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Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers |
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CLAIM advocates for policies and programs that benefit families of imprisoned mothers and reduce incarceration of women and girls. |
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CLAIM was formed in 1985 to address the gap in
legal aid and advocacy for women prisoners and their families. CLAIM has grown
from a one-woman office to a dependable source of legal aid, education about the law, and systems change advocacy for and
with women prisoners and their families. CLAIM
launched the Advocacy Project in 1992 to help formerly incarcerated women develop their leadership skills and to organize
them to promote policy change. From its beginning, formerly imprisoned women
have been in key staff positions. The Advocacy Project is a vehicle for the activism
of women who speak with the authority of their experience and who have the courage to work publicly as former prisoners to
bring about change. |
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CLAIM strives (1) to promote community-based sentencing instead of prison for non-violent offenses, particularly
for primary-caregiver parents, (2) to promote family preservation and (3) to empower women former prisoners to work toward
policy change. |
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