Gender and Justice Project
2003-2004; Reactivated 2007
Project Co-Directors: Monica Driggers, J.D. and Erika Kates, Ph.D.
Our Goals:
We conduct action-focused research to:
- Define policy and program issues (for both public and private entities)
affecting women as victims, as offenders, and as women struggling to
achieve and maintain economic stability and
- Assist stakeholders in shaping concrete strategies for change that will
make a difference in the lives of vulnerable groups of women,
particularly cultural, ethnic and racial minorities, and the
institutions in which they are involved.
Our Focus:
We examine women’s involvement as victims and as offenders in criminal
and civil justice institutions (police, courts, correction, and
parole), and women’s economic status in relation to workforce
development, public assistance and higher education institutions:
- Victim Justice addresses the concerns of women who have experienced
sexual and/or domestic violence, their access to representation, and
their interactions with the courts, legal and ancillary resources
(protection, housing, and financial support).
- Offender Justice refers to women’s access to legal representation,
treatment for mental health, trauma and substance abuse; maintaining
family connections, vocational training in court, while awaiting trial,
while on probation, during incarceration and post-release.
- Economic Justice refers to women’s chances of achieving economic
stability for themselves and their families through access to essential
education and training resources, adequate childcare, health services
and shelter.
Our Work:
We ensure that the data we collect are robust, comprehensive, timely
and context-driven. We help shape policy recommendations; disseminate
evidence-based data to a wide variety of stakeholders; and document
best practices so they can be replicated. This work is accomplished
through:
- Performing needs assessments.
- Monitoring progress to assure accountability.
- Analyzing service quality and satisfaction.
- Creating intermediate benchmarks.
- Measuring short-and long-term outcomes.
- Implementing and reviewing systemic change.
- Providing technical assistance, training and workshops.
Our Approach
We create “buy-in” from multiple stakeholders
by using a Participation Evaluation Research (PER) model that diffuses
the mistrust often associated with evaluation research. This approach
naturally leads to collaborative solutions to complex policy issues. A
PER approach:
- Is informed by the goals of numerous groups of stakeholders.
- Encourages policymakers, activists, program and agency board members,
directors, staff, and clients to participate in developing the research
agenda, research questions, guidelines and data collection activities.
- Enables wide dissemination through multiple channels of communication.
Our Products:
We present our findings and recommendations verbally and in written
formats at formal public forums designed for discussion of policy
implications, and with local stakeholders at community-based
gatherings. We provide advice on formulating legislation, regulations,
and informal policies, and produce our work in multiple formats for
different audiences:
- Fact sheets (2 pages).
- Policy briefs (3-8 pages).
- Research Reports/Monographs (9-30 pages).
- Concept papers (10-30 pages).
- Journal articles (10-30 pages).
- Handbooks and Training Manuals (10-80 pages).
Examples of Recent Completed Work:
Growing Inequities Among Women in Massachusetts: Income, Employment, Education and Skills (2003). Fact Sheet. (Under revision).
Welfare Reform and Access to Education: Penalizing Mothers and Children (2001).Fact Sheet.
Battered Mothers Speak Out: A Human Rights Report on Domestic Violence and Child Custody in the Massachusetts Family Courts (2002). Research Report.
A Human Rights Resource and Action Packet for
Domestic Violence Survivors Seeking Custody of Their Children in the
Massachusetts Family Courts (2005). Handbook .
Women in Prison in Massachusetts: Maintaining Family Connections (2005). Research Report.
Public Assistance and Workforce Development: The Growing Divide (1999). Policy Brief.
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