WPA provides women and gender-diverse people impacted by incarceration and injustice with the essential services and advocacy needed to remain in their communities, heal, and thrive.
500+
WOMEN SERVED
Each year, we support and empower hundreds of justice-impacted women and their families
1845
WPA Established
The nation's first
organization dedicated to serving women impacted by incarceration
Our mission is to make the incarceration of women obsolete.
Our Care Model
Our programs are made by women, for women. We utilize a gender-responsive, trauma-informed model of support that centers on:
Community-Based Supports
We support women and their families in their communities and prioritize housing, health, employment, and restorative justice over punishment.
Alternatives to Incarceration
We are changing carceral system practices and policies. We work with the courts to keep women at home with their loved ones rather than serving sentences.
Safe and Stable Housing
By ensuring justice-impacted women can access housing, we are removing one of the biggest barriers keeping them from stability and success.
Trauma-Informed Clinical Care
Through compassionate practices and harm reduction strategies, we support clients impacted by trauma and histories of violence.
Connect
2025 Impact Report
WPA is proud to share our 2024–2025 Impact Report, highlighting a year of measurable progress and meaningful support for women impacted by incarceration and injustice.
Books Are Magic
During the month of February, if you buy a book online or in-person from a curated list, a percentage of sales supports WPA!
In The News
Keeping Mothers Out of Jail (CNN)
“I think the biggest misconception is that you have to be a criminal to be in jail, like a misfit or degenerate or there’s got to be something wrong with you.”
How the Women’s Prison Association Is Working to Keep Mothers With Their Children (Vogue)
"I went to the foster care agency, and was like, ‘You might as well give me a cubicle, because I will be here every day until I get my kids back.’”
The Sex Abuse to Prison Pipeline (Marie Claire)
“I relapsed because I went back to what I knew would comfort me. I felt at that point, drugs were all I had.”