We are committed to ending the mass
incarceration of women & girls.
The United States is the global leader in
locking up women & girls.
One third of the world’s women prisoners are locked up in the U.S. even though just 4% of the world’s female population lives here. In Pennsylvania, the incarceration rate of women and girls exceeds that of every other nation on earth.
172,700
Women & girls are incarcerated in prisons, jails, & juvenile facilities across the U.S.
86%
Of incarcerated women are the victims of prior sexual assault & gender violence.
2/3
Of women in prison are mothers to children under the age of 18.
WHAT WE DO
Direct Assistance
Expert assistance for women and girls fighting wrongful convictions and unjust sentences. We offer research, strategy, and expert testimony.
Research & Public Policy Advocacy
Policy-relevant research on gender and mass incarceration that centers and amplifies the voices of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and girls.
Education & Training
Educational programming, training, and technical assistance for stakeholders including families, advocates, students, attorneys, and members of the judiciary.
DONATE
Your tax-deductible gift will support our work to end the mass incarceration of women and girls.
MERCH
Rep Philly Justice Project with custom merchandise like t-shirts, sweatshirts, and more.
SUBSCRIBE
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It’s #givingtuesday & we hope that you’ll donate to support our efforts to free wrongfully convicted & wrongfully incarcerated women & girls. We use your donations to offset legal costs (attorney’s fees, private investigators, expert witnesses), provide compensation for our network of “inside advisors” who collaborate with us on our quarterly agenda, as well as provide travel support for children & families of incarcerated women & girls for prison visits & to attend the annual @innocencenetwork conference. We can’t do this without you. Please consider donating today. Link in bio.
Hoodies R Here!!!
As always, we are so incredibly thankful to all of you ❤️ #phillyjusticesquad
Less than 2% of all donations go to nonprofits dedicated to women & girls. Of that, the tiniest fraction goes to orgs like us that work on behalf of women & girls who are incarcerated. Most of our sister orgs couldn’t survive. *We* won’t survive without your help. Please consider including us in your charitable donations. All donations are tax deductible. Every single dollar counts—no amount is too large or too small.
Just in time for the holidays!! New merch drop featuring a little inspiration from none other than Angela Davis. All proceeds from sales of this limited edition hoodie (in black or navy) support our efforts to challenge women & girls’ #wrongfulconviction cases. Link to order in our bio. 🙏
#mood
We are excited to announce this upcoming event at the Friends Center on Dec 7 from 6-8 pm. Philadelphia jails are in crisis & conditions have rapidly deteriorated to the point that people’s lives are in immediate danger. This is not a “fixable” problem. It’s time to strategize closing the jails and we must begin with the women and others who are survivors of gender-based violence. Please join us!
Voters in Ohio resoundingly voted to protect abortion rights in the state. AY OH WAY TO GO OHIO 👏👏👏
Members of our undergrad chapter @villanovau gathered in court this morning for a hearing in the criminal case against former Philly homicide detective James Pitts. Pitts as you may recall has been accused of (among other things) coercing false confessions from innocent people. He played a central role in the wrongful conviction of India Spellman & we are looking into other cases he’s worked on. Unfortunately today’s hearing in his case was delayed 😒. Trust that we’ll be there the next time he’s back in court.
Update on ex-cop Patrick Heron. He pleaded guilty on Friday October 20, 2023 to a mere fraction of the charges he was facing (over 200!!!) for sexually preying on, coercing, kidnapping, threatening, filming, and assaulting at least 48 vulnerable women & girls over a period of 17 years. We believe there are more victims out there. If you are are a woman or girl serving time on a criminal case involving this officer please let us know.
Let this sink in: “… BREACH ALL STANDARDS OF HUMANE CONFINEMENT.” #philadelphiadepartmentofprisons #remick
Did you know we’re part of the @_stillwerise coalition here in Philly? Yesterday we joined several of our fellow coalition members to discuss the most recent report from the court-appointed monitor of the Philadelphia Jail system. The monitor’s conclusions are damning. The jails are severely understaffed which is aggravating conditions that are inhumane & rapidly escalating human suffering. This is an ongoing problem & one that cannot be solved by adding more staff (they’ve tried & failed to do that for 3+ years). The only way to move forward is to decarcerate starting with the 292 women who are struggling in a situation that grows more desperate by the day. More info to come…
Ummm…. WHAT??? #readingisfundamental
With new membership on @boardofpardons we’re closely watching this week’s public hearings for commutation applicants. We urge to board to broaden commutation opportunities for all the deserving applicants. We believe in #secondchances You can watch the hearings live. Link@in our bio.
We’d love your input on this phrase, “brother officer.” Attorneys on both sides in a 1992 criminal trial in Philly used it when asking one officer about the actions, statements, reports, and testimony of another officer. Have you heard this phrase before in court? Is this phrase used in court currently? Is it unique to Philly? Comment below 🙏
On #indigenouspeoplesday we want to celebrate the art of @niatero & the activism of Deb Abrahamson & Twa-le Abrahamson-Swan & this brilliant collaboration, Thriving People, Thriving Places for @amplifierart
Narges Mohammadi has just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran & her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all. She is currently serving a 10 year prison sentence in Tehran for her feminist activism. She’s been convicted 5 times, arrested 13 times, & sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes. 3 more cases were opened against her this year. Still she doesn’t give up & still she doesn’t stop fighting. #sayhername #womenlifefreedom
Do you keep a phone hidden for safety? If so, it’s important to know that today at 2:20 pm EST the National Emergency Alert System will run a test. Your phone will vibrate & make a loud sound. The only way to avoid this is to completely turn the phone off before 2:20 pm. Leave it off for at least 30 minutes. #domesticviolence #domesticviolenceawareness #intimatepartnerviolence
It’s #wrongfulconvictionday & the leaders of our undergrad chapter @villanovau are selling cookies by the Oreo to support our work. Please swing by & show them some love (and buy some cookies!!!) 💙🍪
Today is International Wrongful Conviction day. Did you know we have an undergraduate chapter @villanovau that is dedicated to helping overturn wrongful convictions as well as preventing them from happening in the first place? If you’re on campus swing by our table at the Oreo & learn more about wrongful convictions & how you can support our work. Plus, cookies!! #wrongfulconvictionday #wrongfulconviction