The Gemma Project provides, and promotes the national creation of, gender responsive jail and prison reentry programming that serves justice-involved women with integrity and compassion. We advocate for policy change focused on what works to reduce recidivism, break the intergenerational cycle of incarceration, and create healthier communities.

 Gender-responsive strategies and policies center the experiences, needs and strengths of women and girls and address the underlying causes of vulnerability including gender inequality, relationships, power structures, social norms, and leadership.

Programs, services, and approaches that are designed for men but applied to women have been shown to be ineffective in addressing the root causes of incarceration and ineffective in meeting the needs of justice-involved women, thereby continuing to break apart families and communities. These programs have failed to reduce recidivism.

The Gemma Project believes that inspiring hope, providing opportunity, and fostering individual and system accountability, are the keys to rebuilding lives.

~ In the past three decades alone, the number of women incarcerated in prisons and jails in the US has increased more than 750%

~ Nearly half of incarcerated women in the US are held in jails

~ 80% of women in jails are mothers and often primary or sole caregivers to an average of 2.5 children each

~ Over 80% of incarcerated women have histories of domestic and/or intimate partner violence, rape, sexual assault, and/or child abuse