National Black Women's Justice Institute
Join the Justice Circle

Every day, Black women and girls are criminalized and punished. Rather than see our humanity, society sees many of us as threats to the safety of our schools, our communities, and even our families. Numbers tell the story.

While 13% of the US population is Black:

• 67% of Black girls reported having been "touched, grabbed, or pinched in a sexual way" by someone in school.
• Black girls are at 4x greater risk of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions, and 3.7x greater risk of arrest at school, compared to white girls.
• Black girls account for 43% of girls in youth detention, and Black girls are nearly twice as likely to be placed in juvenile detention facilities than white girls.
• 1 out of 18 Black women is likely to be imprisoned during her lifetime vs 1 in 111 white women.
• Black women account for 44% of women in jail, 23% of women in prison, and 40% of women in solitary confinement.
• Black women account for 1/3 of women serving sentences of 50 years or more and life sentences.
• 86% of Black women who are incarcerated are survivors of sexual violence.
• Black women are fatally shot by police at rates higher than women of other races.

Since 2014, NBWJI has been working to transform the U.S. criminal legal system by shifting narratives and the meaning of justice through research, policy, training, and technical assistance that centers Black women, girls, and gender-expansive people. We aim to dismantle the racist and patriarchal U.S. criminal-legal system and build, in its place, pathways to opportunity and healing. NBWJI is committed to:

1. Dismantling pathways to criminalization and confinement for Black women and girls.
2. Increasing and enhancing opportunities with and for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Black women and girls.
3. Promoting healing-centered justice.

We cannot do any of this work without you! We invite you to join NBWJI’s Justice Circle and partner with us in our work to eliminate policies and practices that criminalize and punish Black women and girls. When you become a member of the NBWJI Justice Circle, you pledge to be a champion for Black women, girls, and gender-expansive people and commit to joining the movement to transform the U.S. criminal legal system and to advocate for healing-centered justice.

As a member of NBWJI's Justice Circle, you will:  

• Learn ways and get tools to support Black women and girls around the country.
• Get invitations to unique learning opportunities.
• Receive advanced research and policy updates.

We envision a society where healing—not punishment—is upheld as justice. Only TOGETHER can this become a reality!