Fighting fires while incarcerated in the US; women's rights in Iran; global prison trends; news, opportunities and more
January 2025 newsletter from Women Beyond Walls
Dear Friends
We would like to firstly take a moment to wish our readers, partners and supporters a Happy New Year. We welcome the hope that comes with a new year, and look forward to the exciting opportunities for work and change that we anticipate 2025 will have to offer.
However, we are also deeply saddened by the tragedies across the world that we are already witnessing this January, including the wildfires that have caused such devastation in California. The significant impacts of the disaster have been widely reported, with the world watching the fires' relentless spread, the sad news of lives being lost, and the devastating ruins of homes and livelihoods of residents of California. The Marshall Project, a non-profit and non-partisan news organisation that reports on the U.S. criminal justice system, has also acknowledged the impact on incarcerated people in California as 900 incarcerated fire fighters are said to be responding to the fires. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary, Jeff Macomber, has called the incarcerated workers an “essential” part of the State’s response and that “their commitment to protecting lives and properties during these emergencies cannot be overstated.”
However, the article highlights the ethical complications of this work for incarcerated people, with significantly low pay for such high-risk work, and questions around the ‘decision’ to partake in this work versus remaining in the “violent confines of prison.” The Marshall Project’s article shares the story of Amika Mota who worked as a firefighter whilst she was incarcerated in California, and is now the Executive Director of Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition which advocates for better conditions for incarcerated women and trans people of all genders. Amika shared her concerns for the unsafe conditions she and other incarcerated women were exposed to as firefighters without adequate equipment or sufficient understanding of what they would experience or the risks they would face. She also spoke of acceptance of this work being in part due to fear of punishment or being removed from the program. Prison Reform Trust have also conducted research reviewing paid work for incarcerated women in the UK through the use of release on temporary licence. They noted the barriers to its beneficial use for women, including costs of travel and the Victims Levy taken out of their pay.
As the Prison Reform Trust concluded in their research, we must continue to advocate for decent work conditions for incarcerated individuals. Work opportunities offered to incarcerated people must be fair, safe in practice, and mutually beneficial—both for the individuals themselves and the communities or services they work with.
With gratitude and solidarity,
The Women Beyond Walls Team
Women Beyond Walls news - a call for submissions
We would still love to hear from you if you are organising an event at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) or are attending. We will 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 at hello@womenbeyondwalls.org by 15 February 2025 so we can include your details in our special CSW Guide.
News from around the world
News from around the world
Iran: BBC News has published an article on the lives of incarcerated women in Iran. Many of the accounts in the article are about women who were arrested in connection with the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ protests that followed the death of 22 year old Mahsa Amini who died in police custody following an arrest for not wearing a hijab. Additionally, a group of Iranian women’s rights activists are calling for solidarity to stop the execution of women in Iran. Currently, two Kurdish Women Political prisoners, Pakhshan Azizi and Verisheh Moradi, face an imminent risk of execution. The women’s rights activists have launched a Change.Org petition open for signatures if you want to show your support and learn more.
Kuwait: Last month, Penal Reform International and the Kuwait Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies continued joint training activities on ‘Enhancing Justice Effectiveness: Toward Efficient Justice’. The workshops were attended by 30 senior prosecutors and public prosecution members with the aim to “strengthen the capacities of the judicial system and ensure the delivery of effective justice” in Kuwait.
Pakistan: Justice Project Pakistan, in collaboration with the National Commission for Human Rights and the National Academy for Prisons Administration, have launched a Prison Data Report 2024 for Pakistan. The findings of the report show “prison conditions in Pakistan fall significantly short of international standards.”
Syria: Following the overthrow of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024, a large number of women and girls who were previously being held in prison are believed to have been released. One report suggests that many previously incarcerated women experienced sexual and physical abuse as a means of a torture whilst in prison, and as a result are struggling with social stigmatisation since re-entering their communities. The report suggests many women fear the response of their families and community members due to their experience of sexual violence, feeling they bring with them ‘dishonour.
USA: Reports suggest that the US Government have been ordered to pay a total sum of nearly $116 million to 103 women who were formerly incarcerated in the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. The lawsuits from the women were based on their experiences of abuse and mistreatment in the prison, which has now been shut-down due to high levels of sexual misconduct and abuse perpetrated by prison staff towards the incarcerated women.
Opportunities
Join the International Corrections and Prisons Association and the Thailand Institute of Justice for the Women in Corrections Conference on 19-21 February 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Jamaicans for Justice are inviting proposals for funding that “supports the efforts of its 3-year project ‘Promoting and Protecting Human Rights in Jamaica through education, advocacy and legal support services.” The deadline for proposals is 7 February 2025. You can find more information via their LinkTree.
Join the FreeHer MA 2025 Virtual Campaign Kickoff event on January 27 2025 at 6pm (ET) on Zoom. The event will explore the ongoing fight to stop the construction of a new women’s prison in Massachusetts, as well as the work and priorities going forward for ending the over incarceration of women.
Women in Prison UK are recruiting a Domestic Abuse Senior Advocate and a Prisons Link Worker. You can find details of the roles and how to apply here.
Media and literature recommendations
Read the Open Letter to the UK Government: Provide Support, End Unfair Criminalisation of Women which is calling on the UK Government to commit to ending “unfair punishment of survivors of domestic abuse and reduce the harm done to survivors if they are drawn into the criminal justice system.” The letter is led and co-signed by a number of individuals and organisations, including Women in Prison, Centre for Women’s Justice and Women’s Aid.
You can also read the Global Prisons Trend 2024 report which addresses the key current developments and challenges for prison systems across the world. The report is published by the partnership of Penal Reform International and Thailand Institute of Justice. The key issues identified in the report include prison overcrowding, mental health crises, and significant disparities in prison labour.
If you live in the UK, you can see the new play Scenes from Lost Mothers which is running between 1 February and 31 March. Written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti and co-commissioned by Clean Break and the University of Hertfordshire, the play is based on a research project conducted by Dr Laura Abbott entitled ‘Lost Mothers.’ The play explores the experience of incarcerated pregnant women and the challenges they face, including maternal separation, health care provisions and mental health support. You can also read a review of the play here.
Watch the Free Her Institute’s video of Katrina Battiste, an incarcerated woman discussing her experiences of traumatisation whilst giving birth at Logan Correctional Center in the US.
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