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Prison Gerrymandering and Reform Efforts

This page includes reports on prison gerrymandering in 24 states – 13 states with and 11 states without statewide reforms in the 2021 redistricting cycle.

States that implemented reforms did so by reallocating some incarcerated people to their last known address and creating an adjusted population dataset that is used for redistricting. Our national report analyzes the impact of these reforms, highlighting how policy choices and data quality affect the extent to which reform is implemented.

States with statewide prison gerrymandering reforms in the 2021 redistricting cycle
A map of which states implemented reforms in the 2021 redistricting cycle

Reports estimating the impact of prison gerrymandering in 11 states without statewide reforms are also available. Learn where incarcerated people were counted, and how prison gerrymandering is estimated to affect the populations of congressional and state legislative districts.

The estimated effect of prison gerrymandering on Texas' congressional districts
The estimated change in population by race and ethnicity in Texas as a result of prison gerrymandering

Prison Gerrymandering

Learn what prison gerrymandering is and how it affects redistricting and representation

States that Adjust the Census Data for Redistricting

Track which states are using the PL 94-171 census data with or without adjustment for the purposes of legislative or congressional redistricting

National Report on 13 States with Statewide Prison Gerrymandering Reforms

State Reports Estimating the Effect of Prison Gerrymandering