributed to legislative reforms at federal and state levels, influencing debates around sentencing reductions, parole reform, and alternatives to incarceration. Its work intersects with reforms such as the FIRST STEP Act, state ballot measures in places like California Proposition 47 (2014), and legislative efforts in states like New Mexico, Louisiana, and Texas. The Sentencing Project has partnered with advocacy networks including the Sentencing Reform Advocacy Network, civil rights organizations such as the NAACP, and community groups involved with campaigns connected to leaders like Bryan Stevenson and organizations like the Equal Justice Initiative. The group’s testimony and reports have been relied upon by policymakers associated with governors such as Gavin Newsom and Jared Polis and legislators including Elizabeth Warren and Rand Paul when discussing sentencing policy.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The Sentencing Project operates from offices in Washington, D.C. with an executive leadership and research staff model similar to organizations such as the Brennan Center for Justice and Vera Institute of Justice. Its governance includes a board of directors composed of academics, former public officials, and legal practitioners connected to institutions like Rutgers University, Georgetown University, and Michigan State University. Funding sources have included foundations and donors active in criminal justice reform such as the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and philanthropic programs allied with Arnold Ventures and Carnegie Corporation of New York; partnerships and grants have involved collaborations with entities like the Justice Policy Institute and regional legal clinics. The Sentencing Project’s staffing and consultancy have featured collaborations with researchers affiliated with Yale University, University of Michigan, and Johns Hopkins University.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques of the organization have come from diverse quarters, including conservative commentators and criminal justice stakeholders connected to institutions like The Heritage Foundation and public officials such as Jeff Sessions, who have questioned policy prescriptions like sentencing reductions. Academic critics from departments at universities such as Texas A&M University and think tanks including the American Enterprise Institute have debated methodological choices in reports that rely on sources like the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Controversies have also engaged media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as commentary from legal scholars associated with Georgetown University Law Center and NYU School of Law, over the framing of racial disparity metrics and the role of advocacy groups in litigation strategy.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.