What's New in Prison Resources
Incarceration rates are soaring, despite a 40% drop in violent crime since 1990. Learn how you can get involved with criminal justice reform following the stories below.:What’s New in Prison Resources
Take Control of Your Money
July 5, 2021
Annuity.org’s objective is to deliver the most comprehensive explanation of…
Living Yoga Classes in Prison
March 13, 2020
In the ear breaking noise of a women's full custody prison unit, I noticed that…
The Northwest Regional Re-entry Center
March 11, 2020
The Northwest Regional Re-entry Center (NWRRC) helps offenders make a safe and…
Mercy Corp Launched Lifelong Education for Entrepreneurs
March 11, 2020
In 2007, MCNW launched Lifelong Education for Entrepreneurs (LIFE) at the…
A Volunteer’s Chance to Make a Difference Behind Bars
March 11, 2020
A single mom of two, Monica has a packed schedule. There are many other places…
All Women Deserve to be Treated with Human Dignity – Especially While Pregnant
March 11, 2020
As a conservative organization that focuses on improving the criminal justice…
Can We Build a Better Women’s Prison?
November 9, 2019
I served six years at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, 2003-2011. The…
What’s New in Prison ResourcesFalling is the story of how a middle-aged mom learns to navigate life on the Inside. Over the six years I was incarcerated, I learned how to eat a meal in 10 minutes with a spork. I learned obedience and humility. I learned lurid slang. I learned how to keep my mouth shut. I learned how to mother from behind bars, miles from my teenage daughters. And finally, I learned how to love the unloveable, including myself.
I was released from prison on April Fools’ Day 2011. The date is not lost on me. It is a yearly reminder to reflect on my mistakes. Reestablishing myself took years. I didn’t have the energy to write or reflect about prison. I was moving forward. I met some surprising women behind bars and was touched and changed by their stories. I made a promise that I would free their voices. In moments of vulnerability, we shared common grief and pain from the harm we caused by our actions. I began writing Falling four years later. When I finally opened that black door, images and memories came flooding back. One day, I saw the same Intake plastic brown sandals at Rite-Aid. I felt sick all over again. I wondered how I survived it.
It was my original intention to write a guidebook. No one had written one about women’s prisons when I needed it. I remember awaiting sentencing, wondering things like, will I get a bra? Will I have to sit behind a glass partition to see my children? Who, exactly, are the women? I took out my journals, photos, and letters from prison. I opened up a large box that held scraps of paper with the inmate women’s quotes. I picked through them, laughing and crying. I was able to see their faces and their gestures. I could easily recreate the scene. I organized the scraps into heaps and chapters that made sense but to only me. I needed help.