Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women

The Virginia Department of Corrections is planning to implement regulations to prohibit the shackling of pregnant inmates in Virginia’s prisons. The regulation is modeled after legislation (HB 1488) introduced by Delegate Patrick A.

from Pennsylvania Prison Report:

Elyse Wilson, a prisoner at SCI Muncy, reports pain and frustration from two tears on her vagina that she received during an annual exam with DOC gynecologist Dr. Rodriguez. Wilson reports that Rodriguez "opened her vagina like someone would open a potato chip bag", triggering past experiences of rape and causing her to scream and tear up. Wilson requested the exam after problems with urination, which she suspected, meant a prolapsed bladder.

On August 1, 2011, Reverend Joy Powell was sentenced to 25 years to life. She is planningto appeal, with a different lawyer (her last court appointed attorney only visited her twice in 2 years). The judge and DA claimed she "did not help them solve the case." Below is Rev Joy's statement:

"Your honor, with all due respect, I know the court is going to expect me to express remorse for the crime which I have been convicted of. However, I have been wrongly convicted and what has happened to me is a gross miscarriage of Justice.

The San Francisco Gate recently published a story on the deplorable state of the prison library at the Central California Women's Facility:

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a three-judge federal court order last month requiring California to reduce its prison population in two years. Each year, it costs taxpayers about $48,000 to keep a woman incarcerated in the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla. And what do we get for our investment? Not rehabilitation.

The Supreme Court recently ruled that California has to reduce the number of state prisoners by at least 30,000, in response to overcrowding.

Here's one (of many) way(s) that California can do so: Release the people inside who clearly clearly clearly do not need to be inside prison!

The California Coalition for Women Prisoners has petitions up for 4 women who have been found eligible for parole but are awaiting the governor's approval.

Elizabeth Dial has spent 11 years in prison and is up for parole for a third time.

Rev. Joy Powell is a pastor and an anti-violence activist from Rochester, New York. She has organized against police brutality in her city. When she was attacked, the Rochester police were (unsurprisingly) unhelpful and Rev Powell threatened to go to Internal Affairs. She was then charged with two counts of first degree burglary and assault in the second degree.

More about her case is here: http://www.freejoypowell.org/
and

SPIRIT is sponsoring two events in July for the purpose of bringing justice to Oklahoma women.

July 10, 2011 - 2 pm to 7 pm: Singing for SpottedCrow @ Istvan Gallery, 1218 N. Western, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Donations requested for the Patricia SpottedCrow legal defense fund in lieu of a door or entry fee. A "sentencing modification" pleading is due in this case in September 2011. Patricia SpottedCrow sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling $31 worth of marijuana. She had no prior convictions, no record, not even a speeding ticket in her past.

from Human Rights Coalition's PA Prison Report, April 18, 2011

A woman housed in solitary confinement at the maximum security prison for women in Muncy, PA, reports repeated instances of medical deprivation by prison authorities that have led to health complications and suffering.

Cheryl Baskerville reports from the Restricted Housing Unit at SCI Muncy that she has been needing a knee replacement since entering the prison over 5 years ago, but that this has been repeatedly postponed due to skipped appointments with outside p

Note: The governor has the ability to uphold or deny the parole board's decision.

While at the Federal Detention Center (FDC) SeaTac, Sr. Anne and I were in cell 11 in one of the women’s units. Cells 2 – 10 are filled with women wearing orange, held in solitary (Special Handling Unit as it is officially named). These sisters eat all their meals alone in their cells. They get out of their cell for a 15-minute shower three times a week (M, W & F). They are offered no exercise or outside time. They not allowed to communicate with other prisoners, and we were not allowed to motion or talk to them. There is no yelling between cells.