Testimony of Meg Egan, CEO of the Women’s Prison Association, for the Committee on Criminal Justice Preliminary Budget Hearing

March 7, 2025

Good afternoon, my name is Meg Egan, and it is my great honor and privilege to lead the Women’s Prison Association. Chair Nurse and the rest of the members of the committee, I want to thank you for the opportunity to testify before the Criminal Justice Committee today.

Throughout its 180-year history, WPA is a force for change, challenging the systemic inequities that criminalize and marginalize women, particularly Black and brown women, at disproportionate rates. For these women, incarceration is not merely a consequence of a single event but the result of compounding systemic failures: poverty, housing instability, trauma, and lack of opportunity.

The harms and failures of Rikers Island are real. The cost to families, communities, and the city is immeasurable. Mothers are separated from children. Communities lose contributors. The cycle of inequity perpetuates and deepens. But what if there was a different way? A way that prioritized prevention, provided support, and treated justice as an opportunity for restoration rather than punishment? WPA envisions that path forward. By meeting women where they are, WPA fosters trust, connection, and agency, empowering each individual to reclaim her future. Rooted in New York City, WPA serves as a lifeline for women navigating reentry, working alongside them to dismantle the structural barriers that have kept them in the margins for too long.

There are just over 400 women held on Rikers Island right now. We believe that together with our partners, we can develop the services and support to make the community the public safety-minded default, rather than Rikers Island. To realize that vision, the city must not just restore the funding currently cut—$3.8 million from ATI programs and $8 million from reentry programs—but expand these essential and effective programs. Our work will center on the following priorities to develop the infrastructure of services to meaningfully address the compounding system failures that dimmish safety.

Alternatives to Detention and Incarceration

WPA is working to expand diversion programs such as supervised release, bail reform, and gender-responsive specialty courts. These interventions target women before incarceration, addressing the systemic factors—poverty, housing instability, and trauma—that disproportionately affect women of color.

Reentry Ecosystems

For women returning to their communities, WPA offers holistic support: safe housing, clinical care, and employment programs that foster independence and stability. This ecosystem approach reduces recidivism and strengthens communities.

Policy Advocacy for Systemic Reform

Drawing from decades of frontline experience, WPA champions policy changes to reduce the criminalization of poverty and expand access to community-based support. By embedding equity in the justice system, these reforms create scalable, systemic change.

To accomplish these goals, we are seeking funding in the following areas:

ATI/Reentry Coalition Funding

The Coalition’s community-based alternatives to punitive systems lead to lower incarceration rates in New York City and provide individuals and communities that have been disproportionately harmed by mass incarceration in New York with pathways to healing and prosperity. This funding and this work provide WPA with the foundation upon which we can build our holistic approach.

Speaker’s Initiative Funding

WPA is seeking funding to layout a clear, practical pathway to making incarceration obsolete in New York City. This funding will allow us to strengthen our partnerships while identifying gaps and developing pilot services to address those gaps.

Mental Health for Vulnerable Populations Funding

We are seeking funding to provide robust clinical care to our clients. We see clinical, behavioral health care as essential service for our clients regardless of where they are in the criminal legal process. These services will improve outcomes and improve public safety.

Discharge Planning Funding

With this funding WPA will develop a robust discharge planning infrastructure to ensure that planning begins the moment a person sets foot on Rikers Island. That initial work can support both long-term planning. It can also support, where appropriate, a short-term plan for a motion to reconsider bail and a release into an alternative to detention or incarceration program.

Our vision is to more systematically shift resources from punishment to prevention, addressing the root causes of incarceration. In doing so, WPA will break barriers, shatter systems, and reshape societal norms to significantly reduce the number of women incarcerated in New York City. We will also significantly increase the opportunity, financial security, and stability for the women, their families, their communities and our city. At WPA we believe that the women we serve are more than a number and more than their past—they are unique individuals with immense potential to help shape our community for a better tomorrow.