Webinar Archive:  Reentry Series

Webinar date:  September 23, 2013

 

Description

At year-end 2007, there were more than 1.27 million women in prison or jail, or on parole or probation in the U.S.  As of 2009, approximately two-thirds of women in state prison were incarcerated for non-violent offenses including drug, property, or public order offenses.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 3 in 10 women in the U.S. have experienced physical or sexual violence and/or stalking by a partner.  Histories of economic and social marginality, substance abuse, mental illness, physical and sexual abuse in childhood and/or as an adult (including adulthood abusive families and battering relationships) have contributed to women's criminal justice involvement.  Connecting reentering women with community-based support services designed to deal with their unique challenges is critical to their long-term success.

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This webinar — the second in a two-part presentation — includes a discussion of:

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• A profile of women offenders;

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• The intersection between domestic violence and her involvement in the criminal justice system;

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• Collateral consequences and implications for domestic violence providers;

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• In their own voices; formerly incarcerated survivors of domestic violence;

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• Successful strategies, problem solving approaches, and services to engage domestic violence survivors reentering the community; and

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• Available resources such as the National Resource Center on Justice-Involved Women and the Women's Prison Association.

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About the Presenters

Becki Ney, a Principal and founding member of the Center for Effective Public Policy (CEPP), has directed numerous national training and technical assistance (TTA) projects that have focused on issues of evidence-based practices, domestic violence, justice-involved women and families, and sex offender management.  She is currently the Project Director of the National Resource Center on Justice Involved Women (NRCJIW), which provides resources, disseminates research findings, and coordinates TTA to jurisdictions throughout the country.  Ms. Ney's experience includes directing the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) sponsored Improving the Community Responses for Women Offenders project.  Most recently she pilot tested the NIC Gender-Informed Practices Assessment for facilities and provided TTA on gender responsiveness at the state and local levels.  In collaboration with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), she has served as Director of the Mother Child Community Corrections Project and Prisoner Reentry Initiative Training and Technical Assistance (PRI TTA) Program for which she spearheaded the development of several "coaching packets" on key topics to assist jurisdictions in understanding the practical application of evidence-based principles and offender reentry best practices.  She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and an M.S. in Criminology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

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Georgia Lerner is the Executive Director of the Women's Prison Association (WPA).  The WPA, the oldest advocacy group for women in the United States, provides direct services to about 2,500 women at all stages of involvement in the criminal justice system through residential and non-residential programs located in New York City, and in the New York City jail and New York State prisons.  In addition to working with justice-involved women and their families, WPA works to reduce reliance on incarceration, and partners with affected women and public and private agencies in efforts to promote improvements to the systems with which justice-involved women and their families must interact.  In this capacity, Ms. Lerner has participated in numerous symposia and roundtables on alternatives to incarceration, family supports and reentry and is considered an authority on the needs of formerly-incarcerated women.  As a long-standing leader in the development of evidence-based and gender-informed research, tools, and resources for the criminal justice field, Ms. Lerner and the WPA serves as a collaborative partner to the NRCJIW and the pursuit of rigorous policy, advocacy, and research agenda to bring new perspectives to public debates on women and criminal justice.  She has an M.A. in Human Sexuality/Health Education and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.

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Sharon White-Harrigan became involved with women's advocacy during her 11 years in Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for women.  Once released it became her sole purpose to become the voice of the unheard and promote change.  Mrs. White-Harrigan is an active advocate and activist for women in and out of prison system.  She is an alumnae member of Reconnect and WAP, both advocacy groups for women.  Mrs. White-Harrigan is the Director of Drew House for Housing + Solutions that provides women with permanent housing while providing the necessary tools and skills for them to become self-sufficient and was the Deputy Director of Women of Integrity, an organization for women based on empowerment and provides wrap-around supportive services as well as emergency, transitional, and permanent housing for the homeless, formerly incarcerated, and women in need and former Program Manager of Exodus Transitional Community.

 

Click here to access recording for Part 2.  A copy of the PowerPoint (and any other documents from the Part 2) is available by clicking here.