Carrying each other forward: Reflections and gratitude for a year of building collective power to end the over-incarceration of women and girls worldwide
December 2024 newsletter from Women Beyond Walls
Dear Friends
As we approach what is the holiday season for many, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the year past. As 2024 comes to an end, we are deeply grateful for all the new partnerships and collaborations we have forged and for witnessing the inspiring work taking place across the world to end the harms of criminalisation and incarceration on women, girls, and communities.
This work is never easy, and even as we take steps forward, we often encounter obstacles that set us back. Yet, in those moments, it is the solidarity within our communities that sustains us. Together, we carry each other forward, refusing to let setbacks define the progress we are determined to achieve.
This work remains woefully underfunded, and we are immensely thankful to the many volunteers who support what we do, as well as to all of you who remain passionate about this cause despite the stresses and struggles it brings. Solidarity, generosity, and gratitude are values that underpin our work, alongside celebrating, valuing, and respecting diversity. Together, we are stronger, and this year has demonstrated the power and impact of collective action in ways that inspire us to keep going.
We are especially mindful of the holiday season, which is one of the hardest times for women in prison. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who is working to support women and their families during this time. This includes extraordinary individuals like Gem Jones, a formerly incarcerated woman in the US, who distributes gifts to women in prison over the holidays through her non-profit, What About Us Behind the Walls.
We have exciting news and plans for 2025 and look forward to sharing these with you in forthcoming newsletters.
As we close this chapter of 2024, we wish you all a restful end to the year and hope the year ahead brings renewal, strength, and progress in our shared mission.
With gratitude and solidarity,
The Women Beyond Walls Team
Women Beyond Walls news
In November, we co-hosted a meeting in Rio, Brazil with the International Legal Foundation, the Rio Public Defenders Office, Penal Reform International, APCOF and the Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status. The meeting brought together over 20 experts from around the world to draft international principles on combating discrimination in legal systems, including people with lived experience, judges, lawyers, academics and community organisations. Our thanks to all the co-hosts and experts.
We also travelled to Sao Paulo where we met groups working with and for incarcerated women and girls. We’ll share more about our inspiring meetings next year.
Isabella Cordua, Senior Researcher, spoke at a panel. The Criminilisation of Women in Poverty: A Case Study on Sex Work in the Netherlands, co-organised by Penal Reform International, Women Beyond Walls, the Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, Bureau Clara Wichmann, La Strada International and the Amsterdam Law Hub. Our thanks to all the organisers and participants.
In December, we took part in the AWID Forum in Bangkok, Thailand - a galvanizing convening of over 4000 feminists! We collaborated with the International Network of Formerly Incarcerated Women (INFIW) and organisations working on drug policy (such as IDPC, HRI, WHRIN and Metzineres) to highlight why incarceration and drug policy are feminist issues! We recorded a conversation with IDPC and INFIW that we will release next year. Our special thanks to Coletta, Yatie, Kim, Gloria and INFIW.
News from around the world
Iraq: Human Rights Watch has highlighted the increase in unlawful executions in Iraq in 2024, as well as inhumane conditions and torture in detention.
Pakistan: A recent report states that 25 women are currently imprisoned in the Punjab region of Pakistan on blasphemy charges. This data was provided following an information request from an advocate at the Lahore High Court.
Singapore: Seven organisations, including Amnesty International and World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, renewed their call on the Singapore authorities to address the alarming human rights concerns and unlawful drug related executions. They are urging the Singapore government to “immediately establish a moratorium on all executions and cease the harassment of civil society representatives” who express anti-death penalty views.
UK: The Ministry of Justice has announced its 10-year prison capacity strategy which aims to increase the prison capacity in the UK with an additional 14,000 new prison places by 2031. Women in Prison have released a statement on the impact the strategy is predicted to have on incarcerated women, with figures projecting that the women's prison population in the UK could rise up to 4,100 from the current numbers of 3,500 by 2028. The statement emphasises the importance of the Women’s Justice Board in addressing these figures as the “strategy and government action to address the root causes of women’s criminalisation is so important.”
USA: Death Penalty Policy Project published their study on capital punishment in the USA, with the report concluding that the public and the police are safer where there is no death penalty. The study analysed three decades of FBI data, which covered 1600 executions, finding that the States most actively carrying out executions are among the least safe for the public and the most dangerous for police. The study reveals that these states have “failed to execute their way into violence prevention” and that “from a public safety perspective, the death penalty has been a pointless exercise in cruelty.”
Global: APT released its Global Report on Women in Prison: Analysis from National Preventative Mechanisms
Opportunities
Planning to organise an event at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) next year or attend? We’ll be creating a CSW Guide that will share events and people who are attending who are working to end the mass incarceration of women and girls. Please email us by 15 February 2025 so we can include your details in our special CSW Guide.
Looking for ethical Christmas gift ideas that support people impacted by imprisonment? Find some places to shop below!
Some of the amazing Christmas gift ideas out there Sisters Inside have some fantastic T Shirts!
Sackito Bags - these bags are handcrafted in HM Prison Pentonville in London. Purchases of these bags support incarcerated people by giving them “the opportunity to learn new skills, gain work experience and earn a wage.”
Fine Cell Work - a UK-based charity and social enterprise which teaches skills to people in prison, training and paying them in needlework to produce pieces for sale.
Grace Chocolates - selling artisan chocolates produced by women who have experienced the criminal justice system, supporting them to create positive change in their life through employment and skills development.
Redemption Roasters - trains incarcerated people in the UK, developing important employment skills.
Movement - a social enterprise who create training and employment for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people.
Apply here for the FFPA Grants Manager position with World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
World Coalition Against the Death Penalty is also welcoming new member organisations who “share the aim of the universal abolition of the death penalty.” You can find more information and application details here.
CourtWatch London, a mass court observation project in the UK where citizen volunteers observe magistrates’ court hearings, will be restarting in early 2025. Sign up here for more information on volunteering and training with the project, which aims to “increase community ownership and oversight” of magistrates’ courts and “strengthen the case for policy and practice change for more just decision-making.”
Register here for the International Women in Corrections Conference hosted by International Corrections and Prisons Association and the Thailand Institute of Justice. The event will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, between the 19 and 21 February 2025. Deadline for Early Bird tickets is 22 December!
Justice Project Pakistan is recruiting for an Advocacy Officer - for more information on how to apply please visit their Instagram.
Grow Transform Belong are looking to hear from those with lived experience of the Criminal Justice system, including from previously incarcerated people or those working in a professional capacity within the Criminal Justice field, to contribute to the publishing of their Growth Standards. This piece of work aims to “support organisations to embrace lived experience in a genuine and responsible way and raise awareness of the value of lived experience with the public.” You can fill out their questionnaire and find more information on their instagram.
Media and literature recommendations
Across the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, organisations supporting incarcerated women called for recognition of how gender-based violence and abuse impacts women’s interactions with the criminal justice system. You can find more information on the social media platforms for organisations such as Working Chance, Penal Reform International and Belong: Making Justice Happen, as well as on the Women Beyond Walls Linkedin and Instagram.
Read the article from World Coalition Against the Death Penalty on Abolitionist advocacy at the 89th CEDAW Session - the article discusses the 89th sessions of the committee which took place in October of this year, including the submission and review of reports by the World Coalition and its member organisations regarding discrimination faced by women exposed to the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, Laos and Japan.
World Coalition Against the Death Penalty also shared a reflective article on the Gender and the Death Penalty seminar in Philadelphia in September which connected organisations from 11 countries around the issue. The aims of the seminar were “to promote the change of best practices on abolitionist actions that consider the realities of women and LGBTQIA+ people exposed to the death penalty.” The article notes the development of solutions to combat gender biases in the application of the death penalty and to promote its abolition across the 3 day seminar.
Project 39A has launched an online exhibition entitled Capital Letters from Death Row in India. The exhibition features letters, artwork, photographs and audio recordings created by incarcerated people on death row. The unique exhibition explores “the complex realities of life on death row and engages with stories of hope, trauma and resilience.”
Watch the webinar from Women and Harm Reduction International Network (WHRIN) on the latest data in the global mapping of gender responsive harm reduction services. You can also find the mapping report here.
You can also read the Howard League for Penal Reform’s response to the government’s increased prison space plans. In the article, the Chief Executive of the organisation states that “the billions of pounds earmarked for opening new jails would be better invested in securing an effective and responsive probation service, working to cut crime in the community.”
Read Penal Reform International’s blog on the issue and challenges around overcrowding in prisons in Europe.
Listen to Transform Justice’s most recent podcast episode which discusses the long term impact of a criminal record and the barriers preventing people with criminal records from moving on.
Addressing the same theme of people dealing with the life-long impact of a criminal record, watch FairChecks’ powerful new short film. You can use this link to read more about joining their campaign for criminal records reform.
Read the Human Rights Day 2024 open letter which calls on leaders in the UK to prioritise Human Rights. The letter is signed by over 70 organisations across the UK, including Prisoners Abroad.
The Dullah Omar Institute (DOI), Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Africa (CHRI Africa) and Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ-Kenya) launched 3 factsheets and an infographic on a project titled Sub-national governance and the plight of women working in public spaces - Challenges and principles to improve policy and law-making'.
The research factsheets highlight the challenges of women working in public spaces in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. The infographic serves as an advocacy tool and conversation starter on the issues facing public space workers.
Thank you for following our newsletter, if you find it useful please share it with friends. Please also continue to share your news and important work that you want to be featured and tag us on social media so we can support and amplify.
We look forward to sharing more with you in 2025. For now, we wish you all a very restful and joyful holiday season.
The Women Beyond Walls Team