JNOW
JNOWJustice Now Organization
1
JNOW Mission StatementOur mission is to end violence against
women and stop their imprisonment. We believe that prisons and
policing are not making our communities safe and whole but that, in
fact, the current system severely damages the people it imprisons
and the communities most affected by it. We promote alternatives to
policing and prisons and challenge the prison industrial complex in
all its forms.We fulfill our mission by:Providing legal services
and supporting prisoner organizing efforts that promote health and
justice;Working with prisoners, their families and community
members on political education and mobilization campaigns;Building
coalitions to create safety for women and individual accountability
without relying on the punishment system;Training the next
generation of activists and lawyers committed to working for social
justice.
Women Incarceration Population has grown 800% since the
1970s
JNOW ServicesServicesJustice Now is the first teaching law
clinic in the country solely focused on the needs of women
prisoners. Interns and staff provide legal services in areas of
need identified by women prisoners, including:
compassionate release; healthcare access; defense of parental
rights; sentencing mitigation; placement in community-based
programs.
Building a World Without Prisons We bridge the gap between
service provision and political organizing through our Building a
World Without Prisons campaign. This campaign highlights ideas and
strategies of women in prison to challenge the current reliance on
policing and prisons. We use popular education, training, theater,
music, art, and community organizing to create a vision of a world
without prisons and develop the tools to make it a reality now.
Justice Now: and Why we Do This WorkThe two largest women's
prisons in the world are located outside of Chowchilla, California
and imprison close to 8,000 women. the women's prison population in
the United States has grown by almost 646% since 1980
there are over 11,000 women in prison in California alone
women of color are disproportionately locked up in greater and
greater numbers, comprising 60-80% of imprisoned women
women in prison face extreme medical neglect, sexual harassment
and abuse
women in prison are emotionally and physically isolated from
their children, other family members and their communities
in this historical period the answer to poverty is to lock
people of color and poor people of all races in prison we believe
in working toward a society that no longer relies on prisons but
instead invests resources in making communities stronger
Contact Justice Now
Justice Now1322 Webster Street, Suite 210 Oakland, CA 94612T 510
839 7654 F 510 839 7615 www.jnow.orgCynthia
Chandlerdirectorextension 1#[email protected]
Sterilization of Women in California Prisons
-In the past, sterilization of vulnerable populations in the
name of "human betterment" was carried out legally and was
supported by political elites
-What current and past practices share is the assumption that
some women because of their class position, sexual behavior, or
ethnic identity are socially unfit to reproduce and parent.
-An audit on the California Department of Corrections &
Rehabilitation revealed that one third of 144inmates who underwent
bilateral tubal ligations from 2005-2013 were performed without
lawful consent.
-In 27 cases, the inmates physician who would performed the
procedure did not sign the required consent form indicating the
patient was of sound mind and understood the permanence of the
operation.
-According to California state law, sterilization can only be
carried out between 30 and 180 days from the time a woman agrees to
the procedure, to provide the patient with enough time to reflect
on her choice and to make sure she desires sterilization. In18
cases potential violations of the waiting period were noted between
when the inmate consented to the procedure and when the
sterilization surgery actually took place.
More than 60% of the people in prison are now racial and ethnic
minoritiesIn 2000 black women were incarcerated in state and
federal prisons at six times the rate of white women. By 2009 that
ratio had declined by 53% . . . This shift was a result of both
declining incarceration of African American women and rising
incarceration of white women. The disparity between Hispanic and
non Hispanic white women declined by 16.7% during this period.
Powerlessness and Humiliation There are 148,200 women in state and
federal prisons. In federal womens correctional facilities, 70% of
guards are male. Records show correctional officials have subjected
female inmates to rape, other sexual assault, sexual extortion, and
groping during body searches. Male correctional officials watch
women undressing, in the shower or the toilet. Male correctional
officials retaliate, often brutally, against female inmates who
complain about sexual assault and harassment. Retaliation and Fear
In many states guards have access to and are encouraged to review
the inmates personal history files (this includes any record of
complaints against themselves or other prison authorities). Guards
threaten the prisoners children and visitation rights as a means of
silencing the women. Guards issue rules-infraction tickets, which
extend the womans stay in prison if she speaks out. Prisoners who
complain are frequently placed in administration segregation.
Discrimination Based on Race: Over a five-year period, the
incarceration rate of African American women increased by 828%.
(NAACP LDF Equal Justice Spring 1998.)An African American woman is
eight times more likely than a European American woman is to be
imprisoned; African American women make up nearly half of the
nations female prison population, with most serving sentences for
nonviolent drug or property related offenses. Latina women
experience nearly four times the rates of incarceration as European
American women
Figures from the Sentencing ProjectOVERVIEWThe number of women
in prison increased by 646% between 1980 and 2010, rising from
15,118 to 112,797.1,2Including women in local jails, more than
205,000 women are now incarcerated.o The number of women in prison
increased at nearly 1.5 times the rate of men (646% versus
419%).NUMBER OF INCARCERATED WOMEN, 1980-2010As of 2010, more than
1 million women were under the supervision of the criminal justice
system. Prison o 112,797 Jail o93,3004Probation o 712,084Parole-
103,374
More Stats from the Sentcing ProjectRACE AND ETHNICITYThe
lifetime likelihood of imprisonment for women is 1 in 56; however,
the chance of a woman being sent to prison varies by race. As of
2001, the lifetime likelihood of imprisonment was:o 1 in 19 for
black women o1 in 45 for Hispanic women o 1 in 118 for white
womenIn 2010, black women were incarcerated at nearly 3 times the
rate of white women (133 versus 47 per 100,000). Hispanic women
were incarcerated at 1.6 times the rate of white women (77 versus
47 per 100,000).9From 2000 to 2010, the rate of incarceration
decreased 35% for black women and increased 28% for Hispanic women,
and 38% for white women.
Sentencing Project Stats on Mothers in prisonMOTHERS IN
PRISON
Women in state prisons are more likely to have minor children
than are men (62% versus 51%).15o 64% of mothers in state prisons
lived with their children before they were sent to prison compared
to 47% of fathers.Mothers in prison are more likely than are
fathers to have children living with grandparents (45% versus 13%),
other relatives (23% versus 5%), or in foster care (11% versus
2%).1 in 25 women in state prisons and 1 in 33 in federal prisons
are pregnant when admitted to prison.o Women can be shackled during
labor and delivery in all but 17 states.o The majority of children
born to incarcerated mothers are immediately separated from their
mothers.
Shackled While Giving Birth
33 States still Shackle incarcerated women while they are giving
birth.
GET INVOLVED AND BE PART OF THE SOLUTIONThe movement against the
prison industrial complex requires the work of many people.
Train as an intern in our office. Our internship program is
offered year-round.
Volunteer in our office or your community on campaigns against
the prison system.
Organize an event or house party and invite us to educate your
guests. We provide speakers to community events.
Contribute your time to train prisoner organizers or consult
with our staff. We need the assistance of healthcare providers and
others with special skills.
Make a donation to support Justice Nows efforts.
S*A*M*I*Students Against Mass Incarceration
Join SAMI end the 2.5 million and growing that are incarcerated.
As well as the 7.5 million people that are under some sort of
probation/parole. As well as the almost 2 million children that
have at least one parent incarcerated.Lets end the failed War on
Drugs and make it a public health issue so people can receive rehab
and counseling instead of being criminalized.Lets get real help for
people with psychological disorders in stead of locking them up and
throwing away the key.Lets stop the criminalization of our
youth.Lets end the school to prison pipeline.
Time For Revolutionby, Sarah ScollayAnger and
frustration,Humanity needs emancipation,Crimes against
humanity,Have we all lost our sanity?The entire system is a
failure,Wake up society we need a cure.In the 1960s we went two
steps forward,Only in the new millennium to go two steps
backward,This is so absurd,Do not stay stagnant, Or trouble will
increase like metal on a magnet,We need to unite, To fight,Against
the inequalities we know are just not right,With all of our
might,So we can leave a legacy,Of our children living truly
free,America can be the land of equality.
Join SAMI
Have a Voice Against The Modern Oppressive Incarceration
SystemHave your relatives or your friends been incarcerated?Have
you been incarcerated?Are you or a loved one on probation or
parole?Are you sick of being racially profiled by police?Do you
want to stand up and have a voice against police brutality and
murders of unarmed fellow Americans?Are you ready to be apart of
one of the biggest social movements of our time trying to end
this?Do you know that soon one in three black males will have
served some time in prison in their early 20s?Are you outraged
enough to have a voice in making change and finding solutions?
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