Liman Program Submits Testimony to Senate Committee on Women in Detention

On December 9, 2014, the Arthur Liman Public Interest Program at Yale Law School submitted testimony to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights. The statement submitted was titled “Women in Detention: The Need for a National Agenda.”

“We appreciate the opportunity to submit this statement, which seeks to bring attention to the challenges that women—and the families and communities of which they are a part—face in the criminal justice system,” reads the statement. “Congress can provide important leadership by exploring how the intersection of gender, race, ethnicity, and age affects those in prison systems and by putting the issue of incarcerated women onto the bipartisan national agenda committed to lowering incarceration rates and to offering individuals ‘second chances’ to build productive lives.”

The testimony offered data on women incarcerations and analyzed prison visitation policies, safety and security protocols, and education, work, and reentry programs available, among other topics.

The testimony was signed by Judith Resnik, the Arthur Liman Professor of Law; Johanna Kalb ’06, Director of the Arthur Liman Program and Visiting Associate Professor of Law; and Megan Quattlebaum ’10, Senior Liman Fellow in Residence.

Read the full statement here.

Related Link: Listen to Professor Resnik discuss the move of female inmates from a women’s prison in Danbury, CT to a detention center housed in a Brooklyn high-rise.