0
Skip to Content
The National Council
The National Council
Home
About Us
Our Work
Events
FreeHer 2025 Photo Exhibit
What We're Saying
FreeHer Campaign
Blog
Contact
Get Involved
Donate
Membership
DONATE NOW
The National Council
The National Council
Home
About Us
Our Work
Events
FreeHer 2025 Photo Exhibit
What We're Saying
FreeHer Campaign
Blog
Contact
Get Involved
Donate
Membership
DONATE NOW
Home
About Us
Our Work
Events
FreeHer 2025 Photo Exhibit
What We're Saying
FreeHer Campaign
Blog
Contact
Folder: Get Involved
Back
Donate
Membership
DONATE NOW

Click the links below to view testimonies by The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls to United States House Committees.

12/17/22: Testimony By Andrea James COVID Forum

3/21/19: Public Comment of Andrea James, Executive Director - The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls to The U.S. Commission on Civil RightsWomen in Prison: Seeking Justice Behind Bars

5/19/22: Written Testimony of Andrea James, Executive Director - The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls to United States House Committee on the Judiciary

10/17/19: Written Testimony of Andrea James, Executive Director - The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls to The United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security

11/15/22: Written Testimony of Keeda Haynes, Federal Policy Analyst - The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls to United States House Subcommittee on Civil Rights

5/9/19: Written Testimony of Andrea James, Executive Director - The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls to United States House Committee on the Judiciary

3/14/23: Comment From The National Council For Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls On Proposed Amendments to U.S.S.G. § 1B1.13

LANGUAGE MATTERS: At The National Council we prioritize using terms that reflect our commitment to justice and equity. When addressing incarceration, we use “incarcerated people” instead of “inmates” to emphasize the humanity of those impacted. While we focus on ending the incarceration of women and girls, we recognize that systems of imprisonment harm people across gender identities. Therefore, our language reflects an understanding of these broader dynamics while acknowledging the specific ways that sexism and patriarchy contribute to the incarceration of women and girls.

Additionally, we avoid referring to prisons as “institutions,” as this term can obscure the harm, violence, and systemic oppression that prisons inflict on individuals and communities. Instead, we use terms that directly name their role in perpetuating injustice. Our language seeks to center humanity, foster inclusivity, and challenge the systems and narratives that uphold mass incarceration.

Follow us online #FreeHer #ClemencyWorks

We are abolitionists. Prison reform isn’t our thing. We’re ending the incarceration of women and girls.

© 2025 The National Council. All rights reserved.

Accessibility