Pride, beyond the 🌈; 'Support Don't Punish' day of action; the gendered crisis of incarceration; global opportunities and more...
June 2024 newsletter from Women Beyond Walls - together we can build collective power and amplify voices to end the over-incarceration of women and girls worldwide.
Dear Friends
Thank you for joining us this June, where we have been busy celebrating Pride Month! Pride Month celebrates the LGBTQ+ community around the world, commemorates their civil rights history and achievements, and recognises the ongoing fight for equality and inclusivity. In a world where 64 countries have jurisdictions that continue to criminalise LGBTQ+ people - including the possibility and implementation of the death penalty - so many LGBTQ+ people continue to face life-threatening discrimination based on their identity and sexuality. At Women Beyond Walls we recognise how important it is this month, as well as every other month, to call attention to the ongoing challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people who have been and continue to be affected by incarceration and the criminal justice system.
Revolving Doors, an organisation aiming to prevent individuals from being criminalised due to unmet health and social needs, highlights that LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately impacted by multiple disadvantages including homelessness, mental health issues, discrimination, trauma and substance misuse, all of which are known driving factors of criminalisation. They criticise the lack of research and data on LGBTQ+ people and the criminal justice system, but do point to statistics around LGBTQ+ incarcerated women in the UK - 22% of women in prison identify as a member of the community, which is nearly eight times more than in the UK population as a whole. In their work, Revolving Doors amplify the voices of incarcerated LGBTQ+ women who speak of their experiences - how they didn’t feel safe enough to disclose their sexuality in prison for fear of judgment and discrimination, those that were mocked by police and prison officers around their identity, individuals who weren’t believed when reporting abuse they had experienced due to their identity, and a lack of recognition of the additional needs of incarcerated LGTBQ+ identifying people by criminal institutions. Incarcerated transgender people are particularly vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse by staff and other incarcerated people, with statistics suggesting they are five to ten times more likely to experience sexual assault in prison. On top of this, incarcerated transgender people also face denial of medical care, and more frequent and longer stays in solitary confinement, all incredibly traumatising examples of discrimination.
“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us!” - Marsha P. Johnson
The rates of incarcerated LGBTQ+ people, the disadvantages they face which impact their criminalisation, and the added challenges they experience around their identity during and after incarceration, demonstrate the cruciality of an intersectional approach to challenging the over-incarceration of women. By raising awareness of the needs of incarcerated, previously incarcerated and criminally vulnerable LGBTQ+ people, and addressing these needs through developing support services and institutions to be inclusive of the community, we work towards the vision of LGBTQ+ activist Marsha P. Johnson, who stated that there’s “no pride for some of us without liberation for all of us!”
News from around the world
Malawi: The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs are planning consultations on the review of Section 184 of the Penal Code which covers the “rogue and vagabond” offence. This section of the Code “criminalises a person who has no visible means of subsistence, found loitering and cannot give a good account of himself.” The human rights organisation CHREAA Malawi has shared the news on their instagram, stating that the section is unconstitutional as it is “tailored to influence arbitrary arrests on assumptions of criminality.”
Pakistan: Justice Project Pakistan (JPP)share that as of October 2023, there are 6,039 individuals on death row in Pakistan. Out of which, 62 are women. At least 19 women are imprisoned across Punjab province on blasphemy charges and face the death penalty. See the ‘Opportunities’ section of our newsletter to get resources from the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty to access actions to take toward ending the death penalty. ⬇️
Scotland: Scottish campaigners, including the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, and Justice Secretary Angela Constance, are calling again for an end to strip-searching of women in prison, They are calling for this to be replaced by more trauma-informed approaches such as technology-based searches like scanners and metal detectors.
UK: The HM Inspectorate of Probation and HM Inspectorate of Prisons have released a joint inspection report on ‘The quality of work undertaken with women’ in the criminal justice system. Women in Prison’s comments on the inspection notes the key findings of the report, including inadequate support for women released from prison around practical needs, finding suitable accommodation and mental health and health support, as well as a lack of progression on “addressing the root causes of women’s needs that lead to offending.” CEO Sonya Ruparel reflects that incarcerated and previously incarcerated women are “being met with a complex postcode lottery of services that are frequently unable to meet their most basic needs.”
USA: The 1980 conviction of Sandy Hemme,, has been overturned after a long campaign and fight from Sandy, her family and the Innocence Project.
USA: The Illinois Department of Corrections has announced its plans to relocate Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln, This is Illinois’ only facility that houses incarcerated women above minimal security. The Illinois Department of Corrections has cited reasons for the move including that incarcerated women will be closer to services, health care access and their families. Whilst previously and currently incarcerated women in the facility, as well as staff members, have described the dehumanising conditions at the current facility and support they need to rebuild the facility, they have also shared explicit concerns around the move including the financial motives.
USA: Two Advocacy groups representing women who experienced sexual abuse whilst incarcerated at the recently closed FCI Dublin facility in California have asked a judge to unseal court records and preserve public access to hearings. The groups, Public Justice and ACLE of Northern California, are calling for increased transparency in the case.
Opportunities
World Coalition Against the Death Penalty has released campaigning tools to help prepare and promote for World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October 2024. The tools include a downloadable Mobilisation Kit, 10 actions to take toward ending the death penalty, and resources to inspire from last year’s events.
Could you be suitable for a trustee position with Sing Inside, a UK based charity providing singing workshops in prisons across England and Wales?
Providing support for people affected by overseas imprisonment, Prisoners Abroad have several upcoming regional family support and information groups across the UK. You can find details of the groups and how to access them on their instagram.
Women in Prison - which aims to end the harm of prison on the lives of women and their families in the UK - are recruiting for multiple new roles!
The Help With Prison Visits scheme which provides financial support to families on low income visiting their loved ones in prison in the UK has increased their support! To apply for support, please find their website here.
⏰ Grant and funding opportunity! Lululemon Centre for Social Impact is calling for applications for funding for community-led non-profit organisations globally who aim to advance the wellbeing of their communities - applications are open until the 28 June so apply soon!
And another grant opportunity! Giving Joy has opened its summer grant round for applications until 31 July, calling for applications from business’ and NGO’s who focus on supporting women, girls and families.
⏰ Support. Don’t Punish is campaigning for drug policy reform and harm reduction to “reduce stigma, end violence and neglectful policies and practices against our communities, and ensure redress for all.” They called for solidarity and accountability on their Global Day of Action on the 26 June 2024, details of which can be found here. It is not too late to add your voice to the call.
AdvocAid Sierra Leone is launching their Bomba Book Club again and inviting feedback as they design the next series. The Book Club supports their critical access to justice work for women impacted by the justice system.
Older persons in prison face unique challenges and discrimination, requiring specific attention within criminal justice systems. Penal Reform International has developed a comprehensive tool to support detention monitors in evaluating conditions for older persons, ensuring adherence to international human rights standards.
The Center for Women’s Justice in the UK is offering an online training course for lawyers who represent survivors of domestic abuse who are criminalised.
Media and literature recommendations
In this blog written for Penal Reform International, Stephen Pitts and Leo Tigges provide insights from research conducted on probation in Europe.
PRAWA’s newsletter highlights crucial challenges faced by incarcerated women and girls in Nigeria around menstrual health and hygiene, including unreliable access to products, inadequate sanitation facilities, and the need for education to empower these women and girls with knowledge around their menstrual health and hygiene.
The Los Angeles Times has also recently published an article addressing similar concerns for limited menstrual product access for incarcerated women in the US, demonstrating the global nature of this underrepresented issue.
Read the story of Kristine Bunch, shared by the Innocence Project, who was exonerated 17 years after being wrongfully convicted for arson that led to the death of her young son. Kristine’s story draws particular attention to the healthcare challenges faced by previously incarcerated women due to inadequate health records and quality care whilst incarcerated, and the financial and emotional impact this can have.
Justice Project Pakistan has released its post-conference event report for their landmark ‘Reimagining Justice: Public Health and Human Rights-Centred Drug Policy’ conference held in April 2024.
Read the BBC article on the new documentary film titled ‘Inside Out’ which aims to give an insight into the experience of Muslim incarcerated women. The article details the hopes of Dr Sofia Buncy, one of the makers of the film and founder of the UK based Muslim Women in Prison project, who hopes the film will encourage workers across the criminal justice system to proactively develop “more culturally appropriate and equitable models of support.”
Watch the trailer for singer Melissa Etheridge’s ‘I’m Not Broken’ docuseries premiering next month. The docu-series will show Melissa’s connection to incarcerated women in the Topeka Correctional Facility in Kansas, USA through the power of music.
Cornell Center on the Death Penalty’s article on the dehumanisation of incarcerated women in the US, calling it an overlooked “gendered crisis”. The US cages more women than anywhere else on earth, with just 4% of women’s total global population but 30% of the world’s incarcerated women, per the Prison Policy Initiative.
Watch the podcast recording of a conversation with Sisters Inside founder Debbie Kilroy who “highlights what is possible when people are provided with opportunity and access to chose a life outside of criminality.” For a deeper dive, listen to Women Beyond Walls’ podcast with Debbie, as she shares her powerful story and the many injustices still faced by women in Australia’s justice system.Read the article from Hibiscus on the challenges around legal aid access in the UK for women who have experienced human trafficking, including criminal appeals.
Just Detention International have marked the 30th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case Farmer v. Brennan with an interview with Dee Farmer, the incarcerated Black trans woman who successfully petitioned her case while incarcerated without a lawyer.
If you have any events/resources/reports you want us to consider highlighting in future newsletters, please don’t hesitate to contact us on hello@womenbeyondwalls.org.
With gratitude to the community,
🌈 The Women Beyond Walls Team 🌈