From USA TODAY:
In early 2016, when I was attorney general of the United States, the White House convened a summit on women in the criminal justice system. It was an important topic to me then, and it remains so today.
Caught in processes and facilities designed and built around the needs of men, women struggle to overcome a unique set of obstacles throughout their experience with the criminal justice system. Most justice-involved women come from backgrounds of poverty and trauma, and they are more likely than men to be victims of physical and sexual abuse, suffer severe substance use and mental health issues, and to have experienced homelessness in the year prior to incarceration.
Their pathways into the system differ from those of men, and they face distinct parental, health and economic challenges that affect their rehabilitation while incarcerated, as well as their success once released. Women also have specific health-related needs that prisons and jails struggle to address, ranging from access to menstruation supplies to pregnancy and menopausal care. Continue Reading >>>
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