prison – Can You Relate?

News you can relate to

Some stories that caught our eye this week:

Cherelle Baldwin: Woman Accused of Killing Abusive Boyfriend is Freed After Three Years Behind Bars “Brown had cut up her tires, stalked Baldwin’s mother, broken a window in her house, choked her, and pulled her by her hair during an altercation. Ten days prior to his death, Brown had been told by a court to stop issuing threats or committing acts of violence against Baldwin. He remained unperturbed by the court order and, on the day of his death, had sent Baldwin an ominous text that said “DOA on sight,” meaning “dead on arrival.”

Women in Jail Are Being Denied Tampons, Pads, and Basic Human Dignity “Jail guards are “consistently inconsistent” with giving incarcerated women access to menstrual products. Sometimes it’s because they’re not enough of pads to go around. Most times, however, it’s because guards want to punish an inmate.”

‘Abortion Pill’ Gets New Label: 5 Things to Know About Mifepristone “The FDA’s approval of the new Mifeprex label means that medication abortion [using drugs to end a pregnancy] can once again be provided everywhere in the U.S. in accordance with what research shows is safest and most effective,”

News you can relate to

Some news stories that caught our eye this week:

Check out this powerful PSA on teen dating violence. It was made by a group of middle school girls from East Texas. Jezebel interviews them about this, their other activism, and their dreams for the future.

Mass incarceration in the US is disturbing for many reasons, but a new book focuses specifically on the negative impact of parental imprisonment on children. The authors point out that even if we can change current practices there is already a “lost generation of kids” deprived of their parents, which is exacerbating the already deep race and class differences in America.

Beloved icon Leonard Nimoy passed away today. Though most people knew him only as Spock, he was a bold, multi-talented artist and activist. Bustle pays tribute to his commitment to feminism throughout his career.

News you can relate to

Some news stories that caught our eye this week:

Louis C.K.’s opening monologue on Saturday Night Live tackled women’s rights and how ridiculously problematic it is to call men’s tanks “wifebeaters.”

For you satire fans, the Onion “reports” on how tough it is on men that companies like Dove are promoting realistic images of women’s bodies.

The UK’s Prison Reform Trust released new research on the strong link between women’s crimes and their experience of domestic and sexual violence. They found that women’s crimes were “more likely than men’s to be linked to their relationships” and discuss the importance of using that finding to improve the police response to domestic violence.

The hidden cost of surviving gun violence

We bring you this guest post from Courtney Weaver, a local domestic violence survivor.

On January 15^th, 2010 I was shot by my boyfriend point blank with a hollow-point .45. He was sentenced to 10.6 years in a federal prison in California. I have had 13 reconstructive surgeries on my face and right arm, hundreds of doctor appointments, and debt totaling at $440,605 as of May 2013. My ex, as is common with many perpetrators, has chosen not to work nor receive money while incarcerated to avoid paying restitution. This in turn has left me financially crippled and unable to rebuild my life.

One of the most insulting realities survivors like myself grapple with that most people are unaware of is how little victim compensation programs actually pay for. For instance, I was shocked and dismayed when I was left to clean up my own crime scene. Not much is more degrading than having to scrub my own dried blood off my kitchen floor 3 weeks after the shooting. Also, my landlord informed me I would have to pay for the damages caused by the bullet holes in my apartment or I would not get my security deposit back. Unfortunately that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the injustices I have faced as a survivor of such a horrific act of violence.

There is a very large discrepancy between how much compensation is allotted to a victim of a violent crime versus how much the perpetrator of that crime receives annually in state tax dollars. The numbers are very surprising and also telling of how society and the system supports the abuser while re-victimizing the victim. For example, my compensation was limited to $70,422 by the state program. The perpetrator on the other hand is given approximately $47,000 a year of tax payer dollars, $12,442 of that being in healthcare alone including mental health care. To date the taxpayers have spent over $141,000 on the man who shot me. By the time he is released in 2019 tax payers will have spent $498,000 rehabilitating this violent offender. Is his life more valuable than mine as a victim? What if victims received the same amount of financial support as the assailant?

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