Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Justice For Incarcerated Survivors Project

• In Event: Roundtable: Intimate Violence

Abstract

This project provides post-conviction relief to battered women incarcerated in Georgia’s prisons who are serving a sentence for committing a crime against their intimate partner or who are serving a sentence for committing a crime under the direction of their intimate partner, and whose history of abuse is relevant to their case and possible parole. Specifically, the Project assists women who have been victimized and that victimization lead to their incarceration. By investigating the abuse these women suffered, understanding the impact of the abuse, and presenting the impact of the abuse with relation to their crimes, the Project provides vital information for consideration by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles (the Board) to consider.

Working collaboratively with the Georgia Department of Corrections, attorneys, partners, and volunteers the Project administers surveys to the inmates to identify woman who are be eligible for parole and where domestic violence was a factor in the commission of the crime for which she was convicted. Cases are prioritized based on parole consideration date. Parole packets and/or letters are prepared by Project staff and volunteers and are sent to the Board so that information collected can be considered when making parole decisions.

Authors

• Jan Christiansen, Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence

• Natalie Jo Johnson, Dalton State College