Office on Violence Against Women

Courtesy of Principal Deputy Director Bea Hanson of the Office on Violence Against Women

As we come to the end of Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the Justice Department’s inaugural National Reentry Week, I am humbled and inspired by the department’s – and the entire Obama Administration’s – commitment to inclusive criminal justice reform efforts.  For example, last month the White House convened a group of justice-involved women and girls, family members of incarcerated individuals, women serving in law enforcement and other advocates to talk about women’s access to justice. 

Courtesy of Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch

Last month, as part of my ongoing community policing tour, I traveled to Miami and Doral, Florida, to learn about some of the innovative work underway there to build trust and strengthen ties between police officers and the residents they serve.  But in addition to the opportunity to meet with local law enforcement, civic leaders, and students, my trip to south Florida gave me a chance to visit with Janet Reno, the first woman to lead the Department of Justice and the second-longest serving Attorney General in American history.