Government Updates

NCCD Center for Girls and Young Women Advocates for the expansion of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act to address the needs of women and girls.
Senator Jim Webb (D) from Virginia is calling for a national commission to reassess criminal justice policy. He has crafted legislation to overhaul the entire criminal justice system. The legislation calls for the establishment of a commission with a broad mandate to examine issues like drug treatment, effective parole policy, racial injustice, education for inmates, reentry programs as well as a host of other issues that warrant serious reform.

The goal of the proposed act is to examine and reshape America’s entire criminal justice system. Existing policies lock up many who do not belong in jail, yet fail to protect us from those who perpetrate violence and intimidation as a way of life.

The Scope of the Problem:

The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population, but 25% of the world’s prison population
7.3 million American are incarcerated, on probation or on parole
2.38 million Americans are in prison – five times the world’s national average incarceration rates
4 times as many mentally ill people are in prisons than in mental health hospitals, roughly 350K compared to 80K
African Americans are far more likely to be incarcerated for drug offenses than any other group
Prison administration is haphazard with no career progression, inadequate training, potentially violent working conditions, high administrator turnover, low accountability.

Hosted by Senator Webb, a meeting regarding his newly introduced National Criminal Justice Commission Act was facilitated on April 9, 2009 on Capitol Hill. A diverse group of stakeholders from across the country were in attendance. The focus of the meeting was to:

Review the National Criminal Justice Commission Act
Discuss strategies for creating a broad coalition of support
Identify strategies to expand Senate legislative support including outreach to additional sponsors
Identify strategies for secure House sponsors and to create a coalition of bipartisan co-sponsors

The NCCD Center for Girls and Young Women, represented by Dr. Lawanda Ravoira, Director, advocated for the legislation to be broadened to address girls and young women’s involvement in the juvenile justice system. The urgency of understanding the distinct pathways of young women’s involvement in the criminal justice system specific as a result of circumstances that are distinctly different than males was stressed. Special emphasis was given to the intersection of victimization and future offending as a critical factor that derails a girl’s future and when unaddressed can lead to long term involvement in the criminal justice system. The Center will continue to work with Senator Webb’s Office to ensure that the needs of girls and women are included in the legislation.

For additional information or to get involved contact Senator Jim Webb at 144 Russell Senate Building, Washington, DC 20510 or call 202.224.4024.