Learn more about the Institute on Women & Criminal Justice.

Read The Punitiveness Report. HARD HIT: The Growth of Imprisonment of Women, 1977–2004.

Latest Institute News, Publications, and Events:

New Report: Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment
May 11, 2009 - WPA announces the release of our national report on prison nurseries and community-based alternatives. Read the press release and the full report.

Women's Voices: Formerly Incarcerated Women Lead the Way
March 3, 2009 - WPA's newest report spotlights the efforts of women around the country who are rolling up their sleeves, using their voices, and working to reduce our nation's reliance on incarceration. Read the report.

Investing in Education in Prisons and Communities
February 2, 2009 - Members of the Women's Advocacy Project, WPA's leadership and advocacy program for formerly incarcerated women, have released their 2009 policy recommendations on expanding access to education.

Panel: From Prison to Empowerment
Event: On January 28th at 6:30 PM, WPA will co-sponsor a panel discussion at NYU's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service: From Prison to Empowerment: Women Advocates Take on the Criminal Justice System.  Learn more and RSVP.

Women's Advocacy Project Graduation: Investing in Education
Event: Join us on January 29th as advocates from the Women's Advocacy Project's sixth class present their policy recommendations on investing in education in prison and in the community.  Download the invitation.

New Directions for Drug Policy in New York
Event: WPA is proud to partner with the Drug Policy Alliance and the New York Academy of Medicine on their two-day conference, New Directions for New York: A Public Health and Safety Approach to Drug Policy, on January 22nd and 23rd.  Click here to learn more.

In the News: How Madoff Hurt Women's Groups
January 7, 2009: WPA speaks out about the impact of the Madoff scandal on organizations working for women's rights.  Read the story on Salon.com.

In the News: Lullabies Behind Bars
Fall 2008: Ms. Magazine features WPA in this article about prison nurseries in the United States.  Read it online.

WPA Practice Brief: Mentoring Women in Reentry
October 31, 2008 - A mentor can help a woman navigate reentry into her community following incarceration. This new WPA Practice Brief explores the concept of reentry mentoring, and offers examples of programs around the country. Download it now.

2008 Stats on Incarcerated Mothers: WPA Briefing Sheet
October 31, 2008 - WPA presents a summary of the latest statistics on incarcerated mothers from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Download it here.

WPA Policy Director Named Recipient of Cornerstone Award
May 22, 2008 - Sarah From, Director of Public Policy & Communications at WPA has been selected as one of four national winners of the Cornerstone Awards, sponsored by the Jewish Funds for Justice. The awards honor young Jews working for social change.

Event: Financial Consequences of Criminal Convictions
WPA will take part in a panel discussion of how fines, fees, and surcharges affect people convicted of criminal offenses.

Sponsor: The New York County Laywers' Association
Date and Time: May 15, 2008 - 6:00 PM
Location: NYCLA Home of Law, 14 Vesey Street, Manhattan

Panelists: Sarah B. From (WPA); Hon. Hakim Jeffries (NYS Assembly); Glenn Martin (Fortune Society); Alan Rosenthal (Center for Community Alternatives); Michael Yavinsky (NYC Criminal Court)
Moderator: David Udell (Brennan Center for Justice)

You must RSVP to attend.

Shifting Resources from Prisons to Communities
January 23, 2008 - WPA's Women's Advocacy Project released policy recommendations calling for New York to shift resources from incarceration to services in communities.

WPA Joins the Call for Fair and Rational Parole Policies
January 15, 2008 - WPA joined with a coalition of over a dozen other criminal justice non-profits to call for rational and fair parole policies in New York State.

Women Continue to Lead Imprisonment Growth Trend in 2006
December 5, 2007 - WPA analysis of the latest federal prison, probation, and parole statistics reveals dramatic growth in women's criminal justice involvement.

Addressing Women's Incarceration: A Survey of State Efforts
November 2007 - A new online resource from WPA highlights 20 state-level commissions and task forces created to face the challenges presented by growth in women’s criminal justice involvement. Providing links to authorizing legislation, final reports, as well as other information generated by these bodies, this resource is meant to serve as a tool for decision-makers and concerned community members.

WPA Testifies at NY State Sentencing Commission Hearing
November 13, 2007- WPA testified before the New York State Commission on Sentencing Reform today in response to the Commission's preliminary report.

Over 2.4 Million Women Arrested in 2006; More Than 200,000 for Drug Crimes
September 27, 2007 - According to data released by the FBI this week, over 2.4 million women were arrested in 2006, accounting for nearly a quarter of all arrests in the U.S. Nationwide, the number of women arrested increased by 4% from 1997 to 2006. During the same ten-year period, the number of men arrested decreased by 7.1%. Further analysis reveals the following trends:

The War on Drugs drives increase in arrests of women
Women continue to be hard hit by the war on drugs. Between 1997 and 2006, women’s arrests for drug abuse violations rose by 29.9%, while men’s arrests for the same type of crimes rose by 15.7%. Over 200,000 adult women were arrested for drug abuse violations in 2006, an increase of nearly 23% from 2002.

Violent crime arrests of women down
The number of both women and men arrested for violent crimes has decreased over the past ten years. Men show a sharper decline in these arrests (-14%) than women (-2.7%) when data from the years 1997 and 2006 are compared. In 2006, women made up 17.8% of those arrested for violent crimes. The number of women arrested for violent crimes in 2006 was slightly lower than in 2005.

Decline in property crime arrests of women
Arrests for property crime were down among women and men, though women experienced a slower decline than men. (Property crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.) The number of women arrested for property crimes was down 18.3% between 1997 and 2006, while the number for men decreased by 27.1% over the same ten-year period.

Increase in arrests of women for DUI
Women have experienced a 29.1% increase in arrests for driving under the influence (DUI) since 1997, while men have seen a decline of 6% in arrests for the same offense over the same period of time. There was a 7.3% increase in arrests of women for DUI between 2005 and 2006.

Women Over Four Times More Likely to be Convicted of a Non-Violent Felony than a Violent Felony in 2004 - BJS

July 27, 2007 – According to a report released today by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), women made up more than a quarter of all people convicted of felony property offenses in state courts in 2004. Twenty-six percent of those convicted of felony property crimes were women, compared to 18% of those convicted of felony drug crimes, 10% of those convicted of violent felonies, and 4% of those convicted of felony weapons crimes. Women were more than 4 times more likely to be convicted of a non-violent felony (property or drug crime) than they were to be convicted of a violent felony. According to the Institute on Women & Criminal Justice’s own research, the number of women in prison grew by 757% between 1977 and 2004. See the full BJS report.

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