PROGRESS UPDATE

February 2025

The Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) launched the Women’s Justice Commission in July 2024 to document and raise awareness of the unique challenges facing women in the justice system and build consensus for evidence-based reforms that enhance safety, health, and justice.

Led by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Oklahoma First Lady Sarah Stitt, the Commission includes 15 other leaders with a wide variety of professional and personal experience at local, state, and federal levels, from law enforcement and the courts to academia and healthcare. Incorporating the perspectives of people who live, work, and serve within the justice system—including those directly impacted by crime and violence—is central to CCJ’s mission, and multiple Women’s Justice Commission members identify as formerly incarcerated and survivors of crime. The Commission is advised by an additional group of experts who have decades of experience in women’s justice issues.

Since its launch, the Commission has convened three times to explore issues related to women’s pathways to justice system involvement, law enforcement interactions with women, and pretrial detention. During each meeting, the Commission reviewed the best available research and policy innovations, visited pioneering direct service programs, and learned from local experts.

The Commission’s first set of findings and recommendations —focusing on the arrest, pretrial, and sentencing phases — is expected in summer 2025. A second set of findings and recommendations —focusing on correctional conditions, programs and services, and reentry—is slated for fall 2026. Both reports will identify actionable strategies to safely reduce the number of women involved in the justice system and improve outcomes at every stage.

Work to Date

The Commission has produced a series of reports to ground its discussions, inform policy deliberations, and raise public awareness, including:

  • A preliminary assessment of the challenges facing women in the justice system
  • A statistical brief establishing a common understanding of key trends in women’s justice system involvement

Early media coverage and opinion articles about the Commission’s work include pieces in:

  • The 19th, featuring interviews with Chair Lynch and Director Stephanie Akhter about the launch of the Commission and the unique needs of justice-involved women
  • USA Today by Chair Lynch highlighting the challenges faced by women in a system built around the needs of men
  • Newsweek by Commission member Norma Cumpian about the needs of criminalized survivors of domestic violence and
  • Tulsa World by Commission Senior Adviser Stitt about efforts underway in Oklahoma to break generational cycles of female incarceration.

There has been additional coverage in over 50 other outlets across the country.

In October 2024 (Domestic Violence Awareness Month), the Council hosted a public webinar to discuss findings from a new Council analysis that found that aggravated domestic violence incidents are an estimated 30% to 50% higher than incidents reflected in law enforcement data. Commissioners and expert advisers joined members of the Council’s Crime Trends Working Group to discuss challenges in data collection and essential considerations regarding measuring and effectively resourcing strategies to address domestic violence.

The Commission is informed by the tremendous work of research, advocacy, policy, and direct service organizations serving justice-involved women. Staff have engaged more than 100 practitioners, researchers, advocates, and others; several have presented to the Commission, further elevating their voices.

Staff have briefed key leaders and practitioners, including advisers to the governors of Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New York; the National Governors Association; and the U.S. Department of Justice. These relationships will be instrumental to effective uptake of the Commission’s recommendations.

Looking Forward

The Commission has a full schedule of meetings throughout 2025, including in-person convenings in Chicago and Washington, DC. Upcoming deliberations will focus on sentencing and release mechanisms; correctional programming, services, and healthcare; jail and prison conditions; community supervision; and reentry. Policy recommendations will be prioritized and packaged for strategic dissemination to key stakeholders.

The Commission has developed a research agenda and is supporting original research to inform Commission deliberations and advance national conversations on women’s health and justice. Multiple analyses are underway to fill critical gaps: one examines the efficacy of non-law enforcement responses to women in crisis; another looks at racial disparities in women’s prison and jail populations; a third assesses the public safety impact of shortening women’s prison sentences. The Commission will continue to engage with researchers across disciplines about the importance of disaggregating and analyzing data by sex to understand the unique experiences of justice-involved women. The Council’s multi-channel distribution strategy, including conference presentations, op-eds in key outlets, partnerships with issue influencers, and public web events, will ensure broad awareness of Commission findings and recommendations upon their release.

Convening in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in January 2025. (From left to right) First Lady Stitt, Former Attorney General Lynch, and WJC Director Akhter.

Convening in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in January 2025. WJC site visit at Women in Recovery.

Convening in New York City in July 2024. WJC commissioners discussing group expectations.

Convening in New York City in July 2024. Group photo of WJC members in attendance.

Convening in New York City in July 2024. WJC site visit to the Brownsville Community Justice Center.

Convening in New York City in July 2024. (From left to right) WJC Director Akhter, Former Attorney General Lynch, and Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Convening in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in January 2025. WJC attendees visiting the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center.

Convening in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in January 2025. WJC Chair, Former Attorney General Lynch, interviewing with 2 News Oklahoma (KJRH-TV) and Public Radio Tulsa.