Women across the Americas are being incarcerated at an alarming rate.

No more women behind bars.

Women’s incarceration is on the rise across Latin America and is growing at a much faster rate than that of men, with devastating consequences for the women deprived of liberty, their families and communities.

WOLA is working in collaboration with our partners to radically change prevailing policies that result in excessive criminalization and incarceration, including punitive drug laws.

We seek to dramatically reduce the number of women put behind bars across the region.

The COVID-19 and Persons Deprived of Liberty Information Hub and Collaborative Platform

To face this challenge, WOLA has joined the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) project, the Information Hub on COVID-19 and Persons Deprived of Liberty. The hub is a digital one-stop center for different types of information pertaining to persons deprived of liberty including news reports, guidelines, legislation, declarations or reports by international bodies, as well as other practical tools. Go to Information Hub.

Featured Posts on Women’s Incarceration

Guatemala: Renewed Attacks Against Democracy

Guatemala’s Attorney General’s Office, Congress, and Supreme Court have taken new steps to undermine the rule of law and the rights of Guatemalans, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and Human Rights Watch said today. Foreign governments, including from...

November 11, 2023

Three Ways to Reduce the Number of Women in Prison in the Americas

Years in the making, the ground-breaking report on Women Deprived of Liberty in the Americas was launched by the OAS’s Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on July 20, 2023. Even as the research for the report was underway, women’s...

July 07, 2023

First International Convening of Formerly Incarcerated Women

A historic international convening took place from May 2 to 4, 2023, when more than 60 formerly incarcerated women from 17 countries around the world came together in Bogota, Colombia in a new international network that is seeking to build...

June 06, 2023

We Condemn the Stigmatization of Jota Ramos and Demand Protection and Justice

The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and Colombia Acuerdo de Paz NGO demand that Minister of Defense Ivan Velázquez investigate the case of artist and social leader Jota Ramos (full name Jhon Javier Ramos Laurido). Mr. Ramos and two...

May 05, 2023

Electronic Monitoring: A New Form of Punishment for Many Women

Electronic monitoring is becoming a popular alternative to incarceration across the world. But the experience of those impacted by its use widely differs depending on the resources (human, social and financial) at their disposal. This includes, among other issues, having...

December 12, 2022

Una carta para estar contigo: las historias de familiares de personas en prisión

Desde la Red Internacional de Mujeres Familiares de Personas Privadas de la Libertad (RIMUF) con el apoyo de WOLA creamos la animación “Una carta para estar contigo: las historias de familiares de personas en prisión” con la intención...

November 11, 2022