It's Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we need to talk about criminalized survival.

According to the @ACLU, nearly 60% of women in state prison - and as many as 94% of certain groups - have a history of physical or sexual abuse.

HERE'S A REAL TALK from the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, @NRCDV:

Research shows that the overwhelming majority of women in the criminal legal system have extensive histories of childhood and adult abuse that may result in homelessness, substance use, and economic marginality that force them into survival by illegal means. @NRCDV

Some women are coerced to engage in crime by abusive partners or by partners' financial abuse, some are arrested for defending themselves against abuse, and others are arrested for not protecting their children from domestic violence. @NRCDV

Recent changes in welfare, housing, immigration policies, drug enforcement, mandatory arrest, prosecution, and sentencing policies further criminalize women's efforts to survive, escape, and cope with abuse. @NRCDV

Low-income women of color are most at risk for abuse and most at risk for being criminalized, entrapped, and forced by abusive policies into the corrections system. @NRCDV

Women under correctional control are primarily poor, unemployed, under-housed, have few employment skills, and have untreated addictions and trauma. @NRCDV

SOME GOOD NEWS: WPA addresses all of the above. We address the root causes of systems involvement and are focused on the needs and nuances of individuals. Women are the experts in their own lives and know what they need. We are here to help with whatever that may be.

Read more from us, the @ACLU, and the @nrcdv here: https://linktr.ee/WPA_NYC 

#WeAreWPA #FreeSurvivors #FreeThemAll #EndTrauma #DVAM2020