Issue: Women in Jail

Implementation Guide

Interagency Collaboration Pretrial and Bail Women in Jail October 12, 2018

Case Study: Implementing Alternatives to Incarceration for Women in Rural Communities

Urban Institute

This case study examines how Campbell County, a rural community in Tennessee, designed and launched the Women In Need Diversion (WIND) program to address the particular needs of women in jail. Drawing on direct program observation and in-person interviews with WIND stakeholders, this case study looks at design and implementation of the program and its early outcomes. The study also highlights lessons for other rural communities, including the importance of relationship building, collaboration across local agencies, nonprofit organizations, and faith communities, and assessment tools to build knowledge about served populations and overall system capacity.

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Implementation Guide

Interagency Collaboration Jail Populations Women in Jail December 20, 2016

Effective Programs and Practices for Women in the Justice System

National Association of Counties

While the overall jail population in the U.S has increased nearly five-fold since 1970, the number of women in jails has increased fourteen-fold, making women the fastest-growing population in jails. Watch this webinar to learn from the Vera Institute of Justice, St. Louis County, Mo., and Solano County, Calif., about what is driving the increase in women’s incarceration and ways that counties can reverse the trend.

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Issue Brief

Human Toll of Jail Jail Populations Women in Jail August 17, 2016

Overlooked: Women and Jails in an Era of Reform

The Vera Institute of Justice and The Safety and Justice Challenge

Since 1970, there has been a nearly five-fold increase in the number of people in U.S. jails—the approximately 3,000 county or municipality-run detention facilities that primarily hold people arrested but not yet convicted of a crime. Despite recent scrutiny from policymakers and the public, one aspect of this growth has received little attention: the shocking rise in the number of women in jail. Women in jail are the fastest growing correctional population in the country—increasing 14-fold between 1970 and 2014. Yet there is surprisingly little research on why so many more women wind up in jail today. This report examines what research does exist on women in jail in order to begin to reframe the conversation to include them. It offers a portrait of women in jail, explores how jail can deepen the societal disadvantages they face, and provides insight into what drives women’s incarceration and ways to reverse the trend.

Additional Downloads

• Fact Sheet

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