The Women’s Justice Commission is a multi-year research, policy, and communications initiative that documents and raises awareness of the unique challenges facing women in the justice system and builds consensus for evidence-based reforms that enhance safety, health, and justice. The project spans the full scope of the adult justice system—from arrest and diversion through prosecution, incarceration, release, and community supervision—with a particular focus on trauma-informed and gender-responsive prevention and intervention strategies.
Commission Recommendations
The CCJ Women’s Justice Commission reached consensus on new recommendations calling for tailored justice system responses to prevent crime, strengthen families, improve health, cut taxpayer costs, and break cycles of victimization and incarceration.
our Work
Rethinking Rehabilitation for Women in Prison
CCJ convened three virtual focus groups with correctional leaders to better understand how prison systems are approaching rehabilitation for women, focusing on behavioral health, reentry, and prison culture.
Event Recording: The Rising Cost of Women’s Incarceration and What It Means for Public Safety
In this conversation, the Council on Criminal Justice Women’s Justice Commission and a panel of experts discussed the costs, benefits, and tradeoffs of women’s incarcarceration.
What Happens When Women Serve Less Time in Prison?
Reducing women’s time served in prison by half would produce substantial savings, with only a modest increase in annual arrests, most for nonviolent crimes.
The Rising Cost of Women’s Justice System Involvement
The number of women under correctional control is projected to rise to 1.1 million by 2035, with total annual costs increasing by about 34%, or roughly $8 billion.
Event Recording: From Victim to Defendant: The Rise of Survivors Justice Laws
The Council on Criminal Justice and a panel of experts examined how survivors justice laws are being implemented, what challenges have emerged, and what policymakers and practitioners can learn from early experience across states.
Advancing Women’s Justice: What We Should Know, But Don’t
This research agenda calls for targeted investment in high-quality data and research to fill major gaps in knowledge and better inform policies that improve outcomes for women, families, and communities.
Commission Members
Loretta Lynch(Chair)
Former U.S. Attorney General
Sarah Stitt(senior adviser)
First Lady, Oklahoma
Courtney Bryan
Chief Executive Officer, Center for Justice Innovation
Norma Cumpian
Assistant Deputy Director, Anti-Recidivism Coalition
Nancy Gertner
Retired Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts; Senior Lecturer, Harvard Law School
Ed Gonzalez
Sheriff, Harris County, Texas
Leticia Longoria-Navarro
Executive Director, The Pathfinder Network
Chris Mathias
State Representative, Idaho
Anne Precythe
Owner, Precythe Sturm Advisory Group, LLC; Former Director, Missouri Department of Corrections
Emily Salisbury
Associate Professor of Social Work; Director, Utah Criminal Justice Center, University of Utah
Topeka K. Sam
Founder, The Ladies of Hope Ministries
Brenda V. Smith
Professor, American University Washington College of Law; Director, Project on Addressing Prison Rape
Jillian Snider
Resident Senior Fellow, R Street Institute; Retired NYPD Officer
Carolyn Sufrin
Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Gyn/Ob; Founder and Director, Advocacy and Research on Reproductive Wellness of Incarcerated People
Tori Verber Salazar
Founder and CEO, Law Offices of Tori Verber Salazar; Former District Attorney, San Joaquin County
Whitney Westerfield
Director of Legal and Government Affairs, LifeSkills; Former State Senator, Kentucky
Pamela Winn
President and CEO, RestoreHER US.America
Stephanie Akhter
Director, Women's Justice Commission
Expert advisers
Alyssa Benedict
Executive Director, CORE Associates, and Co-Founder, The Women's Justice Institute
Deanne Benos
Co-Founder and Director, The Women’s Justice Institute
Janaé Bonsu-Love
Director of Research, Building Movement Project
Marium Durrani
Chief of Staff, Civil Rights Corps
Erica King
Senior Manager, Center for Effective Public Policy National Resource Center on Justice-Involved Women
Anadora (Andie) Moss
Founder and CEO, The Moss Group
About The Art
The banner design was created by artist sheri crider, an Albuquerque-based artist whose work “reimagines the best and worst of ourselves” and engages nontraditional audiences in galleries, prison cells, classrooms, courtrooms, and other spaces. The Women’s Justice Commission also thanks CCJ member Syrita Steib and incarcerated women in graphic design for Oregon Corrections Enterprises for their inspiration.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
“The portraits reflect real women who have and still are navigating incarceration. The individuals behind statistics and reports are crucial to fostering transformation in the criminal justice system.”
Supporters
Support for the Women’s Justice Commission comes from Ford Foundation, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Joan Ganz Cooney & Holly Peterson Fund, The J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation, the Ms. Foundation for Women, the Navigation Fund, the National Football League, The New York Women’s Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and The Tow Foundation. The Commission also receives support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Just Trust, Southern Company Foundation, and other CCJ general operating contributors.
