What is the Texas Women's Justice Coalition?

The Texas Women’s Justice Coalition was created in 2018 in response to an increase in women’s incarceration and the unique needs of women in the criminal legal system.

Our founders include the Texas Center for Justice and Equity (TCJE), Brittany Barnett (Girls Embracing Mothers), and Lauren Johnson (ACLU of Texas).

We are a group of formerly incarcerated women, advocates, and service providers. We are working to create change for incarcerated and returning women in our local areas, and we advocate together for state-level policy reforms at the Texas Capitol.

Hear From System-Impacted Women

The women of the Texas Women’s Justice Coalition shared their stories as part of our “Hear from Her” series. Read individual interviews or click to see all of their stories!

Hannah Overton

Hannah Overton

Evelyn Fulbright

Evelyn Fulbright

Angelica Rangel

Angelica Rangel

Destiny Harris

Destiny Harris

Lauren Johnson

Lauren Johnson

Murphy Anne Carter

Murphy Anne Carter

Annette Price

Annette Price

Katie Ford

Katie Ford

Tanya Hale

Tanya Hale

Kristie Mayhugh

Kristie Mayhugh

Lori Mellinger

Lori Mellinger

Natalie Baker

Natalie Baker

Karen Keith

Karen Keith

Margie O'Neal

Margie O'Neal

Laurie Pherigo

Laurie Pherigo

Cathy Marston

Cathy Marston

Jennifer Charlene Toon

Jennifer Charlene Toon

Meme Styles

Meme Styles

Policy Work

As the Texas Women’s Justice Coalition launched in 2018, TCJE released a 2-part report series on women’s justice in Texas: A Growing Population and An Unsupported Population. The series also includes a quick guide, which shares key facts and statistics.

Then, after a retreat to the Texas Hill Country with Coalition members in 2019, TCJE released The Future of Dignity, which shares the Coalition’s history and priorities for policy reform.

TCJE has also tracked the Coalition’s legislative work at the state Capitol, including their fight for dignity and other reforms in 2019, their 2021 policy agenda, and their advocacy for family reunification and other supports for women during the 2021 session.

In 2023, the Coalition is fighting for women to have more rehabilitative and vocational programming in prisons, to ensure they get the same programming access that men already have. And we’re excited to support the youth-led Finish the 5 campaign, given that girls in Texas’ youth prisons are at risk for later system involvement.

The Future of Dignity

Texas Women's Justice Coalition in Action

  • Issue Brief: "Breaking the Bias: Women and Incarceration" (Mar. 2022) | Click here >>
  • Video: International Women’s Day 2022 Virtual Panel Discussion (Mar. 2022) | Click here >>
  • Video: A Coalition member’s story of system impact (Mar. 2021) | Click here >>
  • Photo gallery from Texas Women’s Dignity Retreat (Nov. 2019) | Click here >>
  • Op-ed: “Some progress on women’s justice in Texas — but more must be done” (Oct. 2019) | Click here >>
  • Blog post: Update on the Justice for Women campaign (Sept. 2019) | Click here >>
  • Photo gallery from Women’s [In]Justice Day (Mar. 2019) | Click here >>
  • News article: “Texas Prison Reformers Demand Dignity for Incarcerated Women” (Mar. 2019) | Click here >>

Join the Coalition

Are you a formerly incarcerated or system-impacted woman? Do you have a family member behind bars? Are you a justice system practitioner working to improve outcomes for women in the system? Join the Texas Women’s Justice Coalition to connect with women like you and work together for change!

The Coalition meets approximately once a month over Zoom, in addition to holding events and providing advocacy opportunities. Fill out this form to share your information with Cynthia Simons, who coordinates the Coalition!