Andrea James: Fighting for Healing, Not Incarceration

“We are more than the messy parts of our lives. We actually are experts. We have something to say. We're tired of being ignored and we need a seat at the table.” Drawing from her personal experience of being separated from her five-month-old son in prison, Andrea James knows that when women are incarcerated it directly impacts the wellbeing of their families and communities. To stop this cycle of harm and trauma, Andrea and her fellow inmates started a movement to end the incarceration of women and girls. That fight has taken her all the way to the halls of power, where she worked with the Obama administration to secure the release of over 50 women from prison and has inspired people across the United States to stand up for healing not incarceration. Andrea James was a 2015 Soros Justice Fellow and is the founder and executive director of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls (@freeherchannel2513). #OpenSociety #SorosJusticeFellows #CriminalJustice #Abolition