From what I've read in our resources women in the US may challenge their gender identity more. With the equalizing of women in the US we would expect them to commit more 'male' like crimes. I'm sure there is more to this but gender roles and what was expected of women are changing and women are actively seeking to enter all roles traditionally held by men including criminal acts. Sonjay012
I think you are right to believe that women are struggling against their gender identity more and more than in the past. There is so much that they are trying to accomplish. There are many different theories about why women commit crimes, and one of them is that as they gain more and more equality, crime rates between men and women will start to level out. As one person put it, women were not allowed in bars before, now that they are they get involved in more fights. Rather simple, but it does seem to explain at least some of the “why do women” questions in crime. SOS012
Whether you like to say it or not, prison is harsh. You hear people complain about how they get three free meals a day and a tv in their room, what kind of punishment is that? I think that this video shows that it can indeed be a major punishment. Things are not always as easy as they may seem, and it is obviously really hard to cope with a prison environment where you have to do what you are told and you have no real freedom. You actually start feeling sorry for some of those women. Most of them are so addicted to drugs that they will probably end up right back in prison when they get out. I am glad that there were so many who were trying the rehab program, especially the mother. I hope that having new members in her family will give her the boost she needs to finally beat her addiction. The video mentioned that so far they appear to be having success in the drug rehab program. I think that this is a very important part of prisons. A prison is not the place to fix mental problems, but I think that it can do a good job in helping addicts. Since there are so many addicts in prison and so many of the repeat offenders are addicts, this is an important part of improving our criminal justice system. Good rehab programs will help many of the women in prisons like this one in Maryland and so many others. SOS012
I was really glad to see that they were not only focused on punishing the inmates but they were also actively working at rehabilitating them. I believe that the drug issue is one of the most contributing factors that lead to recidivism. And also as you mentioned many of them also suffer from mental illnesses, and when they commit offenses in prison locking them in segregation only hinders their chances for successful rehab and a prosperous life on the outside. Raigy012
I agree that the rehabilitation programs are crucial, but they posed problems of their own as well. On the positive side, prison staff really seemed to focus on giving inmates purpose and personal drive to overcome their addictions as well as developing goals that would hopefully keep them off drugs for good. On the other hand, the attempted reinforcement of traditional gender roles seems unrealistic when applied to these women who don't identify with them. For example, vocational skills picked up in the sew shop don't seem like they'd correlate on the outside. Sure, the dependability and teamwork learned in the sew shop translates well to most jobs, but where else does that skill set apply. I'm imagining Joann Fabrics across the country staffed by ex-cons, and it doesn't seem realistic nor practical. Moreover, putting an inmate in lock for erupting during a therapy session also seems unduly harsh and counter-productive. The point of therapy is to address very upsetting memories. It's by nature an upsetting process. POD012
I agree with you that integrating programs for these inmates is such an important part of lowering recidivism rates. It is shocking to see the amount of inmates (women in their 20’s, 30’s, and even older) who don’t even have a high school diploma or GED. No wonder they turn to a life of crime! In a society where a Bachelor’s Degree is the new high school degree and a Master’s Degree is the new Bachelor’s Degree; I cannot even imagine how an adult survives (without committing crime) when they have nobody to support them and they do not even have a basic high school education. Flipping burgers at McDonalds would not be enough to support a woman who has one, two, three or even more kids. I have to say though, that even with a basic education and the new skills that these woman are taught in prison, I highly doubt that they will ever really be able to have a ‘comfortable’ life with a good paying career. Due to the labeling that one receives going through the justice system, even if they are completely ‘rehabilitated’…they carry the burden of their label. They are often times unable to get government help because of their conviction; likewise, they are unable to find a job that pays enough to support themselves and their children, put their children in daycare, purchase a means of transportation, etc. So it is not hard to see why an ex-offender would turn back to selling drugs or prostitution, because it is the only way they can really get ahead. This is one major issue that I see with the justice system, and am not quite sure how you get around it. I must say one thing I found VERY shocking was that they are working in a sewing room. In a prison that holds some of the most ‘violent women offenders’, and is policed by unarmed guards, it doesn’t exactly seem safe for these women to be in possession of scissors, needles, hammers, etc. That is a major difference from the high-security male populated prisons where they have to be careful not to let the inmates get a hold of pen or plastic fork!
Many people like to think that women's prisons aren't as dangerous as men's prisons, but that is simply not true. The same rules and restrictions apply, the only difference is that it is full of women. Some also say that dealing with women cannot be as hard as dealing with males. Many of my professors have said that they would rather deal with fifty male inmates than ten female inmates. At first I didn’t really understand why that would be the case but after watching this video I can understand where they are coming from. Like they mentioned in the video the prison is full of unstable women around unstable women, and when they get together undesirable events occur. There is a theory that when women are in close quarters for extended periods of time that their menstrual cycles line up which only adds fuel to the fire. One thing that contributes to the violence in these kinds of institutions is the fact that many of the inmates suffer from mental disorders like bipolar disorder that effect their behavior. Another issue that issues face is an addiction to drugs. I like how the prison integrates a drug rehab program to make an effort to deter them from spiraling back into drugs. It is one of the major contributing factors to recidivism of inmates, if they do not learn to control their drug urges while inside they are doomed to repeat the mistakes that landed them there in the first place. Raigy012
Great post and I have to say that I completely agree with you. Male inmates can have a fight and then its over, whereas women continue to fight and have spats regardless of the situation. Great point as well as to the cycling of women that are housed together as well, the statement is completely accurate. Mental illness is a huge issue throughout our prison systems and it will be hard to keep offenders on the straight and narrow for this simple reason. Yes they have all their mental health medication while in prison, however once these women are released there is currently no system in place that will continue to follow up and supply the appropriate medications to these women once they are released. I feel educating these women and helping them find jobs prior to release would be very helpful, for it is the street life that will turn the women back to bad habits if their needs cannot be met any other way. Addiction and mental illness go hand in hand, and often times it was some form of victimization that occurred in childhood that has led these women to these situations. MMM012
The Maryland State Correctional Institute is home to some of Maryland's most violent female offenders. Many of the women serving sentences are from the Baltimore, Maryland area. The women serving in this facility are the most violent women in Maryland. The facility houses 900 women, all of whom have been convicted of crimes such as murder, drug dealers, and thieves. Some are career criminals, while others are first time offenders. These women have significant problems with rage and anger issues that brought them here. Social problems outside of the prison in the neighborhoods including poverty and a lack of basic resources led many of the inmates to a life involving drugs. Many of the women in the film committed their crimes in response to violence from another person. They talk about committing their crimes in self-defense. The attitude expressed by some of these women is that no one cares about the circumstances of their crime, just the result of their actions. Many of the women in the prison system are from deteriorating neighborhoods in the Baltimore area. The women in the video also talk about their feelings of desperation and poverty as a contributing factor to their actions that led to their involvement in the justice system. Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness are expressed by inmates inside the system. These feelings are part of their lives and violence becomes a coping mechanism. Outbursts are a result of unresolved emotions and a lack of coping mechanisms. The suicide rate in the prison system in 10x higher for women than men while incarcerated. These women also feel as if there is no one else that they can depend on in the world. The type of feeling may lead to fight or flight reactions when they are under stress, both inside and outside of the prison. Many of these women have explosive anger issues that have led to their incarceration and they continue to exhibit these features throughout their incarceration. Women are more prone to use relational aggression, rather than physical aggression to express their anger. Women in the prison system also told stories of their violence being a last resort when being physically attacked by a man, domestic violence was the often times the key factor that escalated in many of these women's stories. Drugs and alcohol problems, as well as the lack of education, are also contributing factors among the prison population. The women in the prison system must learn to control themselves inside of the system, or there is little hope that they can manage their emotions outside of the prison. When the system fails to give these women the resources and emotional coping mechanisms that they need, it is more than likely that they will commit additional crimes ans return to the prison system. Women who are emotionally unstable developing relationships with other women who are emotionally unstable creates a culture that promotes further instability. Change is necessary in order to prevent them from being incarcerated again in the future. MMM012
Good post. I also do feel like the women need to make the change that in their life to become a better person but the way I look at it is that they come from broken down homes, poor, broke, or homeless and their only way of life is to sell drugs, prostitute. I do feel like the prison systems do offer as much as they can to the women so they can give them a better life such as giving them school and working to prepare them. Some will use that to their advantage and some won’t but that’s all they can do in prison and it is in the fate of the women to change their life they say they want to but actions are louder than words. MDD012
The women of Maryland Correctional Institute for Women illustrate gender-related topics and theories of causation. Inmates Paris Pratt, Christy Seal, and Jill Newland all share common themes with many other women offenders. Even a glimpse of the inner workings of MCIW and its staff displays typical women's prison mechanics. First of all, Paris, Christy, and Jill (and even Etta Myers whose story in the documentary was juxtaposed against that of Paris) were all drug addicts. With the possible exception of Jill Newland, all of the women's stories suggested that they were victimized offenders, possibly turning to drugs, like many women offenders, to self-medicate themselves against harsh memories and harsher realities. Paris was abandoned as a teen, then turned to crack. She has been shot and shot at. Like many violent women offenders, she exhibits patterns of reactive violence. When she committed murder, she said it was in self defense. Expressing oppositional femininity, she displays a willingness to fight and defend herself but still holds traditional ideas about respectability. Similarly, Christy Seal had a tough childhood. She mentioned fewer details than Paris, but expressed several times that she's never had a family before. Heavy implications are made that her mother has never acted as a caretaker before and that she had also been on drugs. Viewed through everyday practices theories, notions of femininity garnered from her mother would include drug use and emotional vacancy or instability. Christy, again like Paris, displayed a penchant for reactive violence as opposed to aggressive hostility. Either intentionally or unintentionally, MCIW proved to hold a traditional gender-issues perspective. Speeches to the inmates focused on emotional stability and past abuse. Programs included drug rehab, schooling, and vocational opportunities. The “best” vocational training inmates could hope to obtain, however, was in the sew shop. Sewing certainly falls within the realm of a very traditional female role. POD012
After watching this video it made me realize how hard the prison life is even for females. I do agree with the lady who said that she doesn’t decorate her cell because she doesn’t want it to feel like a home. I also do like that the prison does offer many things for the women to do to keep their mind of things such as going to work working towards a GED/Diploma or even college credits and some of them also get to work even though it is for a very low amount it still gets them away from anybody that can get them in trouble. Many of the girls said that they want to better their lives and they can’t live that life anymore. I respect them for that but most of them always say they want to better their lives but the second they get out they right back to the gang or group they were with before they got out and they end right back in prison. I also didn’t know that the women in prison are climbing to be 2 times as more than men. I do think that they can change and become better people to society with the options they are provided in prison. Hopefully with the college credits or the GED they get they can find there self a decent job and move away from where they were living at. I also do think that. Just like Kristy in the video most of the women didn’t have families and when they do have the bond of having a family they want to do better for their family and show them that they can do better. Also I can relate to this because this past summer I did an internship with the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center and I saw similar experiences to the juveniles. I can’t say exactly what I saw do to privacy of the juvenile but my experiences as an intern was definitely similar to how I saw the women acting. MDD012
Watching this video really opened my eyes to the different struggles that female inmates face both before and while they are in prison. In pursuance of a degree in Criminal Justice, I have watched many videos and documentaries of prisoners, violent offenders, and even segregated inmates; but most of the documentaries that I have watched deal primarily with the male prison population. This video really showcased a lot of the gender related differences and struggles that a female offender might face while behind bars. Some of the common themes that I noticed with many of the women in this documentary were: a history of abuse (emotional, physical, or in many cases both), drug abuse, mental illness, abandonment, and circumstances which provided opportunity for committing crime. One of the women who we saw, Paris (age 25), is a prime example of why a woman might turn to violent crime. The video described her as having been abandoned as child, and turning to drugs at a young age. She lived in a dangerous area where being shot at was not an uncommon occurrence, and her circumstances of being addicted to drugs provided ample opportunity to get caught up in crime. She was convicted of First Degree Murder for shooting a 16 year old boy, and she maintains that it was in self defense. Her demeanor and some of the comments she made, made me think that she naturally feels she needs to always be on the defense and possibly she takes an aggressive (and sometimes unnecessary) approach to defending herself. However, when you look at her past, it’s not hard to see why she is the way she is. She was a product of the environment that she grew up in. The most devastating thing about cases like that of Paris, is that the system is not there for many of these women to prevent the circumstances which lead them to a life of crime; but when these women commit crime, the product of their environments/circumstances, the justice system is there to punish them. In Paris’s case, she was never habilitated; and now even if she is ‘rehabilitated’ she will spend the rest of her life in prison. Kristi, another woman in this documentary, had obvious mental issues and also had a history of abuse, drug use and abandonment. Her story was interesting because it really made me think about the added struggles that women face when they are struggling with mental illness on top of everything else. I did a little research, and according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 73% of females in state prisons suffer from mental illness. For me, this statistic is very telling of a society that is not doing enough to help people who suffer with mental illness before it is too late. It seems to me that society is so afraid of welfare, and giving ‘undeserving’ people handouts, that they refuse to put the resources in and address While each story was different, in many ways they were the same; and in every story I found myself wondering how the fate of these women could have been different if they had the help and resources back when it could have made a difference. Peace012
From what I've read in our resources women in the US may challenge their gender identity more. With the equalizing of women in the US we would expect them to commit more 'male' like crimes. I'm sure there is more to this but gender roles and what was expected of women are changing and women are actively seeking to enter all roles traditionally held by men including criminal acts. Sonjay012
ReplyDeleteI think you are right to believe that women are struggling against their gender identity more and more than in the past. There is so much that they are trying to accomplish. There are many different theories about why women commit crimes, and one of them is that as they gain more and more equality, crime rates between men and women will start to level out. As one person put it, women were not allowed in bars before, now that they are they get involved in more fights. Rather simple, but it does seem to explain at least some of the “why do women” questions in crime. SOS012
DeleteWhether you like to say it or not, prison is harsh. You hear people complain about how they get three free meals a day and a tv in their room, what kind of punishment is that? I think that this video shows that it can indeed be a major punishment. Things are not always as easy as they may seem, and it is obviously really hard to cope with a prison environment where you have to do what you are told and you have no real freedom. You actually start feeling sorry for some of those women. Most of them are so addicted to drugs that they will probably end up right back in prison when they get out. I am glad that there were so many who were trying the rehab program, especially the mother. I hope that having new members in her family will give her the boost she needs to finally beat her addiction.
ReplyDeleteThe video mentioned that so far they appear to be having success in the drug rehab program. I think that this is a very important part of prisons. A prison is not the place to fix mental problems, but I think that it can do a good job in helping addicts. Since there are so many addicts in prison and so many of the repeat offenders are addicts, this is an important part of improving our criminal justice system. Good rehab programs will help many of the women in prisons like this one in Maryland and so many others. SOS012
I was really glad to see that they were not only focused on punishing the inmates but they were also actively working at rehabilitating them. I believe that the drug issue is one of the most contributing factors that lead to recidivism. And also as you mentioned many of them also suffer from mental illnesses, and when they commit offenses in prison locking them in segregation only hinders their chances for successful rehab and a prosperous life on the outside. Raigy012
DeleteI agree that the rehabilitation programs are crucial, but they posed problems of their own as well. On the positive side, prison staff really seemed to focus on giving inmates purpose and personal drive to overcome their addictions as well as developing goals that would hopefully keep them off drugs for good. On the other hand, the attempted reinforcement of traditional gender roles seems unrealistic when applied to these women who don't identify with them. For example, vocational skills picked up in the sew shop don't seem like they'd correlate on the outside. Sure, the dependability and teamwork learned in the sew shop translates well to most jobs, but where else does that skill set apply. I'm imagining Joann Fabrics across the country staffed by ex-cons, and it doesn't seem realistic nor practical. Moreover, putting an inmate in lock for erupting during a therapy session also seems unduly harsh and counter-productive. The point of therapy is to address very upsetting memories. It's by nature an upsetting process. POD012
DeleteI agree with you that integrating programs for these inmates is such an important part of lowering recidivism rates. It is shocking to see the amount of inmates (women in their 20’s, 30’s, and even older) who don’t even have a high school diploma or GED. No wonder they turn to a life of crime! In a society where a Bachelor’s Degree is the new high school degree and a Master’s Degree is the new Bachelor’s Degree; I cannot even imagine how an adult survives (without committing crime) when they have nobody to support them and they do not even have a basic high school education. Flipping burgers at McDonalds would not be enough to support a woman who has one, two, three or even more kids. I have to say though, that even with a basic education and the new skills that these woman are taught in prison, I highly doubt that they will ever really be able to have a ‘comfortable’ life with a good paying career. Due to the labeling that one receives going through the justice system, even if they are completely ‘rehabilitated’…they carry the burden of their label. They are often times unable to get government help because of their conviction; likewise, they are unable to find a job that pays enough to support themselves and their children, put their children in daycare, purchase a means of transportation, etc. So it is not hard to see why an ex-offender would turn back to selling drugs or prostitution, because it is the only way they can really get ahead. This is one major issue that I see with the justice system, and am not quite sure how you get around it.
DeleteI must say one thing I found VERY shocking was that they are working in a sewing room. In a prison that holds some of the most ‘violent women offenders’, and is policed by unarmed guards, it doesn’t exactly seem safe for these women to be in possession of scissors, needles, hammers, etc. That is a major difference from the high-security male populated prisons where they have to be careful not to let the inmates get a hold of pen or plastic fork!
Peace012
Many people like to think that women's prisons aren't as dangerous as men's prisons, but that is simply not true. The same rules and restrictions apply, the only difference is that it is full of women. Some also say that dealing with women cannot be as hard as dealing with males. Many of my professors have said that they would rather deal with fifty male inmates than ten female inmates. At first I didn’t really understand why that would be the case but after watching this video I can understand where they are coming from. Like they mentioned in the video the prison is full of unstable women around unstable women, and when they get together undesirable events occur. There is a theory that when women are in close quarters for extended periods of time that their menstrual cycles line up which only adds fuel to the fire. One thing that contributes to the violence in these kinds of institutions is the fact that many of the inmates suffer from mental disorders like bipolar disorder that effect their behavior. Another issue that issues face is an addiction to drugs. I like how the prison integrates a drug rehab program to make an effort to deter them from spiraling back into drugs. It is one of the major contributing factors to recidivism of inmates, if they do not learn to control their drug urges while inside they are doomed to repeat the mistakes that landed them there in the first place. Raigy012
ReplyDeleteGreat post and I have to say that I completely agree with you. Male inmates can have a fight and then its over, whereas women continue to fight and have spats regardless of the situation. Great point as well as to the cycling of women that are housed together as well, the statement is completely accurate. Mental illness is a huge issue throughout our prison systems and it will be hard to keep offenders on the straight and narrow for this simple reason. Yes they have all their mental health medication while in prison, however once these women are released there is currently no system in place that will continue to follow up and supply the appropriate medications to these women once they are released. I feel educating these women and helping them find jobs prior to release would be very helpful, for it is the street life that will turn the women back to bad habits if their needs cannot be met any other way. Addiction and mental illness go hand in hand, and often times it was some form of victimization that occurred in childhood that has led these women to these situations. MMM012
DeleteThe Maryland State Correctional Institute is home to some of Maryland's most violent female offenders. Many of the women serving sentences are from the Baltimore, Maryland area. The women serving in this facility are the most violent women in Maryland. The facility houses 900 women, all of whom have been convicted of crimes such as murder, drug dealers, and thieves. Some are career criminals, while others are first time offenders. These women have significant problems with rage and anger issues that brought them here. Social problems outside of the prison in the neighborhoods including poverty and a lack of basic resources led many of the inmates to a life involving drugs. Many of the women in the film committed their crimes in response to violence from another person. They talk about committing their crimes in self-defense. The attitude expressed by some of these women is that no one cares about the circumstances of their crime, just the result of their actions. Many of the women in the prison system are from deteriorating neighborhoods in the Baltimore area. The women in the video also talk about their feelings of desperation and poverty as a contributing factor to their actions that led to their involvement in the justice system. Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness are expressed by inmates inside the system. These feelings are part of their lives and violence becomes a coping mechanism. Outbursts are a result of unresolved emotions and a lack of coping mechanisms. The suicide rate in the prison system in 10x higher for women than men while incarcerated. These women also feel as if there is no one else that they can depend on in the world. The type of feeling may lead to fight or flight reactions when they are under stress, both inside and outside of the prison. Many of these women have explosive anger issues that have led to their incarceration and they continue to exhibit these features throughout their incarceration. Women are more prone to use relational aggression, rather than physical aggression to express their anger. Women in the prison system also told stories of their violence being a last resort when being physically attacked by a man, domestic violence was the often times the key factor that escalated in many of these women's stories. Drugs and alcohol problems, as well as the lack of education, are also contributing factors among the prison population. The women in the prison system must learn to control themselves inside of the system, or there is little hope that they can manage their emotions outside of the prison. When the system fails to give these women the resources and emotional coping mechanisms that they need, it is more than likely that they will commit additional crimes ans return to the prison system. Women who are emotionally unstable developing relationships with other women who are emotionally unstable creates a culture that promotes further instability. Change is necessary in order to prevent them from being incarcerated again in the future. MMM012
ReplyDeleteGood post. I also do feel like the women need to make the change that in their life to become a better person but the way I look at it is that they come from broken down homes, poor, broke, or homeless and their only way of life is to sell drugs, prostitute. I do feel like the prison systems do offer as much as they can to the women so they can give them a better life such as giving them school and working to prepare them. Some will use that to their advantage and some won’t but that’s all they can do in prison and it is in the fate of the women to change their life they say they want to but actions are louder than words. MDD012
DeleteThe women of Maryland Correctional Institute for Women illustrate gender-related topics and theories of causation. Inmates Paris Pratt, Christy Seal, and Jill Newland all share common themes with many other women offenders. Even a glimpse of the inner workings of MCIW and its staff displays typical women's prison mechanics.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, Paris, Christy, and Jill (and even Etta Myers whose story in the documentary was juxtaposed against that of Paris) were all drug addicts. With the possible exception of Jill Newland, all of the women's stories suggested that they were victimized offenders, possibly turning to drugs, like many women offenders, to self-medicate themselves against harsh memories and harsher realities.
Paris was abandoned as a teen, then turned to crack. She has been shot and shot at. Like many violent women offenders, she exhibits patterns of reactive violence. When she committed murder, she said it was in self defense. Expressing oppositional femininity, she displays a willingness to fight and defend herself but still holds traditional ideas about respectability.
Similarly, Christy Seal had a tough childhood. She mentioned fewer details than Paris, but expressed several times that she's never had a family before. Heavy implications are made that her mother has never acted as a caretaker before and that she had also been on drugs. Viewed through everyday practices theories, notions of femininity garnered from her mother would include drug use and emotional vacancy or instability. Christy, again like Paris, displayed a penchant for reactive violence as opposed to aggressive hostility.
Either intentionally or unintentionally, MCIW proved to hold a traditional gender-issues perspective. Speeches to the inmates focused on emotional stability and past abuse. Programs included drug rehab, schooling, and vocational opportunities. The “best” vocational training inmates could hope to obtain, however, was in the sew shop. Sewing certainly falls within the realm of a very traditional female role. POD012
After watching this video it made me realize how hard the prison life is even for females. I do agree with the lady who said that she doesn’t decorate her cell because she doesn’t want it to feel like a home. I also do like that the prison does offer many things for the women to do to keep their mind of things such as going to work working towards a GED/Diploma or even college credits and some of them also get to work even though it is for a very low amount it still gets them away from anybody that can get them in trouble. Many of the girls said that they want to better their lives and they can’t live that life anymore. I respect them for that but most of them always say they want to better their lives but the second they get out they right back to the gang or group they were with before they got out and they end right back in prison. I also didn’t know that the women in prison are climbing to be 2 times as more than men. I do think that they can change and become better people to society with the options they are provided in prison. Hopefully with the college credits or the GED they get they can find there self a decent job and move away from where they were living at. I also do think that. Just like Kristy in the video most of the women didn’t have families and when they do have the bond of having a family they want to do better for their family and show them that they can do better. Also I can relate to this because this past summer I did an internship with the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center and I saw similar experiences to the juveniles. I can’t say exactly what I saw do to privacy of the juvenile but my experiences as an intern was definitely similar to how I saw the women acting. MDD012
ReplyDeleteWatching this video really opened my eyes to the different struggles that female inmates face both before and while they are in prison. In pursuance of a degree in Criminal Justice, I have watched many videos and documentaries of prisoners, violent offenders, and even segregated inmates; but most of the documentaries that I have watched deal primarily with the male prison population. This video really showcased a lot of the gender related differences and struggles that a female offender might face while behind bars. Some of the common themes that I noticed with many of the women in this documentary were: a history of abuse (emotional, physical, or in many cases both), drug abuse, mental illness, abandonment, and circumstances which provided opportunity for committing crime.
ReplyDeleteOne of the women who we saw, Paris (age 25), is a prime example of why a woman might turn to violent crime. The video described her as having been abandoned as child, and turning to drugs at a young age. She lived in a dangerous area where being shot at was not an uncommon occurrence, and her circumstances of being addicted to drugs provided ample opportunity to get caught up in crime. She was convicted of First Degree Murder for shooting a 16 year old boy, and she maintains that it was in self defense. Her demeanor and some of the comments she made, made me think that she naturally feels she needs to always be on the defense and possibly she takes an aggressive (and sometimes unnecessary) approach to defending herself. However, when you look at her past, it’s not hard to see why she is the way she is. She was a product of the environment that she grew up in. The most devastating thing about cases like that of Paris, is that the system is not there for many of these women to prevent the circumstances which lead them to a life of crime; but when these women commit crime, the product of their environments/circumstances, the justice system is there to punish them. In Paris’s case, she was never habilitated; and now even if she is ‘rehabilitated’ she will spend the rest of her life in prison.
Kristi, another woman in this documentary, had obvious mental issues and also had a history of abuse, drug use and abandonment. Her story was interesting because it really made me think about the added struggles that women face when they are struggling with mental illness on top of everything else. I did a little research, and according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 73% of females in state prisons suffer from mental illness. For me, this statistic is very telling of a society that is not doing enough to help people who suffer with mental illness before it is too late. It seems to me that society is so afraid of welfare, and giving ‘undeserving’ people handouts, that they refuse to put the resources in and address
While each story was different, in many ways they were the same; and in every story I found myself wondering how the fate of these women could have been different if they had the help and resources back when it could have made a difference.
Peace012