On September 2nd, 2015, CWLC’s Distinguished Guest Speaker Series looked at California’s corrections system and the unique needs of incarcerated women and girls. The conversation focused on ways we can work together to ensure the system is as fair and responsive as possible. The event was held at the Feminist Majority Foundation in Beverly Hills.
California Women’s Law Center breaks down barriers and advances the potential of women and girls through transformative litigation, policy advocacy and education.
CWLC is the first law center in California solely dedicated to addressing the comprehensive and unique legal needs of women and girls – which are often distinctly different from the legal issues which confront men. At least 75% of legal services clients in California are women and third children, a staggering client base with diverse and complex needs. Almost 50% of families in poverty are headed by a single parent, and more than 75% of those families are headed by women. CWLC has unparalleled expertise in women’s legal issues and in effective strategies to protect and advance women’s rights. By focusing on Gender Discrimination, Violence Against Women, Women’s Health, and Reproductive Justice, CWLC dedicates its resources to making the constitutional promise of equality a reality, and to protecting the rights of women and girls every day.
Throughout the year, CWLC holds a number of Distinguished Guest Speaker Series discussions where community and organization leaders are provided an opportunity to speak about pressing issues. CWLC’s next Distinguished Guest Speaker Series is addressing Incarcerated Women and Girls. The focus of the forum will be to find ways to work together to ensure California’s corrections system is as fair and responsive as possible.
This event was held Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (light dinner at 5:30 p.m.) at the Feminist Majority Foundation in Beverly Hills. It included a discussion about the needs of women and girls who have been incarcerated in California. The forum included panelists Terri McDonald, the Assistant Sheriff of Custody Operations at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; Patricia Soung from the Center of Juvenile Law and Policy at Loyola Law School; and Norma Cumpian, an advocate for incarcerated women and girls in California. The panel was moderated by Heidi Rummel who is a Clinic Professor at the USC Gould School of Law and the Director of the Post-Conviction Justice Project. Introductions were given by Scott Budnick, founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, and Stephen Walker of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association.
