Dear John,
Out of sight should not mean out of heart and mind. But the tragedy for women in prison is that it often does. The women now in prison are often there because of circumstances that might have put you or me there, too.
Nearly half of incarcerated women are being held in jails – and half of them are being held pre-trial, so have not been convicted of a crime. 80 percent of women being held in jails are mothers, and over half, 58 percent, of all incarcerated women are mothers. About five percent are pregnant and give birth in prison. And in 23 states, women give birth in chains because we have not yet succeeded in even passing anti-shackling laws.
This is part of the reason women and girls are the fastest growing incarcerated population in the United States today. Over the course of the past four decades, women’s prison populations have grown more than 525 percent – twice the rate of men’s incarceration. And the incarceration rates for Black women are almost twice that of their white counterparts.
Once in prison, women also suffer significantly higher rates of sexual victimization and violence by the staff who are supposed to protect them. At the less visible end of the spectrum, prisoners’ mental and physical health often deteriorates, their most basic hygiene and reproductive needs – even access to tampons or pads – are frequently ignored.
We at Ms. magazine want women in prison to know they are seen and valued.
And because domestic violence shelters can be almost as isolating as prisons – and often lack reading material, just as many prisons do – we want to include women in those shelters in this program too.
That’s why we started the Ms. magazine Prison and Domestic Violence Shelter Program.
We send Ms. to 4,948 federal, state and county prisoners, and hundreds of shelters across the country. That’s a fraction of the total, but it’s a number we’re very proud of and hope to keep growing. Over the nineteen years since this program’s birth, we’ve discovered that even this small gesture of recognition, support and information means a lot.
Here’s what Christy Phillips wrote to us from prison in Chowchilla, California, after Ms. published a piece on the sexual-abuse-to-prison pipeline:
“I came across an article in your magazine called ‘Shameful System.’ … It felt like I was reading my story and I feel a deep sadness in my heart that this continues to happen to girls. … I was physically and sexually abused throughout my childhood. Although CPS (Child Protective Services) and the police [were] notified by neighbors and school authorities, nothing was ever done. I was arrested for the crime I am currently incarcerated for and tried directly in adult court three months after my 15th birthday. … It’s hard and I often feel helpless, but people like you inspire me to stay strong. Thank you for giving women and girls a voice, even those of us in prison.”
The Ms. magazine Prison and Domestic Violence Shelter Program lets women on the inside know they are not alone. It is funded by charitable contributions earmarked for this purpose. It is also funded by Ms. community members who buy an extra membership for a friend they don’t know.
Although nothing can replace systematic remedies, nothing can replace reaching out to women in prisons and shelters right now. When you send a friend you don’t know a copy of Ms., it will have her name on it, and be something she knows will keep coming – hundreds of pages of words and images that link her to the world of women. Let her know you care by sending her companionship in every issue of Ms.
Please make a tax-deductible contribution to the Ms. Prison and Domestic Violence Shelter Program. On the outside, the women’s movement brings us support, facts, creativity, humor, and a sense of community.
We are the lucky ones. Pass some luck on.
With friendship,
