Celebrating 180 years of advocacy
Founded in 1845, WPA is the nation's first organization for women impacted by incarceration.
We address the root causes of systems involvement through innovative and holistic programs and services, focusing on the interconnected needs of individuals, families, and communities.
Our Mission
WPA empowers women and LGBTQIA+ individuals to redefine their lives in the face of injustice and incarceration, giving them opportunities that reduce recidivism and build limitless and fulfilling futures.
Our approach is personal. We listen to our clients and address their immediate needs and long-term goals, providing support before, during, and after incarceration.
We work with justice systems to address immediate needs while laying the foundation for systemic, sustainable change. By implementing alternatives to incarceration, scaling reentry support, and advocating for justice reform, WPA delivers measurable outcomes with enduring impact.
Our Values
Addressing the root causes of incarceration is a pillar of the criminal justice reform movement. Our work confronts the over-policing of marginalized people, racial disparity, ableist structures, and the criminalization of poverty.
Gender-responsive approaches are formidable and evidential solutions, supporting the unique needs of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and gender-diverse individuals.
Trauma-informed care is essential for clients to build self-compassion and self-reliance, creating pathways to stability and success.
Alternatives to incarceration and transitional services are critical investments, helping justice-impacted individuals return home, keeping families together, and building safe and supportive communities.
Incarceration is not inevitable, and there are better solutions. We work to improve outcomes, enhance public safety, and transform futures for all.
Our Vision
We envision a society where our reliance on incarceration is replaced by constructive, community-driven responses that help individuals realize their full potential.
Supporting every client
Each year, we help thousands of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and LGBTQIA+ people seek justice, restore dignity, find safety, and build independence.
We work with New Yorkers
Based in New York City, we serve clients from all five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester, upstate New York, and the surrounding area.
We work directly with clients in the courts, in communities, on Rikers Island, and at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and Taconic Correctional Facility. We maintain wraparound case management so all their needs are met.
We serve marginalized communities
Incarceration disproportionately impacts underserved populations. The majority of our clients come from marginalized communities, with 52% identifying as Black, 33% as Latinx, and 10% as transgender, non-binary, or gender nonconforming. Our services address systemic limitations that disproportionately affect women of color and the LGBTQIA+ community.
We prioritize mental health and disability needs
Part of addressing the root cause of systems involvement includes addressing how mental illness, mental health crises, and disability lead to incarceration. Our healing-forward approach meets the needs of our clients through preventative health care, substance misuse disorder treatment, and mental health counseling.
We support survivors
Many of our clients have reported a history of abuse, including intimate partner violence (IPV) and sex trafficking. We offer specialized, trauma-informed services that support survivors in individual and group settings.
We uplift families
We serve individuals who have a history of or are facing housing insecurity. Given many of our clients are mothers and primary caregivers, we provide services that support family reunification, connect clients to meaningful employment, and help individuals and families find safe and stable housing.
Our impact makes a difference
18-70+
We support every person who can benefit from WPA, ages 18-70+, with current or previous legal system involvement.
400+
WPA enrolled over 400 new clients in our programs in the past year.
10%
For the 10% of our clients who primarily speak Spanish, our Spanish-speaking staff provide them with case management, making sure they are heard.
495
In the past year, WPA helped 495 clients stay at home and within their communities through JusticeHome, our alternatives to incarceration program.
193
In the past year, 193 mothers enrolled in WPA programs for the first time, accessing workforce development, youth services, and safe housing.
100+
In the past year, 100+ clients received emergency assistance, hygiene products, and pantry items.
67
In the past year, we supported 67 clients with employment referrals for job placement.
168
In the past year, 168 clients received housing assistance, securing safe and stable housing for themselves and their families.
18-70+
We support every person who can benefit from WPA, ages 18-70+, with current or previous legal system involvement.
400+
WPA enrolled over 400 new clients in our programs in the past year.
10%
For the 10% of our clients who primarily speak Spanish, our Spanish-speaking staff provide them with case management, making sure they are heard.
495
In the past year, WPA helped 495 clients stay at home and within their communities through JusticeHome, our alternatives to incarceration program.
193
In the past year, 193 mothers enrolled in WPA programs for the first time, accessing workforce development, youth services, and safe housing.
100+
In the past year, 100+ clients received emergency assistance, hygiene products, and pantry items.
67
In the past year, we supported 67 clients with employment referrals for job placement.
168
In the past year, 168 clients received housing assistance, securing safe and stable housing for themselves and their families.
Striving for progress
We advocate and lobby for the rights and protections of incarcerated people on a state and local level. Prioritizing the health and safety of our clients, we push for services such as HIV education in New York prisons and mental health counseling on Rikers Island, bringing holistic approaches to incarcerated individuals.
WPA regularly meets with elected officials and systems stakeholders to discuss policies that address long-term solutions to incarceration and reduce New York’s dependency on the carceral system. As a founding member of the NYC ATI/Reentry Coalition, we have worked with other direct service and advocacy organizations to reduce punitive systems, replacing them with community-based solutions such as transitional services and alternatives to incarceration.
“Women impacted by the criminal legal system often face unique challenges that can be mitigated through evidence-based practices. Research and experience tell us that when we provide holistic support and resources that are directed into communities, individuals and families thrive in safer environments. Through collaboration and policy change, we can strengthen the ecosystem of criminal justice reform providers to make incarceration obsolete in New York City and beyond.”
— Meg Egan, Chief Executive Officer of WPA
Learn from WPA and our partners about evidence-based solutions to reduce incarceration.
Our Legacy
Learn more about our organization’s rich history of supportive services and criminal legal system reform.
Our Solutions
Our comprehensive programs address the needs of justice-impacted individuals.