Women – Pennsylvania
National Clearing House for the Defense of Battered Women 215-351-0010 or 800-903-0111 ext. 3 (Program of Battered Women Justice Program) 125 S.9th Street #302 Philadelphia, PA 19107 www.ncdbw.org We provide assistance and information to battered women charged with crimes and to their defense teams. We do not provide direct legal representation.
Let’s Get Free Women and Trans Prisoner Defense Committee letsgetfree@activist.net The Women and Trans Prisoners Defense Committee (WTPDC) is a group of committed people in Western Pennsylvania who have come together to advocate for justice for women and transgendered people behind bars. Our current campaign seeks to free two women serving life without parole in Pennsylvania, Avis Lee and Charmaine Pfender. These women pose no threat to society and have already unjustly served over 29 years each.
Atkins House 717- 848-5454 307 E. King Street York, PA 17403 (717) 852-9416 (Fax) Email: atkinshouse@desupernet.net Website: www.atkinshouse.org Services: Atkins House, located in York, PA, is a residential and outpatient treatment center for women offenders – providing counseling for drug, alcohol and sexual abuse as well as victim awareness, life skills and mother – child transition after incarceration. Atkins House is a non-profit service organization.
YWCA of Greater Harrisburg Tel: 717.234.7931 fax: 717.234.1779 Hotline 1.800.654.1211 Local Hotline:717.238.7273 1101 Market St. Harrisburg, PA Community outreach and educational programs. Services: Legal advocacy and attorney representation at all scheduled hearings; Ongoing legal assistance through continuances, settlement negotiations and contested hearings; Drafting court documents and subpoenaing witnesses, photographs and medical records, when appropriate; Legal options counseling; Legal advocacy and accompaniments to domestic violence-related criminal and civil court proceedings
Women Against Abuse Legal Center 215-386-1280 100 S. Broad St. Suite 1341 Philadelphia PA 19110 (Hotline) 1-866-723-3014 Website: http://www.womenagainstabuse.org Works with women experienceing domestic violence in Philadelphia. Housing, support, and legal help.
Women for Sobriety (WFS), Phone: 215-536-8026 PO Box 618, Quakertown PA 18951., Website: www.womenforsobriety.org. Information and women-centered approach to drug and alcohol recovery.
Program for Female Offenders 717-238-9950 1515 Derry Street Harrisburg, PA17104 fax: 717-236-3585 info@theprograminc.org www.theprograminc.org Serves women and children affected by incarceration in dauphin or cumberland county
Women Organized Against Rape One Penn Center 1617 John F Kennedy Blvd Suite 1100 Philadelphia PA 19103 (215) 985-3315 Hotline (215) 985- 3333 www.woar.org email info@woar.org Provides services to survivors of sexual assault in Philadelphia, including a 24-hour hotline; crisis intervention; counseling for men, women, and children; court and hospital advocacy; and information and referrals.
Women’s Services, Inc. P.O. Box 537 Meadville PA 16335 (814) 724-4637 hotline (888) 333–9766 womenser@ windstream.net Serves Crawford County women where Cambridge Springs is. Provides services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Group and individual counseling, 24 hour hotline, accompaniment to medical, police, or court proceedings, and information about community referrals.
Susquehanna Valley Women in Transition P.O. Box 170 Lewisburg PA 17837 (570) 523-1134 toll free hotline (800) 850 7948 www.svwit.org Northumberland County 24-hour Hotline: (570) 644-4488 Snyder County 24-hour Hotline: (570) 374-7773 Union County 24-hour Hotline: (570) 523-6482 Susquehanna Valley Women in Transition offers counseling, shelter, and other emergency services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties in Pennsylvania.
Victim Services, Inc. 638 Ferndale Ave Johnstown PA 15905 (814) 443-1555 hotline (814) 288-4961 toll free hotline (800) 755-1983 Victim Services Inc. is a comprehensive center for victims of sexual assault and other violent crimes in Somerset and Cambria Counties.
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape 125 N. Enola Drive Enola, PA 17025 (717) 728-9740 Referral Hotline: (888) 772-7227 www.pcar.org Working to prevent sexual violence and provides services. Network of 52 rape crisis centers.
Centre County Women’s Resource Center 140 W. Nittany Ave. State College, PA 16801 (814) 234-5222 24-hour Hotline: (814) 234-5050 Toll-free (in Pennsylvania) 24-hour hotline: (877) 234-5050 Provides services to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, including males, in Centre County.
Parents and Children
Family Services of Western Pennsylvania 888-222-4200 email fswp@fswp.org Offices in New Kensington, Pittsburgh, Tarentum, Greensburg, Brackenridge. Incarceration/ Justice related services, parenting classes, rehabilitation and recovery
ParentWISE 211 Huff St Greensburg PA 15601 724.837.5410 extension 701 or the toll free Help Line at 800.544.0227 email cawoskij@fswp.org. parenting classes, support groups and education, help with involvement in the legal system.
Project IMPACT SCI-Muncy (570) 546-3171 P.O. Box 180 Muncy, PA 17756 Services: formed to strengthen the relationship between parents and their children through positive interaction. Various training and education programs, activity workshops, parental education, parenting teens program
Amachi Pittsburgh Landmarks Building 100 W. Station Square Drive, Suite 621 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-281-1288 email: info@amachipgh.org www.amachipgh.org Mentoring program for children with incarcerated parents
The Care Center 125 N 5th St Indiana, PA 15701 carecenterofindianaco.org Services: parent education, supervised visits and parenting groups
Centre County Domestic Relations Section PO Box 568 Willowbank County Office Building Bellefonte, PA 16823 www.co.centre.pa.us/281.asp Provides DNA paternity testing. Recommends child support monies and enforcement services. Services available to anyone who has custody of a child with an absent parent, any party seeking spousal support, or medical support.
Bethesda Family Services Foundation 260 Reitz Blvd, Suite 6 Lewisburg, PA 17837 (570) 523-0605 Fax: (877) 335-8507 staff@bfsf.org www.bfsf.org distributes 1995 Bad Dads movie a video of group and family sessions at Lewisburg prison $15. Parenting programs and family healing seminars for prisoners and families. Four steps to emotional healing program helps people restore broken relationships.
National Incarcerated Parents and Families Network PO Box 6745 Harrisburg PA 17112 cstuart@aol.com Training, technical assistance, and public information on parent education programs aimed at incarcerated adults and juveniles. Supports positive family involvement during incarceration and after release.
SPHS CARE Center STTARS Program 351 West Beau Street, Suite 201 Washington, PA 15301 (724) 229-5007 Hotline: (888) 480-7283 Works on eradicating the negative effects of substance abuse, sexual assault, and family dysfunction by providing counseling, education, advocacy, and other related services in the community.
The Rape and Victim Assistance Center of Schuylkill County 368 S. Centre Street Pottsville, PA 17901 (570) 628 2965 Hotline: (570) 622 6220 Toll-free Hotline: (800) 282 0634 email: rvac@comcast.netOffers comprehensive services to survivors of sexual assault and their significant others in Schuylkill County.
Center for Victims of Violence and Crime 5916 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15206 (412) 482-3240 24 Hour Helpline: (412) 392-8582 www.cvvc.org Helps individuals, families and communities survive the trauma of violence and crime in Allegheny County.
Alice Paul House P.O. Box 417 Indiana, PA 15701 (724) 349 5744 24-hour Hotline: (724) 349-4444 Toll-free Hotline: (800) 435-7249 www.alicepaulhouse.org The Alice Paul House offers services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other violent crimes in Indiana County.
The Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County, Inc. P.O. Box 738 West Chester, PA 19381 Office: (610) 692-1926 24-Hour Sexual Assault Hotline: (610) 692-7273 24-Hour TTY/TTD Line: (610) 738-8450 www.cvcofcc.org Services all types of crimes regardless of when the crime occurred, 24-hour crisis response; information and referrals, advocacy and accompaniment to police interviews, medical procedures, and court proceedings; individual and group counseling
Crime Victim Center of Erie County 125 West 18th Street Erie, PA 16501 (814) 455-9414 Toll-free: (800) 352-7273 www.cvcerie.org Assists all sexual assault survivors and their significant others. 24-hour hotline, crisis intervention, counseling, accompaniment, support groups, and information and referrals.
PASSAGES: Prevention and Service for Sexual Assault through Guidance, Empowerment, and Support 24-hour Hotline for Clarion, Clearfield and Jefferson Counties: (800) 793-3620 Website: www.passagesinc.net
Clarion County 105 South 5th Avenue Clarion, PA 16214 (814) 226-7273 E-mail: passages@clarion-net.com Clearfield County 90 Beaver Drive, Suite 120 D DuBois, PA 15801 (814) 371-9677 Toll Free: (888) 716-9677 E-mail: passages@wrkcs.net Jefferson County P.O. Box 96 Brookville, PA 15825 (814) 849-5303 Toll-free: (877) 776-5303 E-mail: passages2@wrkcs.net Individual and Group counseling for victims/survivors of sexual assault and their family members or friends.
PA DOC/Bureau of Treatment Services 1920 Technology Parkway Mechanicsburg, PA 17050 (717)728-2000 Parent education, transportation for visits, self help support groups, family literacy, video-visiting, mentoring children of prisoners, family violence prevention training information and referrals.
Kids n’ Kin Program 415 South Fifteenth St Philadelphia PA 19146 (215)875-4961 http://extension.psu.edu/kinship/ email: cneal@tp4c.org Supports children with absent parents to keep them with informal guardianship, extended family members, or fmily friends. Offers home visits, legal assistance, and support services for incarcerated parents.
National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated 93 Old York Rd Suite 1#510 Jenkintown, PA 19046 (215)576-1110 fcn@fcnetwork.org Publishes information on children of incarcerated parents, programs for parenting from prison, prison visiting, incarcerated fathers, etc.
PA Prison Society Programs 245 North Broad St Fl 2 Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 564.6005, ext. 104 Parenting Program, PA Prison Society 12 week program for men and women in Philadelphia facilities. Assists parents seeking reunification, targeted for parents with children in welfare placement.
SKIP Support for Kids with Incarcerated Parents (215) 564-4775, ext. 104 email: cbradford@prisonsociety.org 12 week support group fro children ages 8-12 to build self esteem and cope with parents’ incarceration. Held in select Philadelphia public schools
Family Resource Center SCI Graterford facilitates positive visits between incarcerated men and their families, modeling appropriate interaction and parenting skills with visiting children 1 day a week
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children 1540 Market St Suite 490 San Francisco CA 94102 (415) 255-7036 email:info@prisonerswithchildren.org Offers legal support, trainings, advocacy, public education, grassroots mobilization and developing community partnerships, advocates to release incarcerated people, to restore human and civil rights and to reunify families and communities.
Women – National
U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women 202-307-6026 145 N Street, NE, Suite 10W.121 Washington, D.C. 20530 Fax: 202-305-2589 Enforces federal criminal statutes, assists the Attorney General in formulating policy related to civil and criminal justice for women, and administers more than $270 million a year in grants to help states, tribes, and local communities transform the way in which criminal justice systems respond to crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
California Coalition for Women Prisoners (415) 255-7036 ext. 4 1540 Market St., Suite 490 San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 552-3150 info@womenprisoners.org The CCWP publishes, The Fire Inside, a quarterly publication dedicated to providing a space for women prisoners and their supporters to communicate with each other and the broader public about the issues and experiences women prisoners face through articles, art and poetry. I’m not sure if it’s free or not but it’s a real great newsletter.
Women’s Prison Book Project c/o Boneshaker Books 2002 23rd Ave S Minneapolis MN 55404 612-871-7110 This program is for women and transgendered prisoners to receive free books.
Women Organized to Respond to Life Threatening Diseases 449 15th St Suite 303 Oakland, CA 94612 info@womenhiv.org www.womenhiv.org Provides free HIV/AIDS information.
The Action Committee for Women in Prison 626-710-7543 www.acwip.net Advocates for humane treatment of incarcerated women. We work for the release of women who are unjustly imprisoned, and end overreliance on mass incarceration.
Free Battered Women: Now merged with California Coalition to Free Women Prisoners
The Working Group to Enhance Services for Incarcerated Women, Pennsylvania Prison Society Contact: Anne Schwartzman 215.564.4775 Extension 117 project of The Prison Society, is a coalition of community-based service providers who offer information and services to women incarcerated in Philadelphia and to women recently released from correctional facilities into the greater Philadelphia area. Family advocacy, parental rights, resource directory, classes, reentry, housing, welfare, support groups child care etc.! this program sounds great for women.
Chicago Books to Women in Prison, PO Box 14778 Chicago IL 60614 write to receive free books. email cbwp4001@gmail.com
Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM), Phone: 312-675-0912 70 East Lake St. Suite 1120, Chicago IL 60601-5959.; for collect calls from correction centers: 312-675-0911. Works with women in Illinois, but has resource guide: Caring for Children when a Parent is Arrested: Guide to Legal Options and Resources. www.claim-il.org
Online Links
The New Jersey 4 – Patreese the last of the NJ4 is to be released summer of 2013!
Donate Some $ to Her Release Fund!
Resistance Behind Bars – The Struggle of Incarcerated Women
This section was updated by Amanda Johnson, Ruth Marshall and etta cetera in May 2013
PA Prison Directory Action 