Hidden Healers
The Unexpected Ways Women in Prison Help Each Other Survive
1. Auflage Juni 2024
272 Seiten, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
ISBN:
978-1-394-25439-2
John Wiley & Sons
Weitere Versionen
A gripping and deeply-felt examination of incarcerated women's lives
With unflinching clarity, Hidden Healers cuts through the myths about incarcerated women to expose the all-too-real brutalities they face within a criminal legal system never designed for them. Backed by three decades' experience providing therapeutic programs inside prisons across the United States, trauma specialist Dr. Stephanie Covington has used her unique access to amplify the voices of the women themselves. Their stories illuminate realities most never see: that most women who get caught up in the criminal justice system have themselves been victims of harm, that the degradations of today's prisons and jails only magnify their trauma- and that incarcerated women regularly risk punishment to tend to one another's well-being in unexpected acts of kindness. Grounded in research and rich with personal narrative, Hidden Healers is a poignant and riveting look inside women's prisons and jails- and what we can do to help.
Acknowledgements
A Note from a Hidden Healer: It's Time for Change............... 1
Introduction................................................... 5
Just the Facts................................................... 16
Part One: Entering the System................................ 29
Introduction to the Criminal Legal System for Women in the US 31
Pathways to Prison: Understanding Trauma and Addiction...... 49
First Days.................................................... 57
Part Two: Living Inside......................................... 69
Culture and Environment..................................... 71
Working Inside the Culture of Corrections............................ 89
Finding Your Program........................................ 91
Food....................................................... 105
Mothering from Inside....................................... 117
Grief and Loss............................................... 133
Developing Relationships.................................... 141
Medical and Mental Health Care............................. 153
Aging in Custody............................................ 167
Celebrating Special Days..................................... 173
Remembering Those Who Don't Survive............................. 181
Part Three: The Journey Home................................ 185
Gate Fever.................................................. 187
The Work of Reentry........................................ 195
Healing after Incarceration................................... 205
Part Four: What We Can Do................................... 213
Envisioning Alternatives..................................... 215
Do One Small Thing......................................... 225
Further Learning............................................. 233
Organizations to Support..................................... 239
Sources...................................................... 247
Author Biography............................................ 257
Book Group Discussion Questions............................. 259
Also by the Author........................................... 261
A Note from a Hidden Healer: It's Time for Change............... 1
Introduction................................................... 5
Just the Facts................................................... 16
Part One: Entering the System................................ 29
Introduction to the Criminal Legal System for Women in the US 31
Pathways to Prison: Understanding Trauma and Addiction...... 49
First Days.................................................... 57
Part Two: Living Inside......................................... 69
Culture and Environment..................................... 71
Working Inside the Culture of Corrections............................ 89
Finding Your Program........................................ 91
Food....................................................... 105
Mothering from Inside....................................... 117
Grief and Loss............................................... 133
Developing Relationships.................................... 141
Medical and Mental Health Care............................. 153
Aging in Custody............................................ 167
Celebrating Special Days..................................... 173
Remembering Those Who Don't Survive............................. 181
Part Three: The Journey Home................................ 185
Gate Fever.................................................. 187
The Work of Reentry........................................ 195
Healing after Incarceration................................... 205
Part Four: What We Can Do................................... 213
Envisioning Alternatives..................................... 215
Do One Small Thing......................................... 225
Further Learning............................................. 233
Organizations to Support..................................... 239
Sources...................................................... 247
Author Biography............................................ 257
Book Group Discussion Questions............................. 259
Also by the Author........................................... 261
"Hidden Healers is an important book because it reveals so much about the absurdity of calling our justice system for women, "just." It is not an easy book to read because Stephanie Covington, one of our country's wise women, is merciless in her descriptions of what it is like for a woman to be sent to jail or prison. At the same time, the reader is accompanied on this journey by incarcerated women who are the "hidden healers," clearly demonstrating the time-honored caregiving that women provide for each other under adverse conditions. This book should be a mandatory part of the curriculum of every law school in the country. Every future prosecutor, or judge should know what they are expecting the woman who stands before them to endure, and every FUTURE defender should be aware of what is at stake." Sandra L. Bloom, M.D., Associate Professor, Health Management and Policy, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Dr. Covington writes in an informed and impassioned voice about what she has learned and the women she has learned it from during 30 years working in prisons and jails. Hers is a voice of intelligence and compassion, pragmatism and hopefulness honed by the sharp edges of the reality of our prisons and jails. As important as her earlier work was, and the importance of the contributions they made, the voices of the women with whom she has worked and from whom she has learned makes this her most personal, and most important book. This is a 'must read' for everyone interested in prisons and jails today." Martin F. Horn, Secretary of Corrections, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (ret.), New York City Correction Commissioner (ret.)
"Hidden Healers is an important book because it reveals so much about the absurdity of calling our justice system for women, "just." It is not an easy book to read because Stephanie Covington, one of our country's wise women, is merciless in her descriptions of what it is like for a woman to be sent to jail or prison. At the same time, the reader is accompanied on this journey by incarcerated women who are the "hidden healers," clearly demonstrating the time-honored caregiving that women provide for each other under adverse conditions. This book should be a mandatory part of the curriculum of every law school in the country. Every future prosecutor, or judge should know what they are expecting the woman who stands before them to endure, and every FUTURE defender should be aware of what is at stake." Sandra L. Bloom, M.D. Associate Professor, Health Management and Policy Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania "Dr. Covington writes in an informed and impassioned voice about what she has learned and the women she has learned it from during 30 years working in prisons and jails. Hers is a voice of intelligence and compassion, pragmatism and hopefulness honed by the sharp edges of the reality of our prisons and jails. As important as her earlier work was, and the importance of the contributions they made, the voices of the women with whom she has worked and from whom she has learned makes this her most personal, and most important book. This is a 'must read' for everyone interested in prisons and jails today." Martin F. Horn, Secretary of Corrections, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (ret.), New York City Correction Commissioner (ret.), Distinguished Lecturer, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (ret.) New York, New "Hidden Healers is an important book because it reveals so much about the absurdity of calling our justice system for women, "just." It is not an easy book to read because Stephanie Covington, one of our country's wise women, is merciless in her descriptions of what it is like for a woman to be sent to jail or prison. At the same time, the reader is accompanied on this journey by incarcerated women who are the "hidden healers," clearly demonstrating the time-honored caregiving that women provide for each other under adverse conditions. This book should be a mandatory part of the curriculum of every law school in the country. Every future prosecutor, or judge should know what they are expecting the woman who stands before them to endure, and every FUTURE defender should be aware of what is at stake." Sandra L. Bloom, M.D. Associate Professor, Health Management and Policy Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania "Dr. Covington writes in an informed and impassioned voice about what she has learned and the women she has learned it from during 30 years working in prisons and jails. Hers is a voice of intelligence and compassion, pragmatism and hopefulness honed by the sharp edges of the reality of our prisons and jails. As important as her earlier work was, and the importance of the contributions they made, the voices of the women with whom she has worked and from whom she has learned makes this her most personal, and most important book. This is a 'must read' for everyone interested in prisons and jails today." Martin F. Horn, Secretary of Corrections, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (ret.), New York City Correction Commissioner (ret.), Distinguished Lecturer, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (ret.) New York, New
"Dr. Covington writes in an informed and impassioned voice about what she has learned and the women she has learned it from during 30 years working in prisons and jails. Hers is a voice of intelligence and compassion, pragmatism and hopefulness honed by the sharp edges of the reality of our prisons and jails. As important as her earlier work was, and the importance of the contributions they made, the voices of the women with whom she has worked and from whom she has learned makes this her most personal, and most important book. This is a 'must read' for everyone interested in prisons and jails today." Martin F. Horn, Secretary of Corrections, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (ret.), New York City Correction Commissioner (ret.)
"Hidden Healers is an important book because it reveals so much about the absurdity of calling our justice system for women, "just." It is not an easy book to read because Stephanie Covington, one of our country's wise women, is merciless in her descriptions of what it is like for a woman to be sent to jail or prison. At the same time, the reader is accompanied on this journey by incarcerated women who are the "hidden healers," clearly demonstrating the time-honored caregiving that women provide for each other under adverse conditions. This book should be a mandatory part of the curriculum of every law school in the country. Every future prosecutor, or judge should know what they are expecting the woman who stands before them to endure, and every FUTURE defender should be aware of what is at stake." Sandra L. Bloom, M.D. Associate Professor, Health Management and Policy Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania "Dr. Covington writes in an informed and impassioned voice about what she has learned and the women she has learned it from during 30 years working in prisons and jails. Hers is a voice of intelligence and compassion, pragmatism and hopefulness honed by the sharp edges of the reality of our prisons and jails. As important as her earlier work was, and the importance of the contributions they made, the voices of the women with whom she has worked and from whom she has learned makes this her most personal, and most important book. This is a 'must read' for everyone interested in prisons and jails today." Martin F. Horn, Secretary of Corrections, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (ret.), New York City Correction Commissioner (ret.), Distinguished Lecturer, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (ret.) New York, New "Hidden Healers is an important book because it reveals so much about the absurdity of calling our justice system for women, "just." It is not an easy book to read because Stephanie Covington, one of our country's wise women, is merciless in her descriptions of what it is like for a woman to be sent to jail or prison. At the same time, the reader is accompanied on this journey by incarcerated women who are the "hidden healers," clearly demonstrating the time-honored caregiving that women provide for each other under adverse conditions. This book should be a mandatory part of the curriculum of every law school in the country. Every future prosecutor, or judge should know what they are expecting the woman who stands before them to endure, and every FUTURE defender should be aware of what is at stake." Sandra L. Bloom, M.D. Associate Professor, Health Management and Policy Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania "Dr. Covington writes in an informed and impassioned voice about what she has learned and the women she has learned it from during 30 years working in prisons and jails. Hers is a voice of intelligence and compassion, pragmatism and hopefulness honed by the sharp edges of the reality of our prisons and jails. As important as her earlier work was, and the importance of the contributions they made, the voices of the women with whom she has worked and from whom she has learned makes this her most personal, and most important book. This is a 'must read' for everyone interested in prisons and jails today." Martin F. Horn, Secretary of Corrections, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (ret.), New York City Correction Commissioner (ret.), Distinguished Lecturer, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (ret.) New York, New
Stephanie S. Covington, PhD, LCSW is an internationally recognized pioneer in the fields of addiction, trauma, and gender-responsive care. For three decades she has created and facilitated trauma-informed programs and curricula for use in criminal-legal settings across the United States and globally. Educated at Columbia University and the Union Institute, Dr. Covington is co-director of the Institute for Relational Development and the Center for Gender & Justice in Del Mar, California.
