Case Study: Women Unshackled
Justice Action Network led the way on elevating the experiences of women in the justice system.
Our groundbreaking Women Unshackled conference, in July 2017, brought together advocates and legislators from across the country, and brought national attention to the unique challenges women face in jails and prisons. The event featured Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, Reps. Mia Love, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Doug Collins, and was featured in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Vogue, and CBS News.
We commissioned polling in January 2018 that found reforms to address these issues were broadly popular—86% of Americans believed women should not be shackled during labor, and 90% thought hygiene products should be provided to incarcerated women free of charge.
We worked with Kentucky State Senator Julie Raque Adams to pass the nation’s first Dignity for Incarcerated Women legislation, which banned the shackling of pregnant women, expanded treatment for those struggling with addiction, and improved health and hygiene services for incarcerated women. Following this landmark reform, we worked with legislators in Arkansas and Louisiana to protect the rights of women in the justice system.
Our sister organization, the Coalition for Public Safety, hosted Women Unshackled: The Next Step, and helped fund research from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition on the experiences of women in Texas jails and prisons.
And in Congress, we partnered with Representatives Karen Bass and Mia Love to promote their federal legislation to eliminate solitary confinement and shackling for pregnant women, and helped secure the inclusion of these women’s dignity provisions in the First Step Act.