Founded in 1845, WPA is the nation’s first organization dedicated to supporting women before, during, and after incarceration. Using evidence-based practices, we empower and uplift individuals, families, and communities across New York.
We invest in our clients, not jails or prisons, and build toward a future where incarceration is obsolete.
Our programs are designed to meet the unique needs of women and gender-diverse individuals.
We advocate for mothers and primary caregivers in court to stay home with their families instead of serving sentences.
Through compassionate practices and harm reduction strategies, we support clients impacted by trauma.
Founded in 1845, WPA is the nation’s first organization dedicated to supporting women before, during, and after incarceration. Using evidence-based practices, we empower and uplift individuals, families, and communities across New York.
We invest in our clients, not jails or prisons, and build toward a future where incarceration is obsolete.
Our programs are designed to meet the unique needs of women and gender-diverse individuals.
We advocate for mothers and primary caregivers in court to stay home with their families instead of serving sentences.
Through compassionate practices and harm reduction strategies, we support clients impacted by trauma.
Our Model
Our wraparound case management helps women and gender-diverse individuals secure their immediate needs and achieve long-term goals.
Our wraparound case management helps women and gender-diverse individuals secure their immediate needs and achieve long-term goals. We enroll our clients in programs that best suit their needs, connecting them to opportunities such as alternatives to incarceration, reentry support, employment training, clinical counseling, and supportive housing. Through an individualized and compassionate approach, WPA staff provide our clients with the best pathways forward to achieve stability and success.
ON THE BLOG
In The News
Keeping Mothers Out of Jail (CNN)
“I think the biggest misconception is that you have to be a criminal to be in jail, like a misfit or degenerate or there’s got to be something wrong with you.”
How the Women’s Prison Association Is Working to Keep Mothers With Their Children (Vogue)
"I went to the foster care agency, and was like, ‘You might as well give me a cubicle, because I will be here every day until I get my kids back.’”
The Sex Abuse to Prison Pipeline (Marie Claire)
“I relapsed because I went back to what I knew would comfort me. I felt at that point, drugs were all I had.”