Common Cause Illinois executive director Jay Young and Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) discuss the effort to end prison gerrymandering on the latest episode of The CloutCast.

In January, when Illinois lawmakers approved a comprehensive measure to overhaul criminal justice and policing, the legislation contained a provision that would effectively end so-called “prison gerrymandering.”

Today, prisoners across the country are counted by the U.S. Census as residents of legislative districts where the prisons are located, rather than at a person’s last known address. Critics of the process say it artificially inflates the population of counties with prisons, where inmates cannot vote, while giving those areas more federal money. At the same time, counties with a significant portion of residents who are sent to prison but don’t have a facility are at a disadvantage.