Women's Justice Institute (WJI)

The Women's Justice Institute (WJI) is a national "think and do" tank based in Chicago that is working to end women's mass incarceration, to reduce harm to impacted women (and gender expansive individuals), their children and families, and to improve health, well-being and outcomes among them.

Centering on the leadership and expertise of currently and formerly incarcerated women, the WJI works to achieve these goals in the following ways:

Training, Technical Assistance & Cutting-Edge Assessment: We provide training and technical assistance to systems (prisons, jails, probation/parole, social services) on gender responsive and trauma-informed practices, as well as strategic planning and analysis on ways to reduce the number of women in jails and prisons and on peer-led, transformative interventions that center on WJI's cutting-edge assessment tools.

Policy, Advocacy & Research: The WJI builds public awareness and advocacy campaigns that promote policy changes and other opportunities at all points of the continuum - before, during and after incarceration - to end women's mass incarceration, reduce harm and improve outcomes among women, their children and families.

Mutual Support & Community-building: The WJI is the home of the Reclamation Project, the first initiative led by-and-for impacted women in Illinois. The Reclamation Project operates the Reclamation Center in Chicago, the nation's first co-working, arts and advocacy space led by-and-for impacted women, and offers mutual support for impacted women at all points along their journey, including emergency cash assistance, basic needs, and bi-monthly Reclamation Circles.

Criminalized Survivors Initiative & Legal Services for Incarcerated Survivors: The WJI has launched the Criminalized Survivors Initiative to promote awareness, policy change and interventions designed to prevent the criminalization of survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and to help win their freedom. As part of this initiative, we have a partnership with Ascend Justice where we provide civil legal services for survivors of gender-based violence in women's prison.

Children & Families Initiative: The WJI leads a Children & Families Initiative designed to promote public awareness, policy change and meaningful interventions designed to prevent incarceration of mothers in the first place, as well as reduce harm to impacted families through technical assistance and advocacy promoting child visitation and programming. As part of this effort, the WJI partners with MUAVI, Nehemiah Trinity Rising and CGLA to as the new home of the Reunification Ride that facilitates regular visits at Illinois facilities between moms and kids.

Cook County Women's Reentry Initiative: The WJI currently partners with several agencies on a gender responsive care coordination initiative to support women in need of substance use treatment and mental health services with holistic services.

For more information: www.womensjusticeinstitute.org