Women's Prison Association - WPA

09/02/2026

The legal deadline to close Rikers is one year away.

Our Interim CEO Luisa Taveras spoke at the Countdown to Closing Rikers Day of Action, organized by The Freedom Agenda, and shared our commitment to the decarceration of women.

09/01/2026

The legal deadline to close Rikers is one year away.

Before we reach August 31, 2027, our city must make meaningful investments in people, not punishment, to build a safer, more just New York City. That means funding critical community-based supports, expanding alternatives to incarceration, strengthening practices that reduce the jail population, and taking a gender-specific approach to ensure women are not left behind.

Here are highlights from yesterday’s meaningful Countdown to Closing Rikers Day of Action, organized by The Freedom Agenda. We were honored to have Luisa Taveras, our Interim CEO, and Denina, a former WPA participant and advocate, speak during the press conference (videos to come!).

Thank you for supporting WPA and making this critical work possible.

08/06/2026

Liz Swavola has joined WPA as Chief Impact Officer to lead the newly established Impact Department, which leverages storytelling, data, research, and advocacy to shift public opinion, influence criminal legal system practices and policies, and advance community-based support as an alternative to incarceration.

For nearly 20 years, Liz has partnered with communities and coalitions across the country to drive transformative change in criminal legal systems and advance racial justice.

Before joining WPA, Liz served on the Leadership Team of Public Safety Innovations at the Center for Policing Equity (CPE) and previously directed the Jail Decarceration Initiative at the Vera Institute, leading efforts to advance equitable, community-based approaches to criminal legal system reform.

We're excited to welcome her leadership and expertise to the team!

To read Liz's full interview, click here: https://www.wpaonline.org/liz-swavola-on-advocacy-and-shifting-the-narrative-around-the-incarceration-of-women/

07/22/2026

Meet the Garden Club at The Rise 🌱 Our Rise residents and staff are growing cucumbers, squash, and watermelon together at the Fred McLeod Community Garden!

07/09/2026

We're hiring! WPA is seeking a full-time Director of Private Giving with deep experience creating and executing successful revenue generation in the nonprofit sector. Details here: https://www.wpaonline.org/careers/

06/30/2026

Investment in people—not prisons or jails—creates stronger families and real public safety solutions.

06/25/2026

We're hiring two full-time Social Workers in New York City to support justice-impacted individuals! Click here for details:

WPA is a New York City-based non-profit that supports justice-impacted women and their children navigating incarceration and homelessness.

06/16/2026

WPA joined community partners and advocates at The 4th Movement: The Evolution of Lived Expertise, a Brooklyn-based conference hosted by The NYC Justice Peer Initiative. The 4th Movement recognizes how lived experience makes a difference in leadership, policy, and systems transformation. We are grateful to be a part of the conversation moving communities forward!

06/04/2026

We're hiring a full-time Chief Finance Officer with outstanding finance and business acumen to oversee our fiscal health and provide a strategic financial vision for our organization. Details here: https://www.wpaonline.org/careers/

05/21/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome Miriam Goodman back to the WPA community as our new Senior Director of Clinical Care!

Miriam brings over fifteen years of experience working at the intersection of the criminal legal system and gender-based violence and previously served as the Director of Alternative to Incarceration Programming at WPA (2016-2023). Her work is rooted in the belief that transformative change is possible through survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and community-driven approaches that both support healing and challenge the structures that sustain violence.

Hear from Miriam as she shares the passion behind her client-centered approach: https://www.wpaonline.org/miriam-goodman-on-building-trauma-responsive-care-for-justice-impacted-women/