The National Council issues a comment on proposed amendments to U.S.S.G. § 1B1.13.

BOSTON, March 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls (The National Council) issued a comment on proposed amendments to U.S.S.G. § 1B1.13.

The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls is the only national advocacy organization founded and led by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. The founders came together in the prison yard at FCI Danbury because they were frustrated that policy makers were focusing their attention exclusively on men. They also wanted the voices of incarcerated people to be heard – those who understand the harm the current system inflicts and have the expertise to create an alternative system that recognizes each person's humanity. The prison experience increases trauma in women and, if they are mothers, to the children they are separated from. It deepens poverty in the individual lives of incarcerated people and the overall economic stability of their communities.

Although The National Council's long-term goal is to end the incarceration of women and girls, we are also working to address conditions of confinement for those still living inside prisons. We support women seeking compassionate release and work to raise awareness of the horrific conditions in our prisons and jails. Through our "Reimagining Communities" project, a national infrastructure for supporting community-based initiatives led by incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, and directly affected women and girls, we are supporting community organizing, economic development, and participatory budgeting. Our work will expand opportunities for those in low-income communities to keep residents out of the criminal legal system.

The National Council would like to share the "boots on the ground" perspective of how compassionate release works in practice. Since the First Step Act was passed, we have received hundreds of emails from incarcerated women describing their situations and seeking help. We have set up a network of law students and have supervised the filing of nine compassionate release motions: one is pending, two were granted, six were denied, although two of those movants were transferred to home confinement under the CARES Act. We are honored to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves and are grateful for the Commission's promise that their voices "will be heard."

To read the entire comment, click here.

For more information on The National Council, please visit www.nationalcouncil.us.

Media Contact:
Ariel Goode
[email protected]

SOURCE The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls