Our initiatives center on promoting decarceration, harm reduction and improving well-being and outcomes for impacted women, their children, families and communities.
Partner with the WJI
The WJI establishes strategy, assessment, training/technical assistance and advocacy partnerships with national, state and local justice agencies and stakeholders to build interventions centered on the lived experiences and leadership of women and girls.
Improved Health,
Well-Being & Outcomes
Decarceration
Harm
Reduction
Our work focuses on three primary goals in support of women, their children, families and communities:
Join the WJI and ACLU of Illinois for the Launch of
EXPECTING JUSTICE:
The Status of Pregnancy and Reproductive Health Care Policies in Illinois County Jails
Join the WJI and ACLU of Illinois for the Launch of
EXPECTING JUSTICE:
The Status of Pregnancy and Reproductive Health Care Policies in Illinois County Jails
On March 26th from 2-4pm, join the WJI and ACLU Illinois for the launch of our historic report, Expecting Justice: The Status of Pregnancy and Reproductive Health Care Policies in Illinois County Jails.
Registration is offered on Eventbrite for both virtual and in person participatation.
We will review our findings and hear from panelists who have been pregnant in custody, as well as celebrate Women's History Month at the WJI Reclamation Center in Chicago.
In 2021, the WJI and the ACLU-IL joined forces to launch the most comprehensive study in Illinois history examining pregnancy and reproductive health care policies in all 102 counties of Illinois. In addition, we collected the narratives of people who had been pregnant in Illinois county jails and bravely shared their stories.
The discussion will focus on our findings from 98 counties, including policies regarding:
We will review our findings and hear from panelists who have been pregnant in custody, as well as celebrate Women's History Month at the WJI Reclamation Center in Chicago.
In 2021, the WJI and the ACLU-IL joined forces to launch the most comprehensive study in Illinois history examining pregnancy and reproductive health care policies in all 102 counties of Illinois. In addition, we collected the narratives of people who had been pregnant in Illinois county jails and bravely shared their stories.
The discussion will focus on our findings from 98 counties, including policies regarding:
Testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Access to menstrual products
Testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS
Access to contraception
Access to abortion
Prenatal and postpartum care
Labor and delivery care
Lactation support
Use of restraints for pregnant and postpartum individuals
Use of solitary confinement for pregnant and postpartum individuals
Access to menstrual products
Testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS
Access to contraception
Access to abortion
Prenatal and postpartum care
Labor and delivery care
Lactation support
Use of restraints for pregnant and postpartum individuals
Use of solitary confinement for pregnant and postpartum individuals
Redefining the Narrative:
The Historic Report of the Statewide Women's Justice Task Force of Illinois
Redefining the Narrative:
The Historic Report of the Statewide Women's Justice Task Force of Illinois
In 2021, the WJI published Redefining the Narrative: The Historic Report of the Statewide Women's Justice Task Force of Illinois.
The Task Force was elevated by the leadership of system-impacted women, and engaged over 600 women and gender expansive people statewide, including over 200 currently and formerly incarcerated women, prison, parole and law enforcement officials, business leaders, academics, social service providers, children and family members and other community leaders.
The Task Force applied the WJI's Women's Justice Pathways WJP Model©, a cutting-edge community engagement tool that addresses ways to disrupt women's smass incarceration and ensure real justice with/for women at 8 IMPACT Points before, during and after incarceration, as well as strategic ways that stakeholders can work together to achieve meaningful outcomes.
Using the WJP Model, the Task Force confronted the false narratives that fuel women's mass incarceration, and developed recommendations to address these three goals:
1. Build the nation's first strategy to cut a state women's prison population by 50%+ and Beyond;
2. Reduce harm to system-impacted women, their children and families; and
3. Improve health, well-being and outcomes among them.
"Redefine the Narrative": The Statewide Women's Justice Task Force of Illinois
On July 18, 2018, the WJI launched the Statewide Women's Justice Task Force is a convening of more than 100 women unitifed to build an actionable strategy to cut the Illinois women's prison population by 50% or more. Elevated by the leadership of women with lived experiences coming together with justice officials and other community stakeholders, the team will apply a gender lens to illuminate systemic transformation opportunities at every point along the justice continuum (and well before it).
The Landmark Women's Correctional Services Act (WCA)
In 2017, the Illinois State Legislature passed the WJI's bi-partisan "Women's Correctional Services Act" (WCA), and it was signed into law by Governor Bruce Rauner with the women of Logan Correctional Center.
Sponsored by State Representative Juliana Stratton, and developed in partnership with the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), the WCA is now one of the most comprehensive laws governing higher standards for a a state women's prison and parole system in the nation.
The WCA mandates that all state correctional policies, practices, procedures, programs and training are:
1. Gender Responsive
2. Trauma-Informed
3. Family-Centered
Learn more about our dynamic work and partnerships
The Gender Informed Practices Assessment (GIPA) & Strategic Planning
In March 2015, the WJI and the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) partnered to build a historic, multi-year Gender Responsive Strategies partnership that began with implementiation of the most comprehensive assessment of a women's correctional system in the nation.
The partnership began with engineering the nation's most comprehensive Gender Informed Practices Assessment (GIPA) at Logan Correctional Center. The assessment report was authored by WJI Co-Founders Alyssa Benedict and Deanne Benos, and implemented with guidance and resources from the National Resource Center on Justice-Involved Women and the U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Corrections (NIC) - as well as generous donations from Chicago-area foundations.
The 5-day on-site GIPA assessment was conducted by 18 assessors, including formerly incarcerated women leaders, current/former correctional staff, academics, social service providers and advocacy leaders. It resulted in the public release of a report and long-term systems change strategy at the WJI National Forum of 200 leaders on November 18, 2016.
Since then, the assessment work has remained dynamic, resulting in national model legislation, new training programs and a policy development process and measurable progress statewide.
Cutting-Edge Training
& Technical Assistance
Led by national expert Alyssa Benedict, WJI Co-Founder and Executive Director of CORE Associates, the WJI works with law enforcement, community/facility corrections systems to design and deliver a variety of training and techniial assisatnce programs that focus on understanding and implementing gender responsive approaches.
Training programs are designed to build staff awareness and competence, and technical assistance is designed to promote diversion and de-carcerarion and implementation of policies and practices that promote physical and emotional safety, well being and improved outcomes among women and the staff who work with them every day.
The WJI offers a variety of training curricula, including "Gender Responsive Strategies 101" and, through a partnership with CORE Associates and Orbis Partners, Creating Regulation & Resiliency (CR/2), an evidence-based and innovative staff communication model design that law enforcement and corrections staff can use to improve their communication and engagement with women and girls.
WJI SEEKS PARTNERS:
National Learning Collaborative on Disciplinary Reform
The WJI is currently engaged in the process of building a National Learning Collaborative on Disciplinary Practices in Women's Prisons & Jails.
Groundbreaking research generated by the WJI's Gender Informed Practices Assessment (GIPA) at Logan Correctional Center has illuminated that women throughout prisons nation-wide are experiencing higher rates of disciplinary tickets than men and it is having a notable impact on women's prisons populations nationwide.
Through the work of our partners on the National Resource Center on Justice Involved Women's Discipline Guide, authored by WJI Co-Founder Alyssa Benedict, and promising reports of progress among partner systems, the WJI is currently working to raise awareness of these issues and effective interventions to stop this disturbing trend.