In the fall of 2017, The Legal Aid Society launched The Women’s Pretrial Release Initiative (The Initiative). The Initiative is devoted to securing the release of women who are detained pretrial in New York City and connecting them to gender-specific alternatives to incarceration. We work with community organizations to provide detained women support for individual success from detention, through release and community reentry, to case resolution. We help women who struggle with harsh realities that hinder their ability to achieve the stability needed to meaningfully engage in their cases and return to court.

The Initiative offers early intervention trial and appellate bail advocacy, structuralized social services, and comprehensive support. Service connections include mental health services, substance abuse services, housing and employment resources, and a host of other community support services. Our work helps keep women out of jail and with their families and communities.

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Together, LAS Staff Attorneys Sasha Fisher and Nyiesha Hudson, and LAS Social Worker and Mitigation Specialists Sarah Zarba and Tara Ramos-McManus work around the clock to liberate and empower women who are locked up. Read the full Q&A to learn more about their work.