Kamlager-Dove, Mace Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Address the Treatment of Women in the Criminal Justice System

Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove | Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove Official website

By LAX Leader Report

May 1, 2023

WASHINGTON, DC – On April 27, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) and Congresswoman Nancy Mace (SC-01) introduced bipartisan legislation to reform the criminal justice system’s treatment of women. The Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act works to strengthen rehabilitation efforts, provide trauma-informed care and gender-responsive action, eliminate discriminatory sentencing practices, and improve other supportive services to finally address the ways that women are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system.

“Incarcerated women experience harsher sentencing, poorer facilities, and significant discrimination in our criminal justice system. Our prison system was not designed with women in mind, so the system lacks gender-responsive standards and policies. This makes it that much harder for incarcerated women to have their unique needs met,” said Rep. Kamlager-Dove. “Women of color and mothers, in particular, are unjustly impacted by disparities in our prisons. Women today face higher rates of incarceration and the added challenge of child-parent separation. Trauma-informed care and gender-responsive reform will create a more humanitarian approach for female inmates from arrest to re-entry and allow for a rehabilitative experience rather than a traumatic one.”

“As a woman and a member of Congress, we are committed to supporting policies which empower and uplift women, including those in the criminal justice system,” said Rep. Mace. “The Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act is a critical piece of legislation which addresses the unique challenges women face in the criminal justice system, including trauma, abuse, and gender-based discrimination. This bill will help improve the conditions for incarcerated women, provide them with access to vital resources and services, and help to reduce recidivism. We will continue to advocate for criminal justice reform policies which support women."

“Justice Action Network (JAN) is proud to join Representatives Kamlager-Dove and Mace in their efforts to repair our criminal justice system,” said Deputy Director for Justice Action Network, Inimai Chettiar. “Women are disproportionately impacted in our prisons. The bipartisan Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act is exactly what we need to change the way women are treated and we are grateful for partners like Congresswomen Kamlager-Dove and Mace who seek to address these critical issues.”

"We commend the sponsors for introducing this bill that will reduce the harm done to families ripped apart by incarceration," said Andrea James, Executive Director of The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls. "We must work until no child is left at the prison gates watching his or her parent disappear behind the walls."

“From high rates of sexual assault to losing custody of their children, the millions of women arrested and imprisoned each year suffer serious and disproportionate harm at the hands of our criminal justice system,” said Pamela Marshall, co-director of A New Way of Life. “This legislation will make our communities safer and stronger by keeping families together and expanding meaningful diversion programs for mothers. It will also increase the hiring of female law enforcement officers who can better relate to the unique circumstances facing justice-involved women.”

“Correctional facilities fail to provide the necessary rehabilitation and treatment services for incarcerated women,” said Ebonie Riley, SVP, Policy & Strategic Partnerships of National Action Network Washington Bureau. “The National Action Network supports the Pregnant Women in Custody Act. Black women are disproportionately impacted by incarceration and have the highest infant mortality rate of any racial or ethnic group in the US. Access to quality health services, including maternity care, can help prevent maternal health complications and ensure healthy newborns. Passing this act is critical to addressing these gaps and ensuring all incarcerated pregnant women receive adequate health care, regardless of their circumstances. Providing dignity and respect to these women is overdue. We urge Congress to pass this legislation now.”

“Federal drug conspiracy laws have saddled far too many women with long and unjust mandatory minimum sentences for the actions of other people in their lives,” said Daniel Landsman, Deputy Director of Policy for FAMM. “This ‘Girlfriend Problem’ has shattered too many families. Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act provides a long-awaited fix. We are grateful for this bill.”

“I'm very grateful to Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove for introducing this important bill,” said Joanne N. Smith, President & CEO of Girls for Gender Equity. “The bill recognizes that accountability for harm done can include a spectrum of responses, including diversion and restorative justice. It also responds to the reality of women's lives as caretakers and family members and builds in long-overdue recognition of these roles and flexibility in crucial areas, including bail, temporary release, and re-entry. Finally, it recognizes how large a role trauma plays in the lives of the vast majority of system-involved women and works to provide appropriate services to respond to this frequently overlooked need."

Read the bill text here.

View a one-pager of the bill here.

Between 1980 and 2021, the number of incarcerated women increased by more than 525%, rising from 26,326 in 1980 to 168,449 in 2021, according to The Sentencing Project. Today, there are over 1 million women in the criminal justice system. The introduction of the Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act follows years of work, including a hearing hosted by the House Judiciary Committee examining the way women and girls are treated by the criminal justice system. This legislation has garnered support from many organizations, including: