Nearly half (48%) of all American women have had an immediate family member incarcerated. Women are also the fastest-growing correctional population in the United States, whose incarceration numbers rose 585% between 1980 and 2021. What leads to these climbing numbers? What are the trickle-down effects of this cycle of mass incarceration?
While the statistics paint a somber picture, every data point represents a woman whose life encompasses more than her encounter with the criminal justice system.
As a journalist, how well do you understand the trends and drivers behind women’s incarceration and the impact of these trends on your community?
Women and prisons: Covering the impact of incarceration is a free two-part webinar series created to inform your approach to criminal justice and social justice reporting by looking closely at incarcerated women and women whose family members are facing jail or prison. Led by Poynter faculty member Fernanda Camarena and featuring journalists, researchers and authors with direct experience with the criminal justice system, this course combines research with practical reporting strategies. Participants who attend both webinars are eligible to apply for five reporting grants of $10,000 each to pursue stories about how these issues impact their communities.
The teaching and reporting grants are funded by Just Impact Advisors, a grantmaking and advisory group.
The first 90-minute webinar, Incarcerated Women, will air on Oct. 23. Tune in live to grasp the trends and drivers of female incarceration and meet sources with extensive personal and professional experience of this issue.
The second webinar, Women with Incarcerated Family Members, will air on Oct. 30. Participants will hear from researchers on topical trends, get tips for ethical reporting and learn to build trust with sources who have incarcerated loved ones.
This webinar series will prepare you to cover the physical, emotional and financial impact of incarceration on women and their families. You’ll hear from instructors with extensive experience on the effect of incarceration of women on communities and walk away with concrete story ideas to pursue related to the impact of incarceration on women.
Participants who watch both webinars in full are eligible to apply for five reporting grants of $10,000 each, funded by the sponsor of this initiative, Just Impact Advisors.
Help your newsroom produce thoughtful coverage about the complex realities of women impacted by incarceration.
Enroll as soon as you know you’re interested. Tune in live on Oct. 23 and Oct. 30 to get your questions answered. Replay access will be available to reference any time you need it.
Questions?
If you need assistance, email us at info@poynter.org.
