Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women

Gender and Activism in Prison: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women

Wednesday, November 7th, 3:30 pm
Simpson Center at University of Washington, Communications 202/204

By Associated Press, Published: October 7, 2012

Washington Post

NEW YORK — Rosalia Silva came to New York from Mexico with the promise of a good job, her small child in tow. Instead, she was forced into prostitution, trapped in a life of abuse and misery, and she saw no way out.

You can listen and/or read the story here:

http://kalw.org/post/transgender-immigrant-detainees-face-isolation-dete...

Warning: talks about the prevalence of sexual assault in prisons and detention centers. Nothing explicit, but it does talk about that reality.

Friday, September 28, 2012

I was on WBAI's Health Action show last night (Monday, September 24th) to discuss reproductive health care (or the lack of it) in women's prisons and WORTH's Birthing Behind Bars campaign. If you missed it, you can still listen to it on-line here:

http://www.wbai.org/server-archive.html

The New York Times today reported that women imprisoned in China fare better than women imprisoned in the United States. Here are some highlights:

• Women aren't shackled during childbirth.
• When the police arrest a woman who is pregnant, she cannot be sent to prison or detention. According to Wang Jingling, one of China’s leading researchers on women in prison, “Generally she stays at home and is monitored in her district.

Will AB 2530 Unshackle Childbirth in California?

from the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP):

CCWP is writing to circulate information about Proposition 35, the CASE Act (Californians Against Sexual Exploitation). Yes, CCWP is against sexual exploitation, but this initiative plays upon public concern about human trafficking and the trafficking of minors to amp up sentencing, fines and the criminalization of sex workers.

You may not have heard much about Prop 35 before this.

What do a nineteen-year-old lesbian from New Jersey, a 23-year-old trans woman in Minneapolis and a 31-year-old mother in Florida have in common? All three were attacked, all three fought back and all three were arrested. All three are currently in prison while their attackers remain free. Oh, yes, and all three are black women.

Read the whole story at: http://truth-out.org/news/item/11196-no-justice-when-women-fight-back

from Legal Services for Prisoners with Children:

Guess what's on the governor's desk ready for his signature? AB2530, a bill that restricts the barbaric practice of shackling pregnant women held in California jails and prisons.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) opposes the use of shackles on pregnant women in all but the most extreme circumstances.