Women's Prison Association
Encyclopedia
The Women's Prison Association (WPA), founded 1845, is the oldest advocacy group for women in the United States
. The organization has historically focused on New York City
and New York State issues, but since 2004 it has also umbrella'd the Institute on Women & Criminal Justice, focusing on women and criminal justice on a national level.
Most of WPA's clients in its early years were poor Irish
immigrants with alcohol dependency
. While the ethnicity of their clients have shifted over time, they organization has had to engage throughout its history with the effects of poverty and substance abuse
.
Quaker Isaac T. Hopper. What began as a task force to investigate the conditions facing incarcerated women New York became, in January 1845, the Female Department of the Prison Association. Prominent members included Hopper's daughter Abigail Gibbons and novelist Catherine Sedgwick.
From the outset, the Female Department criticized New York City
-area prisons as inadequate, urging that "a home needs to be provided for the homeless; other doors need to be open to them than those that lead to deeper infamy." By the summer of 1845, the Female Department founded Hopper Home, what would today be called a halfway house
focused on training and rehabilitation. The Home was originally on Fourth Street near Eighth Avenue in Manhattan
; it later moved to 191 Tenth Avenue; in 1874, it moved to its present location at 110 Second Avenue.
In 1853, the Female Department separated from the Prison Association and was chartered by New York State as the Women's Prison Association, with Abigail Gibbons as its leader. The association gained influence. Some of their battles—such as against overcrowded jails— were perpetual, but WPA lobbying led to female matrons in all state penal facilities holding women prisoners, a separate reformatory for women and girls in Bedford, New York
, and the adoption of a policy under which women prisoners would be searched only by female matrons.
In the 1930s, in the face of the economic exigencies of the Great Depression
, it became the first women's group to call for the decriminalization
of prostitution
.
After over a century of existence, WPA received its first governmental funding in the 1960s; the funding came from the federal government. In the 1980s, Hopper Home became a federal work release facility, but that contract ended in 1990.
In this same period, WPA established a variety of programs for HIV-positive women involved in the New York criminal justice system. 25% of criminal justice-involved women in New York are HIV-positive. WPA programs include education and discharge planning in the city jail and state prisons, as well as case management services that can providing continuity after release. WPA coordinates inmate peer HIV/AIDS education and support programs at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women
and Taconic Correctional Facility
.
Based on its successes in this area, WPA began to extend discharge planning and transitional services to women who are not HIV-positive. Their first such program was established at Rikers Island
in 2000. From 2001, WPA operates WomenCare, a program providing mentoring services to women leaving New York jail and prison systems.
Given the small number of New York City neighborhoods contributing a large percentage of New York's prison population, since the late 1990s, WPA chose to give special focus to one of these neighborhoods, the East New York
area of Brooklyn
. WPA established its Brooklyn Community Office (BCO) in 1999, to address the web of poverty, poor housing, health problems, and child abuse and neglect. The hope is that intensive case management cab break the cycle of substance abuse and child abuse and/or neglect, and keep families intact. The program, which partners with several other organizations, expanded in 2005 to work also in the adjacent neighborhoods of Bushwick
and Brownsville
.
In addition to its locally-focused work, in 2004 WPA founded the Institute on Women & Criminal Justice "to create a national conversation on women and criminal justice in relation to families and communities."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The organization has historically focused on New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and New York State issues, but since 2004 it has also umbrella'd the Institute on Women & Criminal Justice, focusing on women and criminal justice on a national level.
Most of WPA's clients in its early years were poor Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
immigrants with alcohol dependency
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. While the ethnicity of their clients have shifted over time, they organization has had to engage throughout its history with the effects of poverty and substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
.
History
The WPA has its origins in the Prison Association of New York (now the Correctional Association), founded by abolitionistAbolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
Quaker Isaac T. Hopper. What began as a task force to investigate the conditions facing incarcerated women New York became, in January 1845, the Female Department of the Prison Association. Prominent members included Hopper's daughter Abigail Gibbons and novelist Catherine Sedgwick.
From the outset, the Female Department criticized New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-area prisons as inadequate, urging that "a home needs to be provided for the homeless; other doors need to be open to them than those that lead to deeper infamy." By the summer of 1845, the Female Department founded Hopper Home, what would today be called a halfway house
Halfway house
The purpose of a halfway house, also called a recovery house or sober house, is generally to allow people to begin the process of reintegration with society, while still providing monitoring and support; this is generally believed to reduce the risk of recidivism or relapse when compared to a...
focused on training and rehabilitation. The Home was originally on Fourth Street near Eighth Avenue in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
; it later moved to 191 Tenth Avenue; in 1874, it moved to its present location at 110 Second Avenue.
In 1853, the Female Department separated from the Prison Association and was chartered by New York State as the Women's Prison Association, with Abigail Gibbons as its leader. The association gained influence. Some of their battles—such as against overcrowded jails— were perpetual, but WPA lobbying led to female matrons in all state penal facilities holding women prisoners, a separate reformatory for women and girls in Bedford, New York
Bedford (town), New York
Bedford is a town in Westchester County, New York, USA. The population was 17,335 at the 2010 census.The Town of Bedford is located in the northeastern part of Westchester County, and contains the three hamlets of Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, and Katonah...
, and the adoption of a policy under which women prisoners would be searched only by female matrons.
In the 1930s, in the face of the economic exigencies of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, it became the first women's group to call for the decriminalization
Decriminalization
Decriminalization or Decriminalisation is the abolition of criminal penalties in relation to certain acts, perhaps retroactively, though perhaps regulated permits or fines might still apply . The reverse process is criminalization.Decriminalization reflects changing social and moral views...
of prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
.
After over a century of existence, WPA received its first governmental funding in the 1960s; the funding came from the federal government. In the 1980s, Hopper Home became a federal work release facility, but that contract ended in 1990.
Current services
In the face of the rapid increase in incarceration of women in the early 1990s, WPA began to evolve itself into a larger-scale provider of more diverse services. Hopper Home was renovated in 1992 as a residential alternative to incarceration (ATI) program, mainly for women with drug charges. In 1993, the WPA opened the Sarah Powell Huntington House (SPHH), a transitional residence that allows homeless women who have become involved with the criminal justice system to reunite with their children.In this same period, WPA established a variety of programs for HIV-positive women involved in the New York criminal justice system. 25% of criminal justice-involved women in New York are HIV-positive. WPA programs include education and discharge planning in the city jail and state prisons, as well as case management services that can providing continuity after release. WPA coordinates inmate peer HIV/AIDS education and support programs at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women is a prison for women in Bedford Hills in the Town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, USA. Bedford Hills, the only New York State Department of Correctional Services women's maximum security prison, is the largest women's prison in New York State...
and Taconic Correctional Facility
Taconic Correctional Facility
Taconic Correctional Facility is a medium security women's prison in Bedford Hills, New York that is operated by the New York Department of Corrections. It is associated with the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, a maximum security women's prison. In 1901 it opened as the New York State...
.
Based on its successes in this area, WPA began to extend discharge planning and transitional services to women who are not HIV-positive. Their first such program was established at Rikers Island
Rikers Island
Rikers Island is New York City's main jail complex, as well as the name of the island on which it sits, in the East River between Queens and the mainland Bronx, adjacent to the runways of LaGuardia Airport. The island itself is part of the borough of the Bronx, though it is included as part of...
in 2000. From 2001, WPA operates WomenCare, a program providing mentoring services to women leaving New York jail and prison systems.
Other projects
Other current WPA projects include the Incarcerated Mother's Law Project (IMLP), founded in 1994 and co-sponsored with the Volunteers of Legal Services (VOLS), with later participation by South Brooklyn Legal Services and the Center for Family Representation. The program provides workshops for incarcerated mothers to aid them in dealing with visitation and family court issues. IMLP began at New York state prisons, but has expanded to New York City jail and to women in WPA's community-based services.Given the small number of New York City neighborhoods contributing a large percentage of New York's prison population, since the late 1990s, WPA chose to give special focus to one of these neighborhoods, the East New York
East New York, Brooklyn
East New York is a residential neighborhood located in the Eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5...
area of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. WPA established its Brooklyn Community Office (BCO) in 1999, to address the web of poverty, poor housing, health problems, and child abuse and neglect. The hope is that intensive case management cab break the cycle of substance abuse and child abuse and/or neglect, and keep families intact. The program, which partners with several other organizations, expanded in 2005 to work also in the adjacent neighborhoods of Bushwick
Bushwick, Brooklyn
Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood, formerly Brooklyn's 18th Ward, is now part of Brooklyn Community Board 4...
and Brownsville
Brownsville, Brooklyn
Brownsville is a residential neighborhood located in eastern Brooklyn, New York City.The total land area is one square mile, and the ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11212....
.
In addition to its locally-focused work, in 2004 WPA founded the Institute on Women & Criminal Justice "to create a national conversation on women and criminal justice in relation to families and communities."
External links
- Women's Prison Association, official site
- 150 Years in the Forefront: The Women's Prison Association & Home, originally published by Women's Prison Association & Home Inc., 1995. Online version, New York Correction History Society, 1999.