EXCLUSIVE: Bearded Male Pedophile Sent To Women's Prison in Washington - Reduxx Having advocated for and worked directly with incarcer...
EXCLUSIVE: Bearded Male Pedophile Sent To Women's Prison in Washington - Reduxx
Having advocated for and worked directly with incarcerated women, I can tell you that working with women in prison gives you insight into how unaddressed societal issues impact all women.
How generations of child sexual abuse can leave a woman vulnerable to participating in criminal behavior or substance misuse, .....
How growing up in a household where domestic violence is the law without the benefit of good, supportive, and affordable healing for trauma leads.....
What can happen when we ignore mental health issues, poverty, dysfunction, violence, and abuse.....
You get to see one of the exact locations for where all this silence around what harms women and children leads us.
Our prisons are in the process of committing sexually & physically violent human rights violations against female prisoners in broad daylight. The overwhelming majority of #women in prison have been victims of #domesticviolence & #sexualviolence at the hands of a male.
FACTS:
- Most women in prison are there for non-violent offenses.
- The overwhelming majority of women in prison/jail have a history of violence & abuse at the hands of males.
- Like all other women, they have a right to safety & protection from further male violence.
Women in Prison: Tomiekia Johnson Story | WE Survive Abuse
- Women still receive harsher punishments
Federal Civil Rights Report: Women Inmates Often Punished More Harshly Than Men : NPR
- According to the Prison Policy Initiative, 80% of women in prison are mothers or caretakers of children.
- 60% of women in jail are awaiting trial because they can't afford bail.
8 Facts About Incarcerated and Wrongfully Convicted Women You Should Know (innocenceproject.org)
The Trauma of Women in Prison - The Crime Report
Possible steps toward advocacy:
Find out the name of the prison warden and all the people who make decisions around prisoner placement. It is better to have a name to refer to.
Possible questions for current leaders:
In all of your efforts, enquire about what is being done to keep other vulnerable male prisoners safe from harm. What makes this case different?
What is the written policy rationale behind assuming that a male prisoner will be safer in a woman's prison?
What is the written protocol, procedure, and policy to make sure that women are kept safe from male prisoners?
What is the written protocol, procedure, and policy for keeping staff like counselors and teachers safe from male prisoners housed in women's prisons?
Hold Leaders Accountable When They Fail to Keep Women and Children Safe (w/our list of ally organizations) | WE Survive Abuse
Ultimate List: 11 Ways the Church Community Can Help Victims of Domestic Violence | WE Survive Abuse
The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.-Ida B. Wells
Bring the light
- Write the congressional leaders, both state and federal.
- Write news agencies to let them know what is happening.
- Write local churches and ministries including those with podcasts and video channels.
- Write an editorial for your local newspaper or blogs that genuinely support and center women's rights. People are extremely mean and violent these days so it may be helpful to write as a collective.
- Write your local governing body such as the City Council. Warning: Some governing bodies choose to block the accounts of people writing in support of women and girls and choose to label it "hate." This is where we are.
BUT, In a country where:
Every 73 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.
And every 9 minutes, that victim is a child.
Only 5/1,000 perpetrators will end up in prison.
So, no woman or child who is concerned about their safety should be accused of being "hateful".
- Organize and participate in call-in campaigns. Number five in the article below talks about the importance of this:
7 ways to support people in prison - Waging Nonviolence | Waging Nonviolence
- Host workshops and conferences, even online works around the challenges faced by women in prison including a history of sexual and domestic violence.
- Take this opportunity to gather even more knowledge about what supports are available in your community to help women who want to make change to change their circumstances. Nearly every person released from prison faces challenges when it comes to finding post release employment.
Able-bodied and able-minded males who are released from prison can more easily find jobs that help them to make a living using their bodies in law-abiding ways. Women coming out of prison can have a much harder time. Is your community supportive of teaching skills and training to women coming out of prison that allow them to make a living?
Community Support......
Also, since most women in prison have been victims of domestic and/or sexual violence prior to going into prison, does your community offer ongoing healing and mental health services?
Crisis services?
Recovery from substance use services?
Is there grant money available to make this happen?
- Protest and invite the media including bloggers, vloggers who also support women's rights to safety.
- Lift the voices of people who are changing their lives. Consider having these women's stories told at your groups. Not everyone feels comfortable telling their story before strangers.
Without sharing details that aren't pre-approved you can read them,
...if they are willing to record it,
Send books. Send money.
Send news letting prisoners know that you are very much aware of their obstacles.
- Make sure that you are remembering women in prison all year round.
- Set up guidelines that prevent further harm.
Use the church or organization mail/email rather than individual.
There are organizations that come together for the purpose of advocating for better prison conditions. It might be worthwhile to connect with them. Make sure that your views are in alignment or that there is an elevated level and focus around tolerance for differences.
Not all see the value in centering the needs and voices of women.
It is in furtherance of making you feel hateful, uninformed, not up to the task, or hysterical.
Women in jail and/or prison have a right to serve their time free of male violence. And, so do males...in a male prison.
Whether a woman or girl is in jail, prison, juvenile detention, school, public transportation, the gym, or at home...she has a right to be kept safe from violence & abuse.
I feel for the women in prison just trying to do their time, pay for their crimes, and come back to their families. I think many of us do. May we show them through action.
WE Survive Abuse (subscribepage.com)
How 'WE the People' Violate Women in Prison Today | WE Survive Abuse
Joan Little: First Woman Acquitted of Murder for Defense Against Sexual Assault | WE Survive Abuse
Males Made This World Violent But They Want Women to Fix It? | WE Survive Abuse