Women in prison. My life reflected in their mirrors. There’s only one difference. I chose not to end up behind bars. I chose to not follow the same routine. I’m trapped in my own place but I have the privilege to walk free. I don’t bounce from wall to wall with no endings. Every day to me is a new beginning. A chance to come up and be someone in life. But what’s left when everything is lost? High expectations that are never fulfilled and the weight of a thousand bricks come crashing down on you? What’s left? Sick and twisted thoughts. Escaping what is there in imaginary realities. A deep hole that you try to cover up and “wrong-doings” that give you nothing but that. That fulfillment that you long for. A little glimpse of happiness that you try to hold on to. A new door opens and once you enter it becomes a one way street. The number of female inmates is rising and the sad part about it is that most of these women are uneducated, unskilled, and come from a low income family. Who are we to judge? We sink the ones we love in their own boat without trying to pull them out to shore and then we wonder why things happen. The age of these women that are trapped behind bars is in their early to mid 30’s. A lifelong full to live if given that opportunity. If offered programs such as rehabilitation and programs of such instead of getting locked up for simple drug or alcohol charges. I’m not saying that it’s not their fault they are incarcerated. No one pointed a gun to their heads and forced them to take drugs or do certain crimes. What I’m saying is that most of these women are in prison for the same reasons and need help. Two thirds of these women have minor children and forty two percent are unmarried.
So why is it that woman offend? Studies show that sixty five percent of women who are release re-offend and come back. What targets us women to do the things we do? In my opinion I think that men are the main reason. Uncaring men that are infidel, abusive, and un-responsible. There’s always a men behind every story whether it’s a father or husband/boyfriend. Most women have been sexually abused or domestically abused as a child or up to date. There’s not much of a difference here. One thing is the forcing of unwanted sexual activity and the other is violent acts against a person living in the same household. Both of these terms have some type of violent abuse and one should be punished but many of these cases are hardly reported. Why is that? Many women are afraid of ratting out or otherwise known as snitching. Men threaten women with their kids and the things they love the most. I grew up being exposed to domestic violence. My dad was never the best and he once threatened to leave us before. My mom never lowered herself down to do any other drugs rather than cigarettes but many other women do. They go beyond a simple cigarette and go to extremes like cocaine, meth, and become heavy alcoholic drinkers. Being under the influence of drugs influences you to do wrong. It gives you that boost that you need to take actions that you wouldn’t normally do if you were sober. I guess one way to say it is that a drug inspires you to move forward with plans, “wrong-doings” without feeling bad about it.
Behind bars, not much changes. Corrupted guards offer some women drugs, protection, and extra food for sex acts. Their experiences that they had outside the prison facilities follow them and continue throughout their time being served. These men, these guards that work within the prison system feel as if they are over the law and commit harsh crimes towards women incarcerated. Seventy percent are male guards. “For women in prison, sexual assault and inadequate reproductive health care are facts of life” (alternet.org). In one case a women was raped and a rumor spread about her being pregnant by one of the guards. The guards then went in cuffed her, threw her on the ground, and a couple guards jumped in the scene and started kicking her. “Guards threaten the prisoner’s children and visitation rights as a means of silencing the women. Guards issue rules-infraction tickets, which extend the woman’s stay in prison if she speaks out. Prisoners who complain are frequently placed in administration segregation” (prisonpolicy.org). It’s a very sad situation that’s been going on for years now.
The sexual activity in women’s prison is very obvious when there’s nothing but women around orientation may be confusing and often contradicting to the women’s normal social sexual orientation. Many women get with other women in prison to form a family. To feel loved and to be able to love in return. I personally think that’s beautiful thing. Their subcultures are the square, the cool, and the life. The square are the ones that don’t know where they belong, the cool adapting to prison and having prison values, and the life” retaining their street identity of the petty criminal”(j.rank.org). That’s the way they survive. By sticking together and protecting each other within their labels. This is something you see in street gangs. You protect your own, blood in blood out.
To conclude, the prisons for women are completely corrupted. We have crooked cops, crooked guards that are taking the jobs of those who are truly deserving of them. They are violating and taking away the last inch of privacy a women has. If I could design a prison that addressed the needs of women first of all I’d make sure I would have a clinic/hospital within the facility. I think health is a major issue. You can have anything in the world but if you don’t have a good health its harder to enjoy the things you have. Due to the fact that women incarcerated are uneducated I’d build a separate school building that would teach all the basics such as math, history, health, ext. This would be an opportunity for women that never finished high school to be able to obtain a high school certificate of completion. We would also have support groups such as “Alcoholic Anonymous”, “Drug rehabilitation”, “Parenting”, “Job skills”, and “Abuse” classes to prepare them with the outside world once they are out and, to avoid them from coming back. In another separate building we would have the “Playground” area. There we would have handball courts, basketball courts, soccer field, and a separate gym area. The dorms would have a maximum capacity of 4 people, 2 bunk beds, and one bathroom with the toilet and shower that’ll only be available 40 minutes every other day. Meals will be taken to them personally to have more interaction. The staff will be of 50% men and 50% women to make it equal. There will always be a male and female guard escorting the inmates to avoid any harsh treatment. The women incarcerated will follow a daily routine that will be extrictly enforced. If they disobey their privilege will be taken away. This prison facility will be called “The Ruiz Grounds Foundation Prison”. It’d be a project to help women change and transform their lives.
