FY 2020 Report to the Committees on Appropriations Formerly Incarcerated Women and Reentry: Trends, Challenges, and Recommendations for Research and Policy


Women Reentry report cover imageThis report from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) responds to the U.S. House of Representatives' Committees on Appropriations directive to conduct a study on the most common challenges faced by formerly incarcerated women (unemployment, underemployment, family reunification, job training and skills development re-entry programing, access to stable housing, mental health and substance abuse services) and provide its findings and recommendations on ways to better mitigate recidivism of formerly incarcerated women.

The report opens with a description of the extant literature related to female offending, victimization, and reentry. Within the main body, chapters (1) examine the extent and nature of women’s involvement in the justice system, with a focus on gender-specific pathways to crime, and female reentry and rehabilitation, (2) describe current trends in female reentry, (3) describe the challenges faced by incarcerated women, and (4) reviews the extant literature related to the effectiveness of reentry programming for women.

The report concludes with suggestions for future research, along with specific recommendations for policy and practice.

View the report (PDF)