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Dear John,
Out of sight should not mean out of mind and heart. Yet for women in prison, it often does.
And this invisibility keeps us from realizing how much women in prison may resemble you and me. For instance:
Eighty percent are mothers. About five percent are pregnant and give birth in prison. In 28 states, women must give birth in chains because we have not yet succeeded in passing even anti-shackling laws.
Most women in prison are not a danger to society. About 82 percent have been convicted of non-violent crimes. Often, they are suffering unfairly harsh consequences for such nonviolent crimes as possessing or selling illegal drugs. Even the women convicted of murder have often killed a violent partner in self-defense, yet they have not been allowed to plead self-defense.
These are some of the reasons why women and girls are the fastest growing incarcerated population in the United States today. Over the course of the past four decades, state prison populations of women have grown more than 834 percent—that’s more than double the rate of growth for men in prisons. The incarceration rates for women of color outpace even their white counterparts. Black women are twice as likely as white women to be incarcerated.
We at Ms. magazine want women in prison to know they are seen and valued.
Because domestic violence shelters can be almost as isolating as prisons, and often lack libraries or any reading material, just as many prisons do, we decided to include women in domestic shelters too.
That’s why we started the Ms. magazine Prison and Domestic Violence Shelter Program. Now, we send Ms. to 5,096 federal, state and county prisoners. That’s a fraction of the total, but it’s a number we’re proud of and we hope to increase. And we also send magazines to hundreds of domestic violence shelters. This year, during the pandemic, we’ve done our best to increase this number of shelters. Across the nation, shelters have reported increasing numbers of women and their children who showing up at their doors. As a shelter in San Luis Obispo, CA where we send magazines explains:
“…domestic violence is spiking as folks are being forced to shelter at home with an abusive partner, they’ve lost support systems like their schools, and they are experiencing new stressors related to job insecurity and health fears. Violence is escalating and the need for our services is greater than ever before.”
This program for prisons and shelters 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.
Please make a tax-deductible contribution to the Ms. Prison and Domestic Violence Shelter Program. Let women in prison know they are not alone. Let survivors of domestic violence know that we know how unfair it is that women are deprived of home while the criminal batterer is free.
Women on the outside may bring support, facts, creativity, humor and a sense of community to women on the inside.
We are the lucky ones. Pass some luck on.
In friendship,
Gloria Steinem
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