A Roadmap to Justice: KWOOP’s Strategy Launch at NSW Parliament House

This month, we gathered at NSW Parliament House for a pivotal moment in the fight for criminal justice reform. The Keeping Women Out of Prison (KWOOP) Coalition – one of Sydney Community Foundation’s key impact funds – launched their ambitious 2025-2028 Strategy with three government ministers in attendance.  

Women’s incarceration in NSW has surged 40% between 2014-2023, with Aboriginal women bearing the heaviest burden -imprisoned at a rate 22 times higher than non-Indigenous women. Behind these statistics are mothers, daughters, and community members, with 60% of imprisoned women being mothers of dependent children. The current government approach costs $180,000 per woman per year in prison, plus an average of $110,000 annually for each child placed in care.

KWOOP’s new strategy offers a comprehensive roadmap to halve women’s imprisonment rates by 2030 through prevention, in-custody support, and successful community reintegration. As a sub-fund of Sydney Community Foundation, KWOOP brings together service providers, researchers, advocates, and women with lived experience to create evidence-based solutions that address root causes rather than symptoms. The framework addresses three critical areas:

1. Prevention: Keeping women out of the criminal justice system through early support, fairer bail decisions, and community-based programs

2. Support: Ensuring all women in custody receive appropriate care, regardless of their legal status

3. Transition: Supporting successful reintegration through housing, employment, and family reconnection

The Economic Case for Change

The current approach costs $180,000 per woman per year in prison, plus an average of $110,000 annually for each child placed in care. Evidence-based prevention and diversion programs cost a fraction of these amounts while delivering significantly better outcomes. Strategic investment in alternatives would not only reduce these costs but also strengthen families and communities. Research shows that women with stable housing are nearly three times less likely to return to custody.

Understanding Women’s Pathways to Prison

Women’s pathways into the criminal legal system are fundamentally different from men’s, shaped by a complex convergence of trauma, relational influences, substance misuse, and socio-economic disadvantage. The majority of women in the criminal legal system have histories of:

• Poverty and early family disruption

• Childhood abuse and domestic violence victimisation

• Mental health challenges including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder

• Substance use often linked to trauma and used as a survival strategy

• Economic marginalisation leading to crime out of financial necessity

When Aboriginal mothers are incarcerated, most children enter care or informal arrangements, feeding an intergenerational ‘care to prison pipeline’. One-third of women enter prison from homelessness or unstable housing, and over half leave prison into homelessness.

KWOOP’s 18 Recommendations for Reform

The strategy presents 18 targeted reforms to transform how NSW addresses women’s involvement with the criminal legal system. At the prevention end, this includes scaling successful bail support programs for Aboriginal women, establishing judicial education to change sentencing culture, and expanding community-based diversion programs statewide. For women in custody, reforms focus on ensuring equal access to programs regardless of remand status, implementing trauma-informed care, and strengthening family connections through parenting programs and free communication. The transition reforms centre on immediate practical support – guaranteed temporary accommodation, pre-arranged identification and benefits, and coordinated housing solutions – alongside longer-term employment pathways and comprehensive case management that begins from day one in custody.

KWOOP’s Impact Through Sydney Community Foundation

Since 2013, KWOOP has been at the forefront of evidence-based criminal justice reform. As a sub-fund of Sydney Community Foundation, KWOOP brings together service providers, researchers, advocates, and women with lived experience to create lasting change.

Through this partnership, donors can make tax-deductible contributions that directly advance this vital work – supporting programs that break cycles of disadvantage and create pathways to healing rather than punishment.

The coalition’s strength lies in its diverse community of practice, which provides access to evidence-based resources, sector expertise, and networking opportunities. Whether you’re new to this sector or an experienced practitioner, KWOOP’s community offers valuable opportunities for learning, collaboration, and professional development.

The Path Forward

With the support of three government ministers at the Parliament House launch—Minister for Women Jodie Harrison MP, Minister for Housing Rose Jackson MLC, and Minister for Families and Communities Kate Washington MP—there’s genuine momentum for reform.

Co-Chair Professor Emerita Eileen Baldry AO summed up the urgency: “We know what works—now we need policymakers to take action and stem the tide of women going behind bars.”

Co-Chair Nicole Yade, CEO of the Women and Girls Emergency Centre, emphasised the human cost: “Behind every statistic is a woman, often a mother, whose incarceration ripples through families and communities for generations. This strategy offers practical ways to prevent women’s criminalisation in the first place.”

Your Role in Creating Change

Criminal justice reform requires sustained commitment and strategic investment. The strategy charts a course towards justice that centres healing over punishment, prevention over incarceration, and community over isolation.

The Judith Neilson Foundation’s generous support has been instrumental in KWOOP’s capacity to drive this vital work forward. Their partnership enables KWOOP to maintain its community of practice and advocate for meaningful reform. This collaboration demonstrates how strategic philanthropic partnerships can amplify impact across the criminal justice system.

If you’re keen to add your support to Sydney Community Foundation’s work with KWOOP, you’ll be investing in evidence-based solutions that address root causes rather than symptoms. Together, we can build a system that breaks intergenerational cycles of disadvantage and achieves better outcomes for women, children, and the broader community.