Since I joined
Ticicalli I have thought of and worked towards supporting mothers in
prison. This is due to the fact that
mothers in prison are some of the most vulnerable womyn here in the United
States because they are judged harshly and are often forgotten. Also because I see myself in these womyn I’ve
just had a bit more luck along my life’s journey. The innocent children are left behind and
suffer the most, as a society we must think of them before we demand harsh
criminal sentences to mothers. I believe
that everything in this universe is interconnected and what happens to one
affects us all. As a “justice system” we
also have to realize that how it is filled with institutionalized racism and
classism.
Who are these
womyn? And why should we support them?
Most womyn in U.S. jails and prisons are womyn of color affected by
historical transgenerational trauma of colonization, genocide, slavery, rape
etc. They come from low income
communities that lack resources, quality schools, employment opportunities,
quality food, etc. Due to the lack of important things that enhance quality of
life there is high crime rate, drug and alcohol addiction, prostitution,
violence, etc. According to FAMM, more
than 56% of women in federal prison are mothers, the majority are non-violent
drug offenders. Although these womyn
live in less than optimal living conditions they are usually very resourceful
and resilient which allow them to be able to survive but the challenges often
outweigh the strengths and very few are able to thrive and live a different way
of life.
As mothers I feel
we all do our best we can do with the information and support we have. The womyn inside jail and prison walls I
believe are no different than any of us but usually have little to no support
which may lead to disastrous life’s decisions.
Most have a history of substance abuse, dependency of system and/or men,
and mental illness. Also often have
history of physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse usually by family members
and/or close friends. Many times they
are from single parent homes and have one or more family members with a history
of incarceration. It is difficult to
break the chain of abuse and to learn how to love in healthy ways. How can we love someone else when we often do
not have any love for ourselves?
When I see that
trauma death which includes homicide and suicide as the number one cause of
maternal mortality, it is evidence on how trauma manifests in mental illness
and violence especially with the added stress of motherhood. Often we create children in less than prime
environments because of learned lack of autonomy for our bodies and the
neighborhoods we live in. If
incarcerated while pregnant we create one of the most stressful and damaging
environments for a baby to develop.
Think about it the meals do not offer proper nutrition, there are no
bathtubs or even bath mats in showers, the buildings are filled with cold
concrete floors, many have little to no exposure to sunlight and fresh air, and
they are very isolated. As Dr Gabor Mate
stated, “How we provide supportive environment or stressful environment has a
huge impact on the long term development of the unborn baby.”
As stated before
this could have been me, I too have a lot of trauma, struggle with depression
and anxiety, and am still learning what healthy love is and healthy
relationships look like. The difference
is I have been lucky to have found a support system and organizations that have
helped me initiate healing and create changes in myself. I have learned about the importance of things
such as: self-love, emotional intelligence, healthy communication, and much
more. We need to end the cycle of
violence, trauma, etc. and heal ourselves and our children. As a mother I try to provide to other mothers:
empathy, support, resources, and information.
Instead of judging mothers I attempt to learn their story, walk in their
shoes, and remember that each one is doing the best they can under almost impossible
circumstances. All I can do is create
support systems in my community and find creative and effective ways to
distribute known resources to as many womyn and families as possible.
We are resourceful and resilient and we cannot settle for just
surviving we have the capacity to heal and thrive!
Listed below are some groups in
Los Angeles that I know provide resources and support for mothers and families
and/or are helping with policy changes in creating alternatives to
incarceration. If you all know of more
please let others know. Thank you, we
need to support one another for the good of our children and the world.
International network for recognition & payment for all caring
work, and the return of military spending to the community starting with women
the main care givers everywhere.
Critical Resistance seeks to build an international movement to end the
Prison Industrial Complex by challenging the belief that caging and controlling
people makes us safe. We believe that basic necessities such as food, shelter,
and freedom are what really make our communities secure. As such, our work is
part of global struggles against inequality and powerlessness. The success of
the movement requires that it reflect communities most affected by the PIC.
Because we seek to abolish the PIC, we cannot support any work that extends its
life or scope.
Prototypes’ mission is to rebuild the lives of women, children and
communities impacted by substance abuse, mental illness and domestic violence.
We promote self-sufficiency while ensuring safety and shelter for those in
need.
Our goal at the Village is to give you, our clients, and the practical
lifestyle tools for taking charge of your own health. As one’s health improves,
so too does the quality of one’s life. Come to one of our events and let your
voice be heard. Be part of our growing community where diversity is always
valued, where there is an antidote for physical and emotional pain, and where
the possibility of a long healthy life is available to everyone.
Our Perinatal Outreach and Education program reaches out to women in
the greater downtown Los Angeles and East Los Angeles areas to provide
short-term assistance, case management, health education and support.
The mission of Un Paso Mas is to provide caring, culturally relevant
services to these diverse, underserved communities. Un Paso Mas and Project
Return Peer Support Network are responding to the tremendous needs in this part
of the county, where there are limited mental health services and support
groups.
The Youth Justice Coalition (YJC) is working to build a youth, family,
and formerly and currently incarcerated people’s movement to challenge
America’s addiction to incarceration and race, gender and class discrimination
in Los Angeles County’s, California’s and the nation’s juvenile and criminal
injustice systems. The YJC’s goal is to
dismantle policies and institutions that have ensured the massive lock-up of
people of color, widespread law enforcement violence and corruption, consistent
violation of youth and communities’ Constitutional and human rights, the
construction of a vicious school-to-jail track, and the build-up of the world’s
largest network of jails and prisons. We
use transformative justice and community intervention/peacebuilding, FREE LA
High School, know your rights, legal defense, and police and court monitoring
to “starve the beast” – promoting safety in our schools, homes and
neighborhoods without relying on law enforcement and lock-ups, preventing
system contact, and pulling people out of the system. We use direct action
organizing, advocacy, political education, and activist arts to agitate,
expose, and pressure the people in charge in order to upset power and bring
about change. –
The mission of Echo Parenting & Education is to support and
facilitate child raising rooted in connection and empathy. We teach parents,
teachers and others who strongly influence children’s lives an approach that
integrates current research in human development and trauma-informed care with
the practice of nonviolence.
The mission of Maternal Mental Health NOW is to remove barriers to the
prevention, screening and treatment of prenatal and postpartum depression in
Los Angeles County.
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