We are seeing the U.S. wake up to what is happening to more and more women. Here is the new National Resource Center for Justice Involved Women .

“The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) – in partnership with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) – established the National Resource Center on Justice-Involved Women (NRCJIW) to address the unique and complex needs of adult women involved in the criminal justice system. NIC will continue to deliver products and services to the field specific to justice-involved women, and will work closely with BJA and the Resource Center to assure a coordinated approach.

Services

To carry out its mission, the Resource Center establishes and maintains this website; conducts outreach activities in service of its mission; and develops policy briefs, tools, and other materials to fill significant resource gaps in the field. It serves as a clearinghouse for model policies and practical tools; a referral source for information, research, and subject matter experts; and a forum for discussion among experts, policymakers, and practitioners about justice-involved women. The Resource Center also provides targeted training and technical assistance to state and local criminal justice professionals, policymakers and practitioners.

Goals

The overarching goals of the NRCJIW are to:

• Promote the safety of the public, justice-involved women, and the professionals who work with them;
• Synthesize and disseminate evidence-based and gender-responsive research and knowledge;
• Promote the implementation of innovative, evidence-based and gender-responsive approaches that build on women’s strengths and address their risks and needs;
• Promote gender-informed policy and management practices that have systemic impact and improve outcomes;
• Highlight critical issues confronting this population; and
• Build a community of professionals to encourage the exchange of ideas and information and advance gender-informed practices nationally.