Women's Prison Association - WPA

06/16/2026

WPA joined community partners and advocates at The 4th Movement: The Evolution of Lived Expertise, a Brooklyn-based conference hosted by The NYC Justice Peer Initiative. The 4th Movement recognizes how lived experience makes a difference in leadership, policy, and systems transformation. We are grateful to be a part of the conversation moving communities forward!

06/04/2026

We're hiring a full-time Chief Finance Officer with outstanding finance and business acumen to oversee our fiscal health and provide a strategic financial vision for our organization. Details here: https://www.wpaonline.org/careers/

05/21/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome Miriam Goodman back to the WPA community as our new Senior Director of Clinical Care!

Miriam brings over fifteen years of experience working at the intersection of the criminal legal system and gender-based violence and previously served as the Director of Alternative to Incarceration Programming at WPA (2016-2023). Her work is rooted in the belief that transformative change is possible through survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and community-driven approaches that both support healing and challenge the structures that sustain violence.

Hear from Miriam as she shares the passion behind her client-centered approach: https://www.wpaonline.org/miriam-goodman-on-building-trauma-responsive-care-for-justice-impacted-women/

05/10/2026

This Mother’s Day, we’re thinking about the families who are impacted by maternal incarceration.

When a mother is incarcerated, the ramifications not only impact her but ripple through her community and unravel the stability of her family. Felt by those who love her and depend on her, her separation and detainment become a catalyst for consequences.

When addressing maternal incarceration, the whole picture needs to be considered.

By providing holistic services to women at risk of or returning home from incarceration, support must be prioritized over punishment, and families must be given resources to stabilize in their communities.

04/21/2026

During reentry, barriers like housing discrimination, access to gainful employment, and social stigma can make it difficult to move forward. And justice-impacted women face a unique challenge: most reentry programs are not designed with their needs in mind.⁠
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At WPA, our gender-responsive reentry services are built to uplift women as they return to the community and rebuild their lives. With support from the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, WPA provides the comprehensive services and specialized care women need to stabilize and thrive.⁠
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During Second Chance Month, as we bring awareness to the challenges and stigmas formerly incarcerated people face, it’s important to recognize the women who are navigating reentry and rebuilding their lives against the odds.

04/15/2026

Our Chief Programs Officer, Aisha Elliott, spoke on a panel at the National Conference on Higher Education in Prison this month, highlighting the critical role of lived experience in philanthropy.

Aisha previously co-developed a college program at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility after the elimination of Pell and TAP grants, following Clinton’s 1994 Crime Bill. Partnering with colleges and local community members to restore opportunities for incarcerated students, her work expanded access to higher education for incarcerated women. Her leadership has impacted hundreds and established her as a leading voice on this issue, informing the work and advocacy she does at WPA today.

We’re proud to have Aisha on our staff—her leadership and insight is invaluable to our organization.

03/23/2026

Our Community Outreach Specialist, Aylyn Restituyo, shared how the support women and families receive from our programs and services lead to thriving, stable lives at the Bloom After Bars Reentry event in Brooklyn.

These events are an important part of the work we do at WPA, connecting justice-impacted women in the community to more information on housing assistance, mental health services, employment and educational opportunities, and wraparound case management available for their continued stability and success.

Thank you, Aylyn, for sharing your testimony on how the work we do at WPA makes a difference for women and families across New York City!

03/19/2026

This Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting an upcoming book on WPA’s founder Abigail (Abby) Hopper Gibbons, edited by her descendant, Angela Schear.

“Mercy in Disaster: Abby Hopper Gibbons's Journals and Letters from Four Years of Civil War Nursing” follows our founder during her time as a volunteer Civil War nurse. The book provides a window into the emerging role of women, medical care, and the struggle for Black freedom through Abby’s chronicles during the nineteenth century.

A fervent abolitionist from a Quaker family, Abby founded WPA in 1845 and oversaw the opening of the Hopper Home, the nation’s first halfway house for girls and women released from prison. Her legacy includes her contributions as a military nurse, her relentless lobbying for better prison and jail conditions, her family’s abolition efforts alongside prominent Black leaders, and her continued efforts to support the education and stability of impoverished and disenfranchised communities across New York.

“Mercy in Disaster” is now available for pre-order on Amazon as well as the University of Georgia Press website:

Mercy in Disaster is about the forgotten nurse in America’s signature, iconic photograph of Civil War wounded: abolitionist Abby Hopper Gibbons. Hung in mu...

03/04/2026

We're hiring a Chief Impact Officer to round out our executive leadership team! Details here: https://www.wpaonline.org/careers/

02/20/2026

Luisa H. Taveras, Esq. has joined WPA as Interim Chief Executive Officer and will guide the organization as it moves forward with focus and urgency to advance decarceration.

After guiding WPA through a period of strategic renewal and organizational strengthening, Chief Executive Officer Meg Egan has joined the Mamdani administration. To ensure continuity and momentum during this pivotal moment of transformation, WPA is pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees selected Luisa to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer.

Luisa co-led the development of WPA’s recently adopted Strategic Plan, and as a result, is familiar with the organization's revitalized mission and vision. She is a criminal justice expert with over two decades of experience as a criminal defense attorney, justice advocate, social justice grant maker, and organizational leader.

Luisa believes, “This is an exciting moment for WPA, New York City, and the women WPA serves. With strong partnerships at City Hall and in the community, the movement to make the incarceration of women obsolete has renewed energy. I look forward to working alongside the board, staff, our partners, and WPA participants to advance the next phase of decarceration.”

Click here to learn more: https://www.wpaonline.org/womens-prison-association-announces-leadership-transition-and-strategic-opportunity-for-justice-reform/