Gender-Responsive Justice: Rethinking Post-Conviction Policies and Practices for Women

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

Women’s experiences in the criminal justice system differ substantially from men’s, yet policies and practices often fail to address their unique needs. Women’s pathways into the justice system are frequently shaped by trauma, economic instability, caregiving responsibilities, and coercive relationships, resulting in distinct risks and challenges throughout incarceration and reentry. The Council on Criminal Justice’s Women’s Justice Commission convened this panel to highlight emerging research and policy innovations that address these gender-specific realities.

The panel opens with a data-driven overview of trends in women’s justice system involvement, including arrest patterns, victimization, sentencing, incarceration, and recidivism. The second presentation reimagines the Risk, Need, and Responsivity (RNR) framework to reflect women’s distinct criminogenic needs, advocating for gender-responsive assessments and interventions. The third presentation focuses on sentencing and reentry reforms, including the expansion of Second Look policies to address gendered barriers such as housing instability and caregiving challenges. The fourth presentation applies an intersectional lens to reentry, exploring how factors like race, gender, socioeconomic status, and caregiving compound reentry barriers and calling for trauma-informed, community-driven solutions.

This panel advances gender-responsive and equity-focused reforms that reduce recidivism, support successful reintegration, and promote justice system responses centered on healing, family stability, and community well-being.

Sub Unit

• Area VI. The Criminal Justice System / 48. Jails & Prisons

Individual Presentations

• A Foundation: Women’s Justice by the Numbers - Ernesto Lopez, Council on Criminal Justice / University of Missouri St. Louis

• Improving Rehabilitative Practices by Reconceptualizing the Risk, Need, and Responsivity Principles for Women - Emily Salisbury, University of Utah

• Second Chances, Smarter Justice: A Gendered Approach to Post-Conviction Initiatives - Jillian E. Snider, Nova Southeastern University / John Jay College of Criminal Justice / R Street Institute

• Intersectionality in Reentry: Addressing Gender-Specific Challenges for Women Post-Incarceration - Janaé Bonsu-Love, Building Movement Project

Discussant

• Stephanie C. Kennedy, Council on Criminal Justice

Organized by a Division or external group?

The Council on Criminal Justice's Women's Justice Commission