Seeking to reduce the use of incarceration is an essential part of WPA's mission. We fulfill this mission through our Hopper Home Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) program and our advocacy efforts to increase investment in community-based responses to crime.
After more than 15 years, the Women’s Prison Association’s residential alternative to incarceration (ATI) program closed its doors on October 1st, 2010. For the past several years, we have experienced cuts to the funding for this program. This year’s additional, known reductions in funding, coupled with uncertainty about the State budget and possible additional mid-year cuts, led us to the difficult decision to suspend operation.
During the program’s operation, hundreds of women found refuge, a way to be accountable, and a renewed sense of possibility at Hopper Home. Today, these women are successful members of their communities, working in a wide range of jobs, and contributing to the health and safety of their families and neighborhoods.
Over the years, we have seen that women who completed our ATI were far less likely to return to prison than their counterparts who served prison sentences.
We remain committed to the principle that community-based supervision is a more constructive approach to addressing and reducing the likelihood for additional criminal behavior. In community settings, women are faced with the challenges of daily living and have the opportunity to test new ways of responding in a range of situations.
We aspire to re-open our residential ATI, and, as always, promote the use of non-incarcerative responses to crime whenever possible.
