Pretrial Detention, Diversion, and Bail
For its third convening, the Women’s Justice Commission gathered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and focused on women’s needs, experiences, and outcomes as they move through the criminal court system pretrial. Commissioners discussed the impact of pretrial detention and bail on women, as well as research on diversion opportunities and other pretrial alternatives.
The meeting featured two research presentations:
- Stephanie Kennedy, CCJ policy director, presented a national scan of prosecutor-led diversion efforts and the supporting evidence for these initiatives.
- Nicole McKenna, associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, provided an overview of the research on gender-responsive court processes.
The meeting included an expert panel on the impact of pretrial detention and bail on women and the evidence around opportunities for change. Panelists included Alison Shames, director at the Center for Effective Public Policy; Erica King, senior manager at the Center for Effective Public Policy and a commission expert adviser; and Spurgeon Kennedy, vice president at the Crime and Justice Institute.
While in Tulsa, the Commission connected with local policymakers and stakeholders, including commission Senior Adviser and Oklahoma First Lady Sarah Stitt, Tulsa Mayor Monroe Michols, state Labor Secretary Leslie Osborn, and many others. Commissioners also learned about efforts underway in Oklahoma to meet the unique needs of justice-involved women. Commissioners visited Women in Recovery, an intensive outpatient alternative for women facing long prison sentences; heard from Jane-Roberte Sampeur, executive director at Still She Rises, about the organization’s work providing legal defense exclusively to mothers; and heard from Mark Harjo, outreach specialist, and Caressa Lewis, intake service coordinator and case manager, at the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reintegration Program about their programming and the needs of justice-involved Native women.
