More Than A Magazine, A Movement
The United States’ system of mass incarceration has imprisoned millions since the 1980s, with enormous racial disparities. During this period, women have become the fastest-growing segment of the incarcerated population.
Last week, Iran confirmed the arrest and detention of journalist Cecilia Sala—a rare official statement coming from Iranian authorities. Sala is in Evin Prison, a facility synonymous with the systemic repression of dissent.
At Women Press Freedom, we have called for international condemnation and for European and international leaders to take immediate action toward Sala’s release.
Amid Iran’s oppressive crackdown on dissent, activist and artist Reza Khandan, husband of human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, faces brutal imprisonment for championing women’s rights and freedom of choice.
On Dec. 20, Reza called from Evin Prison to leave this message with a surprisingly strong voice: “I continue to stay true to my pledge of defending women and human rights. I continue to oppose the heavy and unjust sentences given to my wife and the difficult circumstances brought on my children, whose grace and patience through the ordeals have given us strength and peace of mind. I wish you a happy Yalda [Winter Solstice] and hope for better days.”
In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.
This week: The Supreme Court considers a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for trans teens; data shows crimes in public restrooms and changing rooms are extremely rare, and are not decreased by laws preventing trans people from using public bathrooms; analyzing Trump’s cabinet nominees; midwives say climate change is harming their communities; Nevada maintains a majority woman legislature; criminal justice reform for probation, parole and bail is critical; Arizona moves to end 15-week abortion ban; Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal have asked the Biden administration to limit the federal government from deploying troops domestically; and more.
In 2017, Briana Martinson, then 20, and Megan Cater, 19, went to the apartment of a man whom they believed had stolen medication from Martinson, with the intent to steal it back. By the time they arrived at the apartment, Martinson and Cater were joined by several other individuals, two of whom were older men that the women did not know. According to Martinson, one of the men threatened them with a gun before entering, at which point she realized, “Okay, there’s no turning back.”
In the end, they were each sentenced to 13 and a half years in prison for aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional felony murder.
Was this a case of wrongful conviction? It’s complicated.
Jhody Polk was arrested, convicted and jailed in 2007. She served the majority of the seven-year sentence at Gadsden Correctional Facility in Quincy, Fla., where she met a group of women called Law Clerks who had been trained to help others: doing legal research, filing appeals and applications in addition to assisting other incarcerated women with the paperwork needed to request a pardon, early release or lodge a complaint about dangerous conditions or abuse by correction officers or others.
Although all of the Clerks at Gadsden were serving life sentences and she was not, Polk says that the prison’s librarian—a civilian employee—encouraged her to join their ranks. She did, studying to become a “jailhouse lawyer,” a shift she considers life-changing.
We send Ms. to 5,547 federal, state and county prisoners, and hundreds of shelters across the country. That’s a fraction of the total, but it’s a number we’re very proud of and hope to keep growing. Over the 19 years since this program’s birth, we’ve discovered that even this small gesture of recognition, support and information means a lot.
Operation Restoration (OR) is working to change this for women and girls in the Pelican State. The group was founded in 2016 by formerly incarcerated women to provide peer and social service support, referrals, and counseling to women caught up in the criminal justice system. A related project, Operation Girls (OG), was founded in late 2018 to help female-identified children between the ages of 10 and 17 who have at least one parent in prison.
No one—not even New Yorkers—can count on having a right to an abortion. This is why, New Yorkers must vote yes on Prop 1 to “protect abortion permanently.”
Proposal 1, however, does far more than establish constitutional protection for abortion. New York’s Prop 1 explicitly protects women who experience miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as those who carry their pregnancies to term and give birth. Prop 1 will also ensure equality for all those who want to travel—even if they happen to be pregnant. Proposal 1 will, for the first time, close the pregnancy loophole that has been used to deny pregnant patients equal rights to follow their religious beliefs.
The tragic shooting of Sonya Massey underscored profound systemic issues within law enforcement—especially police conduct and excessive force when it comes to Black women.
Massey, a Black woman with a known mental health condition, was shot and killed by a deputy from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in Springfield, Ill. This incident has intensified scrutiny of racial bias, inadequate mental health crisis responses and the erosion of trust between marginalized communities and police.
The number of women experiencing or soon experiencing menopause behind bars has skyrocketed to more than 40 percent of incarcerated women today.
Many women experiencing menopause must manage uncomfortable symptoms, but for incarcerated women, the environmental hazards of prison life—excessive heat and denial of fans, unhealthy food, harsh lighting, loud noises, lack of access to fresh air and sunlight, and limited opportunities to exercise—severely exacerbate these symptoms, reduce an individual’s ability to manage them, and significantly compromise their basic quality of life.