KU Center Helps Women Gain Foothold After Incarceration

A flier from her probation officer was the turning point for Jodi Whitt, who had spent more than two decades in and out of the criminal justice system.

The piece of paper introduced Whitt to the Technology Education Program offered by the University of Kansas’ Center for Digital Inclusion.

Since 2019, Whitt has risen through the ranks at the center, starting as a participant and working her way up to project coordinator. Her goal: to reunite justice-involved women with their children.

Nationally, an estimated 62% of women in state prisons have at least one child under the age of 18, according to The Sentencing Project.

“Most of the women that I am working with at the jail, they have children. Their children are missing them. They are missing their children. And it’s causing a bad ripple effect in our world,” Whitt said.

Reunification with children is just one barrier women face after being released.

Women often leave correctional facilities with court debt, unstable housing, and several other hurdles. Along with that comes the challenge of living in an increasingly digital world.  

Learn More about Jodi Whitt and programs that help women like her

For women like Whitt, the difference between returning to old patterns and building a new life often depends on whether they can access programs that give them skills and support.

A nationwide network of organizations is working to change reentry for women. 

The Center for Digital Inclusion focuses on technology education and mentorship.

Separately, the Mirror Work for Success program helps participants map out a path to employment, and Intersection to Care meets women inside the jail to start planning for housing, treatment, and work before they ever walk out.

Together, the organizations work to keep women from cycling in and out of the justice system.

For participants, the impact of these programs is measured beyond certificates and completed modules. Digital skills and employment coaching open doors to sustainable jobs, and mentorship gives women someone to lean on.

“I want them to know that someone cares. I want them to know that someone believes in them. That’s the purpose I didn’t think I was going to get in life,” Whitt said.

Still, the work is happening against a backdrop of deep trauma and long-term instability.

Kristen Shook, program manager for Mirror’s Work for Success, argues that the difference it makes in reentry comes from someone keeping up practical help and a willingness to listen.

“Above all of this other stuff is connection,” Shook said. “Everybody needs to feel loved, to feel like they have a community and people they can count on. Nobody should feel like they’re doing this alone.”

Hyunjin Seo, director of the Center for Digital Inclusion, said the next steps for organizations like hers are to ensure collaboration between supportive organizations.

“The services that are provided for those in reentry are rather fragmented at this point,” Seo said. “So what we need is a more systematically connected information or resource hub for people who are released into society.”