End women's mass incarceration.
End women's mass incarceration.
Reduce harm.
Reduce harm.
Improve health, well-being and outcomes.
Improve health, well-being and outcomes.
Women are the fastest growing population of a criminal legal system
that was never properly researched or designed to address their unique strengths, risks, needs and pathways before, during and after incarceration.
Our mission is to change that.
Transforming Justice Together
Transforming Justice Together
The WJI is a dynamic national "think and do" tank that consults and collaborates across sectors to build innovative and transformative solutions to women's mass incarceration. Our work is anchored by the leadership of system-impacted women and advanced by broad and deep partnerships with diverse justice system stakeholders.
Featured Project
Join the WJI and the ACLU of Illinois
for the Launch of
EXPECTING JUSTICE:
The Status of Pregnancy and Reproductive Health Care Policies in Illinois County Jails
MARCH 26 2024 from 2-4pm CST
Join the WJI and the ACLU of Illinois
for the Launch of
EXPECTING JUSTICE:
The Status of Pregnancy and Reproductive Health Care Policies in Illinois County Jails
MARCH 26 2024 from 2-4pm CST
Work with Us
The WJI provides dynamic training and technical assistance, cutting-edge assessments and strategic planning, and innovative policy, practice and program architecture services (and more). We provide support for cross-sector systems stakeholders seeking to transform they way they work with and for system-impacted women in gender responsive, trauma informed, holistic and impactful ways before, during and after incarceration.
Contact us to learn more about ways we can work together.
It's Time for a Closer Look.
80% of women in jails are mothers. Most of them are primary caretakers of their children.
The number of women in local jails increased 44% between 2000 and 2013 and the women’s jail population is now 14 times higher today than it was in 1970.
Since 1980 the number of women in U.S. prisons has increased by more than 700% and has outpaced men by more than 50%.
While women represent a smaller percentage of the overall justice population, they continue to be the fastest growing.
700%
700%
44%
44%
80%
80%
44%
44%
80%
80%
Collaborate with the WJI
Dynamic Systems-Level Assessments
& Holistic Strategic Planning
Dynamic Systems-Level Assessments
& Holistic Strategic Planning
Arts & Innovation
Arts & Innovation
Holistic Agency-level Assessments &
Cutting-edge Training
Holistic Agency-level Assessments &
Cutting-edge Training
Powerful Advcocacy & Mutual Support
Powerful Advcocacy & Mutual Support
Overview of Projects
- Assessing agency- and systems- level effectiveness reducing women's involvement at every point throughout the criminal legal system and related harms in a holistic, gender responsive manner
- Advancing decarceration goals in collaboration with system-impacted women leaders and other experts who have the critical expertise and understanding needed to transform systems
- Identifing innovative ways to improve the well-being and outcomes among system-impacted women throughout the WJI's Gender Responsive Justice Continuum (GRJC)