This report—aimed at inspiring conversations about how to stop growing numbers of women cycling through U.S. jails—examines the existing research on how women come to and experience incarceration’s front door and its lasting consequences.

The results of this study indicate feasibility of the TM (Transcendental Meditation) program in a female prison population and suggest that TM may be an effective tool for decreasing trauma symptoms.

The program interviews Nancy G. La Vigne, Director, Justice Policy Center of The Urban Institute. The topic was “Research on Women Offenders” as documented by “Returning Home: Understanding the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry,” which represents the only published empirical research with a sample size sufficient to identify statistical differences in the experiences of women versus men released from prison.

A compilation of a number of resource listings about survivors as they reenter their communities after being incarcerated in prison and/or jail.

National Resource Center on Justice Involved Women.

The series, Reentry TIPSHEETS for Women, is designed to help correctional staff and other supportive stakeholders, who are working with women during the pre-release planning process and during reentry to address their needs as they transition to the community.

PREA Posters for Incarcerated Women. Indiana Department of Corrections, January 2012.

News post discussing Michigan's Department of Corrections policy on invasive strip searches for female prisoners and the impact on women with a history of trauma.

Gender-specific somatic interventions can be transformative for system-involved girls who have experienced trauma. This report defines the core components of somatic interventions for traumatized girls, presents data documenting positive effects, and makes specific policy and practice recommendations to increase access for system-involved girls.

The first Girl Scouts Beyond Bars (GSBB) program was founded in Baltimore as a pilot project between the Girl Scouts and the National Institute of Justice, arranging for formal visits between Scouts and their incarcerated mothers. Since then, the concept has spread to more than 30 troops in 23 states, serving nearly a thousand girls at any one time and keeping the vital mother-daughter connection alive through the bars and across the razor wire of America’s women’s prisons.

This monograph underscores the need for policymakers and practitioners to understand the fundamentals of research in order to guide their work with justice involved women.