Beyond The Razor Wire Fence

This episode contains mentions of intimate partner violence, murder and  substance use disorder. In the final episode, meet Ivy Johnson (she/her) a Psychological First Responder, Caretaker and Social Justice and Anti Violence Activist. Ivy uses her experience with incarceration to highlight the need to repeal the forced labor statute in the 13th Amendment. She also shares her story around housing insecurity and supervision burdens and barriers in her quest for a successful reentry journey. Later in the episode, GWI Program and Data Manager Aathira Chennat interviews Liz Johnston, Re-entry Coach and Certified Peer Support and Recovery Specialist with Family Services of Montgomery County. Liz talks about the work of supporting individuals who return home from incarceration and connects re-entry to the gender wealth gap. Sources: -On Housing Insecurity and Re-entry for Women: https://generocity.org/philly/2024/03/20/from-bars-to-belonging-overcoming-the-housing-crisis-facing-returning-citizens/ -On 13th Amendment: 13th amendment Loophole Abolition Amendment Legislation -On Parole Sundown: Parole Sundown

We welcome Angie Orozco-Rasique (she/her), a Peer Educator with the Women's Outreach and Advocacy Center at Cthe ommunity College of Philadelphia and the Founder of the Period Poverty Project. In this episode, Angie traces her trajectory as an advocate for comprehensive reproductive health justice for incarcerated women. She reflects on finding her voice and connecting her personal journey with her passion for equity. We learn more about reproductive health justice for folks who are incarcerated and how policies fail to provide the services and supports needed.   Sources: -On Reproductive Health for Incarcerated Individuals: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9851923/ -The SPOT Period Germantown -On Period Poverty in Prisons: https://www.aclu.org/news/prisoners-rights/why-im-fighting-for-menstrual-equity-in-prison  

This episode contains mention of Substance Use, Mental Health struggles and the Opioid Epidemic. In this episode, we hear from Monique Taylor (she/her), a Special Initiative Outreach Worker at Project HOME. Monique reflects on her history with substance abuse disorder and reflects on the supports she needed before, during and after her incarceration.  Later, GWI Director Kelly Sheard speaks with Carol Thomas, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Project HOME. Together, they unpack solutions and strategies to rethink how society engages with community members struggling with addiction and their interactions with the carceral system. Resources for Show Notes: -On Women, Substance Abuse and Incarceration:  https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2020/11/10/women-drug-enforcement/ -On Substance Abuse Treatment and Reentry Populations: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2797118/ -Access to OUD treatment- discriminatory insurance policies that make access to opioid treatment more difficult and expensive to access https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/medicaid-expansion-alone-wont-stop-the-opioid-overdose-crisis/

Listen to Sappho Fulton (she/her, they/them), CEO and founder of Womxn Beyond Borders, a pre- and reentry support organization for women and LGBQTIA+ individuals. Sappho shares her journey through drug use, incarceration, healing, and education. They discuss the discriminatory consequences of incarceration— over a decade after coming home, and earning multiple degrees, her record continues to stand in the way of advancing her career. We'll dive into the current environment for second chance hiring and its pitfalls. Sources: -JP Morgan Chase & Co. Policy Center. Giving People with Criminal Backgrounds a Second Chance. https://www.jpmorganchase.com/content/dam/jpmc/jpmorgan-chase-and-co/documents/jpmc-policycenter-expungement.pdf -The Clean Slate Initiative, www.cleanslateinitiative.org/lawmakerspage. My Clean Slate PA. Expand Clean Slate and Get PA to Work. March 20, 2023. https://mycleanslatepa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Clean-Slate-HB-689-Explainer-1-page.pdf

This episode contains mention of Intimate Partner Violence, Drug Use, and Child Abuse This episode features Pamela Superville (she/her), a reentry specialist working for City of Philadelphia. A survivor of intimate partner violence (IPV), Pam shares the events and circumstances leading to her incarceration. Once inside, she learns she's not alone. Pam discusses the link between incarceration and gender-based violence and presses the need for healing spaces in prisons. WOMEN'S WAY Chief Disruptor Diane Cornman-Levy sits down with Jacqui Johnson from Sankofa Healing Studio, a Philly-based therapy practice that facilitates art therapy sessions in nearby women's prisons, to discuss trauma, incarceration, and oppression. Sources: -Alessi, Gabriella, et al. "Implementing Domestic Violence Peer-Support Programs in Jail: A Starting Point." 11 July 2023.  https://safetyandjusticechallenge.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2023DomesticViolencePeerSupportReport.pdf -Sawyer, Wendy, and Wanda Bertram. "Prisons and Jails Will Separate Millions of Mothers from Their Children in 2022." Prison Policy Initiative, 4 May 2022,  www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2022/05/04/mothers_day/#:~:text=Roughly%20570%2C000%20women%20living%20in. -Clarke, Jennifer, and Rachel Simon. "Shackling and Separation: Motherhood in Prison." AMA Journal of Ethics, vol. 15, no. 9, 1 Sept. 2013, pp. 779–785, https://doi.org/10.1001/virtualmentor.2013.15.9.pfor2-1309.  

This episode contains mention of rape, sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse. This episode, we hear from Victoria Best (she/her), Project Manager for the DATA CoLab at the Philadelphia District Attourney's office and founder of Victoria's Urban Outreach Tutoring Service (VUOTS). Victoria discusses the systems that have shaped her life: Foster Care System, the Criminal Legal System, and the Education system, and how she's learned from her experiences to take charge of her future. Sources: -Wagner, W. S. and P. March, 14, 2023.  Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2023. Prison Policy Initiative. www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2023.html -D'Onofrio, M. July 21, 2023. Long stays in pre-trial detention strain Philadelphia Prisons. Axios Philadelphia. https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2023/07/21/philadelphia-prisons-pre-trial-detention -Cash Bail 101. Philadelphia Community Bail Fund. https://www.phillybailout.org/cash-bail-101.html -A Proclamation on National Foster Care Month, 2023. (2023, April 28) The White House.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/04/28/a-proclamation-on-national-foster-care-month-2. 2023/#:~:text=The%20more%20than%20391%2C000%20American -Perez, Jaxzia. The Foster Care-To-Prison Pipeline: A Road to Incarceration. The Criminal Law Practitioner, 24 Feb. 2023, www.crimlawpractitioner.org/post/the-foster-care-to-prison-pipeline-a-road-to-incarceration. -What Is the Foster Care-To-Prison Pipeline? Juvenile Law Center, 26 May 2018, jlc.org/news/what-foster-care-prison-pipeline.    

In the first episode of the series, learn more about the gender wealth gap and its connection to incarceration. We meet Jamila W. Harris (she/her), author, activist, and editor of Prison Health News. Jamila discusses her long-standing battle against criminal justice debt related to her incarceration, and we learn how legal financial obligations thwarts economic stability for previously incarcerated women. Later in the episode, WOMEN'S WAY GWI Program and Data Manager Aathira Chennat talks to LaTonya Myers of the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund to learn about their efforts to provide aid to folks who are unduly burdened by bail fines and fees. Sources: -On Legal Fees and Incarceration Costs https://finesandfeesjusticecenter.org/articles/who-pays-true-cost-incarceration-families/ -On Women and Reentry: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/five-things-know-about-women-and-reentry -On the Movement to end Cash Bail: https://www.phillybailfund.org/