What She Said

Part III, Case 3: Criminal Justice

Women's groups have been concerned with the treatment of adult and juvenile inmates held in correctional facilities since the mid-19th century. The National Woman's Christian Temperance Union, founded in 1874, is credited with successfully lobbying to separate male and female prisoners, installing police matrons, and improving overall prison conditions. In 1920, the National Council of Women Voters and the National American Woman Suffrage Association merged to form the National League of Women Voters, which has played a pivotal role in addressing issues such as prison overcrowding, rehabilitation programs, medical care, juvenile detention issues, and more.

Over the twentieth century, several national research studies were conducted to analyze the American criminal justice system and propose reforms. President Lyndon Johnson established the Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice in 1965 to study crime, juvenile delinquency, law enforcement, the court system, and correctional institutions. League of Women Voters President Julia D. Stuart, was a member of the Commission who worked to investigate the relationship between drug use and incarceration, proposing new approaches in the fields of law enforcement and rehabilitation.

By the late 20th century, criminal justice debates had shifted from a tough or soft on crime dichotomy, to a smart on crime approach, advocating for rehabilitation rather than punishment, and for the need to provide clear paths for parole and re-entry to reduce recidivism. Women's organizations have also focused on the ways in which families are affected by incarceration, supporting programs like Get On The Bus. These types of programs have demonstrated success in reducing the likeliness that children of inmates will themselves become part of the juvenile justice system.

Case 4, At Work, is the flat case nearest this one.

• 1

  Resource Kit, Justice in California...for the Poor...for Juveniles, 1969-1971League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 2

  Juvenile Justice, Fall 1970League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 3

  California Voter, "Juvenile Justice in California," published by the League of Women Voters California, Fall 1999League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 4

  The Future of Crime: Crime and Delinquency Issues, 1980League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 5

  Re-Entry Resource Pocket Guide, 2008League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 6

  Brochure, "Get on the Bus: Uniting Children with Their Mothers and Fathers in Prison"League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 7

  Agenda, Los Angeles Re-Entry Advisory Board Meeting, July 15, 2007League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 8

  "OOOH a Tangerine!"League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 9

  Flyer, "California Prison Study - What Price Incarceration?"League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 10

  California State Prison System Scope of Study/Issues for ConsiderationLeague of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 11

  League of Women Voters Jail Study, Consensus QuestionsLeague of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 12

  Agenda, Sentencing Reform: Restraint, Restitution, or Rehabilitation, Which Works?League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 13

  Envelope, Prisons...a California CrisisLeague of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 14

  Senator Mervyn M. Dymally, Memorandum re: Improvements in the State's Prison System, March 22, 1971League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection