by Sarah Staudt, September 28, 2026

Every state and the federal government has transparency laws on the books that allow the public to access a huge range of government documents. The information contained in these documents can be invaluable in advocacy efforts to change the criminal legal system. Information about who’s in jail and prison, how they’re being treated, and how incarceration functions is usually just an email away.

Often, though, criminal legal system advocates feel intimidated by the records request process and don’t use this valuable tool. It doesn’t help that government agencies often stymie records requests however they can, using technical language and loopholes to avoid providing information.

Join the Prison Policy Initiative on October 27, 2026, from 1:30-3:00 EST for a discussion demystifying records requests. We’ll share highlights from our records request toolkit, including the basics of making a request, and tips and tricks we’ve learned over decades of sending requests to jails, prisons, and other agencies that can make your requests more effective.

We’ll also be joined by Mike Wessler, who formerly served in communications roles for a number of government agencies and has been on the receiving side of records requests. Mike is now the Prison Policy Initiative’s Communications Director, and will give his perspective on why agencies seem to work so hard to avoid giving out information, and how to get past common roadblocks to get the information you need.

Register for the webinar