History of AJFO
AJFO addresses issues for women and girls involved in the criminal justice system. AJFO's history goes as far back as the 1912 National Prison congress when an Association of Women members was created so that the “ladies could get together for mutual help and advice [and so there would] be given a time on the program when women who were directly concerned and interested in the work for women prisoners should have an opportunity to emphasize this very important work.” Over the past century the group grew and continues its leadership role as an advocacy group for women and girls in the criminal justice system. While the early purpose was to provide networking for those working with incarcerated women and girls, AJFO created the Adult and Juvenile Female Offender workshops (AJFO) in the 1980's, which were held biennially to advance knowledge about working with justice involved women. AJFO currently co-hosts a biennial conference in partnership with a local host. These conference continue to draw approximately 600 participants.
Since 2003, the Association on Programs for Female Offenders (APFO), an American Correctional Association affiliate, co-sponsored biennial AJFO conferences.
In 2015, we merged APFO and AJFO and changed our name to the Association for Justice-Involved Females and Organizations (AJFO).
“Having a network of individuals and organizations dedicated to serving criminal justice-involved women and girls offers a unique opportunity to stay on top of the most recent advances in gender-responsive research and practice.”
-Ashley Bauman, Bauman Consulting Group
“AJFO has provided such an amazing and uplifting space for connection and collaboration with professionals across the country dedicated to gender-responsive policies and practices. This space inspires a collective push forward that is exciting and promising!”
-Leticia Longoria-Navarro, The Pathfinder Network
“I was extremely impressed with this conference. The diversity and quality of the workshops was outstanding. I was particularly impressed with the number of sessions that included women who are/have been involved with the criminal justice system. Their stories and the resiliency they have demonstrated was astounding.”
-Conference attendee