The Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act helps close these gaps by providing gender-responsive action and trauma-informed care, promoting fair sentencing and alternatives to incarceration, and supporting family stability and successful reentry.
I will support gender-responsive and trauma-informed criminal justice reforms for women.
Occurrences
The Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act recognizes and confronts the unique circumstances and needs of justice-involved women by: Enacting gender informed arrest and law enforcement practices; Prioritizing family reunification to reduce recidivism and protect children; Pursuing gender informed alternatives to incarceration; Eliminating discriminatory sentencing practices; Enforcing gender-responsive and trauma-informed imposition of a sentence; Implementing gender responsive prison reform; and Providing gender informed reentry reform.
reintroduced the Pregnant Women in Custody Act, critical legislation that establishes care standards for pregnant and postpartum women in federal custody
The Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act ... The legislation will: pursue gender-informed alternatives to incarceration, enact gender-informed arrest and law enforcement practices, prioritize family reunification to reduce recidivism and protect children, eliminate discriminatory sentencing practices, and implement gender-responsive prison reform.
Evidence
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“Today, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) reintroduced the Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act, legislation to address the ways that women are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system.”
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The bill provides grant funding for evidence-based training on the specific needs of women who have contact with law enforcement such as a history of trauma, mental health concerns, pregnancy, hygiene issues, or previous experiences with police; requires BOP training on trauma-informed screening and care; and requires federal sentences to consider mitigating information such as a history of trauma, substance abuse, or medical and mental health disorders.
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“Today, during National Reentry Week, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) introduced a legislative package to support formerly incarcerated people upon reentry and beyond, while promoting second chances for incarcerated individuals and directly impacted children.”
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“Provides grant funding for evidence-based training on the specific needs of women who have contact with law enforcement ... Requires BOP training on trauma-informed screening and care.”
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GovInfo lists H.R. 8976 as the Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act, sponsored by Sydney Kamlager-Dove and introduced on May 21, 2026. The latest listed action remains referral to Judiciary, Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce, with no newer official action found in the August 28-30, 2026 lookback window.
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GovInfo bill text for H.R. 9817 shows Kamlager-Dove among the original cosponsors. The bill addresses shackling of pregnant incarcerated people and proposes trauma-informed, culturally and linguistically congruent care for pregnant and postpartum people in custody.
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"Last Action Date Listed May 21, 2026 Action Ms. Kamlager-Dove (for herself, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Simon, Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill"
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"TITLE V--GENDER-RESPONSIVE AND TRAUMA-INFORMED IMPOSITION OF A SENTENCE Sec. 501. Gender and trauma-informed sentencing. TITLE VI--GENDER-RESPONSIVE PRISON REFORM"
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"Gender-informed policing practices shall include-- ``(A) evidence-based training on the circumstances most likely to disproportionately or differently impact women"
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"Ms. Pressley (for herself, Ms. Underwood, Mrs. McIver, Ms. Norton, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Johnson of Georgia"
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"train medical personnel to ensure that pregnant incarcerated individuals receive trauma-informed, culturally and linguistically congruent care"
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"Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) reintroduced the Pregnant Women in Custody Act, critical legislation that establishes care standards for pregnant and postpartum women in federal custody."
Assessments
The promise was to support gender-responsive and trauma-informed criminal justice reforms for women, not necessarily to secure enactment. During her current House term, Kamlager-Dove sponsored or reintroduced the Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act, which directly addresses women in the criminal justice system and includes trauma-informed screening, care, sentencing, and training provisions. She also supported related legislation on pregnant and postpartum incarcerated people. Because these are direct legislative actions materially advancing the promised reforms in federal office, the promise counts as delivered in the same term even though the bills had not become law.
The promise was to support gender-responsive and trauma-informed criminal justice reforms for women, not necessarily to enact them into law. In her current House term, Kamlager-Dove directly delivered on that commitment by reintroducing the Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act and publicly backing a package with explicit gender-responsive and trauma-informed provisions for women, including law-enforcement training, BOP trauma-informed care, and sentencing considerations tied to trauma and mental health. That is concrete, on-point legislative support attributable to her own actions in federal office, so this counts as delivered in the same term.
Kamlager-Dove took concrete same-term action aligned with the promise by reintroducing the Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act and advancing related criminal-justice legislation focused on women, trauma-informed care, and gender-responsive reforms. That supports the claim, but the evidence shows introduction and advocacy rather than a completed policy outcome, so this is partial rather than full delivery.
The promise was to support gender-responsive and trauma-informed criminal justice reforms for women. The evidence shows Kamlager-Dove directly acted on this by reintroducing the Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act and backing provisions explicitly focused on women’s trauma histories, mental health, pregnancy, hygiene, and trauma-informed Bureau of Prisons practices. That is strong evidence of active support and meaningful advancement of the promised policy area. However, the record provided does not show that these reforms were enacted into law or fully implemented, so this is not a full delivery. Because she made a serious legislative effort during her current House term, partial credit is appropriate rather than never.