The use of solitary confinement for incarcerated pregnant people is an indefensible and cruel practice. Unfortunately, it’s more common than you might think.
Author: Crystal Hayes
Crystal M. Hayes, MSW, is a social work PhD candidate (ABD) at the University of Connecticut. Crystal is a reproductive justice scholar and activist. Her research focuses on reproductive justice for incarcerated women. Her activism began early. Born and raised in New York City at the end of the civil rights movement, on the cusp of the Black Power Movement and by parents in the Black Panther Party, she lives by the Audre Lorde quote: “your silence will not protect you." Crystal has more than seven years of experience teaching in both online and on-the-ground social work programs at both the undergraduate (BSW) and graduate levels (MSW).
The Canary in the Coal Mine: Racism, Human Rights and Fighting for Incarcerated Pregnant Black Women
If the crumbling status of Black America is a telltale sign of the dangers and threats that eventually befall all Americans, incarcerated Black women are the canary in the coal mine—and not just for incarcerated women, but for women across the country.