The Cross-Center Collaboration on the Health of Justice-Involved Women and Children

About Us

The Cross-Center Collaboration on the Health of Justice-Involved Women and Children (JIWC) is a group of formerly or currently HRSA-funded faculty, staff and students working on research, policy, training issues and topics at the intersection of incarceration and MCH. The JIWC is made up of the following Universities:

JIWC Member Page

What do we do?

Over the course of the next 5-years (2020-2025), we’ve committed to carrying out the following activities at the intersection of incarceration and MCH: 

  • Conducting research-related activities
  • Exploring policy and advocacy opportunities
  • Providing training and technical assistance; and 
  • Building networks across CoE and Catalyst programs on cross-cutting issues and topics.

We foster cross-center communication to deepen our collaboration and connections through regular calls.

What are we working on?

The collaborative is in early stages of undertaking research, policy and advocacy activities. Currently, we’re developing plans to:

  • Complete data collection of state laws and policies relevant to pregnant and postpartum people )
  • Create a directory of programs providing pregnancy-related services for incarcerated people
  • Host quarterly national network calls for practice-based experts (such as doulas from prison doula programs) 
  • Host public webinars showcasing public health professionals working with justice-involved populations
  • Collect and share syllabi from MCH- and criminal justice-relevant courses taught by CoE faculty 
  • Develop a web-based learning module that summarizes key issues
JIWC Webinars

How are we partnering with community organizations, doula programs and others?

The collaborative plans provide training, technical assistance, and any working on “products” (briefs, reports, videos, etc.) for practitioners working with JIWC.

How are students getting involved?

Students affiliated with our MCHB-funded CoEs or Catalyst programs are integral to carrying out collaborative activities. Students participate in calls, and are involved in all our efforts, and receive formal and informal mentoring and coaching.