In 2011, Merisha Johnson faced a 12-year sentence. She had been arrested previously for writing a bad check, but this time it was different. She found it unbearable, facing the possibility that she would have to spend more than a decade away from her younger son.
For Merisha, getting into prison was the ultimate failure. Growing up in a church, she considered herself someone who knew she was wrong. As a single mother, she did her best, but at her most desperate moments she resorted to writing bad checks and other financial crimes to offer to her family. The idea of shame on her church and her loved ones consumed her.
More 200,000 women I was imprisoned in the United States, like Merisha, Over half of them are mothers. Despite their unique needs, criminal justice policies are largely outweighed by men in the prison system, which largely overlooks imprisoned women. However, women are the fastest growing prison population, and are growing incredibly 585% since the 1980s. This crisis requires collective action from all of the legislators, guardians, judicial members, judicial members and everyday citizens to help women heal and bring them home safely.
Given the oversized role of women as primary caregivers, their incarceration has a major impact on their families and communities. In the decade behind the bar, Merisha missed countless milestones in her son’s life. She was not there when he walked across the stage to receive his diploma.
Behind the bar, Merisha lost her will to live. But sometimes it is in the darkest place where we find light. In the restricted residential quarantine, she experienced what she now calls her “The Road to Damascus” moment. She re-writes herself from God, gains shame, and stops asking for verification from others.
“I felt free,” explains Melisha. She began to take part in faith-based programming and found strength.Internal Journal of Prison Fellowships Life Recovery Bibleand started a Bible Study Group. She led religious and professional classes for other women and enrolled her son in prison fellowshipAngel Treea program that allows incarcerated parents to send Christmas presents to their children with the help of church volunteers.
Despite her rehabilitation efforts, Merisha still faced the daily challenges of prison life. Prisons are often traumatic environments that are unsafe for women.90% have already experienced abuseBefore imprisonment. This trauma is often the most frequent crime driver for women. Behind the bar, trauma can continue in many forms, including sexual violence – It has been recognized for a long timeAs an emergency crisis in prisons across the country. Incarcerated women often lack basic physical safety, hygiene items, adequate OB-gyn care, and family visits.
Our culture is likely to shame women more than men because of incarceration, as women are expected to be integral and healthy, especially as mothers. Sometimes women receive less support from families than men in prison, despite being likely carers in custody after release.
But these women are above the total of the worst choices. They are mothers, sisters, daughters and friends who need the opportunity to heal from past pain. The prison must be a rehabilitation site. Women are protected, supported and given the tools to build a brighter future. Once rehabilitated, women should have opportunities for mercy and redemption so that they can return to their families.
Below are five specific ways to support the rehabilitation and safety of imprisoned women.
- Everyday citizens can help by volunteering in prisons, advocating for improvements in judicial policies, or volunteering to support the children of incarcerated parents. Angel Tree. By improving internal conditions and programs, we are paving the way for people to return to their communities well.
- System readers includingProsecutors in some statesYou can consider responsing to the case of a woman who may be a victim of domestic violence or who has experienced adverse childhood experiences. In fact, last year, Oklahoma Bipartisan law enacted This allows you to apply for a sentence with a reduced number of domestic violence survivors if abuse plays a critical role in a crime. Similar laws were previously enacted in New York and California.
- Transformative correctional instructors like those who participate Worden Exchange The program is a champion of a constructive culture in corrections that benefits women in prison along with prison staff. Projects like Rethinking prisons Emphasise how important it is that people inside are treated with dignity and respect.
- The new administration and emerging directors of the Federal Prisons Bureau can also take steps to protect women. Federal Prison Monitoring Act. The law, enacted last year with strong bipartisan support, aims to ensure that the Bureau of Prisons’ facilities are regularly inspected and allegations of unhealthy prison conditions are thoroughly investigated.
- The Prison Bureau should also work towards federal implementation. First step actionproviding a route for Merisha’s release from prison, and if extraordinarily persuasive reasons justify the reduction, the court can reduce the writing of a person. Ensuring its full implementation will help women return home ready to reintegrate as mothers, workers and involved community members.
Today, Merisha works in women’s prisons, helping women prepare for life after release. She will run again Virtual Ministryworking to promote self-help groups for previously incarcerated women and end stereotypes about people with criminal history. “We made mistakes, but we’re not bad people,” Merisha says. When she works to make her community a safer place, she often reflects on Genesis 50:20. There, Joseph speaks to his brother who sold him to slavery a long time ago. “What the devil means is bad, God can turn it around for good,” she says.
This April has been designatedSecond Chance Monthwe must respect the dignity of imprisoned women. With the right support, thousands of women can step into a brighter future. These women and their families rely on us to act. Let us ensure that all women, like Merisha, who have turned for good, have the opportunity to share it with our community.
Heather Rice Minus is the president and CEO of Prison intercourse. Hilary Blaut is founder and executive director For peoplea nonprofit organization that works with prosecutors to identify people in prisons that can be safely released.
