ARCHIVE: Kamala Harris on Criminal Justice Reform
Originally posted on Facebook on July 18th 2017 about Mother Jones article "Kamala Harris Went to Prison So Others Won’t Have To"
80% of incarcerated women are mothers, 65% of all women in prison have kids under 18. At least half of these women have experienced severe trauma (like sexual abuse or domestic violence), and three-quarters have struggled with drug use. These has been a 700% increase in incarcerated women since the 80s, and America currently houses one-third of the entire world's incarcerated women.
The way the commissary system is constructed, some women have to choose between calling their kids and paying for menstrual supplies. Many are put in prisons 100+ miles away from their homes, making it very difficult for families to visit. These women are vulnerable to unwanted advances from male guards with little oversight.
In many states (Georgia included), pregnant women are routinely shackled during childbirth. Attempts to restrict this practice at the state level have not been successful. It is horrifying how incarcerated women are treated so inhumanely in our own backyards.
If the reality of these women's lives isn't enough to get us thinking about changing the prison system, we can consider the costs. From a purely economic perspective, it takes $30,000 each year to imprison someone (Harris said it was about $75,000 in California). In comparison, a year of drug rehab takes about $5000. We talk about wanting to cut wasteful government spending, but where are the conversations about prison reform?
Anyways, there's a new bill in the works that seeks to address some to these horrors. I am very hopeful about the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act.
80% of incarcerated women are mothers, 65% of all women in prison have kids under 18. At least half of these women have experienced severe trauma (like sexual abuse or domestic violence), and three-quarters have struggled with drug use. These has been a 700% increase in incarcerated women since the 80s, and America currently houses one-third of the entire world's incarcerated women.
The way the commissary system is constructed, some women have to choose between calling their kids and paying for menstrual supplies. Many are put in prisons 100+ miles away from their homes, making it very difficult for families to visit. These women are vulnerable to unwanted advances from male guards with little oversight.
In many states (Georgia included), pregnant women are routinely shackled during childbirth. Attempts to restrict this practice at the state level have not been successful. It is horrifying how incarcerated women are treated so inhumanely in our own backyards.
If the reality of these women's lives isn't enough to get us thinking about changing the prison system, we can consider the costs. From a purely economic perspective, it takes $30,000 each year to imprison someone (Harris said it was about $75,000 in California). In comparison, a year of drug rehab takes about $5000. We talk about wanting to cut wasteful government spending, but where are the conversations about prison reform?
Anyways, there's a new bill in the works that seeks to address some to these horrors. I am very hopeful about the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act.
xoxo,
Juhi
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