Over the past twenty years, there has seen a significant rise in criminalized and incarcerated women in the United States, with women of color over-represented throughout the system. Research on justice system responses has shown that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective. For women defendants, it is especially critical that their needs are met in an individualized, gender-responsive way. This can be complicated further when the line between victim and defendant blurs, particularly in cases involving intimate partner violence and human trafficking.
The webinar addresses the specific needs of justice-involved black women and outlines a series of best practices for people working with these populations. It also highlights the work of the Queens Human Trafficking Intervention Court in New York City and its Hidden Victims Project that works to identify victims of human trafficking and link them to services.